"Good to see you back with us," Blevins said as he entered the room. "So do you remember what happened now?"

"Oh yes, I remember them saying that it was a message from Davenport. The skinny one, who is no longer with us, said that if I didn't leave Davenport alone, he would have me and my whole family killed. He was very specific."

"My God Max, we are going to hang his ass from the courthouse flagpole, when you tell that in court."

"Good, now tell me something. Where the hell is Jerry, you said he was watching my back. Surely he should have been in to say hello."

"Actually he is working midnight shift. You haven't been awake long enough for him to speak to you. He told me that himself this morning."

"Ah that explains it. I wonder why Mosby hasn't been in to see me."

"Max, I am not getting into the middle of that one." Blevins said.

"Has she left town?" I asked. It occurred to me that I might not be out of the hospital, before my contract with Marty for the TV show ended. If that were the case, he might have fired Mosby, or Beth Ann.

"Max, I have nothing to say on that subject. You have your cell phone, so call someone who knows." Blevins suggested.

"So it was you who brought my phone. I wondered how it go here." I said.

"Yeah, it wasn't going to be any good as evidence."

"You decided that after you did the drop on the calls."

"Yeah, I did." He looked out the window at my parking lot view. Then added, "You know that you are the most interesting person in this town. No wonder they are making that TV show about you."

"That is probably what put me in here, so it might not have been my best decision to go alone with the TV thing."

"Max, you would have done what you did even without the TV producers being here."

"Yeah, I guess I would have at that. And the kid's film did save my ass from answering a lot of questions."

"Yeah, gonna make a hell of an episode," he laughed. "Did you know that it is raining like hell out there."

"No but with the temperature falling every day, I'm glad that I'm not in it. Of course I would rather be in bed somewhere with a bottle of Jack Daniels."

"Wouldn't we all?" he asked not expecting an answer.

"Hey, did you get your burglars?" I asked.

"Fucking kids," he said. "It's just a matter of time until someone sees them." He paused looked out the window again then said, "The only good shit happens when you are involved."

"Oh bullshit," I replied.

"I just stopped by to see, if you remembered the conversation. Since you do, I guess I should get back to searching for the kids who are steeling cash, jewelry, and high end bikes. The bikes are the give away." He looked away from the window and at me. "You were wearing a microphone. You ought to see that clip, just to refresh your memory."

"Okay, I'll do that. Bye the way Blevins, did you ask Reverend Archer, if anyone tried to sell him bikes recently?"

"No, should I?"

"Yeah you should. Lucas got a motor bike from him and he put it on a used bike that was a beauty. He got that bike somewhere."

"Give me the address of that bike shop," he demanded.

"Hell, I don't know the name of the street but it's out in the West End area. It's just off English road in an 0ld service station. You will find it. Just keep my name out of it."

"Oh hell it's open to the public and I am looking for stolen bikes. Cops do it all the time, I don't need an informant for that No need for him to know you thought of it instead of me. Hell, it looks better that it was my idea anyway." With that Blevins left me alone.

I used the cell phone to call Helen. "Hello Helen this is Maxine," I said into her message machine. "Give me a call please. I'm trying to find out about Mosby."

I broke down and called Mosby's phone, but all I got was the out of service message. I honestly hadn't expected that. I hadn't called her because of Jerry. I really hadn't a clue that she might have left town.

I was tempted to call Jerry, but if he was working midnight shift, he might be sleeping. I didn't want to take a chance on waking him. Okay, I also didn't want to have Mosby answer the phone. I had no idea what I would do, if she rubbed my nose in it.

"Maxine, you look better. How do you feel?" the doctor asked. I had a different hospital specialists during each of my three days as a patient.

"I'm impressed, I haven't had the same doctor twice yet. I can't believe it. This stay has to be costing my insurance company a fortune." I paused to see, if she would smile. She didn't "The answer to your question is that I am just fine considering I was gutted like a fish."

"Well it wasn't that bad was it, but you do seem to have gotten sliced and diced pretty good. Not to mention your heart seems to have stopped beating for a bit. We still aren't quite sure how that worked."

"I can't help you with that. I was a little busy walking to the light," I said.

"Really/" she asked.

"No, there was no light or any other thoughts. I just went to sleep, then I just woke up."

"Oh alright, you had my hopes up." she laughed at herself. "So. lets take a look at you. Drop the top of that gown."

"Shouldn't we pull the drapes first?" I asked.

"Oh so you are going to be modest now?" she asked smiling at me.

I had a bad, bad feeling suddenly. "I'd like to see your hospital ID?' I demanded. I also had my hand on the derringer. "Sure," she said, but instead of the ID, she came out with a syringe.

"Sorry sweetie, but I can trump that." She had been braced for a struggle. The big bore of the shotgun derringer in her face was a shock to her. It stopped her dead in her tracks. I pressed the button on my nurse call thingie and waited.

"What the?" the nurse asked excitedly.

"Is there a cop at the door outside."

"What's going on?" he asked as he rushed into the room. He pulled his automatic handgun just about two minutes too late.

"I think we have someone playing dress up here."

He quickly removed the syringe from her upheld hand Then he turned the woman to the wall. I watched as he patted her down. "Try not to enjoy that too much," I suggested. To be honest, all the wisecracks were just to cover it up the fact that I was scared shitless. "Max I am so sorry, I just went to take a pee."

"Office let's make a deal, next time you do that, come in and use mine. Wake me up, if you have to, because I want to know that I'm on my own."

"Yes ma'am, I understand."

I turned to the nurse. "You are probably going to need to change my catheter bag, that bitch scared the piss out of me."

"I swear Ms Stone, you have to have nine lives. I have never seen anything like it. Would you really have shot her?"

"Just as many times as I could, which was only once in this case," I said with a smile.

It was about a minute later that when Helen returned my call. The fake doctor was cuffed and seated in my one chair with the officer all over her.

"Max, I am sorry I haven't been able to visit, but I am just snowed under here. Mosby just disappeared on me."

"Ah that's all I needed to know. It's okay about the visit, all I seem to do is sleep anyway."

"Well know that I am praying for you and so is skeeter. Jack is so upset by all this that he can't sleep."

"Tell him I said not to worry. It will all work out. I hear Julie is out of the Family Mission?"

"Yes, she is and that's the only good thing to happen. Jennifer has a plan to get her out of the juvenile detention center. Something about the counseling at Reverend Archer's rehab facility. She said maybe Julie can come home to live. I don't understand it."

"Well if Jennifer is involved, it can't be too bad." Or too honest, I thought but didn't say it.

"Just do the best you can Helen. Nobody can ask for more than that."

"Maxine, we are so grateful to you. I know the cops got her out, but it's because you set off the chain of events. Jennifer explained all that to us."

"Don't worry you are finished with Davenport, but I'm not. Honey, I'm sorry but I need to talk to someone right now, but thanks for the info about Mosby." I said just before I hung up the phone.

"So fake doc, you need to tell me why you wanted to shoot me up with drain cleaner or whatever." I said it in a calm voice.

"I got nothing to say," the woman replied.

"Up to you, But just so you know, I'm going to have to sign off on any deal they try to make with you. I really do have that much pull in this town. But you go ahead and be a hard ass."

"What tipped you off," she asked after a minute's thought.

"Well the curtain thing first, but you also had dripping wet hair. It looked as though you walked in from the parking lot right to my room. which you did of course. The odds of that happening in a hospital this size are pretty long. Then I noticed the jail house star tattoo on the back of your hand. What were you a infirmary employee?"

"Yeah five years at Caledonia for women. I worked in the infirmary the last two."

"Good to see you learned a trade up there," I said trying to be sympathetic and still a hard ass.

"Yeah, nobody wants an ex con working for them. Not even those shitty nursing homes."

"Yeah, just kill one person and they never let you live it down." I said.

"I ain't never killed nobody," she said.

"So I would have been your first. Did Davenport really think you would get away with it. Maybe he just decided to throw you under the bus, hoping to frighten me into not testifying. You know make me think that he would never give up."

"Well I was supposed to do it, not even talk to you about it, just do it quick." the woman said.

"Nice, well you got lucky. I could have shot you." I replied.

"Why didn't you?" she asked seriously.

"The blow back from that thing would have covered me in blood and brains. I don't need that in addition to how I feel already." I admmitted.

"Yeah, it would have made a mess alright."

"I guess they are going to put Davenport back in jail. He can't be trusted outside."

"If they can find him. If I don't call in the next fifteen minutes to tell him it's done, he will be in the wind."

"Then call him," I suggested.

"Why should I?" she asked.

"Exactly what do you have to lose. Davenport isn't going to help you. Why not help us I am going to testify at your trial. I will either tell them how you helped, or how you refused to help. It's up to you."

"Detective Sergeant Evans," The youngish black man said as he entered the room. "Why haven't you transported this woman yet?" he asked the patrolman.

"I'm waiting for someone to show up to do that. I can't leave." the patrolman said.

"Alright, I'll transport her."

"Could I see your ID?" I asked.

"What, I showed you my badge." he said angrily.

"Officer, do you know this detective?" I asked.

"Yes Ma'am I have seen him around the station. He got promoted after Blevins and his partner left for that task force thing."

"Okay, but this woman needs to make a call first."

"Lady, I know you are some kind of special case, but you don't tell me what to do."

"If she doesn't make that phone call, the man who sent her is going to be running. If she makes the call, you will have time to send someone to pick him up. Now let her make the call."

"She's right Sergeant, I heard the woman say that."

"Alright make the call, then we go have a talk."

"I changed my mind. Let him run." The bitch looked at me and smiled. "Now I want a lawyer."

I was sorely tempted to have them call Jen, but decided against it. The web of conflict would be to unmistakable, even to the idiots in our district attorneys office to miss.

After the excitement of the fake doctor died down, time passed slowly, but it did pass. I hated every lucid moment of my hospital stay. By Friday the catheter was gone, and only one bag draining into my arm.

I finally was able to stay awake long enough to meet with Jerry on Friday night. "So Jerry, what's the word on Beth Ann? You told her, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I told her that we knew. She was gone the next morning. I told her the night you got stabbed."

"She just left us both the next morning? It kind of makes you wonder about sweet lil ole Mosby." I commented.

"I could really learn to hate Marty," Jerry said. He smiled then added, "It might take a while to hate Mosby though."

"Marty was being Marty, and I guess Beth Ann was just being Mosby." I smiled a sarcastic smile at Jerry. He was a lot more hurt than I was. Then again he was younger. I had walked that road a lot more times. Relationships between same sex couples seemed to break down faster. Then again I wasn't very good with men either.

"Phony bitch," he said angrily. His anger was tempered by the fact that he had suffered a even bigger loss with his dead nurse friend.

"Your luck with women is about like mine is with men." I said quietly.

"Yeah, I know we should probably hang out together. Just to spare the rest of the world our plague."

"Are you kidding, we would poison the water, not to mention everyone we came into contact with." I admitted.

"Okay how about we just get together and fuck now and then."

"Now that seems like a much more reasonable plan." I said smiling at him. "You are going to have to give me a little time though.

"You have to know, if you are just saying that so that I will stay awake while on duty out there, you don't have to. Screwing or not, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Good, then it won't be a pity or pay off fuck. It will just be for fun, those are the best kind." I suggested.

After the fake Doc incident, the staff all started to wear their ID cards in plain view. There was also a hospital security officer assigned to the ICU nurse's station. Even though, I expected that he would go when I did, it was still a good idea. It was a little late in the game for me, but the security measures might save someone else's life.

Jennifer wanted to sue, just because it was what Jennifer did. I said no. The hospital trusted that the cops would take care of me. It was just a big mix up, there was nothing sinister in it. The hospital needed the wakeup call, and I expected that the cops did as well.

I got moved to a new room of my own the first thing Saturday morning. It was a sign that I was progressing and I was happy about that. It also meant visitors had free access to me.

"You know what Max, you promised to hand me those burglars and you did," Blevins said without even a hello first.

"Well good Saturday morning to you too Blevins. So they had been selling their stolen bikes to the Reverend?"

"A couple to him and a few to the bike shops in Tryon. They even sold one on line through Ebay. The secret to catching them was tracing the bikes. I guess, I'm getting lazy. I should have checked that without being prodded."

"Well, you got them that's the important thing."

"And guess what?"

"What?" I asked.

"They were two high school girls. Some big theft ring huh?" Blevins said with a laugh.

"What is the world coming too. Women committing crimes, next they will be cops." I laughed.

"Yeah, then the world will really be going to hell in a hand basket." Blevins agreed with a smile. "Have they got you on a diet still?" he asked.

"Yeah, I got no idea how much longer, but I'm sick of Jello." I admitted.

"I was headed to the Pizza and Pasta Pit. I thought I might bring you something for lunch."

"Why are you torturing me? What did I ever do to you?" I asked.

"Don't ask me. Ask your real doctor that. I'm just trying to make sure you get well and out of this place."

"I know Blevins and believe me I appreciate your visiting me so often. I know you are busy."

"With you up here, the work load dropped by fifty percent," he said with a laugh.

"See every cloud has an even blacker cloud inside. Life is so much more boring without me."

"Yes it would be," Blevins agreed.

"Hey, I met your new partner last night," I informed him.

"He told me. He wanted to know what your story was. So I took him to the Cop Out and told him. Well, me and about a dozen other people. You would have loved it. The nurses from the ER got in on the love fest. Well it wasn't all love."

"Yikes, Sergeant Evans in the Cop Out. Couldn't you have waited until I could be there for that?" I asked.

"Trust me Evans was quite the hit with the ladies. Most of the guys were not happy, but they will get over it."

"Do you think he will go back?" I asked

"If he is going to be my partner, he will. I never had a partner that didn't drink with me, at least now and then."

"Yeah even Anya," I replied.

"Hey, she got what she wanted, and I did as well."

"And what did you want?" I asked.

"I wanted her the hell gone," he replied.

"To be honest, I did as well," I agreed. I said it but I wasn't all that sure that I did. She had an interesting way about her.

"Maxine," the nurse said as she entered the room. "The doctor said you could take a short shower today. I will be back in a bit to remove your dressing. You can take a careful shower then I will redress the incision."

"Very good, you want to help me with the shower Blevins?" I asked.

"Why of course, I would be happy to wash your back." he replied.

"Like hell," the nurse said. "We are in enough trouble because of Maxine. I'm not about to let you two cavort in the shower."

"Were we planning to cavort?" I asked.

"I don't know about you, but I was definitely planning to cavort," Blevins said with a deep laugh.

Blevins left and I took what could only be described as the worlds most welcome shower. I even washed my two inches of hair before they could tell me not to. The fact that I did it all while seated on a metal stool didn't bother me one little bit. When I finished, I felt that I was at last clean.

Saturday not only gave me my first real bath, but it seemed like people came out of the woodwork to visit. Everybody I counted as friends showed up. Well most of them. Okay some of them.

Ed came first just after noon. He was till in the room, when Lucas and Gwen showed. Gwen didn't have a camera. After asking how I felt, everyone asked when I was going home. I had no idea, but I was hopeing for a quick release, since I had been moved to a private room and been allowed to shower. I was optimistic that it would be soon. I knew that my body healed faster than most people, so I was hopeful that my stay was about over..

Jennifer and Bob showed up shortly after the first shift left. Jen still wanted me to sue somebody. It was kind of like the TV advertisement. 'If you have been hospitalized come see me. I will find someone to sue.'

They were out the door when Blevins showed up with a lady my age. Maxine, I want you to meet my friends Mildred. She wanted to meet you, so here we are."

"Hello Mildred," I said.

"I have heard so much about you Maxine. I am thrilled to meet you."

"I have no idea what you have heard, but believe only the good parts."

"That will be easy, it has all been good," Mildred said.

"Blevins don't let this one get away, she is definitely a keeper." I smiled.

"I already did Max. Mildred is my ex wife. We are having a reunion dinner that's all,"

"Oh, well you should give some thought to making it a new beginning and see what happens."

"Well, I guess we better go. We have reservations for dinner. Yes Max it is that kind of place."

"Well you two have fun. I will keep a good thought for you."

"Hello Maxine," Helen said from the door. "Can you have visitors?"

"They better not try to keep you out." I said it with a big smile. I am not a hugger but Helen is. I allowed her to hug me even though it was an effort. Some because of the incision and a lot because I'm just not the hugging, without sex type.

Jack hung back but eventually said, "I want you to know how sorry I am about this. I feel like this is all my fault."
"Jack listen, there is plenty of blame to go around. Some of it is mine, some is Julie's, but most of it is Davenport's. Not to worry it will all come out in the wash." I made a real effort not to give away too much.

"Maxine, I wish I could afford to pay your hospital bill at least. I know this is my fault."

"Don't worry Jack, this is an occupational hazard. I knew I wasn't playing with a church choir when I got into this affair."

"Now how is my girl skeeter?" I asked Helen.

"She is as wonderful as ever," Helen said.

"Good, too bad she couldn't come visit." I said meaning it. I would have rather had her show up that almost any of the others.

When Helen and Jack left, I was pretty sure there weren't going to be too many others. I should have known Archer would show up. "Max how are you doing. I would have been sooner but you were not allowed visitors. I see you still have your cop on the door?"

"Yes, your friend Davenport is a very persistent man."

"So it would seem. I hear he has disappeared."

"So they say, you wouldn't have any ideas about that would you?"

"Why would I know?" Archer asked.

"Well Reverend you did introduce him to the business." I suggested.

"I have nothing to do with his business." the Reverend said.

"You might need to rethink that. His little empire is without an emperor, that can't be good for anyone." I suggested.

"He must have an awful lot of money, since he just walked away from half a million dollars in his bail account." I added.

"I would guess that he does have a lot of money. He is going to be hard to find. Most likely he will be found by accident." Archer sounded almost impressed by Davenport.

"Well, he might be surprised, who knows. Hell we all might be," I suggested.

Once Archer left, I watched TV till Jerry came on duty. "So Jerry what went on with you and Mosby?"

"Come on Max you don't really want details."

"Actually I do. Was it love or sex, and how good was the sex?" I smiled.

"Max, I don't want to talk about that kind of thing."

"I'm sure you don't Jerry, but I need to know. Let me start by asking did she leave you a note or a message on your cell phone?"

"Text message," he replied.

"Was there anything odd about it?"

"What the hell are yo u thinking. It was from her, if you think Davenport got to her, you are dead wrong."

"Did she seem upset that we knew who she was?" I asked.

"Not at all. She seemed happy that it was over. We talked about it after I told her we knew." Jerry replied. Then added, "She said Marty expected you to catch on eventually."

"Well then, I guess that means she just went back home."

"Yes and Max, she listed the job on her facebook account. Like part of her resume."

"So did you at least get an honorable mention, in the sex department?"

"She didn't mention either of us by name. Just described her role, as it were. Those are her words by the way." Jerry explained

"Okay, well I'm exhausted. There were way too many visitors here today." I said.

"You go on to bed and I'll make sure that you don't have any more." Jerry said reassuring me.

Jerry was gone when I awoke the next morning. I had my first recognizable breakfast that Sunday morning. The sausage and eggs with real coffee, made me want to cry. The sausage was no doubt turkey, but the taste was close enough to the real thing to make it seem like the best sausage I ever ate. Even the cold toast was good.

"Best of all before I finished breakfast the doctor came around. She asked, "So Max do have anyone to take care of you at home?"

"My friend Jen invited me to stay with her a while." I replied. "Does this mean you are going to release me today?"

"It does, if you feel that your are ready."

"I'm sure that I will rest better at my friends home, than I would here."

I gave my debit card to the lady at the checkout desk. It is already been taken care of," she informed me as she returned my card. The copay should have been a thousand dollars out of my pocket. Jennifer probably told Marty paying the copay would be cheaper than the lawsuit I might file. Jennifer for all her faults took care of me. The only thing that mattered was that I was being sprung.

78 back to the garage.

That bonus room over Jen's garage got changed as often as my panties, it seemed. When I got discharged from the Air Force, it had been an exercise room. I'm not sure it ever got used for that. After I got to town, it became a studio apartment for Jen's high school friend, me.

After I left, it became her party central room. I had gone to a couple of parties there myself. You could get ten to twenty people inside it with room to mingle a little. Or set it up for a dinner with a dozen guest.

With the addition of some furniture, borrowed from other rooms in her house, it again became my small apartment. Jen's plan was not so much to 'take care of me' as to give me a space where she could check up on me easily. It was as much for her convenience, as mine. I still loved her for it.

She refused to take me to the office for the cruiser. Instead she drove me to her place. The contradiction was that she left me to climb the stairs alone. Now that was a bit painful. The incision, that the bad guy made with his dying energy, was a big nasty one. It was closed but it still had that raw feeling.

Once I was up the stairs, I decided not to go back down them for a long time. I knew that was wishful thinking, but it was what I planned. With a little luck I could manage to put it off for a while at least. Jen would probably be around long enough to bring me a pizza. I mean how much trouble would it be to carry if from the door to my over sized room. All I had to do was order it from our town's one delivery restaurant.

It sounded like a plan to avoid those steps for at least that one evening. I sat down with the pen and note pad, from my over sized purse, to make a list of things that I needed from the store. Diet Coke topped the list. Then frozen dinners, fancy rolls, eggs, cheese, one of those picnic salt and pepper sets, paper plates and bowls (not plastic), and plastic glasses.

First I called Lucas, "At your service," he asnwered.

"Hey, I see you figured out how to route the calls to your phone. Good for you."

"I'm the digital genius, remember?" he actually laughed.

"So things are going alright with the business?" I asked.

"Sure, I work almost a full day every day."

"Very good. Listen I'm at Jennifer's house. Why don't you stop by a grocery store and pick up few things for me. Deliver them and bring your paperwork for the deliveries. If you do I'll write you a check."

"Sure, is it okay if I bring Gwen?" he asked.

"Of course, she can even bring her camera, if she wants. I'll do a sit down talk about the whole hospital experience."

"She said, if we do that Mike is going to want to be there," Lucas said.

"Alright bring Mike. Jen won't mind. I'll text you my grocery list. If Gwen thinks of anything I forgot, just buy that as well. And Luke continue to feed the cat a few more days please, but without Gwen along."

"You got it boss." he replied.

So I sent a text to him with the list of groceries. After that I checked out the bed and found it comfortable enough to fall asleep. I did that until Jen woke me knocking on the door. "Hey you got Greeks bearing gifts out here, open up." she demanded.

The apartment sized refrigerator was filled to capacity by my few groceries. Jen was a little upset until I explained that the food was for breakfast and lunch when she wasn't around. I didn't plan to leave the house for a week. I knew my body was in no shape to do anything for at least that long.

What I didn't tell her was that at the end of that week, I would be headed back to my own place. The thought 'my own place' turned my mind toward what I was going to do about the cabin. It had terrible living conditions, but it was also remote and secure. I had taken it when security was my number one concern. I wasn't sure, if that remained the case or not. It was possible I could find a place like the Gunny's little apartment and just buy it outright. With that I could make ends meet and be in town and nearer to everything. I had the week to decide what to do next.

The con's little old lady mom wasn't in a great hurry. At least that is what Ed told me at the hospital. But he also said that she couldn't wait forever, so I had to make a decision soon or she would make it for me. Once they started to show the place, I was finished there for sure.

I sat down with Lucas to write him a check for the week I had been out of commission. In four days he had made 25 deliveries. "Okay Lucas here is how it breaks down. The fees for your deliveries run $50 each, so you earned $1250 dollars gross. Instead of the $500 I would have paid you, if we were working together. Now if this were your business, you would need to set aside the payment for rent on the office about $250 bucks for a week. Then $150 for the car payment you might have, if you were running the business. Phones of all kinds about a $100. After taxes you might get to spend about $500 on yourself."

"I had no idea," he said.

"Neither did I. I had to play it by ear the first year. Now I have a pretty good handle on it."

I handed him the check for $1250. "This time you get it all, but don't get used to it."

"Okay, I'm going to get Gwen and take her home to change. While she does that, I'm going to go put the cat food out. I still don't think it is a cat eating the food, but it's gone every day so I can't be sure." he said.

Since Mike couldn't make the trip, I expected that Gwen was giving Jen and update on the progress of the TV show. Marty wanted it on line the moment it was ready. He was already marketing the kits, but the more publicity the better in his mind I was sure.

"Boss, thanks for the extra money. You didn't have to do it. I would have stayed, just because it needed to be done. It was the right thing." He had heard that for sure from me, and most likely from Gunny as well. It was a good lesson for a young man to have learned.

For lunch I was planning a sandwich of some kind. I had intentionally left chips off the grocery list. I had a feeling that chips wouldn't do my ragged stomach much good. I wanted to stay away from sharp things for a while.

I had the frig door open and was looking inside to make the 'what to put between the slices of bread' decision, when I heard a knock on my door. Helen and skeeter were in the hall. I am sure skeeter was the first dog, with four legs, to ever make it inside Jen's house.

When skeeter saw me, she was on her back legs dancing for me. I had to smile she was so happy to see me. It made me want to cry at the same time. I began to pet her and it seemed that neither of us would ever get enough.

"Be gentle," Helen said in a stern voice and skeeter calmed right down. "God I love that dog," she added.

"Who in world wouldn't?" I asked.

"I am back driving the sandwich truck until I can find someone else to do it. So here is the deal. I will be by here once in the morning and once at lunch. Jen has promised to do something for your dinner. If she doesn't I will bring dinner over," Helen said.

"Like hell you will," I said."I plan to sleep till noon."

"Okay then, I will bring your lunch," Helen insisted.

"Helen, I have things already bought to fix my own lunch. I really want to do that."

"Let me do something?" she asked.

"You have done more than enough by bringing skeeter over. I told you she is a natural therapy dog."

"I know. she saved my life for sure. Now you will not go hungry, do you hear me?" Helen demanded. "If you need anything at all, you call me I will get it here somehow."

"Not to worry, I won't go hungry."

"I left your dinner for tonight with Jen." Then she began to tear up. "If anything happens to you because of me, or my family, I don't know what I will do."

"Plant a flower for me, somewhere flowers don't grow. Make it a pretty one," I said shedding tears myself.

Then Helen was gone. Dinner that night was a huge beef pot pie. It had about every vegetable known to man inside. It was delicious. I had expected no less. Bob was very uncomfortable for some reason. I didn't ask, because I didn't care.

"Jen, dinner was great and the company is good, but I am exhausted," I said as I stood. I am going to have t leave you to clean the table." I barely managed to make it back to the bed before I passed out. I'm was not sure if it was just exhaustion, or if it was something else, but I went out light a light.

