Prelude
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CHAPTER ELEVEN

“What?” Zack asked. “What is he saying?”

“Nothing,” Alex said. “He’s not saying anything.”

“Why the grimace?” Zack asked.

“He wouldn’t say that if he didn’t think we… I… took on too much. He doesn’t think I can do it,” Alex said. “He’d never go so far as to say I can’t do it, but… he thinks it.”

“We’re taking over JFCOM, sir,” Sergeant Dusty’s voice came on the speaker phone.

“Hey Dusty,” Zack said.

“I have to agree with Y, sir. You do have a nice butt,” Sergeant Dusty laughed. “I shared a photo with the team.”

“Gee thanks,” Zack said. “I’m missing a sock. Can you see it?”

“It’s under the table, Jakker,” the Y voice said.

“I’m going to have to remember ‘Yippee Kai Yea,’” Sergeant Dusty said.

“Hey!” Zack laughed. “Don’t go stealing my best material!”

They laughed.

“How do you see us?” Zack asked.

“Webcam, Jakker,” the Y voice said. “Every computer in the room has one. We turned the computers on when we took over.”

“Did