The sweat shirt Jen brought for me to wear from the hospita,l was in need of a washing at the end of the day. Since I had passed out cold, it didn't get done. So Monday morning found me sitting in one of Jen's too small tee shirt, while the sweat shirt went through the washer, The expensive tee which I wore would be stretched, so odds weret the prissy Jen would never wear it again. It was the only solid colored one she had, so I didn't mind taking it. All her other tees had cutsy shit on them, butterflies or some such nonsense.

Monday was boring as hell. The only person to call was Mike the producer. "Maxine, Lucas said you were willing to do a sit down interview with me?" It was a question.

"Sure, come on over." I agreed.

That interview lasted an hour and was the only thing I did, other than watch TV all day.

Tuesday was a repeat of Monday except I washed the Tee shirt instead of the sweat shirt.

Wednesday I sat in Jen's panties and tee shirt while I washed my jeans and the sweat shirt again. All the clothes I had at Jen's house were developing a serious patina. They would all qualify for Antiques Road Show, on looks alone. I was doing more than it would seem on the surface, I was up and down those fucking steps more ad more times each day.

On Thursday I ventured around the block. Since the cops still had my .38 I carried my glock 9mm, brought to me by Luke with the groceries. I had bought it from the man, who won the Wilmington police department's auction, when they switched to the 10mm. To conceal it and to keep warm, I wore one of Bob's yard work jackets.

It felt so good to be outside that I walked the same route again that afternoon. I could tell that I was beginning to get my strength back. It felt really good to have some energy.

On Friday, I felt good enough to walk around the neighborhood for an hour at a time. I knew then that it was time to get my wheels and move home.

"Hey Lucas give me a call," I said into the cell phone Friday afternoon. I watched TV for an hour before he returned my call. When he did I had finished with the TV and was on the sidewalk several blocks from Jen's house.

"What's up boss?" he asked.

"Are you in town?" I asked rather than answer.

"On my way back from Tryon. I should be there in fifteen minutes," he answered

"Before you go to the office swing by Jen's house please. I want to go to the office to pick up the Cruiser."

"Actually I'm in the cruiser," he said sheepishly.

"No problem, I will drop you at the office. You can either get your car or the van which ever you want."

"I should be there in about twenty minutes," he said.

"Maxine," the receptionist said as a greeting. Damn caller I D. I thought.

"Is your boss available?" I asked.

"Sure hold on," she said.

"Max, is anything wrong?" Jennifer asked.

"No, should there be?" I asked calming her down.

"No, you just haven't called all week."

"Well I have Lucas bringing the cruiser over. It's time I headed home."

"Are you sure?" she asked sounding a little concerned.

"Yes I'm sure. I'm going to take all the stuff from the frig, you won't ever use it."

"You are right about that," she said laughing at me.

I got to the cabin at 6PM. I saw the cat come out of the woods as my car pulled in. I quickly got the food ready. It was chilly, but I pulled a chair out to watch him eat.

"So did you miss me?" He didn't even look up. "So you are pissed because I left you. Well I sent the kid to be sure you ate at least once a day."

I looked down at the beat up old cat and decided right then to buy the cabin. I phoned Ed to set the wheels in motion. 79 alone again naturally

The cat wouldn't come in, so I was alone on a Friday night. It wasn't my first Friday night alone, when I didn't want to be alone. Life was just like that sometimes. I could have stayed at Jen's, but I most likely would have been alone there as well. If you weren't able, or didn't want to play their games, you were left to your own devices. Jen was my best friend, but I recognized her for what she was, Then again she recognized me for what I was as well.

First I removed Jen's tight clothes. The tee I wore under the sweat shirt was at least two sizes too small for me. Jen had only slightly better looking boobs but they were on a smaller frame so the tee was still too small. I hadn't worn a bra since the thug tried to make me a fillet. Jen's panties were too small for my wide ass, but they were the only things available to me at the time.

The panties joined the tee inside my one waste basket in the house. I just knew that I was going to have to empty that little plastic can after my shower . I just hoped the cat wasn't into sniffing panties. I didn't want to find my trash all over the yard in the morning.

I took my second shower of the day. I did it to get clean again before I put on my own clothes. When I went to my storage rack, I found that I had just enough clean clothes for one more day. Then I remembered that I had a plan, before the parking lot confrontation with Davenport's thugs. The plan had been to visit my Asian mother and daughter team, the very next day to have my laundry done. The mother and daughter were always in the laundromat, even on Saturdays, so my plan was just delayed not canceled.

I really missed Jen's big shower but it wasn't the only thing I missed about her house. I missed the central heat as well. It was nice not to be either freezing or too warm. That's how it was with a heater, which was not thermostatically controlled. Those two things almost convinced me to let the cabin go.

The crappy amenities of the cabin were countered by the emptiness of the area. The cabin was not just in the country, it backed up to the river. It wasn't close enough to have a river view or anything,. Still it was close enough for me to walk down and sit on the bank now and then. The security precautions I had put in effect were also a definite plus. Once I took care of Davenport, and I planned to do that when I felt better, I wouldn't need all the security. I would still be nice to have it in place all the same.

I had made my decision about the cabin, so there was no sense having buyer's remorse. After my shower I heated one of the frozen dinners. It was one of the ones I actually liked. While I ate it, I watched the Internet site with my cameras. One showed the gate which had no activity, one showed me sitting at my small table watching the computer screen, and one showed the yard. I watched as the cat limped from the concrete stoop, to the edge of the woods. That limp made me want to cry.

"Screw this," I said aloud. I put on my heavy jacket, since it was cool out, then I picked up the Glock 9mm with its holster. I threaded it onto my belt, then made sure it was covered by the coat. The cruiser had cooled off, while I did my things. I suffered with the chill until I was almost at my destination.

"Hello there Martha, I do hope it's quiet around here for a change," I said as I went looking for the baby aspirin."

"It is and I sure am glad. I'm not sure I could handle another one of those events," she said afraid to even call it what it was, an attempted holdup.

"Well next time give them the money," I suggested.
"That's what my husband said as well." Martha replied.

I found the aspirin and an eight ounce carton of whole milk. "Well time for me to get back to my date," I suggested as I paid for my purchases.

"Oh my, a new man in your life?" Martha asked.

"One as mean as me it seems," I said it with a grin.

When I arrived back home, I remembered to check the web cam before I opened the gate.. When I pulled into the yard the cat was there to greet me. "Well hello there buddy," I said as I went into the cabin. Once inside I crushed one of the aspirin into a plastic glass, then added half the milk to it. I microwaved the mixture for 15 seconds, then I stirred it well before pouring it into a paper bowl.

The whole mixture went onto the porch for the cat. The aspirin should ease the pain and maybe help with any healing that might be happening. At least that was my plan. Not to mention, that something warm in his tummy just sounded like a good idea to me.

I watched on the website while he lapped up the warm milk. "Now let's see if that helps." I said aloud. Why not. There was no one around to tell me that I was going batty, just because I talked to myself.

I watched a couple of the TV shows which I had missed while in the hospital, then I went to the door. "Hey you cat," I said in the direction of the woods. "Do you want to come in where it is warm?"

He didn't answer or show up, so I went to bed alone.

Saturday, I felt much better than I had since the parking lot. I drove into town with my laundry bag in tow. Sure enough mom and daughter were at the laundromat. I left me clothes, then went to breakfast.

I found that Lucas had been at it again. He had managed to get Helen posting the location of her breakfast wagon on her brand new website. Even in a town as small as Aster, we had a food truck with a website. Okay it was a posting on her catering site, but it still told me which plant's parking lot she was set up in that morning.

"Hey there Helen where's my girl?" I asked.

"Skeeter is visiting Jack's kennel. She loves to play with the Bird dogs. She pretends she is one of them."

"Good for her, I want one of your brown bag breakfasts," I said.

She put the bag on the truck's small counter outside the service window. "It is so good to see you out and about. You are not going back to work yet are you?"

"I'm taking this to the office to eat, but only because the Asian chicks are doing my laundry." I replied. Everybody in town knew I used the family and promoted them to everyone I knew.

"Well you stay away from people with knives and guns," she demanded.

"Yes Mom, but it was always my plan to do that," I said.

"Good, then you can go out to play now." she was grinning, while she played along.

In the office I put the coffee on. While it cooked, I looked over the files on my desk. There was nothing of any real interest there. Once the coffee was done, I sat at my desk with my brown bag breakfast. The bag that morning contained a bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a thin flat bagel. As always it was delicious. There was home made apple sauce and a small pastry. The brown bag was a little more expensive than a Hardee's biscuit, but there was a reason people searched Helen's truck out. The food was excellent and even though I loved Hardee's biscuits, Helen's bags always had stuff I loved just a little more.

I sat alone trying to decide what I wanted to do next. Nothing like a brush with death to make you ask yourself. Well, am I having any fun out of life? The answer was of course I was having some fun, but was I having as much fun as I would like to have? The answer to that was not really. So it was time to make some changes. But what kind of changes and where to start.

I gave that a lot of thought, so much so that I almost forgot my laundry. I drove to the laundromat before the noon deadline. Mom and daughter only worked half a day on Saturday.

With my clean clothes in the space where the back seat should have been, I drove to the college. I was hardly in shape to do anything athletic, but I drove to the community college's gym anyway. The college had an indoor running and walking track open to anyone. It was part of their health and fitness curriculum. Not to mention the community support outreach program. People tend to look more kindly on an endeavor which benefits them even marginally. The state was hoping for less backlash to their spending by reaching out to involve ordinary citizens. The walking track was open to all taxpayers, but it was promoted heavily with the elderly, so I knew about it from my days with Gunny.

I had never walked on the track before, but I decided it was time I gave it a try. I didn't feel that I was up to the rough terrain of the wildlife trail, where I usually walked. I didn't walk anywhere near as often as I should. I also never run, unless someone is chasing me.

I found the athletic department open even on Saturday, so the drive out to the campus had not been a waste after all. I left my pistol locked in the cruiser, then went inside. Once in the door, I found signs that advised me to start at the blue arrow. Then I was told, by sign, that each lap around the gym was one third off a mile. I decided to see how I felt after three laps.

The gym was not full, however there were several walkers pretty well spaced out. I started off slowly. I passed by the ballet mirrors on the wall and realized that I was slumping forward. I also realized that sometimes small boobs can be a good thing. Like, if one can not wear her bra.

I made it through my full mile walk, but found that I was pretty well worn out by the end of it. It had been uneventful, but then I was ready for some dull time in my life. At least for a while.

"My God, you are Maxine Stone," the college kid stated. "Lucas Riley goes on and on about you."

"Oh you know Luke?" I asked.

"Sure he and I have a couple of copper classes together. I mean criminal justice classes."

"Not to worry I'm not a cop and have probably called them worse than you can even imagine."

"Cool, my name is Eddie," he said. "I would give you my full name, but Luke says you wouldn't remember it."

"He is right. I'm the old lady who never knows anyone's name." I said it smiling.

"It don't matter. You are kind of a legend around town. Would you get pissed, if I asked you how many people you killed."

"Here, or in my whole life," I asked with a wicked smile.

"Hey, I'm serious."

"Not as many as you think. Killing people is always a last resort."

"It has finally warmed up outside and Lucas says you like to eat at the marina. Would you let me pick up some food and meet you out there?"

"Honey, I'm almost twice your age." I informed him.

"So?" he asked.

"Okay, some other time. I just got out of the hospital. I am flattered though."

"Don't be flattered, just do it," he said grinning.

"Jesus kid, I can't do it." I broke into laughter. "That's what I'm trying to tell you."

"Oh, I meant just lunch," he said.

"Of course you did." I laughed as I turned, then walked to my car. I wondered exactly what Lucas was telling his friends. At least the kid didn't say that he had seen me on line.

On Sunday morning I began to struggle with my future. I had absolutely no idea what I would do next, but I knew that I was tired of process serving. I had made a little money and more than few good contacts doing it, but by that time it was a bore. Whether Lucas stayed or not was questionable, but I was for sure leaving. As I said earlier, I didn't know what I wanted. I just knew what I didn't want. I did not want to be tied to a schedule any longer. There was a cloud hanging over me since the parking lot incident. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but it was going to be something different.

I had enough money, and enough income from my pension, to cover my very small living expenses. Since that was the case, why would I want to do something which I no longer enjoyed. I made up my mind that I would not go back to work for 'At Your Service' period. So next I had to decide what to do with the business. Since I had no idea what the value of the business was, or even if it had a value, I called Jen.

"Are you sure you want to do this?' she asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. So do you know anyone who can tell me what the business is worth? I realize it might not have any value at all." I said.

"Everything has some value. How much is the question," Jen said. "I know a guy who can tell you, but he will have to see your books."

"That's not a problem. My tax guy sends me a yearly summery and the one from last year is about nine months old but he is welcome to see the monthly statements from the bookkeeper as well." I replied.

"I'll set it up as soon as possible. I can call him first thing in the morning."

"Jen, how do you know this guy?" I was curious more than questioning his ability.

"He does this kind of thing for the divorces I file. You can trust him Max," she said.

"I didn't doubt it. I just wanted to make sure you weren't leaving town on me."

"No such luck," she said. "Got to go. Bob wants to go to the lake and run around on the boat today."

"Be careful out there." I said.

"I will Miss Paranoia."

"Is it paranoid, if they really do want to kill you?" I asked joking.

In spite of my best intension, I gave the cat another bowl of baby aspirin and milk. I was putting him on the edge of an aspirin OD, so no more aspirin for him till tomorrow. It was a promise made to myself. When I put the milk down, he came dragging up from the woods.

"You have got to stop staying out all night, or this relationship is doomed," I said. The prick still didn't answer me. The limp still looked the same, so I determined that aspirin was not a wonder drug after all. Deep inside I knew that it was a long road back for Mr. Cat, if he ever did make it back.

I decided to have lunch in a sit down restaurant for a change. Sunday had always been just another day to me. Just as Thanksgiving had been last week, I thought. Still I was in the mood to put on my best jeans and the new sweater. The one I bought in a real store, not Goodwill, and then go out to lunch. It was only 10AM, so I had time to find a lunch companion.

"Lucas, what are you and Gwen doing for lunch," I asked.

"We don't have any real solid plans, why?" he asked.

"I want to take both of you to lunch." I said.

"Let me check with Gwen to be absolutely sure," he said. I waited a couple of minutes. "Okay where do you want to eat?"

"How about Steve's?" I asked.

"Wow, what's the occasion? You hate that kind of place." Lucas asked.

"Oh nothing really, I just felt like celebrate being alive." I admitted.

"Well that's an excellent reason for a celebration." he agreed. "So what time?"

"You pick it, there are two of you. I can be there anytime." I informed him.

"Then, how about 1PM?"

"That's just fine. See you there. I'll meet you at the entrance at 1PM." I wanted to be sure we both agreed on exactly what was ot happen.

I took a shower in my tiny little bathroom. Then I got dressed for my big day out. I really did feel good about myself. Even with my hair at that unmanageable length, I felt good. I hadn't made a decision about what I would do with my hair at the time. It had been growing six months and still was only two and a half inches long. It was too long for that cute butch look, and too short to be at all sexy. It was just a mess.

I considered a walk down to the river. It was only about a hundred yards of new growth forest, so it was a manageable walk. When I was in good shape, that is. I was afraid that I was still too weak and shaky to try it just yet. I opted instead for the indoor track at the community college again.

My plan was to walk a mile and a half, then go to the marina to just kill the rest of the time before lunch. When I got to the track, I found the building locked up tight, so I drove straight to the marina instead.

I sat on the terrace, in my hunting style coat. It was the only warn coat I owned and the only one I wanted to own. I felt like it suited my personality. My dad had called the color of those coats mustard. I suppose it was the color of an old dried up mustard stain.

I had hunted all over to find one in my size, and without the leather patch on the shoulder. I didn't need a gun rest. I wasn't planning on doing any skeet shooting. I bought the coat because for the most part they were indestructible. I mean I would have to work at it to wear the damn thing out. The other reason was the red fleece lining. It was just pain cool looking in my opinion.

It was chilly on the terrace, but I stayed through two full cups of coffee. I left the marina at 12:30 without having seen Jen or her husband Bob. I was just as happy about that. Jen was my friend and I could stand her husband, but I would just as soon not see them on a Sunday morning. It was always a reminder of our night together. Yes, the three of us naked in Jen's big bed was not a memory I cherished.

I arrived at Steve's about ten minutes early. I managed to convince the hostess to find me a cup of coffee. She didn't much like it, but she was willing, even though I looked like I just walked off the farm. It was just my pure charm that convinced her.

When the kids, as I thought of them, arrived we went in to lunch. Steve's was the kind of place with real white table clothes. The tables were set with three forks, two spoons and two knives. I totally ignored that and just ate like I would at the Pizza and Pasta Pit.

The menu was on a kind of paper that felt like cloth. I refused to look at the prices when I ordered. I ordered a small rib eye steak with no bread or potato. The only other thing I ordered was a small salad. I was still taking it easy on my damaged stomach. The salad might not have been a good idea, but I wanted it so screw the gas. I probably made everyone feel sorry for me when I waited until the steak came to eat my salad. It was supposed to have been eaten alone, but since I paid for the damn thing. I decided that I would eat it any way I wanted.

"So Gwen, how did the show turn out?" I asked.

"We finished the first two episodes and they are already on line. Do you want the address, I can email it to you."

"No thanks, I was there." I said it smiling as warmly as I could.

"The hit count has been very good so far. It will grow every time they post a new segment." Lucas informed me/

"Well if that's a good thing, then I'm glad. That show cost Marty a lot of money."

"Not so much and he called Mike to say how happy he was with the results so far. We haven't really gotten into the good parts yet." Gwen said.

"Oh you mean the part where I almost died?" I asked it in passing.

"She didn't mean it like that," Lucas said.

"Sure she did, and I don't blame her. She is just doing what she does Lucas." I turned my attention to Gwen. "Tell me Gwen, did you know from the start that Mosby was a plant."

"Maybe we should go," Gwen said.

"Don't go, I didn't invite you here to get into that. I invited you here to give Lucas a choice. To do that, it seems that you need to be part of it."

"What kind of choice Boss. Is it going to be the job or Gwen?" You already know my answer to that."

"No Lucas it isn't drop Gwen or you are fired. That was a tempting idea, but I decided not to do it. The reason I invited you to lunch is that I'm leaving 'At Your Service'. I'm having an appraiser take a look at the company to see if there is anything to sell. I thought I would let you know, so that you and Gwen can decide whether to buy it or not."

"Damn that's a shock," Lucas said then he seemed lost in thought a few minutes. Then he added, "I don't have any money."

"I am aware of that. If you want it and agree to my terms, you can pay me from the profits."

"What are your terms?" he asked.

"You do not run bail skips. Just serve the papers. You can still do the computer checks for the insurance company in your spare time. If you are the only one to support, there is enough money in the business for that."

"Why not the skips?" he asked.

"They are dangerous and you really don't have that kind of training or the personality for it. I know that sounds harsh, but I'm sure Gwen would feel better if you weren't chasing after dangerous and usually violent felons."

"Yes I would," Gwen agreed. "Tell me why you are doing this?"

"Well the deal is between me and Lucas, not you. But to be honest, I am bored with the business. It was fun starting it. It was fun making it work, but now I'm bored more than I'm not bored. It's time for me to move on."

"What will you do?" Lucas asked.

"I have no idea, but I have been having this feeling of impending change for a while now. Something is coming my way I'm sure. There is just a vibe in the air. I know that sounds silly, but it's how I feel."

We had been talking and eating. A conversation summary is always much shorter than the real conversation.

I watched the two of them trading glances for most of the meal. After I put my debit card into the little folder and handed it back to the waiter, Lucas said. "We will need to talk."

"Yeah and you need to know what the appraiser says. I don't plan on keeping anything from you. You need to make an informed decision."

"Thank you for this Boss. I had no idea this was coming." Lucas said.

"I just decided last night, so I had no idea either." We pretty much left it like that and went our separate ways.

On the way home I decided that it was time to get the cat to come closer. I bought a can of whole Icelandic sardines packet in spring water. I didn't think the cat could resist. If he did, I planned to eat them and think of my dad.

81 what's mutha to do?

The sardines worked sort of. The cat would rush in to take the Sardine, then quickly back off. It was a game that his gimp leg was not suited to, but he seemed to make it work. When I went inside , I gave him the chance to join me, but he refused. I figured that itwas his right, so I left him outside. When it gets nasty enough, he might come in, I thought.

I spent the afternoon doing research. If I wasn't going to serve court orders, how would I spend my time. I had no idea, so research was in order. Jen had mentioned a few things, for which she could see a need. Of course the body guard things, she always seemed to push me toward those, and something I had never really thought about. A company that specialized in surveillance. Yes it was mostly following husbands and wives to catch them in the act, There were other things as well. People steeling from industrial or construction sites would also be subjects of interest.

That sounded about half interesting until I remembered some really long nights staking out a warehouse filed with f18 parts. Some of the parts were going missing and the brass was afraid they might be going to the that day's bad guys. The bad guys of the world were once our friends, so they had f18 aircraft. Now that friendships had change, we no longer supplied parts to them. The black market was the only place to find those parts.

That stakeout had cured me of ever wanting to do it again. Ten 12 hour days in a row, to find that one of the guys who worked in the warehouse was smuggling them out in his SUV. Nothing exciting in that at all. He rolled right over once he knew that he had been caught. Totally boring, so I put that idea on the far back burner.

It took two days for the expert to determine the value of 'At Your Service'. While he did his thing, I kept looking for ideas but nothing happened. The most exciting thing was his report. Since the armory was mine and mine alone, the business had no assets worth mentioning. Since he had no idea, if I planned to include them in the sale, the two vehicles were listed separately, .
Lucas, Edd and I sat down in Ed's office to discuss the report. "Well I'm not surprised to find how little this company is worth. The expert said that, if I had exclusive contracts, the company would be worth more. Since it was all just goodwill, the company without any of the real property is only worth about 10 grand. He based that on a new owner being able to walk in and earn a living."

"So Lucas, if you want the business it is yours for five thousand dollars. You can pay it from the profits over a year's time." I explained after a pause to let the value sink in.

"If you want the van, get me a price on the Internet from one of those car chart things. You can have it for the lowest price you can find on the net. Low wholesale. trade in. whatever is cheaper. Otherwise it goes to the auction."

"I'll take it all." Gwen and I talked about it and the deal is much better than we expected." he informed me.

"Well, I hope you to do well with it. Now I'm going back to my cabin and take a nap."

The cat and I had formed a working relationship. I fed him, kept him drugged, and he tolerated me. Mostly he didn't destroy my trash. I felt like it was a good relationship. I still had hopes that he would come inside when it got cold, but as of that time he had not.

The week dragged on and nothing much changed. I tinkered with the idea of having lunch out again the next Sunday. but I didn't want to make a habit of it. I had been walking at the community college gym every day, but hadn't run into that kid Eddie again. It was just as well, I was beginning to feel stronge, stupid things might have happened.

On the three week anniversary of the parking lot incident, I marked it by going to the Cop Out for a beer. I even managed a few dances before I got too exhausted. I was about to leave when Blevins moved across the table to whisper something in my ear. The music was so loud, I shook my head to show that I had no idea what he said.

Blevins motioned me outside. We left the club through the alley door. "She what do you want Blevins, a blow job in a dirty alley?" I said grinning.

"Not tonight, but I'll take a rain check. Word is, you are the best." he said leering at me."

"Bullshit, nobody here knows what kind of blow jobs I give."

"Of course they do, but that isn't what we need to talk about."

"So what do we need to talk about?" I asked.

"Vladimir Blostovick ," he said

"What the hell is that, the sir name of Dracula?" i asked with a laugh.

"No that's the name of a Moscow policeman. He was assigned as liaison with the task force of Russian crimes in the area."

"Okay, what about him? Does he want a blow job in a dirty alley?" I aske d with a girlie giggle.

"Will you stop with the blow job shit. He said he needs to give you some information. Information that might save your life. You should listen to him. He is a straight up good guy."

"Okay tell him to call me." I was suddenly all business. I was still a little paranoid about the Russians. If Vad the impaler had information to keep me in the game a while longer, I sure as hell wanted it.

I drove home and doped the cat. Then I got into bed alone with Vald on my mind. I had to masturbate in order to shut my mind down enough to sleep.

The next morning at eight the call came. "Hello Maxine Stone?" The heavily accented voice asked.

"Yes are you Vlad the Russian cop?" I asked.

"I am, we need to talk," he informed me.

"So our mutual friends told me last night. Let's meet?" I suggested.

"I could come to your cabin in the woods." he suggested.

"Not unless you have a death wish," I replied. I had always known that it was a matter of time before someone planted a gps device on on the cruiser. There was no way to check it every time I returned to the cabin.

"You don't sounds surprised that I know where it is."

"It was bound to happen, the real question is will you tell anyone else?" I asked,

"No, your secret is safe with me."

"It for sure will be, if I kill you," I said quietly.

"I knew that would be your response. You are exactly as I have been told. We do need to talk. I understand you are partial to meetings at the marina."

"Your English is very good. Marina isn't a word one would learn in a crash coarse in English."

"Then it is the marina in 30 minutes. I will bring the coffee and rolls," he suggested.

"No thanks, I'll bring my own coffee and biscuit, but thanks anyway." I said.

"Have it your way," he said.

"I usually do," I replied. "Make it an hour, I have an errand to take care of on the way.

"Very well, one hour at your marina," he agreed.

I could have set him straight. It wsn't exactly my marina, but he was close enough. The errand was to stop at the armory in Ed's office. I traded the easy to conceal 9mm for the bigger heavier 10mm pistol. I wore it in the upside down shoulder holster. On my small frame the huge gun shouted, 'This woman is packing." Since that was the idea, it worked out perfectly. Even the large hunting coat couldn't hide it. I had no desire to hide it from Vlad the impaler. I slipped the derringer, the same one that had kept me alive in the hospital, into one of the side pockets. I also dropped one of the stun guns, fresh off the charger, into a pocket on the other side of the coat. Since I was all tooled up and out of pockets, I locked up the armory and the office on my way out.

My next stop was Hardee's for a biscuit and coffee. I didn't have time to hunt down Helen. I waited outside the marina's office and reception area for just a few minutes. I did not want to be early or late. I just wanted to be right on time for my meeting. Yes I know I'm paranoid.

When I got to the terrace, I saw him sitting there. He would have been a tall thin man had he been standing. Even seated he gave an impression of strength. He was pale though, with slicked back light brown hair. He had to be at least fifty, but an in shape fifty, not the way Reverend Archer would look at fifty.

"Vlad?" I asked.

"Ms Stone," he answered.

"My friends, and most of my enemies, call me Max," I replied.

"Oh, do you have any living enemies?" he was smiling one of those mysterious smiles. It was the kind meant to make one wonder what the interrogator knew.

"One or two I'm sure, but I probably haven't met them yet." I decided to play the arrogant bitch for him. It was obviously what he expected.

"Have you ever met this man?" he pushed a picture across the table, even before I opened my coffee.

I opened the coffee cup and unwrapped my biscuit, before I took a close look. "No I never saw him," I replied.

"How about this one?" The second picture he showed me was of the Russian I had shot a few months before.

"Him, I did know for a while. You are well aware of the circumstances I'm sure."

"The one your don't recognize is his brother Ivan. When we say crime family in Russia we are very literal. Anatol and his brother Ivan were enforcers for a Russian gang in Moscow. I tracked them to your country."

"Ah you wanted to take them back to Moscow for trail. I'm sorry I had to kill one of them."

"No Ms Stone, I came to kill them myself. No extradition, no trials, just a bullet in the brain. The fact that you killed one makes my job here easier. I would have preferred to have pulled the trigger myself, but somehow I'm sure Ivan knew it was coming so that is enough."

"He knew at the last second. I saw in his eyes that he would have begged, if he had the chance. He didn't."

"Good for you, give him a chance and he would have killed yo u while he begged for his life." Vlad informed me.

"So is the brother the warning you told Blevins about?"

"Yes Ivan will kill you."

"I understood that the Russians had declared it a clean hit, and not worth coming after me."

"Yes the management did, but that isn't going to stop Ivan. This week, next week, next year or five years, however long it takes is how long he will wait. It is as you say in your country, a blood feud."

"Well thanks for the warning, I'll keep an eye out for him."

"Wouldn't you rather neutralize the threat?" he asked.

"Possibly, but first I want to know what is true and what is bullshit. I doubt that you are above turning me into your private assassin"

"I'm not, but do your homework. I am confident that you will find I have told you the truth." He handed me a card with a phone number hand written on it. "That's the number of my burn phone. Call me and we will solve this problem together. I will not put you as the goat."

"I understood that he had just promised not to use me as bait I would have a chance to take the matter into my own hands. It was all I could ask, If indeed Ivan was the bad guy that Vlad portrayed him to be..

I was about to get overloaded. I still have davenport to deal with, if he ever crawled out of his hole.

83 ships in the night

"Eddie, you might want to take your hands off my ass," I said into his ear. The jukebox was always loud at the cop out.

"I don't want to do that," he said. "You really don't want me to either."

"Eddie, I'm in no shape for wild sex. I just got out of the hospital slightly over a week ago."

"I know all that and I don't care. I just want to be with you. We can find something that we can do." His grin was wide enough so that I saw it even in the dark.

"Oh really, and what did you have in mind?" I asked.

"You were a teenager once, what did you do before you could fuck?" he asked.

"You know damn well what I did. Most likely you have done the same." I said.

"Then let's go climb into the backseat of your car and do it again." he suggested. "Come on it will be fun to pretend you are a kid again."

"Not in the parking lot of the Cop Out," I said.

"Aw come on," he begged.

"Not here," I reiterated.

"Then let's go somewhere else." he demanded as he held me tight against him. I could feel his hard cock and knew that I would go along with almost anything.

"Where?" I asked breathlessly.

"I live with my folks," he said.

"I can't take you to my place." I explained.

"Then out in the parking lot," he said with a laugh.

'No," I replied before he began to grind his hard cock against my belly. I was in no condition to refuse him.

"Yes, let's go." He said.

"I need my coat," I whispered.

"Then get it, but be quick." he demanded

"Got to go guys," I said as I retrieved my coat from the back of my chair.

"Isn't he a bit young?" Vlad asked.

"If I was planning to keep him sure, but I just want to barrow him for an hour or so." I smiled at him. "Call me in the morning." I waited for him to nod his agreement, then I left.

Eddie took my hand, but in the end I had to lead him to my cruiser. Once we were in the back seat, he tried to smother me with kisses, and choke me with his tongue. I didn't mind at all. I not only cooperated, I gave back as good as I got. We were both gasping for air before his hand found its way to my breast. He massaged my left breast through my sweater. It felt wonderful, but I knew there were even better things to come.

Sure enough he slipped his left hand under my sweater and massaged my right breast. At the same time his right hand went under my sweater to run up and down my back. His hands were softer than I would have liked, but I wasn't about to complain.

I was moving ever closer toward an orgasm, when he placed my hand on his naked cock. I had no idea how he managed to get it out of his pants without me noticing, but there it was. It was warm and smooth. It was also hard and slippery. I was at an awkward angle but I still managed to stroke it well enough for his hips to being moving. He was trying to fuck my hand and it felt wonderful.

I released his cock long enough to unbutton and lower the zipper on my jeans. I forced one of his hand into my panties. I wasn't even sure which of his hands it was. I twisted around so that I was straddling his legs. I was able to reach his cock while I made way for him to reach me as well. We rocked back and forth on each others hands until I felt him his warm sperm first in my hand then on my sweater. He shot a huge load onto me.

The warm sticky feeling helped me to get to my own orgasm. It had to, when he came he stopped moving his fingers inside me. I reached down to manipulate my clit to finish. It was a huge relief to cum with him.

After I came I collapsed onto his chest. Both of us had our clothes still on, but twisted in all kinds of strange ways. It took me several long seconds for my breathing to get under control. It had not returned to normal by any means, but I could at least get enough oxygen to my body so that I calmed down a little.

"God you are wonderful," he said.

"Be sure you tell Lucas that," I wanted to say, but I didn't. I simply said. "Thank you, you weren't too bad either. I got off him carefully because I was in a little pain from the incision. I wasn't sure if it was the surgery or the knife wound that stung a little, but it didn't matter. I decided to forgo any more exertion and just drive home.

Once I was standing outside the car, with my clothes reasonably back to normal, I said, "Get your clothes on and go home Eddie."

"God I want to go home with you," he said.

"Not a chance," I replied. I was back in control by that time.

"Alright," he said.

The wet sweater was uncomfortable during the drive home. I did all the security checks before I opened the gate. I was sure that Vlad would show up one day, just to prove he could. Evidently it wasn't the night for it.

"Hello there Mr. Cat," I said as I got out of the car. "How was your evening?" He didn't answer. "I know you are the strong silent type. You have had your dinner and your aspirin so I got nothing for you. Except the offer of a warm room and a soft bed. How about it."

The cat looked at me and walked back to the woods. He didn't even wait till I left. He wanted me to know that he could resist me. "Playing hard to get aren't you. Well it won't work." I called after him.

I was sure glad that the sweater was cotton. At least I could get the Asian chicks to wash it. I would hate to take it into the dry cleaners and imagine the Bill Clinton jokes in the back room. I fell into bed exhausted. I was awakened in the middle of the night by one of those freak winter thunder and lightning storms. There was a noise outside my door that sounded like a baby crying. I picked up the 10mm, which I had been carrying since my meet with Vladimir, then I moved to the door.

When I swung it open a streak shot past me. It took me more than a second to realize that I didn't need to hit the floor or shoot at the Cat. He had decided to come inside away from the flash of lightning and the boom of thunder. He probably wasn't thrilled by the prospect of the cold rain either.

I found him a dirty sweatshirt to curl up in, since he still wouldn't come near me. When I was pretty sure he was comfortable, I climbed back into bed. I could actually hear his breathing. It was fast and shallow. He was frightened.

"Don't worry sport, you are safe with me. Well maybe not totally but a storm is probably the least of your worries, if you hang around with me." I smiled, then turned away.

When I awoke the next morning, I knew something was wrong. I could no longer hear the Cat breathing and he hadn't moved. I moved to him afraid if what I would find. I touched him for the first time and he didn't move. Rigor mortis had set in on him. Before I could shed tears there was work to do.

I wrapped him in the sweatshirt, then carried him to a spot at the edge of the woods. I laid him gently down on the pine needles. I was surprised by how light he was. He seemed to weigh almost nothing.

I knew from my previous explorations of my surroundings, that a shovel and a few other yard tools were stored under the cabin. I found the rusty shovel and even with the sting of the incision in my belly, I dug a shallow grave. Once the cat was in the ground, I took time to cry. At least his last night was warm and dry, I thought.

I had finished depressing chore and sitting at my miserable little table with my third large cup of coffee, when the call came. I looked at the screen to see the phone number. I didn't recognize it, but I knew who it was.

"Marina one hour, come alone." I said cryptically.

"Right," Vlad said and hung up.

I tooled up before my drive to the marina. The tools weren't those for the garden. I also put on a thermal shirt to keep my core body parts warm. Since the cat had long gone, I removed his empty milk an aspirin bowl from the concrete pad before I left the cabin. It was yet another sad note to start miserable day.

I planned to do the meeting on the terrace of the marina's office building. The terrace overlooked the lake. Anyone with a long range mike, would be seen on the lake for sure. It was impossible to eavesdrop using that kind of device from no other angle. It as as secure a meeting sight as any.

I stopped at Hardees again on the way to the meeting. Breakfast and even more coffee was in order I knew. It was going to be a lousy meeting, since the day had begun that way.

"So, you have completed your research?" Vlad asked. when I joined him on the terrace.

"It wasn't hard, you must have been the darling of the Moscow press. I mean they seem to have hung on your every word."

"There aren't that many honest policemen in Moscow." he informed me.

"Okay, let's get right to it. I get that it's personal with you and Ivan. I get that you could probably never have found him in this country without the FBI task force. I even get why you want to use me for bait. What I don't get, is why I should go along with such a stupid idea."

"For one thing, he will come for you one day, just as I have come for him. In Russia family is everything, No by God, it is the only thing you can trust. So to kill a murderer's family member is the most dangerous thing a person can do."

"Yeah, I get the blood feud thing. But I have a more immediate threat. One I need to deal with."

"Ah Earnest Davenport, I did some checking for you." With that he tossed a file on the plastic picnic table. "I have friends too you know."

When I opened it, there was Davenport's face staring up at me. I read the report that said Davenport had boarded a plane for Eastern Europe, the next morning after the parking lot incident. He boarded the plane in Washington DC, so he had put it in the wind immediately, when the call didn't come through.

"What the hell was he doing going to Warsaw Poland?" I asked.

"Poland is so cash starved, that it has become a haven for dirty money. Davenport had been hiding money there, as well as in one of those island sanctuaries. The island money went for bail, but with the other money, he can live quite well in Eastern Europe."

"Leave it to that shit to find a way to screw me," I said.

"Only for a while. First you help me kill Ivan, and then I will help you kill Davenport. It's like that movie ,where they trade murders, only we both kill them." Vlad suggested.

"So you think I'm capable of committing murder?" I asked.

"If I did not think that, I would not be here." he informed me. "Plus you get the best of me, this one time. Only one of them is on my kill list, both should be on yours."

"Where is Ivan?" I asked. "I know that's why you were part of the task force. You wanted them to find Ivan for you, so you fed them all the information they needed. So where is he now?"

"You are such a suspicious bitch," he said with a laugh. "Ivan is in someplace called Kentucky or West Virginia. He goes back and forth between them for his employer."

"Some kind of courier?" I asked.

"Exactly a courier." he agreed.

"And you have a plan? I assume." I asked.

"Well I think I should give him a reason to come back here. Something to motivate him to come visit you." Vlad said.
"No way, I'm not going to sit around waiting for some asshole to shoot me in the back." I said.

"I suppose you have a better plan?" he asked.

"If you can get the intel, we can hijack his ass and frame the local thugs." I suggested.

"It would be a logistical nightmare," he assured me.

"Well having Ivan and a couple of his thug friends in my hometown, doesn't seem like anything but a nightmare to me. I just won't do it." I admitted.

"Then I will lure him out without your help." Vlad said.

"You need to rethink that. I doubt there is anyone else in the world who would be willing to participate in this little venture. So we need to find a plan we can both live with." I suggested. "I'm not above being bait, but I want it to happen immediately and not in my home town. I have killed too many people here."

"I have a pipeline into the FBI's investigation. I can get all the latest information. We can sit down and take a hard look at it together."

"Since you know where I live, get it and let's make a plan." I suggested.

84 excessive misery.

The number of boats being loaded into the city lake convinced me that there was something different about that day. There was, it was Saturday. I had not realized that the time had passed so quickly, but it had. Enough mundane chores had occupied my time during the week so that days just slipped by while I tried to find some new directions.

Realizing that it was Saturday gave me an idea. It was time for me to finish cleaning out the office. but only if it was empty. I had no desire for another encounter with Gwen so soon. Of them all, only Ed interested me. In my current mood I wasn't sure that I wanted to see him either.

Ed's parking lot was empty, even the van was gone. I parked the cruiser near the door, so that loading the tools of my trade would be easier. I wished that I had planned better. If I had, I could have taken a blanket off the bed to use as a wrapper for the long guns.

I remembered that since it was almost winter, I would need more blankets, so I restarted the cruiser. I drove the two or three miles to Wal-mart. I did my weekly shopping while I was in the store. I almost forgot the blanket, but I remember it just in time.

Then it was back to Ed's office. When I pulled in the second time, Ed's black sedan was parked by the door. Since it was Saturday, I parked beside it but far enough away so that loading the guns and bike wouldn't be a problem.

"Well hello Ed," I said as I entered the office using my key.

"I thought you might be in today," he said as an answer.

"I hadn't planned on it, but I realized that it was Saturday. Since I was already out, it seemed a good time to pick up the tools."

"What kind of mood are you in?" he asked.

"I'm depressed. The stray cat finally came into the cabin last night, and died there. I had to bury him this morning."

"Shit Maxine I'm sorry, but I've got more bad news for you."

"Go ahead and hit me with it Ed. It's the right day for it."

"Don't bother to load your shit,"

"Why not?" I asked.

"You would just have to move it again. Your landlord's mother decided to move her sister into the cabin."

"You are kidding me?" I said getting even more depressed by the minute.

"She called me yesterday, but I didn't have the heart to tell you. You had so much other shit to deal with."

"I'll just be fucked," I said.

"Yeah, it gets worse. You don't have a lease so she is only giving you a week to get out. She wants you out by next Sunday."

"Shit Ed, I'll have to move into a fucking motel." I said it angrily.

"Maybe not, I know some people with places for sale. It's a lousy market right now."

"Well I hate to ask, but can I leave the guns here?" I knew his answer, but I had to ask.

"That's what I said wasn't it? Just leave them till you find a place."

"What about Lucas and Gwen?"

"What about them. If they don't like it, they can leave. I expect them to anyway. Gwen is too classy for a converted service station."

"That's up to them, I'm out of the business now. We sign the sales papers sometimes next week. Jen is supposed to call me when it is done."

"Max, i'm sorry you decided to sell, but frankly you lasted longer than I thought. It's really a boring business. It's a lot like bail bond." Ed suggested.

"Yeah, I know." I replied. "I guess I'll go home and kick the fucking walls out."

"Yeah, but don't do that. I don't want to bail your ass out of jail for something that stupid." Ed said.

Instead of having Vlad help me decide where to store the weapons, I would have to sit and listen to him talk about murder. Damn, life was a shit sandwich and you didn't even get mustard, I decided.

"This place is a dump," Vlad said. "I like it. It reminds me of home."

"Well don't get settled in. I have to move. The guy who owns the place is doing a ten year bit for something or other, but his mother decided to sell it. I put in an offer, but then she decided to move her sister in. I have to be gone in a week."

"As you would say, that just sucks," he said seriously.

"Tell me about it. Right in the middle of Ivan and Davenport, I have to find a new home." I stopped talking to take a long sip of coffee, then added. "Let's get down to it. How do we kill this prick and get away with it?"

"Killing him is the easy part. Finding him is difficult. He does not travel alone and he keeps no schedule." Vlad said.

"Everyone keeps a schedule, we just don't know what it is. Like he has some chick he screws every other Wednesday night, at even numbered hours," I said smiling.

"Okay, he has a schedule but we don't know. So what do we do?"

"What does he deliver and how does he do it?" I asked.

"The FBI says it is counterfeit prescription drugs. OxyContin and Vicodin seem to be popular with counterfeiters. "

"They would be easy to transport and probably easier to get than heroine or crack. The Russians wouldn't have to deal with Drug cartels. I bet they sell crank as well." I suggested. "Damn I wish we had a board to put this on. Do not put anything about this in your computer and neither will I. If they kill one of us, let's not leave a trail to the other one?" I suggested.

"I agree," Vlad said. After a little thought he added, "So the packages would be small and easy to hide. He could make the delivery in anything."

"No sense trying to follow him If we could find him to follow, we could just pop him with a sniper rifle." I suggested.

"I agree. We need to find him at one end of the supply chain or the other. Then just take him out." Vlad said.

"I agree, but then we have to get away with it. I suggest we find him at the delivery point. Then we can kill him in a way that makes it look like a delivery gone bad. I would love to use an IED, but that wouldn't look like the country boys popped him."

"First things first. We need to find out where they deliver the goods." Vlad suggested.

"Okay, we can't find Ivan, but can we find who takes delivery of his shit."

"Oh I'm sure we can." Ivan said, "but then what. If we torture him, he won't be able to make the pick up and we lose Ivan anyway."

"But Vlad, the boys in Harlan County don't know me." I said. "You find out who is buying the shit and where he is, and I'll work him."

"So we are definitely going to take the fight to them?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"I don't have any firearms in this country," he said seriously.

"Not to worry, we will find you something." I said it with a smile. "So, go see your Fed contact and get us a name."

"I'll meet you tomorrow with more information. At the marina again?" he asked.

"Sure why not, tell me, was it the gps in the phone that you used to find me?"

"Yes, a friend got me your number, then I used the child finder application on my smart phone."

"I was afraid of that. It is way too easy."

"Not to worry, what you do dear is get a burn phone and have your calls forwarded to it. They can trace only for the phone number they know. So he traces your phone to the office. But your call is forwarded to a phone you have at your high school sweethearts house across town."

"Hey, let me rob just one cradle and I never hear the end of it." I said. It would have been better. if I could have laughed, but I was too depressed.

After Vlad left I called Ed. "Hey Ed, did you find me a new place?" I asked when he came on the phone.

"Maxine it has been two hours since you left. I haven't even had time to look. If worse comes to worse, move back to Jen's till I can find you something. You don't have so much stuff that you can't get it into a small storage unit."

"Ed, shake the bushes please. I do not want to go back to Jen's house." I said seriously. When Ed was off the line, I realized that I missed the cat. I had filled some of my down time worrying about him. So now the down time just lay heavy on me.

It was early Saturday evening and I was bored. I almost called one of my previous lovers. I had plenty to choose from, but decided I didn't want to take a step backwards. If I took a step back I wanted it to be with Mosby. She was gone of course, so it wasn't going to happen. The thought of the Cop Out didn't excite me at all. I had been there and done that the night before.

I watched a couple of TV shows on line that I had missed. It wasn't much but it did pass a little time. I pushed the phone for Archer's office number. I didn't expect to find him in, I just wanted to get a little information. I knew Jennifer was trying to get Julie released to Hazelwood so obviously the Reverend had managed to round up the funding for it.

"Hello this is Maxine Stone and it is Saturday at 6PM more or less. Let me know if you were able to get Helen's Julie transfered to Hazelwood. I'm curious. You can call me on Monday, I'm going to be around I think." I managed to get it all in before the second beep.

"Damn, I miss that old cat," I said to the empty room. "I have got to get out of here."

I started the cruiser, then rode to the gate, but the gate's remote didn't work. The last person to use the gate had been Vlad. I was sure that he had done something, so I called his cell phone.

"Yes, Maxine," he said.

"What the hell did you do to my gate?' I almost shouted into the phone. I was about two seconds from bursting into tears.

"It won't open?" he asked.

"Of course it won't open. Why else would I call you?"

"It will take me ten minutes to get there. I think I can fix it in a couple of minutes. If not, I can open it by hand I am sure.

"It's been fifteen minutes," I said angrily when he arrived.

"Easy Maxine," he said that as he pointed something that looked like my remote opener excpet that it had several more buttons. It took him a few minutes to find the right combination of buttons to make it work again. Before I let him off the hook I tried my remote several times.

"Okay what the hell did you do?" I asked.

"I forgot to return your gate to it's original settings."

"You re-programed my gate?" I almost shouted.

"Yes and I'm sorry I didn't put it back, now calm down. It isn't the worst thing anyone ever did to you."

"No but it's scary how easy all this is for you."

"In Moscow we don't have the same rules as your police do here." He said it as if it explained everything. "Let me buy you dinner to make up for the inconvenience."

"Fucking A, it's the least you can do." I said.

I took a look around the restaurant. Then I turned to Vald and said, "I thought you were on unpaid leave?"

"I am, I have a little money, so I treat myself as well as I can." he replied.

"Graft pretty good in Moscow, is it?" I asked.

"I never took a penny from anyone to do or not do my duty." he replied with a smile. "However things get lost now and then."

"I do hope the items you found belonged to the bad guys?" It was a question and he knew it.

"To the worst of them. After my wife and daughter died, I decided they owed me." Vlad said.

"Of course they owed you. The bad guys should be the ones who pay for the cops." I said it thankful that there just wasn't much money floating around the base housing units or who knows. A retired military policeman might not be as well setup as a Moscow drug copper, but it might have been better than the small pension I got now. Would I have done it, who knows. "So I can stop worrying about the cost of this little adventure."

"I fully expect for us to find a way to make them pay. If we can't, then I will absorb the cost. However, there is always loose money, where there are drug traffickers.

"And if they were dealing in kiddie porn like they were here?" I asked.

"Then there are access codes to off shore accounts. Sometimes they need a little persuading to make me the beneficiary, but it can be accomplished."

"Did you ever turn one loose for the numbers?" I asked. "You are moving from found money to extortion. Are you positive that you weren't involved in anything that got your family killed." Yes it was cruel, but I suddenly had a feeling Vlad wasn't exactly a white knight.

"I was a very honest and as you say straight cop until that happened. After that, I decided to hurt them anyway I could. It hurts the boss, I can't reach, when I confiscate his money. The true meaning of socialism. Take from those who have more than they need, and give to those who need more than they have. But I assure you no one who I could have put in jail ever bought his freedom. Some even paid more than they would have if they went to trail."

"There are an awful lot of us who need more than we have," I suggested.

"Which is why socialism only works when we can control that numbers. Not to worry Maxine, you will never be one who can be controlled."

"Glad that you recognize it." I said.

"What I really recognize is that we need a serious drink. I do not drink and drive an automobile, so would you like to come back to my hotel room, or should we retreat to your cabin again."

"Since you treat yourself well, and I don't, lets do your hotel." I suggested.

"Good, I'm sure that the bed there is much larger than the one in your cabin," he observed.

"After the steak, we need to find a liquor store. I don't like Vodka." I admitted.

"Ah Tennessee sour mash sippin' liquor, I presume?" he asked.

"Of course, Jack Daniels Black Label, since you are buying." I waited a full minute before I went on. "I have to warn you though, I am still a bit tender from the surgery, so there definitely won't be any wild sex in your future."

"Well maybe not with you," He said with a hearty laugh. I laughed as well, though I wasn't quite sure why.

It was 9PM when we arrived at Vlad's hotel. He was staying in the nicest of the Downtown Hotels. It was the hotel that specialized in upper middle class and higher weddings, and other events. Of course,if you had limited space, they would put your brother or sister up for a few days. Should they decide to visit unannounced.

"So," Vald began, when I had my drink in hand. "How old were you the first time?"

"My first boy was when I was 15," I replied.

"No, I mean when you killed your first man," he said smiling. "I know you don't talk about those kinds of things. People just wouldn't understand, so I'm asking."

"I was twenty, he was trying to get onto our base outside San Salvador. Kid was trying to drive a car through my road block. I had nightmares for a year," I said honestly. "Fortunately there were local's shooting as well. They got the credit and the abuse, I got transfered out of the country. We were all thrilled. From that I got my first lesson about how things work. It isn't what you do that counts, it's what people think you do, for which you must account. I was not a hero, but I also didn't go to jail. It seemed like a fair exchange."

"I was fourteen, a drunken man tried to rob my mother of her pension check. I stabbed him with a sharp broom handle. I doubt anyone would have even bothered about it, if I had not stabbed him over twenty times. I was tired of being threatened, and I was tired of my mother being abused. It all ended that night.

I learned that being willing to kill, wins one as much respect as actually doing the deed. People knew that I could kill, so they found others to torment." He said smiling at me yet again.

"Sounds reasonable." I commented. "After I did it, people either wanted me around, or they ran from the room screaming, when I entered."

"Not really," he demanded.

"No, but it was strange, once it happened, I began getting assigned to places where it might happen again. It was like killing was a disease and had to be kept with those already contaminated. It didn't happen often, but they kept putting me where it was possible. When they ran out of shit holes, I did tours on stateside bases near high crime areas."

"Me it was the Russian Army. I was with the troops that invaded Afghanistan, before your country ever heard of it. I did things there no man should be expected to do. That time did something to me that never went away. It taught me something that is universal.only the loser gets judged. Never lose, and you never face judgement day."

"Were you Spetnaz?" I asked.

"No, they are the worst of the worst. I was a sniper, interrogator and reconnaissance operative. I was in the real war. They were involved in trying to break the will of the people to resist. It was truly ugly."

He paused a long time, so we both finished out drinks, then began another. His drink was almost straight vodka with just the touch of water from the melting ice. Mine was three ounces of JD and one ounce of real coca cola for the sugar.

"How many?" he asked.

"I'm not going there, I don't want to think about that." I said it shaking my head to make sure he knew that it was my final word on the subject. "Do you usually tell people that?" I asked it because I was curious. I had never told anyone.

"To be honest, Maxine, I have no idea. It was a real shooting war in Afghanistan for me. I threw a lot of shots into the side of the mountain. I have no idea, how may or if I killed anyone at all. Not knowing probably helps me sleep."

"Yeah, I fired a lot of rounds into empty windows with no idea, if I hit anything or not. I like your answer. I think from now on I will just say I don't know and leave it at that. My answer is too complicated."

"So what's the closest you ever came to being killed." he asked after several more minute of silence. I could tell he was reliving some of his moments on the edge.

"They tell me this last one was close, but I don't remember it. The one that made me think I would die any minute was the Mendez brother jamming his cock down my throat and telling me I was going to strangle on it. If Blevins hadn't showed up, I would have died there."

"He tells it a little different," Vlad said. "He says you knew that they would torture and possibly kill you, but that you did it anyway. According to him you did it just to get them all killed or jailed."

"I say tomato, he says tomato...So you gonna show me your scars?" I asked after several more sips of my drink.

"I'll show you mine only, if you show me yours," he said.

"This is just like a scene from Jaws. you go first"

"What is that a Movie?" Vlad asked.

"Oh yeah, but you got to go first. Stop stalling." I demanded again.

He removed his shirt. I saw the round scar that only a bullet creates. "He pointed to the scar an inch below his right nipple. "Shot with my own Tokamak TT-33. It was a woman, don't ask." he said laughing. "Now you."

Since I still wasn't wearing a bra, when I took my top off, both my belly scars were visible as well as my boobs. The two year old white one and the red one with the dots where the staples had been were clearly visible.

"Nasty," he commented.

"The white one is and IED. A nice little Afghan roadside souvenir. The red one was from Davenport's thug. I couldn't get the bomb builder, but by God I will get Davenport." I said it with a smile.
"Oh of that there is no doubt." With that he pulled off his pants. I whistled before I got a good look at a really long and wide scar. It had to be a burn scar.

"What you call Napalm from our own jet. Stupid fly pilots, they killed more of us than the enemy." He took along drink then said, "You?"

I took the jeans off. I stood there naked a moment, then I turned and lowered my panties to expose my butt. "Sat on a hot stove when I was eight," I said laughing.

"What about that bullet scar on your arm?" he asked.

"Twenty two pistol my partner shot me." I laughed. "We were working this drug smuggler. The smuggler thought I was his slut ho. When he found out I was an air police undercover working his little operation, he took an instant dislike to me. He and a buddy were using our planes coming into McGuire AFB to bring in Heroine from Afghanistan.

Since he didn't really want to spend his best years playing prom date for an even badder dude in Leavenworth, he decided to shoot me, My partner yells 'you slut bitch' then he grabs the bad guys 'piss an' pistol and pops me.

While everyone is laughing at me as I'm rolling around the floor in pain, enough time passes for the good guys to rush in. Because I took that pea size slug, instead of getting one Air Force Lieutenant, we got three Air Force Personnel and a whole civilian gang distribution network."

Vlad nodded, then asked. "Leavenworth is a penitentiary?"

"The federal pen for GI's gone wild," I replied.

"And did he?" Vald asked.

"No, my partner gave him back his .22 and during the raid, he raised him a 357. Nobody told the bad boys that sometimes we use two under cover operatives."

"Do you realize that we are both sitting here in our underwear?" Vald asked.

"Yes and I couldn't help but notice that I don't turn you on. Do you need Viagra?"

"When I have had this much to drink, I need help, but not from the drugstore." Vlad said seriously.

I knew what that meant. Gunny had been the same. I slipped from the padded chair where I sat, to the warm but hard carpeted floor. Vlad spread his legs so that I could work his cock from his shorts. It wasn't big. In fact it was a bit smaller than average. I took it in my hand, lifted it, and licked the shaft from the base to the head. I felt it begin to stir. I continued to lick and it got hard but never really grew much.

I would never have embarrassed him by measuring it, but I knew that it was small. It was a mouthful and that was enough for what he wanted. Since I wasn't in shape for much else, it seemed like the least I could do.. or maybe it was the most I could do.

When he was fully errect, I still had room in my mouth to work his cock without choking on it. I did have to relax my throat to get it all in, but it was easy to do. His cock barely went in past my gag reflex. I held the base of his cock with my thumb and two fingers while I stroked it with my mouth. I knew from what men told me that the feeling inside my mouth was better than any vaginal sex. I just sucked usually, just nursed on it while I let the man set the pace of the stroking. With Vlad I did the moving. I worked on him slowly, and as deep as he would go. I felt him push against my mouth as he finally got into the rhythm of my movements. It took several minutes of stocking his cock with my mouth before I felt him cum. I made a big production of letting him see me swallow it all. Then I looked up at him to give him the chance to kiss me. He chose to turn away. I wasn't surprised, lots of men felt that way.

"Oh god that was wonderful," he said. Since he made no move to help me in any way. I let him watch me masturbate. I sat in one of the two chairs in the sitting area of the room and masturbated slowly. I rubbed my clit in circles as I looked at him. I watched him closely as I worked myself toward the orgasm I needed so much. When I reached the edge of an orgasm I pushed my fingers deep into my pussy. I came hard and it caused my stomach muscles to constrict witch caused a stinging pain in my belly.

I finally fell back exhausted. Then said, "The scene from Jaws didn't end like this."

86 ,,,,Just looking for a home....

When I awoke Sunday morning in the strange bed, it took me a few minutes to remember where I was, as well as how I got there. I had a feeling as if my mouth was wearing an overcoat. I think almost every woman can tell you where that comes from.

While I was trying to get my mind to focus, I listened to a male voice speaking a foreign language. That's when I realized I was in Vald's bed, but he wasn't. Vald sat in the small sitting area of the hotel room talking on his cell phone.

"So you are finally awake?" he asked.

"No, I'm still asleep," I replied meaning every word of it.

"Well, I spoke with my contact at the FBI. It will take longer than I expected to get the information about Ivan's contact."

"Oh why is that?" I asked.

"They have an operative inside. They want to make sure that we will not endanger him, before they release the information."

I had another one of those bad feeling about Vlad. I wondered who in the FBI could be speaking Russian to Vlad. I didn't say anything. What I did was to ask, "How long will it take to get the Intel?"

"Two or three days. then they will come back with a name and location. After that we need to come up with a plan."

"They have somebody inside working, but we need to come up with a plan. What's that all about?"

"It's about, me not being able to stay here for years while the FBI dicks around. It's about putting this to rest, so that I can go home. For you it should be about ending your Russian connection permanently."

"Vlad honey, for me it's about staying alive. I have a very strong desire to live forever."

"Then I hate to inform you of this Maxine, but no one lives forever."

"I know that, I plan to be the first." I said it with a smile.

"Well. we have a couple of days with nothing to do. Does that give you any ideas?" he asked.

"Yes, it gives me some time to start looking for a new place to live. Give me a call when you have something to report." I said as I swung my legs off the bed.

"Are you going to leave me?" "Sweetie, one blow job does not a long term commitment make." I replied. I finished dressing kissed him goodbye with my breath baring evidence of what I had done. Even though I had been sober at the time, I had a hard time remembering where I left the cruiser. The parking lot was big and also full. The hotel wasn't full but the parking lot was. The First Baptist Church of Tryon shared the parking lot with the hotel. Hotels don't have a lot of Sunday morning guests, and the church doesn't need the space during the week. It was a symbiotic relationship if there ever was one.

On the way home I passed the office where I had worked until recently. The parking lot was empty. I should have gone in to start removing my tools, but I had no where to store them. I could only hope that Lucas and Gwen would respect my property and leave it alone.

When I arrived at my gated drive, I checked the camera images on line. It appeared that nothing have been disturbed. When I pulled into the yard, nobody was there to greet me. I didn't like that at all. I was pretty depressed, when I thought about my life. There was just no getting away from the realization of how bad a turn my life had taken.

I felt a little better after I brushed my teeth, took a shower, then brushed my teeth again. I was beginning to have thoughts of actually eating again. Maybe my life wasn't hopeless after all, I thought.

I was sitting in the McDonald's dining room, munching on a double cheeseburger and fries, while drinking a fake chocolate milkshake, when the phone rang. "Hello Jen" I said once I found the phone. I also smiled at the people who listened the the theme from the Magnificent Seven blaring from my purse.

"Max what the hell is this I hear from Ed about you being evicted?"

"It's what you just said. I have to be out by next Sunday." I admitted.

"You can move back in with me and Bob," she suggested. "At least until you fine a new place."

"No way, you know things can get really risky with me around. I will not do that to you guys again."

"Bullshit, you are just afraid I will demand sex from you every night," she said with a giggle.

"Yeah, that too. Once you go to the Dark side it never ends." I suggested lightly.

"The Dark side is a black lover not one with boobs," Jennifer said to correct me.

"Whatever, I will not be moving in with you and that is final."

"Okay then, do you remember that small welfare motel that Reverend Archer runs?" She asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Meet him there at three today. Trust me it will be worth your while." She knew me well enough to know I would be asking why.

"Okay, but there better be some reason for this." I hoped it wasn't anything too difficult. I had way too much on my plate suddenly. Since I didn't have a plan for the afternoon, I drove to the marina. Yes it was chilly, but I managed to stay long enough to drink two cups of very bad vending machine coffee. I badly regretted that I hadn't taken my big delta cup to McDonalds, since they had much better coffee.

I was chillled to the bone by the time I left for the Motel. The Reverend used the old cinder block building to warehouse his mission workers. I had no idea what to expect, when I arrived.

"So Maxine, when Jennifer heard you lost you house, she remembered that I was going to sell the motel. We bought an old downtown apartment building. It has enough room to house everyone in one spot."

"Why would either you or Jennifer think I wanted this dump?" I asked.

"This is Everette, he is the manager for the construction arm of The laboring few."

"Hello Everette," I said smiling at the man old enough to be my dad. In other words Everette was about seventy. He had a face ravaged by hard work in the sun and hard drinking everywhere.

"Everette tell her what you and Jennifer discussed," the reverend demanded.

"Well Miss Maxine, there are ten units. We can move the door on one unit and make a door between two of the units . That would give you five efficiency apartments. It will be small, but it will have a living room kitchen and a bedroom with bath. Best of all the conversion will be reasonably inexpensive."

"So what are you talking about reasonably inexpensive?" I asked.

"Turn key ready to move in and rent $150,000," Everette said.

"I'll think about it." I said.

"What's to think about these will rent for $400 a month easy." Archer said.

"If it was that good a deal, you would have had it done already with someone else. I think I will give it some thought. Maybe have someone check out the plan and give me an independent value for the project."

"Alright but don't wait too long. Once we get the renovations done the price will be much higher," the Reverend said.

I pulled Archer aside. "Don't try to play me, and I won't call you out in front of the 'few'."

"I'm not trying to play you," he said, but it wasn't a very confident statement.

"Archer, I'm not some mooch. I know that right now on this kind of property the banks want 25% down. I also know most people don't have that kind of money. You are not about to risk money fixing this place without some kind of guarantee it will sell for enough to pay The Laboring Few for their efforts." I paused and looked him in the eye and asked, "Why are you really selling it."

"The city of Tryon wants me to buy up Davenport's empire. Davenport screwed the crap out of everybody, but if he had played it straight he would have been a beneficial part of the town. So I need to raise cash to pay off the property and repair it. It's a huge endeavor."

"You aren't really going to take over all those condemned housing units are you?" I asked.

"No, it's the group homes and the family mission which the city wants to stay active."

"Okay, let me find someone to give a true value for the place, as it sits right this minute. I will make you an offer, and then allow The laboring Few to bid on the renovations." I suggested.

"Well that sounds fair," Archer admitted.

By lunch on Tuesday I had the appraisal. The report put the value of the property between $45,00 and $55,00. My guess was that the repairs we at least as much. The question was did I want to tie most of my money up in the property.

By Wednesday, I had decided that it was as good an investment as I was likely to find. I wrote the Reverend a check for $48,000. Since business in general was pretty slow the few agreed to do their repair estimate the next day.

"Hey Vlad," I said into the phone. "What the hell is happening with Ivan the terrible?"

"I haven't been able to get an answer yet," he informed me.

"You need to light a fire under them. The longer we wait, the harder it's going to be, I'm getting on my plate all the time. Life can't just stop for this project."

"I understand Maxine. I will try to find out something today." His tone was a little short. He obviously was frustrated."

"I know you want to get this over with, even more than I do, so I'll get off your case. It's just that I bought a place that needs a lot of work and I want to get started on it. I don't want to walk away for a couple of weeks right in the middle of it."

"I get it Maxine, you want to get on with the job. I understand and I want to move forward myself."

"I know Vlad. Try to build a fire under their ass, if you can. In the meantime I will begin work on the place. Even after we get the go ahead we need a plan."

"I know. We will come up with something I'm sure." Vlad's voice over the phone tried to reassure me. It wasn't working all that well.

I scheduled a meeting with the foreman of The Laboring Few for that same afternoon. The man who showed up had the same look as the one I had met a couple of days before. He looked like a man who had spent some time on the streets.

"From when I lived in this building, I can tell you we put a new roof on it two years ago, so that is a good thing."

"Yes it is.," I agreed. "So tell me what is the minimum needed to meet code?"

"Code for apartments is not the same as code for a motel."

"Then lets try it this way," I want the apartment to have two rooms. The entrance would be a living room kitchen combination. The second would be a bedroom and bath."

"That's pretty simple. We just cut a door between two of the units, You would end up with five apartments."

"So we can't close the outside bedroom door?" I asked.

"We can, if we move it to the rear of the unit. Cu it in what used to be the dressing area of the bedroom."

"Give me seperate prices for the connecting doorway, and moving the bedroom door. It might not be worth the expense."

"Okay, now what about the power?" he asked.

"What does it need?"

"New breakers and meters for each unit. You probably need a new heating system as well. Those window heat pumps are old and very inefficient."

"Okay, you know what I want. A good renovation, but also as cheap as possible." We shook hands as he headed back to his office to price out the job.

I planned to call another builder for a price once I got the renovation plans decided. I was waitig to hear from his laboring few, when I got the call from Vlad.

87

"Maxine. we need to meet." The voice on the cell phone belonged to Vlad.

"I'm at the house. It's going to take me twenty minutes to meet you anywhere." I explained.

"I am at your gate now."

"Alright, I'll turn off the alarm. Do you need me to come unlock the gate?"

"No, I can get it open," He informed me.

"I thought so," I agreed.

I had time to pour a cup of coffee before Vlad showed up. I put the shotgun under the bedspread before I let him in. He didn't need to see the shotgun within easy reach. Or to know that I sat at the table looking out the window as he drove up. Since he was the only one , other than a couple of my friends, who knew where I lived, I was very careful.

"Hello Maxine," Vlad was very formal and I was just as glad. The job was the job, the other was what it was no more.

"Hello Vlad, what have you heard?"

"Our target will be in Harlan county Kentucky next Thursday. He will be leaving York City about 10am and then drive all the way to Harlan county. They tell me it will take him twelve hours to do the driving.."

"Do you know exactly where the meeting is going to be.?" I asked.

"No easy rides this trip. We will never figure out this one in time, but you can be in place to collect the information for the next ambush. That is if you are still in."

"I'm in. When do you want to leave?

"When can you leave."

"I can make a call and leave now, but we don't have a plan." I informed him.

"We will make a plan as we drive to Kentucky. Make your call."

I called Jen and told her to pay whoever needed paying, but to stop all work until I returned. I had Vlad swing by the office where I put a container into his trunk, a container of tools. "Being a gun collector has it's moments," I explained.

As we left town on the interstate highway I asked, "There are less than 50k people in Harlan County, why are the Russians messin with them."

"You should know better than me, but I will tell you what they told us at the task force meetings. The Russians did not want to build a business, they wanted to just take over businesses. So they looked for distribution networks that aren't heavily defended. Right now the people of Harlan and being seduced. Before they know it they will be working for the Russians or dead."

"Ah I see so they play rough?' I asked.

"They play very rough Maxine. You must be very careful. Never lower your guard, not even around your own people. By now Ivan and his friends will own many of the criminals."

"And criminal's families are stupid." I said adding to the general shared information.

"Pretty much," he agreed.

"So what's this plan of ours,? I asked being more than a little sarcastic.

"We are picking up a trailer in Kingsport Tenn."

"Oh, are going to pretend to by Ricky and Lucy?"

"Who?" he asked.

"Never mind, what about you and your accent. You can't hide the whole time that we are there."

"No, I'm going to be your husbaand." He handed me a wedding band, then went on. "It seems to me we want to make a good impression, so I thought we could be missionaries."

"Don't you think when Ivan shows up dead on their doorstep, the cops will look at all the strangers who were here."

"You would think so, but alas they will just vanish into thin air."

"Maybe you can vanish, but I can't. I live here."

"No, no you don't vanish Maxine, Sister Maybell vanishes."

"Did you pick that name?"

"No I heard it and liked it." he replied curiously.

"I don't," I said.

"Then you pick one," he demanded.

"Martha, just Sister Martha." I replied.

"You will have to clean up your act some." He did smile as he said it.

"If I clean up my act, we will never find out anything." I laughed.

"Okay, then at least be more discreet in your seductions."

"I promise I will try," I laughed. You have to admit, Vlad to lecturing me had an ironic twist to it. Even though there was a meet on for that very. night we didn't rush. It was just the excuse for making the break. We needed a lot more information, if we were going to get our chore taken care of and then get away clean. The murder part was difficult enough but the surviving it would be the real accomplishment.

Vlad would likely be taking off on an airplane within days of the hit. Me, I had to live through it. I planned to be very, very careful. I could always walk away at anytime. I wasn't sure, but I might have to kill Vald to do it. If it came down to me doing time or killing Vlad, then it might take me a minute to decide. Vlad and I swung into a camping trailer dealership where he arranged a camper for us.
I was beginning to have real doubts about Vald. He had way too many resources for a simple Moscow cop. He was up to something, but I had no idea what. Still he suited my purpose unless of course he was lying to me. If that was the case, I might kill him myself. His story had an undercurrent of truth. People did kill for revenge. So it was possible that the brother was biding his time to come for me. Whether he was or not, he was most likely going to get a shock.

The completion of the drive to Harlan County was boring and our arrival was the worst. Mostly because I expected a greeting of some kind. Oh well.

Since I was the licensed drive, I drove the rented SUV and camper. I pulled it into the front of the the small convenience store. I would have a fine old time general store with just little more age on it. Still it was the place to ask for information around Harlan Kentucky.

We had stopped along the way at an Office Depot just outside Nashville. I quickly designed some flier's for an old fashion revival. I asked the beat down looking woman in the convenience store where we could park the camper.

"Old man has a Trailer Park about a mile out of town. Just keep doing out this road you won't be able to miss it." she said.

About how far before I have gone too far. I always miss them," I said smiling.

"About a mile I said, two miles and you missed it," she replied also smiling,

The trailer park was very green with shit growing everywhere but then so was every other piece of neglected property. Out little space was under a big pine tree but it still had low green shit growing everywhere. I ignored it as I parked the trailer. I had a hell of a time backing that thing. I have backed big trucks but I never had to back them into small spaces. usually when I backed one it was to get it off the road.

When we were settled it, Vlad hooked the water and sewer up himself. I was highly impressed. Not many men, I knew, could do that. Well most of the ones I used to know could, these days probably none of them could.

Vlad had warned me against being over armed, so I had left most of the real weapons back home. There was no way I would leave home without at least on pistol. I wanted a rifle as well but that got a Russian veto. According to Vlad we couldn't guard the weapons unless we carried them on us. Anything left in the trailer was likely to be stolen. I chose the perfectly suitable but not at all valuable FIE 9mm automatic. I took it off a teenager in a base housing area. He suggested that if I would forget it, he would to.

I held it in my locker for two months with the paperwork ready to go. After the First month it was already too late to turn in without answering a lot of questions. I had his name, so I really didn't think he would complain, but I tried to play it safe. He never opened his mouth at all.

Whenever I needed a gun that might end up in the swamp, that particular 9mil came to mind. I had asked if Vlad needed me to pick up a pistol for him, but he refused. I noticed on day one of our little adventure that he had a very ugly Russian automatic with extra tools. Also a short round tube was located in his shoulder holster. It could only be one of two things. Neither of which was standard issue from the factory. It could be a flash suppressor which was useful if you planned to kill a couple of guys from ambush, or it could be a silencer. You can imagine how those are used.

By the time we left the trailer, all tooled up, for dinner I was sure that I was in over my head. I just wondered if I dared to demand an explanation. I decided to put that off a while.

At the local cafe, I preached a little gospel. I never said I was any good at it but I danced a little and shook my butt. Then Vlad and I passed out flyiers. I told everyone we were looking for a place to hold services.

If that didn't work we might need to resort to torture. It was messy and dangerous but no matter what the politicians say, it usually works.

After dinner we were approached by a older man and woman. "We own a building that used to be a small loan complany. If you would like to hold services there it would make us proud."

"That sounds just fine. We couldn't pay you are first, but I would pay what we can when we can," I said doing my poor baby act.

"That's find just try to help people while you are here," he demanded then disappeared. I set up shop the next day. There were benches in one of the other vacant buildings. It had been a union hall. The man there loaned me the benches as a gesture of good will, "Just in case." he said.

So I began to preach. Having been raised as a baptist by a very zealous woman, made faking it very, very easy. The hallelujahs and amens filled the air. It was enough to melt your heart. Well sorta.

The way the drug thing worked is Ivan brought the fake drugs to Harlan where he met the man who distributed the drugs all over the area. Why Harlan. because Harlan had a history of distributing illegal things. First it was moonshine, then weed, then fake perscription drugs, for the junkie in denial. These days Ivan dealt with the grandsons of the first family of junk in Harlan and therefore a lot of the south. The man's name was Jasper Dawson. "Don't let the cutesy name fool you. Jasper is a stone killer." Vlad infomed me.

The beauty of your plan is we kill Ivan and frame Jasper. He probably won't go to jail but the Russian mob may decide to hit him."

"Or Us," I suggested as an after thought.

"That to.' Vlad said grinning. He is enjoying this shit, I thought. "You never know who gangsters will decide to kill. It's quite shocking actually," Vlad said.

88 The first thing I needed to do was to meet Jasper Dawson without it appearing that I was stalking him. So I forced Vlad to drive me to Lexington. In Lexington we found a womens clothing store that had one department filled with conservative outfits. I bought three for a start. I had no idea how long we would be in Harlan.

That same afternoon I began moving about meeting people. It was my plan to have a meeting just as soon as possible. We had no idea how Jasper would react, but I expected to either be engaged in debate or ignored. The first was by far my preference.

First I moved among the few shop owners in the small town. There were very few of them. by the second day we had covered them all. On the third day I was stopping people on the street to engage them. It wasn't my nature to do so, but we were playing parts, so it was something I did with enthusiasm.

It didn't take long for me to have promises of a full house in the small former loan company office building. Finally on the third day I met Jasper Dawson. Actually the best of all worlds happened, he came to see me at the loan company office.

"You Martha?" he asked.

"I am Sister Martha yes," I replied.

"I'm Jasper Dawson, so you know who I am?" he asked.

"I have heard the name and all are welcome here. Temporary though it may be, this is the house of God." I said smiling sweetly. Some days a girl just needs the reassurance of a firearm. Too bad I couldn't get to mine.

"You need my permission to open a business in this town." he demanded.

"This really isn't a business as such," I informed him.

"It's close enough," he demanded.

"And what does one have to do to get your permission. There are no profits to share."

"Then I guess we will just have to trade," he said expecting me to run and scream, I suppose.

"But I have nothing of value." I replied.

"Well you are a little older than I usually go for, but then you are still purdy and you dress good." With that he moved to me.

I noticed that the air around him was saturated with the smell of some aftershave. It was overpowering but probably better than his body odor. I allowed him to easily trap me in a corner of the room.

"Now Sis, you need to take off that purdy dress so's it don't get all messed up." he said quietly.

I nodded, then stood up. I unzipped the dress and removed it in a single motion, "Don't hurt me," I begged.

"Sis this won't hurt, you are a married woman. This won't be your first square dance." he said cruelly. "Go on get naked."

I quickly and gracefully removed my bra and panties. I stood before him naked. Since I never gave my body much thought, my tan lines were everywhere.

"I see you are a real woman, I like that. Those plaster dolls in the whore houses always make me uncomfortable. Now come here, don't make me come get you."

Since I was supposed to ingratiate myself to him, I did as he asked. I moved to stand in front of him. He did what at least half the men who had me in that position did, he pushed down on my shoulders. The two choices I had were to resist or go along. I decided that the better course of action was to go along. I had mentally prepared myself for it in advance. Having been in the situation once unprepared, I had decided after that event that it would never devastate me again. You could also add to it the fact that I didn't feel horribly used by it. No I don't love giving head, but it doesn't disgust me either. So I had no problem slipping to my knees and opening his pants.

His penis wasn't as small as Vlad's nor was it as large as some which had caused me pain. He was about the average male size penis. I would not be comfortable nor would it be painful. It would just be doable.

I licked and nursed on his cock until he began to pump my mouth. I made it warm wet and tight for him as he did. I felt him stroke my mouth just a few times then I felt him tense and empty his semen into my throat. I accepted it all without complaint.

"I thought you was more whore than saint," he said after it was finished.

"I never said I was a saint, but nobody has ever said I was a whore. You are the first and you should be ashamed."

"Well I'm not." he said as he left the building.

I puttered around the building a while longer then walked to the end of town and the camper. "Well I met our mark today," I said without elaboration.

"What do you think of him?" Vlad asked.

"He will make a great patsy. Hell he might even cop to it the little peacock."

"Well you work him the FBI undercover is going to alert me the next time he hears of anything."

"Fair enough, one of us should come up with something. I just have to remember that I'm not here to take down cute little Jasper." I said.

"Yes Jasper has to walk away." Vlad informed me without need. I understood the plan perfectly. Hell it was mostly my plan anyway.

"You know what I hate about this place?" Vlad asked.

"No what do you hate most?" I asked playing along.

"Their lack of a decent restaurant. Neither of us can cook worth a crap," he said.

"I can cook Vlad, you just aren't going to find out about it." I said smugly.

"Let's drive into the next town for dinner." he suggested.

"Let's just drive toward Lexington and stop along the way. There will be something surely." I suggested.

We got dinner in a family style restaurant just off the interstate highway. We had finished our dinner and were waiting for the check when his phone rang. He started to speak in Russian instantly. I waited quietly for the check and Vlad to finish his conversation.

Vlad came back first. "Tomorrow I have to start exploring the terrain." he said.

"Why is that."

"Our contact with the FBI can give us the location of the meet but I need to know what it looks like. He tells me they use five different ones at random times. The place is set when Ivan is on the road. He is doing what he has been taught, but it was a different war. He is preparing for a military attack not two people with crossbows."

"He can't keep the meeting site secret forever. I met Jasper today and I will again." I said.

"And how do you know the much younger man will return for seconds?" Vlad asked.

"Because all men think with their dick, and young men especially think with their dick. He isn't likely to have had a really great blowjob before."

"I won't argue this one with you," Vlad said to me.

"Well it's time for the meeting. Drop me at the meeting hall and you can do your scouting, Tonto."

"Who?" he asked.

"Never mind, you had to be there," I said smiling up at him.

The meeting started promptly at 8PM. I spoke for two hours. I said all the things I had heard in my childhood. I even talked to some of the ladies in the audience about their families and the lessons they could share. It was an evening with lots of close ties among the congregation showing themselves. It was a close community.

I made a lot of excuses for them all, both in my sermon and in my prayers. Yes they needed all the help they could get. Most of them were in some kind of illegal enterprise because there was no other work in the holler.

The act had been, if not enjoyable, at lease easy to do for the first few hours. It had been alright most of that second day. I can't say i enjoy giving Jasper the blowjob, but it didn't kill me. The meeting that night made me sad. I knew I was a fraud, but the people there needed for me to be real, so I tried my hardest to be real about something.

When the meeting broke up at ten, several people pressed money into my hand. It was only a dollar or two but these people would miss even that small amount. I wanted to give it back but that wouldn't be in character. If I were real, I would need the money to feed myself and my husband, so I took the money gratefully.

Vlad and I went for a walk after the second night in Harlan. "You know if this was for real it would be time to leave. These people have no money." I waited for Vlad to contradict me.

He didn't, but he said, "We are settled in and we do not have another engagement until two weeks. We came here to rest, but you work wherever you go. You are foolish."

"So that's going to be your story?" I asked.

"Yes it is and we can sell it, if you try."

"Alright, I will give the keys back to the the owner. You and I will just hang around here and take walks."

"Good, now lets take a nap," he said. Vlad's idea of a name had more in common with a night in the casbah than a nap.

The bed in the trailer was plenty large for one person, but not for two. We slept on different beds at night. But for our nap Vlad chose to join me. It was a tight fit and there was no way to do any fancy undressing. I finally pushed him onto the floor while I removed my clothes. Once I was naked under a sheet, I invited him back.

Unlike the first time we did it, Vlad was rock hard. I could feel his small penis drive into me. It was small but god arranged a womans nerves, so that even small men make them want to have sex. It was his plan to keep the species alive and thriving.

I was surprised that all he wanted to do was to pump me. I love the feeling but of course it ended too soon. Vaginal sex takes a lot of foreplay to make it satisfying. Vlad hadn't read that chapter yet.

He tried to roll away but I had to move so that he could find space. We were both laying on our sides when I wrapped my hand around his wilting penis. I stroked it gently trying to revive it. When I realized that it was indeed finished for the evening, I'm afraid I made a noise to show my displeasure. I needed some relief as well as Vlad. He hadn't given Jasper head and gotten nothing in return. Now to have Vlad leave me hanging was more than I could suffer through in silence.

He finally got it. Once he understood that he had left me hanging and miserable, he lowered himself to my aching vagina. He licked and sucked on my clit until I orgasmed. It wasn't to hard, since I was about to burst with the pent up orgasm. When I came, it was with all the intensity I have been missing all day. I had been walking about like a stretched tight balloon all day. I interacted with people while on the verge of exploding in their face.

I drifted off to sleep but Vlad disappeared into the night. Maybe I should have worried about him, but at that moment all was right with the world.

89

Vlad and I spent three more days at the campground. He slipped out every night and I pretended that he was still in the trailers. It wasn't like summer when people would have been moving around, but still it didn't hurt to have me go outside and call his fake name. "Edward are you making the coffee or should I come do it. Oh alright you men are helpless." That kind of thing at least once a night. I also slept with the door unlocked while he was gone, but the 9mm was always close at hand.

During the daylight hours we went for drives around the holler. Everything was within easy reach, so Vlad swore that he was ready for the meeting. I had my doubts but I trusted him. The call came in exactly a week after the meeting that we didn't make. I expected that it was just a coincidence. Surely they weren't stupid enough to meet on the same day every week. Especially since they went to all the trouble to move the meeting place around each time.

I did learn one thing during my time in the military, people will always surprise you with their stupid actions. Even people. you believe to be intelligent. will act stupid from time to time. No other one thing brings out the stupidity of the human animal more than interpersonal relationships. Okay to call it what it is, people act stupid mostly to get laid, it seems to me.

"The call came telling us that Ivan had left with product. It was up to us to figure out where the meet was to take place.

"I figure our best bet is to stick to Jasper like glue. Maybe he will give me a hint." I said.

"It would be nice to be there first, but if not I can follow Jasper to the meet. That would be a lot easier if you planted a tracking device on him." Vlad suggested.

"And you just happen to have one?" I asked. Rather than answer Vlad handed me a disk the size of an American quarter, maybe a little thicker. I put the disk in my purse for the time being. "So you have been planing all this from the start?"

"Well I have a few things I managed to pick up along the way. Look Maxine, I knew what I was going to do when I came here. Meeting Blevins, who told me about you, was just a beautiful accident. I could do this without you, but it wouldn't be as easy. Not that it is going to be easy at all," he hurried to add.

"I guess I need to go find Jasper, but to be honest it seems a little early. I'm just afraid that he will leave the holler without us seeing him at all today. If he does that, we will be starting all over again."

"If he doesn't have the meeting in the holler. we might have to just swoop in guns blazing and take our chances. Have you considered that possibility?" Vlad asked.

"The numbers will be all wrong, but yes as a last resort I considered it. I don't like it for sure." I admitted.

"Nor do I, but I am not leaving this valley with Ivan still breathing." Vlad was quiet and very serious. I knew how he felt. In his mind he was on a mission. Maybe it wasn't a mission from God, but it was a mission none the less.

"Give me a ride into town and I'll see if I can't plant this coin on Jasper." Vlad nodded as he removed his heavy coat from the back of a chair.

"While you are gone, I will clean and check out the weapons." he suggested. I nodded my agreement.

Vlad dropped me in front of the community center. It was where most of the people who didn't have jobs went to spend their time. The community center had computers and even WIFI if you wanted to use your own computer. I used a dummy computer Vlad had bought for the trip. It had no incriminating information on it at all. I waited at the community center an hour but Jasper never showed.

"No Jasper," I said to Vlad over the phone. I'm going to the sandwich shop to see if he shows there."

"Very well Maxine please be careful." Vlad said into the phone.
"I will do my best for sure, You be careful as well. He might at least give killing me a second thought, he won't you, neither of them will."

"You do know they will be coming for you as well, it this doesn't work perfectly." Vlad said.

"I know but thanks for reminding me," I said with a laugh. I quickly changed the subject because Jasper walked in. "My, my our boy just came in with a girl his own age."

"Be careful, he might not be in any mood for you," Vlad said.

"Maybe not but I have to at least give him the chance." I shut down the phone, then finished my sandwich. Jasper had a tray full of food when he headed my way.

"Move over bitch," he said to me.

"Jasper, don't talk to me like that please," I asked. I didn't really care what he said. I was just staying in character. Jasper would be lucky, if the Russians didn't cap his ass within 24hours of the hit. That was payback enough for me.

Jasper sat beside me and the girl sat across from us. She didn't seem to mind all that much, so my guess was that it was true love. In the crowded booth slipping the fake coin in his pocket was easy. He was all marked up within two minutes of his arrival. The next move should have been Vlad's.

"Did you miss me bitch?" he asked with his sandwich in his hand.

"Why would I miss someone with that foul mouth?" I asked it to answer his question.

"Because you loved sucking my dick, didn't you?" he demanded as he grabbed onto my arm. His grip hurt but not so much that I had to answer, but I did anyway. I wanted him to keep me around a while.

"Yes I missed you," I replied.

"Good that you admit it. Some girls try to play hard to get." He paused then looked at me seriously. "What about your husband?" He asked.

"What about him?" I asked.

"Doesn't he object to you sucking other dicks?"

"He doesn't like it, but I have the gift. He knows that it is my gift that provides for our needs."

"I see, do you use your girts often," he said with a wicked grin.

"Not the ones you mean. Those I only use when I must. I do not enjoy that with strangers."

"I shot cum in your mouth. We aren't exactly strangers any more."

"No I guess we aren't." I admitted.

"Sarah and me are going to have a party, you should come along." he suggested.

"I don't think Sarah would be comfortable with that and it is her party," I replied.

"She will be comfortable with it, if I tell her to be." Jasper said confidently. I could see the fear in the young girl's eyes. I knew it was all new to her, why she was involved with slimy Jasper was beyond me. Of course she might have felt the same about me.

I needed to stay with him for the whole afternoon, so she was just going to have to live with it, I thought. I nodded my agreement then looked down. I didn't want to lose my character the sweet Sister Martha. Only Jasper was supposed to know better and now Sarah.

I rode in the rear seat of Jasper's car. He drove to what was most likely some relative's house. If not now then maybe it had been at one time. It looked pretty much abandoned, except that Jasper walked right in and turned on the lights. He obviously lived there at least some of the time. Hell he might live there all the time, I had no way of knowing.

Once we were inside and the lights on, Jasper lit the oil stove. The one room was warm quickly. We were all three sitting on the sofa shortly after lunch, when he pulled me to him. He kissed me then pushed my face to his lap. I knew that Sarah was watching as I unzipped his pants, then worked his just so, so cock out.

"Love that dick don't you baby?" he asked.

"Yes, I love your dick," I said as I kissed the head of it.

"Sarah have you ever sucked a dick?" he asked.

"No, I never have." she answered.

"Have you always wanted to?" he asked.

"No, it looks so gross," she explained.

"It is gross, Sister Martha?' he asked me.

"No it feels wonderful to have a cock in my mouth. I feel so nasty and so sexy at the same time," I explained.

"Oh yes Sister Martha is a nasty cocksucker alright. Aren't you Sister."

"Yes, I am a nasty cocksucker for you Jasper." I said.

"No bitch, you are just a nasty cocksucker period. Aren't you?" he demanded.

"Yes, I am a nasty cock sucker," I replied.

"Show Sarah how to suck dick you whore," he demanded.

I looked up into her eyes pulled off his cock and said, "Watch what I do." Then I bent back over his cock and accepted it into my mouth. I sucked and move up and down stroking him with my mouth. When I was into the rhythm. I took her hand and gently guided her down beside me. I pulled off his cock then pushed her head down until she kissed the head of his cock.

"Lick his dick," I said gently in her ear. Jasper most likely did not hear me.

She began to lick his cock as she had seen me do. Then without being told she took it in her mouth. Not all the way to her throat but deep inside her other warm wet place. I couldn't believe how it turned me on to see her sucking his cock for the first time.

"Just relax and force it into your throat," I said gently. She tried but she was frightened. I wasn't worried I knew Jasper was a big enough prick to force her.

After she pulled away to gasp for breath he said to her, "I am going to cum in your mouth Sarah and you aren't going to pull away this time. Do you understand?"

She just nodded. I waited until she had his cock in her mouth and was trying to relax. I slipped my hand inside her blouse and massaged her breasts. I also manipulated her nipples the way I liked to have mine done. When I felt her tense a little, I move one to finger her vagina. She was hot and wet. She clung to me and she shivered as she orgasmed. I enjoyed feeling her cum against my fingers, and with his cock in her mouth.

When everyone got through and were again themselves it was 6PM. "I'm hungry for real food. Let's all go eat somewhere." I suggested. I said it with my hand wrapped around Jasper's dick.

"Well, I have got some business, but not till eight, so sure let's go eat. It's the least I can do for you two." he said.

"Yes it is," I said with a giggle. Sarah joined in. I tried to drag out dinner as much as possible. It was well after seven when we finished. "You two are going to have to wait for me the the clover leaf while I take care of my business." Jasper said to us.

"Bull, you have me all hot and bothered. I'll just wait in the car till you are finished then the three of us can start again only this time you have to take part Jasper."

"You mean like fuck you?" he asked.

"Yes like that," I agreed. "Right Sarah?" I asked.

"Right Sister Martha," she agreed quietly.

90

I knew Jasper's plan, but he didn't know that I knew it. That gave me a leg up on him. He took us to dinner about 6PM. I knew that the meeting would probably be around 8PM, so it became important for me to keep Jasper busy until then. I wanted him to take me to the meeting at least to wait in the car.

In order to arrange that, I kept my hand on his penis all through dinner. I kept it erect and Jasper as close to the edge as I could manage. I wanted getting laid to at least share his thoughts with the business deal that was coming. I dawdled through dinner, and made sure Sarah did as well. I kept her turned on, so that she helped me keep Jasper in the mood as well. It must have worked because around seven Jasper called his next in command and told him they would meet at the cabin. I had no idea what that was, but I assumed that Vlad did. I went to the bathroom. There I sent Vlad a quick text message telling him where the meet was to be held. He had thirty minutes to beat them to the site of the meeting, and to hide himself with a clear view of the killing field. My job switched from gathering intelligence to preparing for the hit.

When the hit ended, it was my job to be sure Jasper left with the drugs and probably the money. There was no way I could wrestle the money from him. Not to mention that I really did not want him to know that I was involved. It was about 7:30 when we left the sandwich shop headed for the cabin.

Jasper parked the car in the front of the badly rundown log structure. I was sitting in the front seat when he said, "You two stay here and stay out of sight. This shouldn't take long. If you get cold you can always huddle together for warmth." he said it smiling. I have no idea why all men seem to get off on two women wrapped in each other's arms. I don't get turned on seeing too men all huggy face. As long as I could work it to my advantage, I just accepted it.

Jasper left the car when his cohort Brian pulled up in a small van. Brian parked much closer to the cabin than Jasper had. They sat in the van waiting for Ivan from New York City. Of course I wasn't supposed to know that. We must have waited a half hour for Ivan and his crew. I knew Vladamir would be miserable in the cold. Still there was nothing I could do to help, so I put it out of my mind.

What I began to do was to search the car for weapons. I had a large workman's knife I had purchased from the Home Depot which would do fine for close in work. I checked the glove box just to be sure Jasper didn't have a spare pistol in the box. No such luck, but I did find the trunk release. If it became necessary, I could check the trunk for weapons. Sometimes there would be a shotgun or an automatic rifle in the trunk of a crew car. I doubted these guys were that organized, but one could always hope.

With Sarah in the car it would be hard to check for weapons on the off chance I might need them. My assignment wasn't doing the hit. It was my job to manage the aftermath. It was my job to get jasper and his crew away from the site, so that Vlad could clean up before the bodies were discovered. It wasn't really my job to convince them to get he hell away, it was more to keep them from doing anything stupid.

Sarah and I sat whispering while we waited for the boys from New York city to arrive. Jasper and his gun hand Brian were still outside the cabin. It looked as though they were for sure going to met the Boy from New York City outside the building.

Without warning and seemingly from nowhere the big Lincoln SUV pulled into the yard. Three men got out of the SUV and I did indeed recognize one of them. I would not have known that he was the brother of the man I killed, had Vlad not told me. I had seen him before and I had no reason to doubt Vlad.

I waited and watched closely as the events unfolded. Once the three men from New York City were out of the SUV, Jasper and Brian left the van. Each of the men from New York carried a canvas duffel bag .All of them appeared to be relaxed, as did the men from Kentucky. I wonder how long that would last. Jast as I had that though Ivan's legs just folded up. There was a sound but it wasn't a shot or an explosion just a high pitched whining sound.

The other two New York thugs went for their weapons. They were looking all around when another one of them collapsed and died on the spot. The third one was in a panic trying to decide who to shoot. It didn't matter he was still exposed and the third crossbow bolt took him. If any of them were still alive I would have been very much surprised. Even so I knew Vlad was in a hurry to get to the cabin to check them and then disappear.

"Jasper, come here, we have to get out of here," I shouted. He might not have been all that respectful of me, but he at least recognized when I told him something important. He came on the run.

"Brian get the drugs and get the hell out of here," he shouted as he bent to recover one of the bags from the body of a Russian.. Once inside he spun the car around throwing gravel everywhere. Jasper was in one hell of a hurry.

"Brain had better have picked up the other two bags." Jasper said. He was thinking out loud I knew, so I ignored him. All I wanted was to get back to the rv park and get the hell out of town. "Brian, where the hell are you?" he asked into his cell phone.

"I'm in the car and heading away from the cabin. I have the drugs and I still have the money. What the hell are we going to do?" he asked.

"We are going to call the Russians and ask them what the hell is going on." Jasper said.

"Be careful, they are going to think we killed their delivery boys and stole the drugs." Brain said.

"That's why we have to get ahead of this. I'll make the call and arrange to deliver their money." Jasper said it then he took a deep breath, before adding, "Then we have to find out who did this."

"Jasper, I can't believe it's anyone on our end."

"It has to be someone here," Jasper replied. "If not, why bother to do it here. Someone is trying to fuck us royally." He put the phone away, then took a deep breath.

"What happened back there?" I asked all excited. "Are those men dead?"

"Shut the fuck up. I'm going to drop you at your trailer. You best forget you ever saw anything. Do you understand me bitch?" he asked.

"Yes I understand. Are you going to be alright? You sound worried."

"Those were some really bad fuckers. Yeah I'm worried. If they find out you were there you should be worried as well."

"I'm terrified already. I don't need anything else to frighten me." I said.

When he pulled into the space beside the rental trailer, he asked, "Where is your old man?"

"I don't know to be honest. He might have gone into Lexington to try to find us a place to hold a meeting next week."

"You know Martha, I don't know shit about you or you husband. You might have had something to do with all this." He suggested.

"Jasper how could I have been involved with anything. I don't know what you are doing or why you are doing it. As for those men, I didn't know you were going to meet them, when you dragged me along.

"Yeah I guess that's right. That husband of yours is useless, the only thing he can do is clean up after real men. Alright you better get the hell out of town."

"Not a problem, whether Edward has a place for us or not we are out of here tonight. You have my word." I said.

"To bad you have to go, you gave the best blowjob I ever had." With that he move over and kissed me with lots of tongue. I kissed him back. I did not want to ring any bells. "Why don't you come back after this blows over. I can find something for you to do."

"I am too afraid to even think about coming back here." I said it with my voice quivering. I was finding out that I was pretty good at acting.

After Jasper left I drank coffee and worried about Vlad. Both about him personally and how his fortunes at that moment would effect me. The car we had been driving slipped into the parking lot with Vlad looking perfectly calm. He walked from the car to the trailer without any quickness in his step at all. Vlad was perfectly calm. I continued to worry about Vlad. He was definitely no ordinary policeman. It was too late to be worried, the deed was done and I was right in the middle of it.

He walked inside then asked, "Everything go alright?"

"It seemed to, but I don't know." I admitted.

"There is no way to know. We will just have to wait to see." Vlad said in agreement.

"So you are expecting someone?" I asked.

"Not really but if someone does show up, I want to be ready." he said.

"Not me I want to be gone," I suggested.

"That is one way to deal with it." Vlad suggested.

"It goes against your grain I know, but it's the only way to handle it. We have to leave Jasper and Brad to the Russians. Not only that we have to leave Jasper and Brad for the Russians. That was the whole plan."

"I'm not sure we sold it," Vlad said.

"No, you are not sure I sold it. Well I sold it Vlad. You made the hit and I got them out of there so you could cleanup. So now they are calling the Russians to report the problem. We need to be gone when the Russians get here. You need to be out of the country and Sister Martha needs to cease to exist."

"Alright, I'm going to take your word for it," Vlad said.

"Good now lets get the braces out from under this thing and get it rolling before Jasper changes his mind about letting me go this easily."

"If he comes here, he is going to disappear," Vlad said.

"Not many other ways it can go down," I said in agreement. We were driving out of the of the holler by 10PM. I was glad to kiss it goodbye and Sister Martha as well. I hadn't even given the apartment building a thought since I left town.

If the few did anything for the two weeks we had been gone, I would have been surprised. "I'm going to drop the trailer off, then I'm going to drive to the airport in Washington DC and get on a plan for Moscow." Vlad explained. "You can deliver the car to the rental agency when you get home.

"It's not nearly as satisfying an ending as I expected," I informed him.

"It never is, if you don't do the killing with your own hands," he said seriously.

"Do you think the Russians will kill Jasper?" I asked.

"Probably not, most likely they will know it's me."

"And me?" I asked.

"I don't think they will know it was you as well. There are no images of you as Sister Martha."

I had no idea how the Ivan hit would play out. I had a feeling the Russians would be the problem, not the law dogs. With a little luck no one would ever come looking for me. That being the case, I left the short term parking at the DC airport, then headed for home. I stopped along the way for a good night's sleep.

"Hello what can I get you," the waitress in the pancake house asked the next morning.

"To be honest the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on pancakes looks good to me." I said it smiling at the young waitress. Funny how much more attractive the waitresses on the interstate highway's rest stops were, than those in the small towns along the way.

After my breakfast I drove straight home. Well straight except for a late lunch at a roadside McDonald's. When I arrived I almost drove to the cabin, then I realized that I didn't live there any more. My things were all in a storage locker or still in Ed's office.

Since I wasn't sure exactly what to do, I called Jen at her office. "Hey shyster, where does a girl take a load off around these parts?" I asked.

"Well Fanny, you still have your key to my house don't you?" she asked.

"Of course, but I was thinking more of my own place," I admitted.

"As usual I have no idea what you have been up to, but you have only been gone a week. You told me to have Archer's men finish what they were working on and pay them off."

"Okay so where are they on the conversion?" I asked.

"The structural changes have been make, and the entrances are secured with new doors. They are ready to begin work inside just as soon as you give them the go ahead and make your choices for the finishes."

"I'll call Archer in the morning and get this all started again." I replied. "Now I am tired, so I think I will check into a motel."

"Why don't you come stay with me a few days. It is going to take them a week or more to get your place ready." Jen asked.

"I appreciate it hon, but I think I will just stay somewhere simple. Somewhere without the residual drama that seems to go along with anyplace I have stayed before.

"Well you will need your personal things. They are stored at my house," Jen informed me.

"I have the things I took with me, I can wear those for a day or two. However, yes I do need to pick up some things. I also need to get into a place where I can feel at home."

"I can't wait to see you as a landlord. If a resident makes too much noise, you might just shoot them." Jen said it with a laugh, even if she was half serious. My interpersonal relationship skills could use some work, I would have been happy to admit that.

"You know you are going to hurt my feelings staying in a motel." Jen said.

"Jen better that than getting a hellfire missile in your front door." I said.
"Wow you have really pissed some serious people off this time haven't you?"

"I'm not sure but potentially yes." I replied.

"Okay, but if you let anything happen to you, I'm going to kill you," Jen said more seriously than I would have liked."

"Not to worry Jenny Mae, I plan to live a very long time." I replied.

"I do believe that is everyone's plan. We just cant all manage it." Jen said. "Call me before you come over for your things and we will have a dinner party. I have been looking for an excuse."

After I rang off I went looking for a place to crash temporarily. Somewhere not too easy to find or access would have been nice. What I had to settle for was an old two story thirty unit motel on the edge of town. It was old enough so as not to be on any of the reservation services list. The weekly rate wasn't too awful, so I took it for a week. I was pretty sure the "Few" would be at least that long.

The motel had fallen to one of those 'english barely spoken here' type motels. Since I wasn't hiding, but also didn't want to be too easy to find, it seemed ideal. The room I took was on the ground floor, there was no rear entrance or exit. Hell the bathroom window would have been a squeeze and I'm not sure even with a squeeze I would get out of it. I planned to set up my own surveillance cameras of the parking lot and stairway. I could use part of the load left over from the cabin. They had been stored at Ed's office since I left town..

"I knew you would be back," Ed said when I went to retrieve the cameras. "Lucas said you might not be. He said that since you sold the business, you were going to make some changes. I knew leaving me wouldn't be one of them." Ed said it happily. I was glad that he was glad to see me.

"No Ed, I'm not leaving you. At least it is not in my plans. I came by to pick up a few things I have stored here. If that is okay?" I asked.

"You don't have to ask. My door is always open to you. If I'm not here, call my cell I'll come meet you. You could always take your key back and solve both our problems."

"Ed if anything turns up missing, I don't want to have a key to answer for." I said it thinking Gwen would probably name me a person of interest. I almost laughed.

"So Maxine, what are you going to do now? You do not do well when you are bored," Ed suggested.

"Ed, first I'm going to secure a place to live, then I guess I'll start looking for something to do."

"Did you ever think about the bail bond business. My son Jeff has zero interest," Ed said.

"Ed, Jeff is a doctor, he probably couldn't take the cut in pay." I laughed along with Ed.

"Yeah, but it's a shame to have built this and not have anyone to leave it to." Ed suggested.

"Why not Gwen," I said with a laugh.

"Those two are a joke. If it weren't for the time that you, me, and Lucas spent here, I would ask them to move. That girl makes me very concerned for Luke. He is a good kid, but I'm afraid he is in over his head with that one." Ed suggested.

"He's a grown man Ed, at least thats what those two will tell you." I shook my head. Ed did the same.

"So how about it, do you want the bond business. I can teach you what little you need to know in a week."

"I appreciate it Ed, but no thanks. I really don't know what I'm going to do next, but I doubt that it will be anything near the criminal justice system." I suggested.

"That's a shame both of those. You would be something writing bonds, and as far as the law goes, you had a lot of fun over the years in and around it." he said.

"I guess it's time to stop playing cowboys and killers," I observed.

Ed saw me take the Mossburg pump shotgun from the lock room. "So time to stop playing cowboys and killers huh?" he asked.

"If they will let me, yes it is. Just in case the killers don't think so, a girl has to be ready doesn't she?" I asked.

"Oh yes, and god help the killer who doesn't know that you will always be prepared."

"True," I agreed. I left the office with the Mossburg, a box of buck shot containing six shells, and a box containing two surveillance cameras and cables.

I had watched Lucas work on the cameras from time to time, so I had an idea how to go about rigging them. It took me about ten times longer than it would have taken Lucas but in the end I had them working.

I had one of them inside my front window and aimed at the parking lot. I would catch all the cars and people coming and going. I had moved my cruiser to the far end of the parking lot. I used it as a platform for the other camera. It was trained in on the building in front of my room. Why all the precautions you might ask, then again knowing I had a hand it hitting a Russian mobster, would you really wonder?

I managed to get everything dialed in my 7PM. I was having a Subway meatball sandwich, and a handful of Barbecue Corn Chips a half hour later, when my cell phone rang. "Hello," I said.

Maxine this is Lucas, how are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm just fine Lucas how are you?" I asked.

"I am doing great. Gwen and I are giving some thought to selling 'At Your Service.'" he said.

"Lucas you have had it less than a month. You don't even have it close to being paid for."

"Well we thought maybe you would buy it back?" he suggested.

"I will give you what you paid me so far, but that's all I'm willing to do. I also expect that Jen will have a lot to say about you trying to sell it to anyone else." I was really beginning to lose my patience with Lucas.

"To be honest it is worth a lot more than we have paid you so far. We have an offer."

"Let me get this straight, you are going to take a business I gave you at a sweetheart deal and try to make a big profit even before you finish paying for it?"

"You have to understand Maxine. It's not personal."

"Lucas I never thought I would say this to you, but it is personal. You and me are finished talk to Jennifer from now on."

"Don't be like that," Lucas said.

"Lucas hon, I don't know how else to be. If you want your cash back, I can do that. If you want to make a profit on something I did for you as a gift, get bent."

"Well Gwen wants to go back to Boston and into TV, so I guess it's what we should do."

"Then you do what you want to do, but forget making a huge profit on the business. If you try that, Jen will cut you to pieces. That much I guarantee," I said.

"I don't understand why you are being like this. It's because you hate Gwen isn't it?"

"Probably," I replied and hung up on him. I could have tried to make some plans but why bother, I thought. This shit is just children's play time. Since Lucas can qualify for the Boston PD that's what he should do. Most likely it is what he will do. Gwen can make TV about that. I shook my head as I finished the sandwich.

I looked at the TV for about an hour, then the phone rang to interrupt me again. I expected it to be Jen or Lucas. Hell it might have been any of the usual suspects as far as that is concerned. I had no idea it would be Blevins.

"Vladamir is headed home isn't he?" Blevins asked.

"Yes he is, so is everything alright?" I asked.

"Well the mob is after Vlad, but from what I hear they are going to leave you alone," Blevins said.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Ivan made some threats against you. It seems that some of the people who know you explained that a threat was as good as an attempt." Blevins said.

"Who could have told them that?" I asked.

"Vlad and Annya both. Plus the Reds blew your cover with the kid. You best not go back to Harlan County unless you are well armed."

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied. "When did all this happen?"

"The kid, Jasper, called the Russians to deliver their money today. They had a long talk."

"So everybody knows they were played?" I asked.

"So says the Feds. The playees are not happy about it."

"So do I need to go into witness protection?"

"Not unless you want to," he replied.

"Good then I'll stay home."

92

So without the imminent threat from the Russians, I decided to go back to my old life at least a little bit. I still did not want the messenger service, but I wasn't going to be Gwen's bitch either. If that Yankee bitch thought she was going too make a few grand from holding my company a week, she was nuts. I was pretty sure Jen could stop the sale of 'At Your Service'. The question became, if Lucas didn't get it, who did.

"Good Morning Archer, Jen tells me I have some decisions to make." I said it on the phone while waiting for my breakfast. I did have a cup of pretty foul restaurant coffee in front of me at the time.

"Yes we have been sitting around waiting for you to show up. Where did you wander off to anyway?"

"I went to a fall revival, no big deal. You know one of those first church of the missionary position things. They held it in the great outdoors." I said.

"Yes, I know what those are. So now are you back long enough for 'His Laboring Few' to finish the renovation?" Archer asked.

"I expect so, I thought I would swing by the site and get them started again. So you just tell me what time and I'll meet them there."

"I'll have the foreman call you, if it's okay to give him your number?" he asked.

"Sure why not, it's pretty hard to commit murder over the phone." I said it with a rude smile which Archer couldn't see.

It was too early to get Jen on the phone at work, so I decided to wait for office hours. I wanted her to handle Lucas. I was way to personally involved. I felt sure my shyster friend had built an escape hatch into the sale. I hadn't specifically told her not to act like a lawyer, so I was reasonably sure she had played the part to the hilt. It was just what Jen did and I loved her for it.

"Hello," the voice came through my cell phone. Of course only after it played the first few bars of 'The Magnificent Seven'.

"Hello," I said into it as much to shut it up as to communicate.

"Ms Stone, it Mark from His Laboring Few. I am on my way to your job site. If you could meet me there, we can get started again." He sounded a little peeved because he had been pulled off the job for a couple of days. I knew that he would have been more peeved, if he had worked a couple of weeks only to find that he couldn't collect for his work. I was pretty sure that having his funds tied up in my estate would not have been a lot of fun either. Oh well he didn't have to know the details.

"Mark, I can be there in a half hour is that soon enough?" I asked

"That's just fine." he said, then the line went dead. He was either a man of few words or he really was pissed.

After breakfast, but before I left the restaurant I called Jen. After her receptionist put me through I asked, "Jen have all the papers been registered for the sale of my company to Lucas?"

"It's a done deal. What's the problem?" she asked.

"He told me last night that he and Gwen were planning to sell the business for a profit and move to Boston."

"That little shit, I thought something was funny with him. At the signing he could hardly look me in the eye. So what do you want to do."

"I want you to make him an offer he can't refuse my fairy god mother. I am not going to be Gwen's bitch, even if it costs me every dime of the sales price."

"Are you sure you just don't want to bury them in legal shit till they shout uncle and give it back to you?" she asked.

"You know that I'm not as spiteful as you. Make them one offer, I'm willing to refund all their out of pocket expenses. Let them keep the profits they made from the work, and wave goodbye to them." I said. "Or we will let them stay here and operate the business in good faith as they presented that they would do." I added.

"If they choose any other option, I will have them in court every week for the rest of their lives defending themselves against fraud suits." Jen said. She actually sounded as if she were hoping they chose to fight us.

"Okay Jen, let me know what they have to say. I don't want the messenger service back. However if I have to run it, I want to start before they run it into the ground."

"Can do Max, good to have you back. Life was getting boring in only a week." Jen said laughing.

I drove to the motel and found it had changed as much as Jen promised. Half the front doors were missing. There were signs everywhere of patches to the exterior walls. I knew that those were immaterial since the whole thing was going to get a coat of stucco to give it a Spanish flare in the end.

"Hello," I said in greeting to the almost retirement aged man, who met me in the parking lot. "I'm Maxine, I don't know if you remember me."

"Ms Stone, no one forgets you. Good to have you back."

"Thanks, I guess I'll ask the question you get asked the most. Do you have any idea about how much longer before you guys are finished? I'm staying in a motel and I'm not happy about it." I informed him.

"If you don't mind the noise, we can probably have one of the units finished in a couple of days," he informed me.

"Get me heat and power and I'll live with anything else," I informed him. "So what are the decisions I have to make?" I asked.

"Carpet first, here are your measurements. You can buy it anywhere you want, but Lowe's has a pretty good deal on carpet at the moment. Ask for contractor's grade. It is a good price for a fair quality carpet. Probably in this environment you are looking at ten years wear on it."

"You are going to plaster over the concrete blocks inside aren't you?" I asked.

"Yes we have a plastering crew, they can have this knocked out in a couple of days." he suggested.

"So anything besides carpet I need to choose?" I asked,

"Plaint and appliances need to be picked, might as well do it all at once. Don't choose anything too fancy or too large. There is a small space set aside for the kitchen."

"Do I need to choose bathroom fixtures?" I asked.

"Frankly the ones in here are better than anything you would buy. You can get someone to give them a good cleaning when we are finished. If we do that and do the repairs, you won't have to pay for any bathroom renovations." Reverend Archer said to take it as easy on you as if you were one of ours."

"That's good, I can always use the help. I saw the original design and I thought whoever drew it did a heck of a job at keeping the renovations to a minimum."

"I did that and thanks, we tried to make the property a good deal for the buyer and for the ministry."

"Well, we will see how it works out, but so far it looks pretty good." I admitted.

"The Reverend says you are planning to live in one of the units for a while?" it was a question.

'Yes, I am planning to live in one of the units. That leaves me four to rent do you have any ideas for tenants?"

"Well where this place is located you aren't going to want families with children for sure. I'm thinking retires or college kids maybe." Mark suggested.

"Both of those sound reasonable. I will have to give it a lot more thought since they won't just be tenants. They will also be neighbors."

"That's true enough. If the Reverend is telling the truth about you, whoever they are they won't be bored often. Archer says something is always going on around you, even if you aren't involved.

"There is some truth to that," I admitted. "Well, I'm off to Lowe's I suppose."

"This is my card," he said as he handed me a business card for His Laboring Few. "Call me when you have decided and I'll send a truck to pick up everything. If you don't mind, I'll make a list of items we need for the actual construction and just have them add them to your bill at the same time. It's easier that way."

"Okay, but I want to see the list. I have your records from phase one. I still need to go over those as well." Most likely I would never balance the accounts, but it was a good idea that they didn't know that.

I spent way too much time with the Lowe's sales lady. She happened to be, arguably, the only female in Aster who knew anything about hardware as well as decorating not to mention she was sexy as hell in her little red vest.

We determined that it would be cheaper for me to provide hot water than to install a hot water heaters in each unit and then wire for them.

I chose small stoves and small refrigerators for the units. There was nothing at all fancy about the appliances. The apartments were going to be very austere, but that was okay. I kept remembering how impressed I was with Gus's place. I tried to model my units after that. The list of choices was a lot longer than I had expected. Kitchen tiles to cook stoves, it all took time and my input.

It was shortly after lunch when I left Lowe's, so I drove, first to the best hot dog stand in the area, then to the marina to devour them with a bag of barbecue chips and a Coke.

When I got back to the job site, I found a heating and air conditioning service truck waiting for me. Since each unit already had a heating and an air conditioning unit of sortys, I wanted them checked. I didn't expect that they would be be in very good condition, but that was something for a service company to tell me.

His Laboring Few had a heating and air conditioning service unit. They were the ones waiting for me. I was surprised that the technician didn't look like a an older reformed drunk. He looked to be in his early thirties and reasonably clean looking. "Are you the owner?" he asked.

"Yes I am the owner, and you are my heating and air conditioning expert?" I asked

"That's what they tell me. So you are going to turn these into apartments?" he asked.

"That is the plan." I went on. "They are most likely going to be low cost units for the elderly so keep that in mind. And even though I want your opinion, I also want options not just what you think will be best."

"Well I've got bad news and not so bad news." The technician said half hour later. I spent a the time away from the job site, so that he had time for his examination.

"Well that's better than bad and worse news, I suppose." I said that smiling before the bombs fell.

"The heating system is s split system. The heat is actually a gas fired boiler. It supplies hot water for heat and bathing. Now I suppose it will be for cooking as well."

"So even though it isn't my first choice what is the condition of the boiler?" I asked.

"Those gas fired boiliers last forever. It could use some maintenance but it is minimal." He suggested.

"How about the radiators in the units?" I asked.

"The good news is they are in decent shape. Just a few things need attention, but the bad news is they are in the wrong place."

"How so?" I asked.

"None in the bathroom, or what will be the kitchens. It's all at the front of the units."

"So what can we do about that?" I asked.

"I would suggest an electric ceramic heater for the bathrooms. The resident can use it if they want to pay for it, if not they can live with the cool spots. We can wire it to the light switch. I can do it for about a hundred bucks a unit. We can run it through their individual power bill."

"We are going to do that with the air conditioning as well I hope." I said.

"Yes there is a line for them already in place. The worst job is we are going to have to separate the wiring for meters. Also each unit will have to have their own breaker boxes. You won't need a large box if you furnish the heat, but it will need to be done to pass code."

"It sounds like a reasonable plan. Get me some prices and if they are reasonable, we can go for it, I think."

93 Doing time in Casa Aster.

Since I had never been involved in construction, it was interesting for me to help out. I mixed plaster for the Mexican artisans and held windows in place for carpenters. It was quite an experience. After three days, I was able to move furniture into the center unit. It had once been the office, so it was mine. It would also have been the 6th unit, if I ever decided to rent it.
What had once been the lobby became my living room, and dining room. There had always been a small kitchen and bedroom with bath. I suppose the fact there there was very little to do structurally made the owner's unit the fastest to get finished.

Even though the unit was technically ready to move in, I didn't make the move right away. One of the reasons was that I was still paid up for a couple of more days at the motel. The other was that the boiler had not been thoroughly checked. I wanted that done before I had it fired up. Without that boiler on line there was no heat and no hot water, and that would not be acceptable even to me.

"You know this is going to be a screwy utitility system?" the heating and air tech said to me.

"Yeah I know. I will provide heat but not air conditioning. I have a reason for it. Some people will use much less air conditioning, if any at all, while other would wind it up and drive me to the poor house. With heat they can open their windows, if it gets too warm, or complain if it gets too chilly." I said.

"I know," the tech said. "What I am going to do to balance the system is wait until they are finished, then I am going to come in and adjust the rooms so that they all have the same temperature. Using those numbers we can work out the rest of it," he explained.

"But I want the heat on now," I said.

"I am going to get the boiler on and open the valve to the landlady unit. I'll come back once the project is finished to balance it all out. Right now I want to make sure it won't blowup."

"I need hot water as well," I replied.

"The utility room is outside your back door. Yours is the only unit that has a back entrance into the alley." he informed me. "I will make sure everything is labeled. You will have to kill the hot water separately from the cold. There will also be a valve for the heated water for each of the radiators as well."

"Just make sure everything is labeled and easy to turn," I said as I turned him loose on my boiler.

By the time my rent ran out at the motel, my apartment was ready. It was the only one that was, but that was okay as well. I got a few of the guys from the shelter to help me move my things from storage to the apartment. I didn't do it to save money, I did it to give the guys some work and to kill some time myself.

Vlad had been gone a week and one day when I moved into the apartment. I expected to hear from him any time during that week. He promised to chase down Davenport for me and get him extradited to the states. Davenporet needed to face a felony homicide charge for the ex-con who tried to off me.

Instead of Davenport, I got a package in the mail. The package contained a patch of dried skin. There was also a note.

Dear Max,

I know you won't take my word for it, so if you make a finger print from this patch of skin and compare it to the prints on file for Davenport, you will find them a match. If you have a forensic expert test it, he will confirm that the skin was removed from a cadaver.

Davenport resisted arrest, I am sorry. I know you wanted to do it yourself. If it is any consolation, I did it myself and it took him a while to die. He was truly repentant for attempting to take your life. You could probably forgive him now.

Vlad.

I felt certain that Davenport's money in the former Soviet Union bank had disappeared. I didn't even need to check to be sure. It would be the most logical reason for Davenport to have died slowly. He needed to be convinced to cooperate I am sure. No matter the reason, I mentally stamped closed on Davenport's file. I also mumbled thank you to Vlad. He might not have been a great lover, but Vlad had proved to be an exceptional assassin.

Even thought I was living in the apartment complex, it was not finished by any means. On the first morning I awoke in the place it was to the sound of trucks with bad mufflers pulling into the parking lot. I took a shower in what had to be the hottest water I had ever felt. It took me forever to get the hot/cold mix bearable.

Men were still finding there way onto the site as I left my front door headed to breakfast. I didn't get very far. I saw Helen's catering truck parked just inside the entrance to my parking lot. Instead of driving to find her, I walked across the parking lot.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Have you stopped eating?" she asked.

"Of course not, I was on my way to find you." I replied.

"Well these guys will do a better job with a good breakfast. It might not be hot off the grill but it's better than most of the crap they would eat."

"Helen, you know I thank you, but this is way too much for you to do." I said.

"I stopped by, I'm not staying. Here," she said pushing a brown bag out to me. Besides I paid for the gas with the others, you are just my good deed for today." I paid her in spite of the fact that she didn't want it.

I was in my work jeans covered in cement dust when the phone rang. "Hello Jen," I said into it.

"Hello Maxine dear, are you ready for the news about your little business?" she asked.

"Depends, do I need to sit down?"

"Only if you want to jump up and sing my praises. Otherwise you can remain standing." Jen said.

"So what miraculous thing have you done?" she asked.

"You know I'm not kinky, but I managed to truly fuck your two friends," she informed me.

"I am not happy that you screwed over Lucas. Gwen I'm not concerned with."

"I found out who had made an offer for your business. It's a couple I know. The guy is assistant clerk of court. Thomas Raines is his name. You have seen his name on court orders more than a few times I'm sure."

"Ah, so he knew the story?" I asked a little unhappy about it.

"No, he did not know that you made Lucas a sweetheart deal. When he found out how little Lucas had invested he was more than a little pissed. To make a long story short, he pulled his offer."

"So now what?" I asked

"Now we just wait. Your offer to return their money will seem pretty good when weighed against my threat to tie them up with a fraud suit."

"Get them to decide and we will make Raines an offer, I don't want it back I just don't want to be used by that Yankee bitch." I said into the phone.

"Just leave it to me. I know what you want and it will be exactly as you wish my dear," she said with that condescending voice all lawyers have in their reserve bag of tricks.

"Call me when you need me to do anything," I suggested.

"No, you call me if anything fun comes up," she said with a laugh.

I put the business, which was no longer mine anyway, out of my mind and concentrated on the renovation. To avoid boredom I threw myself into everything. I am sure the foreman wanted to ban me from the site, but I did own the damn thing.

"On day one I mixed plaster. All the carpets have been removed and the patchwork masonry work was done. The Mexican Artisans went through the plaster work like a Israelite tribe at war. They literally attacked the walls and ceilings. The finish was very much adobe, except the color was wrong and the finish was much harder.

I had the only ordinary exit into the alley, but each unit had to have an emergency exit in case of fire. In our case it was a very large window which opened onto that same alley. It could be pushed out completely with just fifty pounds of pressure. Even an old lady could manage that. There was a catch. The window had to be unlocked from the inside to do it. A pickup truck would be needed to pull out a locked window, I was assured. The plaster workers had to be very careful not to hide that lock. I was constantly on the lookout for that mistake.

On day two of the great plaster campaign one unit had to be finished, then the workers moved to the outside. The concrete blocks were treated differently one the outside. The concrete mix was different and the blocks were soaked with some chemical to help the raw plaster attach itself. The foreman assured me that it was safe, even though he and the others stayed away while it was sprayed on by a man in a plastic suit wearing a respirator. I didn't feel all that good about it, but then again it would be sealed inside the plaster. At least that was the plan, I was assured.

On day three of my occupancy the paint crew arrived. They had their brushes and the foreman had the paint. They went through the inside of the five units in one hell of a hurry. Not having any carpet or other trim to slow them down, must have been a great way to paint. The four painters just rock and rolled through the five units. Before they left for the day, they even managed to cover the outsides of the windows for the next day's work.

Day four the property reassembled a bee hive. Inside men hung cabinets and laid carpet and linoleum. Outside men painted as if their lives depended on finishing it that day. Since they were using spray guns and putting down heavy coats the work progress steadily, but they used a lot more paint than spraying would normally use.

While all that was going on for those three days, the heating and air man worked quietly in the utility room. He had cleaned the boiler and checked the burner before I moved in. He had waited until I was in residence, before he installed new valves to each unit's radiator and hot water lines.

On day three while everyone else was finishing up, he and a helper managed to install the five through the wall window type air conditioning units. Those were wired to the units electrical circuit making their power billed to the individual units.

For the next few days it was odds and ends to get the place finished completely. I was happy to see a crew building the fake adobe fence around the place while others did the finish work.

Yes I had hung around most of the time partly to help, but also because I didn't feel safe returning to a building with no security system. I didn't have any new enemies, but one never knew when an old one would decide he had waited long enough for revenge. Just ask Vlad, I thought.

It was over a month since I agreed to buy the place from Reverend Archer, when it was officially handed over to me. I had owned it all along, but His Laboring Few were working on it everyday. It didn't feel like it was mine until they handed me the key to the gate.

Even with 'His Laboring Few' gone the place still had people coming and going. The gates and security cameras were installed by a different groups. The parking lot lines were drawn by a group who had never been to Aster before. I have no idea where Archer found them.

Also during those days Jen was busy as hell. I never had her doing so much for me at once. She was drawing up the rental agreements, which had to be custom done. She was also involved with Lucas and the sale of 'At Your Service'.

I had the keys to the walk gate. That gate was the only way into the courtyard. The courtyard had once included a pool, but that was gone. I had no desire to deal with that kind of maintenance issues. I figured I could handle a lawnmower and trimmer maybe. but that was about it. The parking area in front of the units had been replaced with grass. The off street parking was big enough for a dozen cars which was all I planned to allow on the property. If a tenant had more than two cars, he or she would need to find somewhere else for the surplus.

My renovation plans had always put security first. The locked walk in gate might be a pain in the rain, but it would discourage wanna be thugs from wandering in and out. The high definition security cameras in the parking lot would discourage thefts. Those are most valuable when there are signs announcing their presence. I had four different signs announcing, Smile You Are On High Definition Candid Camera.

The two camera in the parking lot also covered the front doors of the apartments. There was one more camera just for the walk gate. Since I was using the same web hosting service as before, I also stuck one in the living area of my apartment, but not the bedroom area. The XXX part of the show was over.

The work was 99% complete when my first inquiry came walking in. She was a young woman in her mid twenties or thereabouts. "Hi, my name is Amy Smart." She said extending her hand.

"Amy, I'm Maxine. What can I do for you?" I asked.

"I drive by here on my way to work. I have been watching your progress. The gentleman in the parking lot said you were the owner?"

"Yes Ma'am I am the owner. So again, what is it I can do for you?"

"Could I look at one of the apartments please." she asked politely. From my years in the military I knew they were all as sweet as powdered sugar, till they got what they wanted. I didn't buy the act completely.

"To be honest Amy, I had seniors in mind to rent the apartments. The units are a little small for an active person." I suggested.

"I'm not all that active," she said pressuring me just a little.

"Alright come on let's take a look." The reason I went along was to see her reaction to the place. I showed her the unit we designated as number one. I opened up and let her walk around. I watched her as she moved through the apartment. She seemed just so, so with it and I was fine with that. As I said to her, I had older people in mind not active young people.

"You are right it is small, so how much are you planning to charge for rent?" she asked.

"I really haven't made the final decision. The units have just been finished. The price will include a first class video security system and it has a locked security gate. I am going to include hot and cold water in the rent. Cooling in the summer is with a through the wall air conditioning unit. You pay the electric, so that is on you, however in the winter each apartment will pay a share of the heating bill. That should be a real bargain since it is a gas hot water boiler we all share. I'm think under five hundred a month plus the additional heating in the winter. I will need to get someone in who knows what rents are around here to give me a definite figure."

Amy handed me a card then said, "Would you call me, when you get it worked out. I think I would be interested. I still live with my parents and I'm ready for a change."

"As I told you, I have seniors in mind. I will give you a call. if I decide to rent to the general public." I agreed. I probably would not have agreed except that Amy was a firefighter. I had a soft spot in my heart for cops, firefighters, and hospital worker types. Something about the two in the morning terror for a living thing.

After the Amy chick left I decided that I needed to get to Jen and light a fire under her. "Jen I got people asking about the apartments already. I need those rental applications and agreements."

"Then get your ass over here at lunchtime and pick them up. No wait a minute, I have a lunch date. Why don't you come at two and I'll try to get Lucas in at the same time. He is asking for a meeting."

"Do it shyster," I said.

"Cool, I'll have my girl Friday call you to confirm," she said with a laugh.

It was about an hour later when the phone played mag7 again. "Hello," I said expecting the receptionist.

"Max, I got word from interpol that they found the body of Davenport in one of those little republics that used to be part of the Russian block." Blevins informed me.

"Really, I guess there won't be a trial now." I replied trying to act surprised.

"I guess not," he admitted. "Don't you want to know how he died?"

"Will he be any more dead, if I know the details?" I asked.

"Good point, well it appears that he was murdered. He may have even been tortured first."

"Not much sense torturing hiim after he is dead," I suggested being my usual smart ass self.

"That's true, well come to the Cop Out tonight and we will celebrate." he suggested just before he cut me off.

I hung around the apartment until noon, then I went on line to find Helen's truck location. Her website informed me that there were two trucks out there and Helen was not in either of them. Helen was trying to expand again. I wasn't surprised. She needed the help but after the fiasco with our lil ringer, I hoped that she would be careful. I knew that Helen had been upset by the whole thing. Helen was loyal to a fault and she felt betrayed by Mosby.

According to her site there was a traditional burger type lunch wagon, and a new taco truck style wagon. I was curious just like everyone else in town, so I searched out the taco truck. I found the truck in the parking lot of our local WalMart store. I bought three of the regulars and a can of diet coke and off to the Marina I went. I sat alone on the terrace and even in the cold I enjoyed my lunch. I just loved my life some days. Obviously I was on a manic ride at the time.

Jen's Girl Friday called around one, while I was still watching the one lone sail boat on the lake. "Maxine, the boss wanted me to let you know that Lucas will be here at 2:30."

"Fair enough 'Girl Friday, tell Jen I'll be there," I suggested.

"Will do," she said laughing.

I had begun calling all Jen's receptionist Girl Friday, after Jen ran off three in one month the year before. I swore that she had a psychotic break, but Jen swore it was their fault. Since then she went through receptionists like mad. She managed to keep her legal secretary, who did most of her grunt work. Of the receptionists, Jen said, "They are like pantyhose, easily replaced."

Jen is a tough one to read, but she has always been my friend. Okay, when Jen isn't doing the right thing by me, she is still Jen and still my friend.

I parked my cruiser next to the mini van that had once belonged to both Jen and me. It was now covered in signs for Lightning Delivery. Lightning Delivery did not exist. It was the name of the service not the company, I had explained that to the one person who asked.

"So where is Gwen?" I asked when I saw Lucas sitting alone in the small reception area.

"Gwen has gone back to Boston. She left yesterday."

'Oh," I commented.

"Yeah Mike called, they have something cooking, but I'm not sure what it is." Lucas said. I could tell very easily that he was lying. I had a bad feeling that he was about to have his headed handed to him. I decided that I would wait to see what Jen had to say rather than call him out myself.

I picked up a Woman's Day magazine and began to read about some singer, who also had a couple of small kids. How to balance your busy life between family and career, it read. At least they didn't ask the chick who drowned her kids in the tub, I thought.

"Come on in you two and lets get this over with," Jen suggested. As I passed she added, "Max we need to talk after." I nodded.

Once we were all seated, Jen began. "Lucas we need to know where your head is these days. Are you really going to try to buy Maxine's business at a discount, only so you can sell it for a profit. If that was your plan, to resell it, at the time of the purchase, then it was a purchase not made in good faith and Maxine can challenge it. Trust me she will win on the sweetheart deal part. We will sue you for the profits you make from the sale and there is a good chance we will win."

"I checked with a lawyer. You might not win but you could tie the sale up for years. No one is going to make an offer to buy with this hanging over the sale. The situation is the same as it was before, I can't pay full price and I certainly can't make a cash purchase. I should have known better than to try to buy and then resale. Gwen was up in the air about moving back to Boston. I thought she would stay if I had a business here. In the end she was miserable and insisted on going back to Boston. I know it all happened fast and seems as though we had it planned but we didn't.

After the rumor hit the courthouse Raines called me. It just happened." Lucas looked as though he was either lying or ashamed of his involvement in the plan.
"That's all fine Lucas, but what do you plan now. I have offered to refund your out of pocket expense and cancel the sale, or go through with it as long as you stay here and operate it." Jen paused then looked at me with a smile. "Operate it for at least five years," Jen added.

"I read your hands on operating agreement, and it limits me to what I can do with the business even if it is losing money." Lucas said.

"Lucas, if it is losing money, you need to close it," I replied. "In the meantime you can take a decent salary out of it, if you work it."

"If you don't think it will pay for itself Lucas, just sign it back over to Maxine. We have a standing offer to sell it to Raines."

"I came here to sign the five year operating agreement." he said unhappily.

"You understand that by agreeing, you will relinquish all rights to the company, if you vacate management within that period?" Jen asked.

"My lawyer explained. He said if I didn't agree, you could try to vacate the sale based on my previous actions."

"Yes Lucas, we all know this was Gwen's idea, but you can't hide from it son," I replied.

"I'm not hiding, I know it wasn't the honorable things to do and I have no excuse." he said. "Let's have the papers."

95

For my part of the agreement with Lucas, I agreed not to speak badly of his company. I further agreed not to enter into any competitive business for that same five year period. I signed immediately after Lucas and we even shook hands.

Once Lucas was gone Jen asked, "Have you ever heard of Blackswamp Security company?"

"Of course, no one who ever served in Iraq or even Afghanistan could have avoided hearing of them." I replied.

"So what is your opinion of them." Jen asked.

"It's complicated." I replied. Jen just kept staring at me until I went on. "I think that they are sometimes cowboys. I also think that they do a job, we don't want to do. I would stand on the line beside most of the ones I met, but I don't think I'd get drunk with any of them." I waited for her to go on when she didn't I asked. "So why the questions?"

"The new ownership is branching out. They want to contact you about working for them." She could tell immediately from my head shaking that it wasn't going to happen. "Hold on now, it is not out of country stuff."

"You are kidding they aren't putting together a private army here?" I asked.

"You have seen what happens in Mexico?" Jen asked.

"And that is what happens when people have their own army," I suggested.

"It isn't like that," she insisted.

"Why are you shilling for Swamp Thing?" I asked.

"I'm not shilling for anyone. A friend called and ask me to approach you about listing with an agency." she replied.

"What the fuck are you talking about Jen?" I asked.

"Try to follow this Max." she seemed irritated. "A former employee of Black Swamp started a new business to operate here. They are going to specialize in high risk assignments. High risk, high pay assignments," she corrected herself. "Very low profile workers for high profile clients."

"I don't get it," I admitted.

"This is the example he gave me." Jen suggested. "Gangster Rap star is going on tour. There are creditable threats against his life. This bad ass rap star wants to stay alive, so he is out looking for hard core security that doesn't scream, I'm really a chicken shit."

"Well hardcore 'Swamp Thing' can manage, but with those guys standing around nobody is going to think he isn't scared. They all have thousand mile stares. You don't mistake them for thugs." I replied.

"Yeah, my friend isn't stupid. What they are looking for are people with a proven record. Names they can put in their file cabinet for the day when they need a middle aged lady, who can, and more important, will pull the trigger."

"So he is opening an employment agency for assassins?" I asked.

"Not assassins, I would never allow you into that. But jobs like the one you did for the guy in the kidnap situation. Even something like the rescue of your own people." she said.

"Jen on a job by job basis, I will discuss it with them, not on a standing job offer," I replied.

"I know, you are retired," she said with a laugh.

"You laugh, but I plan to really be retired. I have banged around over a year without really being retired, now I'm going to be."

"Right and when you get bored enough you will be on the phone to me trying to find something to do." she said honestly.

"Yeah there is some truth in that," I admitted.

"Some you know it's the truth. You can't stand being bored. Now that Davenport is off the radar, soon you will be climbing the walls until another super villain comes along."

"Bullshit, none of our villains are super. They are mostly just thugs." I said.

"Don't tell Reverend Archer that. He sees Davenport as a super villain, since he stole his idea and used it for evil."

"Ah he took the plan to the dark side, shame on him." I replied. "So is that all Jen."

"Your contracts and applications are ready, Girl Friday has them all ready for you. Did you want me to contact the housing authority?"

"No thanks, I might take vouchers, but I don't want them having a veto vote. If it's my money in the game, I get to make the rules not them."

"Then be careful taking their vouchers. They come with with all kinds of hidden strings." Jen said.

"True, I never knew anything the Fed got into that have more rules than needed by a factor of ten." I suggested.

When I got back home, I sat at my keyboard and wrote the house rules. In addition to those in the contract. The additional rules were about conduct and behavior. The rules in the contract were more about cost and expenses involved in being a tenant, and what you got for your money. Of course there were rules in the contract about what you got, if you didn't pay your rent. Mostly it was bullshit, but I figured it was necessary bullshit.

I called Amos realty and Insurance company. Fred Amos and I went to high school together. I didn't know what the deal was with him at that moment, but he had been a class a womanizer back in the day. "Amos Realty," the young female voice said.

"Hello, this is Maxine Stone, I would like to speak with Fred Amos please."

"Regarding what," she asked.

"Regarding herpes the bastard gave me," I replied indignantly.

The bitch didn't even answer, she just put me on hold. "I heard you were back in town. My God Maxine, did you have to traumatize my receptionist. I have a hard enough time keeping one as it is."

"You should tell her not to ask women why they wish to speak to men," I said with a laugh. "Fred how you been?"

"I have been married and divorced four times, how about you?" he asked.

"Two divorces, and I buried one. It looks like life has not been good to either of us."

"No it doesn't. I heard you were back in town. Rumor has it you just finished a motel renovation. Is that why you have me on the phone this afternoon."

"Well lets say I had to have someone who knows something about this shit come look. You were my choice, since I had heard you took over after your dad passed. I was real sorry to hear that."

"Thank Max, he would have liked you. That's why you never met him." He said with a bright sound in his voice. Mom was his gate keeper and she was strict." He paused a moment lost in his own thoughts I assumed. Then he added, how about I send my daughter over. She is taking over that kind of thing for me. I will tell her we are old friends and to just give you an idea what they are worth, not try to get an exclusive listing."

"Good, I'm going to handle the management myself. I'm going to live in one of the units."

"Okay, I'll tell Katie to go easy on you. I expect she can get over today. You are going to be around aren't you?"

"Unless somebody comes along to make me a better offer and no one has in weeks. But if she isn't here by eight, I will probably be at the cop out for a while."

"Is that place still open. I thought they got shut down years ago." he said.

"Probably not, it is full of cops and nurses every night," I said.

"Well be nice to Katie, but not too nice," he hung up before I thought to ask for an explanation of that last remark.

It was 3PM and I had nothing planned for the afternoon, so I was stuck in the apartment waiting for Katie Amos. I wasn't too bored, since I had weeks worth of TV shows I hadn't seen. I just tuned them in on line and began to watch. I am most likely one of those ignorant rednecks that the media snobs love to rant about. I like TV shows that are popular, not the antique roadshow kind of thing. Don't get me wrong, I like old stuff and the guys who go hunting for it. I just don't care for the woman who looks pissed, when she finds that her mother's diamond isn't worth what she thought. Yes it is a subtle difference, but I like Pawn Stars better than Antique Road Show. At least there they aren't trying to pretend that the value is secondary.

All that is to say I was watching some cheap minor cable network show, when Kate Amos showed up. It was one of those that the critics pan, but has a huge audience. I saw her give me one of those looks people save for redneck trailer trash, and that was okay as long as she told me what I wanted to know.

"Hi Maxine, I'm Kate. I think yo u are expecting me." she said trying to fake a warm smile. She was obviously a women with a lot of intelligence. She knew when to fake emotions which she did not feel. Too bad she wasn't better at it, I thought.

"Yes Kate, he did say he thought you might be able to make it by. It's nice to meet you." I said.

"I can't believe you told the receptionist that daddy gave you herpes?" She tried a humorous smile that time.

"Well somebody did," I smiled I hoped she could read that it was a joke, but I didn't really care. "So are you ready to take a look at the units?" I asked.

"Yes of course," she said obviously happy that she had finished trying to be friendly to me. She kept giving me strange looks, but I put it down to the, 'Your daddy gave me herpes' thing. It would be hard for most little girls to laugh that off.

"Good God," she said when we entered Unit number 1 of my little apartment building. "I kept wondering where I had seen you before. I should have known from the name."

"I'm not sure who you think I am," I admitted.

"You are the one who went on the cross country bike trip with Marty."

"I am guilty of that yes," I replied.

"You made a bunch of TV commercials for him didn't you. He has a couple of websites of nothing but you. Even some shot like a reality show."

"You know an awful lot about me." I suggested.

"Well you are a local girl, who makes a lot of news." she stated strongly.

"Some for good reasons, some not so good. That latest stuff on the net is not real even though they think it is."

"Oh I can tell which parts are real and which they are exaggerating." She paused to take a look around. "Well let's get to it." she said.

I doubt that I got any special treatment, but she was very professional. We discussed the heating system and the air conditioning units. She liked the renovations and the Spanish ambiance, but she went nuts over the security features.

"Some people will rent this place for the security alone. I can see my dad putting me here as my first apartment. It won't hurt that you live here as well. I have been remembering even more about you. The Russian you shot comes to mind," Kate added.

"Kate, that just happened, I didn't choose that course." She didn't need to know that was a complete lie. I had known all along that the Russian might well die and I was prepared for it.

"Well, I am sure my dad would feel much better knowing I was living with you, even if it wasn't in the same rooms." she said it with a smile that might have passed for sincere.

"That's a nice thing to say, thank you." I replied.

"Now I'm going home to work these figure up and I will have you a price based on an honest assessment not a guess. Where will you be at about nine tonight?"

"I had planned to go to the Cop Out club for a drink this evening. You could give me a call on my cell." I suggested.

"Or I could deliver the report, and you could buy me a drink as payment." she suggested.

"Or that," I said in agreement.

96 just moving things along.

Kate showed up at my door at 7PM dressed in her little yuppie power suit. I didn't say anything until I read her report. Since I had a lot more space, than I ever had at the cabin, or Jen's little studio, I knew I needed furniture. What I didn't need was the look of standing in a slum that Kate gave me while I accepted her report.

'His Laboring Few' had taken out the wall that once separated the lobby from the family quarters. They had left the registration desk on my explicit orders.Yeah, it had a bit of the old place feel for sure, but also I would be using the it as a dining bar. That bar is where we sat, since I hadn't bothered to buy real furniture at that time.

We even sat in mismatched chairs. One from Jen's studio purchased when I first got to town, and one purchased for the cabin. Those were not going anywhere. Ghetto chic or not, they stayed as long as I did. All the apartments had an inexpensive, but well made wooden cabinet on the wall of the small kitchen. They all had a sink base cabinet as well. Mine also had those and the metal open cabinets from the cabin as well. I used them as a no wall pantry.

Kate looked very uncomfortable in the, one step above, Ghetto housing, but she suffered in silence. I read her report and I agreed with every word of it. The old motel had been on a main thoroughfare at one time, so in spite of its size and age, it was not slum property because it was in a semi industrial area. It would be a good draw for lower middle class singles and couples seeking convenience and a little privacy. The enhanced security features would be a plus, even if they were for my security not the tenants.

Kate's recommendation was a rent of no less than $450 per unit with a clear understanding that there would be a deposit for the heat and an adjustment bill would be sent monthly and was due with the next month's rent. It made perfect sense. The property by Kate's estimates would give me a working income after tax and insurance set asides of about 2K a month if fully occupied. Her estimates were that I would be better off to furnish the place with mostly indestructible furniture and go up on the rent significantly. She also suggested a one year lease, which Jen already had in the contract.

"So," I said when I finished reading. "It all looks like good advice. I also like the idea of the energy deposit with the strict pay to play or I shut off the heat to that apartment. I can do that easily."

"I think you have a money maker here. You are not going to be in Donald Trump's tax bracket, but you should do fine. Rather than pay rent, the place will pay you to live here. It's a real winner of an idea." Kate suggested.

"Good, now about the yuppie suit?" I asked.

"What's wrong? I didn't get home to change." Kate said a little embarrassed. I was glad to see that she was.

"Honey, if you are going to the Cop Out, they will laugh you out of there dressed like that. So either go home to change, or if you don't have any old jeans, you can wear something of mine." I took a good look at her and then said, "We have asses close enough in size not to make you look like an orphan." She had no idea what that meant, since I'm sure she never wore hand me down clothes.

She looked really skeptical. "Oh hell come on, it will be fun. We can even make you someone else for the night."

"We need an understanding before we go forward," she insisted very formal like.

"What kind of understanding?" I asked.

"I have never had sex with a woman," she said.

"It's okay Kate. I have." I held my straight face for a minute, then broke into laughter. She even managed a smile.

"That was a joke right?" she asked almost playfully.

"Yes Kate, it is damn hard for a woman to rape another woman. Nothing ever happens that they both don't want. At least it is that way with me, but your problem will not be with me. Your problem will be with the cops, firemen, and Emt guys. Trust me there are enough of them to keep your ass just as busy as you want to be."

"Okay, I just didn't want to lead you on," she said seriously. I could have made all kinds of cutting remarks, but I could tell she was being sincere so I said simply, "Thank you."

I found a pair of faded jeans with only a couple of welding burn holes. No, I am not a welder but I did help out in a metal shop, when they were making the fencing and gates for my place. I wore the oldest jeans I had, since I was forewarned.

It looked as though Kate was about to inherit them at least for a night. My ass was wider but Kate's was round enough to fill the jeans. The top was another story. Since, unlike me, Kate had the matching set of boobs, we had a problem. She couldn't even button anything I owned, and my tees were going to be stretched to capacity to say the least. The compromise solution was one of my tees worn bra-less, to save even that small amount of space, and her power suit jacket over it. With jeans the outfit had a kind of urban funk look. It would have been more at home in a younger age group, and a more urban hip type setting, but it was still a thousand percent better than the power suit look. We finally had her dressed and made up with much less subdued make up by eight. "So Kate the only question now is, who do you want to be?" I asked.

"I want to be me of course," she said.

"No you don't. Tonight is not the night to be Fred Amos's daughter. Look hon I have to be Maxine Stone because that's who those people know, but when I don't have to be Maxine Stone, I am definitely someone else." I paused to let her think that over, then asked again, "So who would you like to be?"

"So you are saying I can be as flirty as I want and still leave with you?" she asked.

"No one is going to force you to do anything, but you can promise them anything you want, just come find me when you are ready to leave.". I made a mental note to pack the stungun.

"Would it piss you off if I wanted to be your niece or something?" she asked.

"Honey I don't kid myself, you are not a lot more than half my age. I had no illusions that we were going to pass for sisters," I said it and laughed. "But some of these people knew me from back in the day. They will know I don't have any family left. How about an old Air Force Buddy's daughter in town for a job. You can even be a real estate agent, The closer to the truth the less likely you are to be trapped."

Kate looked in the mirror at her tarted up self and asked, "What name do I look like, Susie slut?" she asked with a giggle.

"Susan is fine," I suggested. "I doubt that anyone will ask your last name but you never know some of them will be cops. How about Shoemaker just in case they ask."

"Cool, I am now Susan Shoemaker, an even smaller town slut." She couldn't help it, she hadn't even had a drink and she was being silly. I dreaded the evening, but I also looked forward to seeing how she coped with the Cop Out. And of course, how the Cop Out coped with her.

We arrived a little after 8:30. The evenings were getting decidedly chilly, so I'm sure the suit jacket didn't raise any eyebrows. I'm also sure it got noticed. Kate had fat boobs, and they were magnificent in my tight tee. They also were not too far over the top, when worn under the suit jacket.

Within ten minutes the younger men had found her and she was an instant hit. For the next hour while talking with Blevins, I also watched young men grind their hardons into her tummy as they pretended that it was dancing. Every two or three dances she would come to our table and have a glass from the always, almost full pitcher of beer that sat on the table.
Of course I danced some as well, but not as often or as enthusiastically as Kate. I was glad to see her having fun. "You know, if that girl plans to leave with you, the two of you might need to fight your was out," Blevins said.

"You know it's not that kind of bar," I replied hoping that I was right. "So who is the redheaded guy who has her cornered most of the time lately?" I asked.

"Martin, something or other," Blevins replied. "I think he works for one of the private security companies. He blew into town last week,. Nobody knows where he is working yet. He talks the talk and from what I hear he can walk the walk as well."

Yes I did wonder about him being in town and Jen asking me about Swamp Thing all at the same time. I don't like coincidences, but they do occur now and then in nature. For one night I was willing to let it slide.

"So what about Davenport?" Blevins asked. "Was he a gift from Vlad."

"More like he was a gift to Vlad," I replied.

"The torture?" Blevins asked.

"Davenport had more money we didn't know about, I expect. My guess is someone over there decided he was Davenport's long lost heir."

"That doesn't bother you?" Blevins asked a little surprised.

"It only bother's me that I didn't get to kill the son of a bitch myself." I admitted.

"I'll drink to that," he said. Then after taking a drink he said, "Would it bother you, what happened to davenport, if he hadn't tried to have you killed?"

"In principal maybe," I admitted. "In reality, if he hadn't tried to have me killed, I wouldn't even know about him."

"You know that Martin guy has his hand in your friend's top don't you?" Blevins asked.

"So he does, I glad one of us is having fun." I looked sternly at Blevins, then broke into laughter. "Don't worry Blevins. I know you are a straight up married man and I appreciate it."

"Good, just so you know if I wasn't, I wouldn't be." with that he smiled.

"No, it would be your hand in Kate's top and on her ass." He just smiled.

"I'm ready to go, but I was wondering if I could take one of your apartments on a test drive?" Kate asked a few minutes later.

"No furniture and no heat hon, I'm sorry. Doesn't the redheaded step child have a place?" I asked.

"I don't want to invite myself back to his place." she said.

"Well you are getting into the spirit of the evening, but I can't help you there. I can tell you, that it is time for me to go before I turn into a pumpkin," I said.

"Then I will tell him that and see what he says," Kate suggested.

"Good for you Susie Q," I replied.

What he said was, "Let's go to breakfast and I'll take you back to your car after." Which is code for after I fuck your brains out.

97 a visitor in the night

Kate's car was parked outside the apartment's courtyard. There were no parking spaces anywhere else, except for the one space in the alley behind the building. That space was located beside the utility room. I parked there, but only after I looked over the whole courtyard using the images from the surveillance cameras stored on line. I went through the rear door of my apartment. Since it was the only apartment with a rear door there was no incentive for the other residents to park back there. They would still have to walk all the way around. Not to mention that there were tow away signs and I planned to call the tow trucks.

Once inside the courtyard I stopped and listened carefully to the sounds of the night. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The walk lights along the path from the gate to the building came on as they sensed me in the area. Those kinds of sensor switched lights had become very inexpensive and available everywhere.

The downside to all the security for the residents was a thirty foot walk from the parking lot to their doors. Not a big deal until it was raining, snowing or even bitter cold. It wouldn't be a lot of fun with an arm load of groceries. I was planning to suggest a small folding grocery cart and a golf umbrella in the tenant's car at all times. We would just have to see how all that worked out.

Since they removed the drive through overhang and windows, my unit looked just like everyone else's. That was a good thing I thought. I didn't need to be all that easy to find. But I knew that Martin would, and he most likely would do it that very night. He had to know I made him, since he wasn't trying to hide his identity.

My guess was that he would drop off Kate, then circle the block. Most likely he would come park on the street, walk through the alley and try the rear door. Well all that was, if he had a death wish. Even thought I figured him to be from Swamp Thing, I had no intention of holding a professional at gunpoint while I asked. I planned to blow his ass into next week, so he better be good. My guess was that he knew I was expecting him. "So Martin," I said aloud. "Let's see how good you are, and if I'm worth recruiting."

I will give him this, he wasn't a rabbit in bed obviously. He didn't show until 4AM. I had spent a lot of nights awake checking parking lots, so it was a magnificent thing to have the cameras. I sat in the dark, but in the corner of my bedroom on a big ole pillow sipping coffee. It was quite a step up from the back of a cold van with cold coffee.

I saw his SUV pull in beside Kate's little foreign thing. Then I watch both pull away after a few minutes. After that I was wide awake and very careful to make no noise. When he came he was quiet, but you can't be absolutely quiet breaking into a place.

"Don't Shoot Maxine, I come in peace," he said from the kitchen.

"What makes you think I'm not asleep?" I asked.

"If you were sleeping, knowing what I allowed you to find out, I wouldn't need to talk to you at all." he said reasonably.

"So how was the bonus I threw you?" I asked.

"Enthusiastic," he replied with a laugh. He paused then went on, "How about some light while we talk?"

"Oh are we going to talk?" I asked.

"I certainly hope so, I spent a week scouting you out." he admitted.

"Let me see if I got this time line right? I survive my little road trip with Vlad, and you begin scouting me out, as you call it, while they finish my apartment building." He nodded. "Now that it is finished, you are ready to have a chat?" I asked.

"Exactly, who said women weren't intuitive?" he asked.

"Some man no doubt," I replied. "Turn on the light.' When he flipped the switch on the wall, he was probably expecting a lamp or low watt overhead light. He had to be shocked by the florescent snake like bulb hanging from the ceiling. It was the equivalent of a 150 watt incandescent bulb. I watch as he involuntarily shrank back. It was an interesting effect, but predictable.

"So Martin, if that is your name, what can I do for you?" I asked. "More to the point what can I do for Swamp Thing?"

"Edgar said you renamed everything. I can't say that I disapprove of Swamp Thing." He paused, and when I didn't respond he went on. "We are setting up a list of operatives we can call on for domestic security operations. We need women, even more we need women with your unique qulifications."

"Oh and what do you think those are?" I asked.

"Let's not play games. We know you will sacrifice your body to get the job done. There aren't many who will do that. You are also willing to trip a trigger without hesitation when it is necessary."

"Or stand bye and let someone else do it, if thats what the mission calls for." I added that, since he obviously knew about me and Vlad.

"That to," In other words you are a smart, resourceful, and dedicated operative, just what we need." Martin said.

"Not to mention a middle-aged white woman who doesn't look like a hired killer. Thanks but I'll pass on the assassin job."

"You know I wouldn't be here if it were that. This is a counter assassin position, if you need a name like that. Your job isn't to kill anyone, It's to keep the client alive." he said.

"Sweetie, if it wasn't to kill people, you would be out hiring college kids?" I suggested.

"Actually we do hire college kids as well, but sometimes we need their mother as well." He didn't try to soften the impact of his words. He knew that I would respect him less if he did. "You have one more big plus."

"What is that?" I asked. "You have a safe house."

"Oh no, this is not going to become some kind of viper's nest. I will not be hung by the Army of the Potomac," I said.

"Come on you have to admit, 3K a month not to deal with tenants would be a nice hit." he suggested.

"So you don't want me to go out on assignment, just stay here and run the safe house when you have a tenant?" I asked.

"Something like that. You have connections with the local Police. Those would make you a real asset in a safe house situation." he said. "I can't promise that we won't need a middle aged lady to get lost in the crowd now and then, but mostly it will be run the safe house."

"I need to think about it," I said.

"Sure, take your time. Just don't rent any of the units until we talk about it please. We would want you to rent a couple of them so the place doesn't look deserted, when we aren't around."

I laughed, "Sure a cop, a fireman and a paramedic go into a shootout. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke." I said.

"Point taken, they do have to be special people. Ones who know about you, but not about Executive Security." he said.

"Yeah something like that," I agreed. "I had planned to rent to seniors, but you don't want their kids here asking questions about mommy's safety."

"Yeah and students would want to rush out and get themselves killed. Probably by one of us, since they would just be in the way. We probably need to give the tenants more thought, but the place is ideal." he said.

"Yeah well, you give it some thought and I will do the same." I agreed. "Now if you will show yourself out, I would like to get to bed."

"I don't suppose you would like some company?" he asked.

"God, men are such dogs," I said.

"I take that is a no," he said.

"Why would you do that?" I asked.

Martin came to me smiling. I could tell even after he turned out the bright overhead light. "So are you Irish?" I asked.

"Yeah, somewhere back in my history." He said that just before he kissed me. I could smell Kate's scent on him. Rather than turn me off, it was even more erotic. That and he was ten years younger as well. One thing about people who live and love on the edge, they don't have near the number of hangups as the general population. With us it is more take what you can, when you can.

As he kissed me I began to understand what Kate saw in him. He had a nice thick lump in his pants. As I kissed him, I felt that warm sensation in my tummy and gave into the feeling. I didn't need love, I just needed someone to hold me. Sure I was more than willing to have sex with an almost stranger to not be alone that one night.

Besides there was something rather interesting in screwing someone right after they had screwed someone I knew. Call it a desire for the kinky side, or just over active curiosity, but I really wanted to know what he was like . Probably so that Kate and I could compare notes, if she ever showed up again.

I felt him lift the tee shirt which I had dressed in for the wait. I felt his rough hands on the softer skin of my back. The contrast was maddening to my over stimulated body. I loosened his belt in response. I couldn't work his pants down but I could slip my hand inside his shorts.

His penis was warm and only semi rigid. It felt wonderful to my touch. My touch must have felt good to him as well, since he moaned against my lips. I felt him apply pressure to turn me, so that he could kiss my neck and manipulate my breasts. His hands were magic and I dissolved into him. When I felt his fingers move over my thin pubic hair, I knew that I would cum very easily. I was already on the verge of an orgasm. When he manipulated my clit, I pushed my butt hard against his still covered penis. I was trying to force an orgasm.

I felt him release me for a few seconds then he pulled me to him yet again. When he did I realized that he was as naked as me. I also realized that his penis had hardened completely. It was trying to force it's way inside me. He pushed me to the bed, then down on it. He turned me from my hands and knees onto my back. Before I knew it he was between my legs licking and sucking on my swollen lips. When he moved to lick and suck on my clit, I exploded into a huge orgasm. Instead of releasing me he kept licking and sucking on my clit until I was again close then he forced his penis inside me.

I felt his thick cock spread me open and I was in another world completely. His hard smooth cock spread the opening to my body. I could feel the pain as ligaments holding my pubic bone were stretched. While Martin drove his magical cock into me without mercy, I got lost and began floating in some alternative place. I even helped him drive his cock painfully hard into me. I helped him pound me, and it made me ache to have him to be even deeper inside me. It seemed as though the pounding would never stop, nor did I want that to happen.

I was on the verge of a second orgasm when I felt him stiffen. I knew he was on the verge of emptying his semen inside me. I was close enough so that I beat my hips against his rigid body until I exploded as well. It took several minutes for me to return to any real world thought. I didn't even try to assess Martin as a lover, I just accepted that he was great in bed, and move on with to my mundane thoughts.

"You know I can't let this interfere with my decision about the place," he said.

"Nor can I," I admitted.

"You know I'm going to tell Kate," he admitted.

"So am I," I said smiling at him. I knew that he was running a game on me and I didn't care. He was finding out, if I would be easy to blackmail.

The morning after Martin Left, I drove my cruiser to Ed's old office first thing. It was mildly cold, but even so I rolled Gunny's bike into the parking lot. There I gassed up the bike and gave it a few tugs. I was happy to see that it started easily.

Lucas arrived while the bike warmed up. "You going for a ride?" he asked surprised.

"I'm thinking I will ride it over to the motel. That is if I can get you to drive my cruiser over." I suggested.

"If you don't feel you need me to follow you, how about I have a cup of coffee first, then bring it over." Lucas suggested.

"Actually I think that would be a good idea. By the way what do you hear from Gwen?" I didn't really care, it was just being polite.

"The last I heard she and Mike were working on some kind of real TV deal." he admitted.

"Well, is she coming back down here or are you going to move up there?" I asked.

"We don't know yet. It looks like for the next five years I am going to stay here." He didn't sound angry or even irritated.

"That's up to you Lucas. You know all that wasn't personal?" I said.

"I know, but it seems like you did it to spite Gwen." he said.

"Well we are just to have to disagree on that. Thanks for bringing the cruiser over," I said handing him the single key to the ignition.

Even though I had worn the full ski hood and neck scarf, it was cold riding the bike the two miles. It was also a definite wake up experience. There is no way that anyone could have that early morning groggy feeling after a ride like that.

I parked the bike in the store room. I had left the can with the extra gas behind. Since Lucas still had his bike there, he could make use of it. I parked the bike as far away from the boiler as possible. If a flame from the boiler reached across the six foot space between them, the gas in the bike would be the least of my worries.

I had stopped at Hardee's on the way home for a breakfast biscuit. Since I made perfectly acceptable coffee, I sat at the old registration desk with my Mr Coffee and the paper bag. I finished the biscuit before Lucas arrived.

I had the morning news on my 15" screen TV. The TV wasn't any larger than my computer monitor. When I had people in my place, it wasn't to watch TV, I can assure you.

"I got your car," Lucas said from the door.

"Come on in, you haven't seen the place since Archer's men finished up." I suggested.

Lucas took the quick tour then said, "They really did do a nice job on this old place. If I were sure Gwen wouldn't be coming back, I would rent one."

"And if I were sure Gwen wasn't coming back, I would let you." There was no sense pretending. He knew that I would never rent to him as long as Gwen was in the picture.

For the next three days I did absolutely nothing. Sure I ate, I used the toilet, and I watched TV. I even watched a TV shows the next day on the computer now and then, but I did nothing constructive or exciting. I was a drone for three days and loved it. I ran on auto pilot every day, so I accomplished nothing. It didn't bother me at all.

The cell phone rang after almost a week of doing nothing. If I counted from the days before I bumped into Martin. "Hey Slut," Jen said.

"My, my shyster what bee crawled into you panties?" I asked.

"He said to just tell you it was Martin from the Cop Out." she said.

"Oh and from that you deduced that I am a slut?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you?" she asked.

"I guess I would at that. So what is it that Martin wants with lil ole me?" I asked.

"Someone down there in the North Carolina Swamp wants to rent two of your apartments, if they can work out a deal for your services as well."

"Ah, you know what they want to do there don't you?" I asked.

"My guess is that it's not water boarding." she said laughing at me.

"They want me to run a safe house for them. I don't want to play spook." I said.

"Well as far as I know it's one of the few things you haven't done." Jen suggested.

"It's all too complicated to be honest. It's much easier to just rent to firemen and the like." I admitted.

"So how about the other? They also want to talk to you about being a body guard." Jen was pressuring me to take the work. I didn't need the money, so I didn't understand.

"Actually Jen the best I can tell they want me on the payroll in some capacity. I really don't want to go on their payroll. Something will come along to keep me out of trouble." I admitted.

"Well be careful how you say no. These might not be the best people to piss off," she suggested.

"I expect that I already have, but I'll try to play nice mommy." I laughed when i said it.

"You need someone to keep your head out of your ass," Jen said. "I refuse to see you self destruct."

"Then why do you keep pushing me into these jobs that get me shot at." I asked.

"Because I'm too chicken shit to do it myself and it is just so exciting to be part of. Part of it from a far, far distance," she admitted.

"Too bad Vlad didn't hang around, he would have been perfect for you." I suggested.

"Yes he would," Jen agreed. "So I should tell Martin to find another home?"

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Also that I'm not looking for steady employment."

Just as soon as I hung up, I began working on the Advertisement for the local papers. I also considered Tryon as a local paper. So I found the on line classified listing sites for both. It took only a few minutes to get the listing completed.

I stopped in the Cop Out that same night. I found Blevins holding court as he usually did. He seemed to be occupied with a couple of young patrolmen. When I came in he made a bit production of introducing them to me. I didn't sit at this table because it was full of cops. It really didn't want to do the cop story thing that night.

Instead I saw Kate in a corner. It looked a though she was trying not to be seen by me. I hoped that she wasn't going to hold a grudge, just because we screwed the same guy. I had no idea why that should be an issue for either of us. Martin was a dog, he sure as hell wasn't in my future plans. If he had been in Kate's, I had a feeling Martin told her about me to get himself out of them.
I made the first move, since she might not have felt comfortable making it. There was no real reason for her to be uncomfortable. I walked back to the table and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"No," Kate said. There were a few awkward moments before she said. "I knew that it might be difficult the first time we met after Martin. I hope you aren't holding any hard feelings."

"Not in the least. To be honest I was afraid you might be." I admitted.

"I felt a little awkward at first, but now I know he is a dirt bag and not worth my time," she said.

"Good for you, I found him good in bed but lots of dirt bags are good in bed." I suggested.

"To be honest, he was really quite adept at oral sex," Kate said.

"Yes he was rather good at it. It seems as though he had a lot of practice eating out women somewhere." I suggested.

'Yes, and I do love that sensation." Kate said then looked at me and started to speak.

I held up my hand. "I know hon, you already explained."

"Good, but you know nothing is carved in stone," She said in what appeared to be a flirty way.

"Well someday we might just have to explore that possibility," I suggested.

"Someday," she said in agreement. "But tonight I am meeting one to the EMTs. He works for the county."

"Be careful a lot of those guys are married." I warned her.

"So are the firemen and the cops. I think in this place we all just look the other way." she said.

"That's fine as long as you know what the score really is." I said.

I began to spread the word about the apartments after I left Kate's table. I left her table, when the EMT arrived. After that I danced with some of the men and chatted with some of the women. I gave several of them my number. I had always kept it a big secret, but since I was going more or less straight, I needed to be available by phone.

I went home alone and didn't mind a bit, until I got into the cold bed. The cold sheets were always a shock to me. I fell asleep wondering when I would get my first call about the apartments.

That call came while I was in the driver thru line at Hardee's the the next morning. "Hi are you Maxine Stone?" the voice asked.

"Yes I'm Maxine," I said.

"Detective Blevins said I should give you a call. I'm new to the Aster Police department and I need a place to live," he informed me.

"What's your name and where are you living now?" I asked.

"My name is Jeffery Tate. I just got out of the Army two months ago. I have been living with my wife Ruth's mom and dad while I finished up the paperwork and orientation training."

"I knew that they didn't have rookie schools any more. How did you avoid the criminal justice classes at the community college." I asked.

"I was an MP in the Army. They took that in lieu of school. I went on right away, but I have been doing civilian law cram courses until I could pass their test. Now that it's done I'm looking for a place for my wife and me to live. Belvins said I should take a look at your place,"

"Jeff, Blevins has never seen the place. It is really small but if you and Ruth want to see it come over. I live in Unit 3 so just knock on the door."

"I'm off today can we come now?" he asked.

"Sure, I'll be glad to show you around."

It took them about an hour to make it to the apartment building. Jeff turned out to be a tall thin attractive black man. Ruth however was a pure trashy blond women. She was also a few years older than Jeff. She didn't look like a junkie or anything, she just looked trashy. There is just no other word that describes her as well.

When Ruth badmouthed the apartment as being too small, I agreed completely and rushed them out the door. At the door to my place Jeff said, "You sure ended that tour in a hurry."

"Well Jeff, all the units are alike. Your wife thinks that they are too small, the aren't going to get any larger."

"Are you sure it's not because we are interracial?" he asked.

"I don't think so, but how would anyone ever know their real motives. Ruth would never be happy here, but if you feel otherwise, we can discuss it again after you two have talked."

"Fair enough," he said to me on his way to the gate.

99..

After Jeff the rookie cop and his wife left, I began to think maybe I had been a little hasty with Swamp Thing. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to collect rent on empty apartments, even if there was some risk involved.

Then again maybe the little old ladies were the way to go. They sure wouldn't be having wild parties or fights with their boy friends at all hours. There would also be something positive about them being snoopy. The enclosed and locked court yard would be easy to manage for seniors as well. They would probably provide their own lounge chairs.

With that in mind, I dressed for the cold so that I could ride the Gunny's bike to the senior center to put a note on the Bulletin board. I took my morning shower then began to dress for the ride. I first worked my way into a bra and panties. Then I pulled on the long thermal suit made for a teenage boy. After the thermal suit it was heavy weight jeans, yes they come in different weights now, and a thick wool shirt. The shirt was Air Force Blue, because it had been part of a uniform I wore many years before. I had saved it like a few other things, just because I liked the way it looked on my oddly shaped body. Dressed with all the clothes, I was beginning to lose any shape I had. That in and of itself might not have been a completely bad thing.

I struggled into a sweat shirt and then a slightly thermal lined nylon parka with hood. I also wore a ski hood and scarf. Finally the bike helmet went on top of the parka hood. In the well insulated outfit I was forced to waddle to the bike. It had been stored inside, so even though it was below forty degrees, the bike's motor started right up. I was pleasantly surprised.

The bike actually performed quite well. I was surprised how much different the world seemed at 15 to 20 miles per hour. As I rode through town I saw store owners opening up. I even nodded, waved, and shouted a greeting to the one or two I recognized. It was a different view of the town for me. I have to admit there was something somehow more intimate about the experience of riding to breakfast.

I pulled the bike into the parking lot of the local McDonald's. The town was too small for more than one, but it was a nice large one. I knew none of the people in the dining room there. They all seemed to know each other, at least on sight, but not me. I was the odd chick out. I didn't mind. I was a little sorry that all the months that I had been home, I had eaten a biscuit at my desk almost every morning.

I tried their coffee and biscuit and found them wanting. I had stopped at the restaurant only because it was near the senior community center, so all was not lost. I got to watch a reasonably young father and his two kids having breakfast. He looked as though he was in a routine with them, so I figured he was the stay at home dad. Not only that everyone in the place knew the kids and spoke to them. Obviously he and the kids were regulars there. Several of the older folks also seemed to be even more well known than others. It seemed that there was a whole subculture thing going on in that restaurant. Most likely there were similar groups in other restaurants as well.

Once I finished my coffee I emptied the tray in the trash then recovered my helmet from the seat beside me. I got all my hoods in place before an older gentleman asked, "Is that your bike in the parking lot with the motor on it?"

"Yes Sir, it is my bike," I replied.

"Do you ride it much in this weather?" he asked.

"Not so far this year, but I'm starting to ride it more today. I am going to see how it goes. It's really a very different experience from driving a car."

"I can imagine a cold one," he said.

"Anything that isn't covered does get cold I admit. At least that has been my experience so far." I replied turning toward the door.

I noticed that lots of people smiled at me as I passed. When I got to the parking lot, I started the bike and was happy that it didn't embarrass me by not starting. I climbed on board pedaled a few times and then dropped the motor. The bike took right off, I was quite pleased. The four blocks to the senior center passed quickly. Once there I had to wait ten minutes in the parking lot before the doors opened at nine.

The slightly chubby lady who opened the doors was wearing a beautiful smile. She obviously enjoyed her job. It had been a long time since I could say that. Two seniors and I entered the the center together. It was warm inside and the others seemed to enjoy that. I hoped that it wasn't because they were living with insufficient heat. I had heard stories and hoped that they were not true around my town at least.

"Hello," I said to the lady who had opened the door, after I followed her to her desk. "I was wondering is there was a bulletin board where I might post an announcement of apartments for rent?"

"We have a bulletin board and I do not censer it, so sure you can post anything you like as long as it is legal." She smiled.

"I'm pretty sure they are legal." I said with a smile of my own. Do you have a pen and paper I could buy or borrow?" I asked.

"Sure," she said pushing a cheap ballpoint pen and a pink post it note pad to me. It was at least the large post its. I wrote a quick note about the apartment, listing its features and plugging the security features. I was finished and out of the senior center by 9:30AM.

At ten I placed a call to Amy the firefighter who wanted to know the details of the apartment. When I told her that the place would rent for four fifty with a surcharge for the heat in winter she said, "Thanks, I'll get back with you tomorrow. I am at work now and can't do anything anyway."

"That is fine, I promised to let you know and I did. You do whatever you feel is in your best interest." Since I had paid cash all the way down the line, and I wasn't totally broke, I didn't feel pressured to rent to just anyone. I did know that the day might come that I did feel like that, but the fact that I lived there would probably keep me from renting to any really sleazy people.

The theme from the Magnificent Seven interrupted me watching a cop show from the night before. I seldom stayed up to watch shows past nine on live TV. I preferred to watch them the next day at my convenience.

"Hello," I said quickly. I always answered fast to kill that music.

"Hello, I'm calling about the apartment." The voice on the phone said calmly.

"Yes Ma'am what can I tell you?" I asked. I hadn't quite gotten her age from her voice, but I could tell she was an adult.

"Well, I guess first of all what is the rent?"

"The rent is $450 a month which includes water hot and cold. The heat is hot water radiators and there is a surcharge when it comes on in the winter, The surcharge is based on actual cost divided by the number of occupied units. There is no pass through fee." I said.

"You are responsible for the electric bill. Your Air Conditioner is a through the wall unit, which you control and pay with your electric bill. I will pay for any repairs or maintenance to it."

"Okay, what is this enhanced security?" she asked.

"There are three exterior security cameras, motions detector exterior lighting, an electric locked gated entrance to the courtyard from the parking lot. Through that gate is the only way into the courtyard and then to the apartments. There is a call system for visitors. Someone has to allow them inside the locked gate. You will get the web address to monitor the cameras, if you wish. You can use that to see who has requested entry. If it is not someone you are expecting or someone you know, you can call the police."

"Now that is a nice system. How large are the apartments?" She asked.

"The apartments are one bedroom efficiency apartments," I admitted.

"When would be a good time for my husband and I to come see the apartment?" she asked.

"Almost anytime as long as you give me some advanced notice. I live in one of the apartments myself." I informed her. I gave that exact story to everyone who called after that first couple. I was surprised that there were more than I anticipated. I guess it just goes to show again how little patience I have.

The first unit went to the older couple who called. Surprisingly enough it wasn't for them. It was for their granddaughter. She was the only grand child who had not gone to or planned to attend a four year college. Sarah Beth had enrolled in a one year certificate program at the community college.

The older couple who came to look at the apartment were paying a lump sum toward the college of each grand child, since they knew one way or another the government was going to get it, if they didn't. Sarah Beth's tuition was going to be minimal, so they had decided to pay the one year rent on an apartment for her. They wanted her to be safe above all else. Sarah Beth was not the brightest light on the tree they insinuated.

"Well guys I don't babysit, but if she calls out for help, I will definitely help her." I suggested.

"We couldn't ask for any more. Now if you will complete the lease, I will write you a check for the years rent. I realize there will be an additional charge for the heat this year and probably some of next year."

Unless you guys go ahead and rent the apartment, I can's guarantee it will be here when she is ready to start school," I explained.

"Oh we know that. Sarah is working now at the mall in a jewelry store. She will most likely be there until after Christmas. Her classes start in January so it will work out fine. We may be paying fourteen months instead of twelve, but it will be worth it." The grandmother said.

"Now you know the place is unfurnished?" I asked.

"That is going to be the most fun," grandma said. "I have a house full of furniture that nobody wants."

"We accumulated it over fifty years and now just because it isn't cardboard and wood chips nobody wants it. We are both looking forward to filling this little place with furniture for Sarah Beth." Grandpa said.

I have a feeling this has as much to do with you guys as it does with Sarah Beth." I said smiling.

"Maxine, to be honest we see more of us in Sarah Beth than any of the others. We would never tell any of them that though."

"I won't either. Unless they piss me off," I said smiling.

"But you will be there, if she needs you?" Grandpa asked.

"Sure, but the cops are just down the street a few blocks," I suggested.

"I will feel better with you two doors down," he said smiling. He obviously knew who I was. Neither of us brought it up.

We did the paperwork and I gave them the keys. One metal key to the door and a plastic card for the gate lock was their set. It took a whole hour for them to get back with a thrilled Sarah Beth. Sarah Beth was 18 and cute as a button. She was about forty pounds over weight but she also carried it very well. She had a body that was proportional unlike me with small boobs and a big ass. Sarah had big boobs and a big ass, her body type was a lot like Kate's,

100

I showed the apartment a few times during the week, but nothing really happened until Friday night. Around 6PM Friday night Sarah Beth's grand parents arrived with a gaggle of other people. "Grand Pa stood at my door with a younger version of himself and a pudgy Betty Crocker type female.

"Maxine this is my son and his wife." He named names but they were lost on me. They just became Sarah's Mom and Dad to me.

"Nice to meet you both. I met Sarah and she is a real sweetie," I said.

"I am very impressed with your security system here. Even though I understand you have a dangerous lifestyle at times, I think Sarah will be safer here than in some huge complex in Tryon." her dad said to me.

His comments put an end to any rental arrangement I might have been considering with Swamp Thing. "I certainly hope so," I replied. "Just so you know, I have never brought my work home with me."

"Good," he said. "Tell me, if Sarah orders delivery pizza, how are they going to get into the gate?"

"She is either going to have to be sure the delivery man has her cell number, or she is going to have to watch the gate video camera and come meet him or her, If a friend just shows up, it better be a close enough friend to have her phone number." I said

"The final contact option is that my cell phone number is listed at the gate. I can relay a message, if your daughter answers her cell phone for me. If she doesn't, then whoever is at the gate needs to just leave."

"And they will," Grandpa said.

"I expect them to leave peacefully yes," I replied straight faced.

"Well, we are moving Sarah in more or less," Grandpa replied. "Actually her mom and dad plus two brother are doing the moving. Grandma and me are just observing."

"It should be warm in there, I have had the heat up since Sarah's rent started a couple of days ago." I suggested.

"Oh it is nice and warm in there. The cable vision man is supposed to be here one day next week." Dad suggested.

"Tell Sarah to make sure I know what day. I won't just let him in on his say so alone. All service people have to be arranged in advance. Actually I had all that taken care of in the renovations. They should be able to do it from the office, but if not, one of us has to let them in. I should be here most any day for a while." My plan was to hang around at least until all the units were rented. I would have enjoyed the downtime better, if it had been 80 degrees, but you can't have everything.

Sarah spent the night in the apartment. God only knew how many months it had been since there were people staying in the motel. The new occupants were semi permanent residents, not transients. With all the other stuff on his plate I'm sure God didn't mind the Casa Del Aster's status change.

On Saturday the calls picked up. The first couple to show up was obviously a Father Daughter combination or he was the world's luckiest man. He was a man about sixty or so. He had all his own hair, but it was colored. The coloring was a very good job, but his facial wrinkles didn't match the hair color by about twenty years. He looked soft, but fairly close to the correct height weight proportion. He looked like the kind of guy who would fit into the kind of lifestyle that the tiny apartment would dictate.

I gave them the speech pretty much in one long narrative. "So there will be an additional fee for the heating of the place?" he asked when I finished.

"Yes sir, that is the most asked question I get. I had a choice of adding a new heating unit which would been less efficient, and cost the tenant more to operate, or to go this way. The Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor suggested this method. It's going to be a pain, so it wouldn't have been my first choice. There is an agreement in the lease that it is capped at $200. If it a resident's share goes over that, the additional is slopped over and we catch it up in the spring. In other words, if it get really nasty out, you will know that $200 is going to be the most you will have to pay at any one time."

"That is still a lot for those on social security alone," he suggested.

"Yes it is, but it's the best I could do. I am sorry, if it won't fit into your budget and I fully understand."

"Ms. Stone," the girl spoke for the first time. "That really isn't the issue. My dad is just really concerned about seniors these days,"

"I completely understand, but to me honest I'm not the government, nor am I a charity. I am not trying to get rich by any means, but the place has to pay for itself. This is the price and the plan that the experts tell me will work."

"My dad could never get into the Senior Towers, nor would he want to take up a space there. This place is ideal and the size is even larger than those units. The towers is better for those who can't drive or get around as well as my dad. We are going to talk about his, I expect that you will be hearing from us."
"I didn't catch your father's name? Just so I will know who I'm talking to if he calls back."

"Johnathan Hunter," she said simply. It was all she needed to say. Johnathan Hunter was the son of the mill owner who had in effect started Aster's first growth spurt. When his dad built the textile mill, people began to actually build houses near the mill, so the town double in population almost over night. As the Aster furniture factory and the textile mill grew it doubled a few more times, before the nationwide decline in industrial jobs began. The story was that Johnathan Hunter had lost most of his family money, and then he gave away the rest of it as some kind of penitence. I would have to give him some serious thought, if he ever called back.

The second apartment actually rented Saturday just after noon. It went to a woman again, even thought I would have preferred a man. Her name was Lois. Yes she had a family name, but I couldn't pronounce it, let alone spell it. Some Italian monstrosity which a true southerner wouldn't be able to say correctly with a hundred years of practice.

Lois was an early retiree of the county government. She had just given her house to her Son and his family. The apartment was exactly what she wanted at the present stage of her life. She didn't like the idea of yard work, or having to find someone to replace the shingles, when they blew off the house during the spring storms. The size would have been a problem for some people, but not Lois.

"I won't have to do much work at all. I plan to sit on my ass, watch my big screen TV, and get fat," she informed me. "I have been keeping myself in reasonable shape just in case some man came along. I felt like I needed a man to take care of me. Then one day I finally got it. I didn't need anyone. Over all those years of taking shit at the county, I had made my own future. They offered me a chance to retire early and I took it."

So Lois made arrangements to move in on Monday morning. She decided to take the unit beside mine. Sarah was on one side of me and Lois would be on he other. I had three more and I really wanted men to move into them. Maybe not all of them, but at least some of them.

"Good for you," I said. "I'm retired as well. Military twenty odd years," I admitted.

"From what I have heard about you, I bet they were odd." Lois said.

"Do not believe all you hear about me. Your honor is safe here, if not your reputation." I took the chance that she could take a joke.

"I might wish those were reversed, before I'm ready for the bone yard," she said smiling. "Now I need to go tell my son and his wife that they can finally screw as loud as they want." She giggled and I smiled.

Sunday morning I dressed like the Pillsbury dough boy again and took off on the bike. I rode it to the Hardee's, which I much prefer for breakfast. I took my coffee cup along even though I bought their coffee. I just don't like drinking from cups that I can crush accidentally. I am not, nor do I want to be, the incredible hulk.

Since I had watched the crowd the last time I ate breakfast out, I observed them Sunday morning as well. It seemed to be the same people with different hair cuts and clothes. I mean there were old couples talking, in loud voices, to other old couples who answered in equally loud voices. On Sunday there were a few families dressed for church, even though it was early. My guess was Sunday School for the kids.

Even though it was a fast food restaurant, there were couples where the man was in jeans, and the chick was in much more formal attire. Sleep overs was my guess. It was all, in all further introduction to the life going on around me which I had been missing.

My backpack pocketbook began to play the Mag7 again. "Hello," I said.

"Maxine this is Lois, I'm going to be moving in tomorrow," she said to catch me up I suppose.

"Yes of course, have you changed your mind?" I asked.

"No, not at all. I wanted to bring some things over this afternoon if that was okay. My friend Ester would like to come over and look at the apartment as well."

"Sure, I'm out having breakfast now, but I should be home in less than an hour. So anytime after lunch would be fine."

When I left the restaurant on the bike, a family stood on the sidewalk with the kids waving as I rode by. I waved back and enjoyed the sensation of being stared at by kids, instead of dirty old men for a change.

The gate opened and closed several times before Lois arrived. Sarah had several people stop in to look at her apartment. It was like an open house around the place, with all the people wandering in and out. I got a couple of calls from the gate. People who didn't know Sarah's phone number mostly. I had her go meet them, to be sure they were who they said they were.

"Ms Stone, It's Johnathan Hunter, I was wondering, if I could show the apartment to a friend to get her opinion."

"That would be fine come on over, call me from the gate and I'll buzz you in." I agreed.

"Actually, I'm at the gate now. I decided to take a chance and just stop by." he said.

"That's not a problem, " I said as I buzzed him through. "This is the key to unit 1 on the corner," I stated clearly as I handed him the key.

"We shouldn't be too long," Hunter said.

"I wouldn't think so, there is no furniture." I said smiling at the much younger woman. The class blond lade was a few years younger than me. She was definitely an adult, but far into middle-age

I left them alone, as I returned to my apartment. I had my tiny TV going while I waited for Hunter to return my keys. I was watching some real estate show on one of the cable channels when Hunter knocked. "Yes," I asked standing in the doorway.

"I have decided to take one of your units," Hunter advised me.

"Very well you can have your pick," I suggested.

We looked at unit one and Cheryl liked the carpet, so I guess we will take that one." Hunter said.

"So whose name will be on the least?' I asked.

"My name will be on the least, but Cheryl will be living in the apartment."

"If she stays in the apartment more than 72 hours, her name must be added to the lease, but we can start with just your name., if you will be the primary resident." I said unemotionally.

"You better put it in her name then," he suggested.

"Then rent payments must come from her bank account, or whoever's name is on the account must also be on the lease. It's all in the lease agreement that my lawyer drew up. It's to keep everyone out of trouble, should the police need to do an investigation." I tried not to show my pleasure in his displeasure. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience that's just the way it is," I said it innocently.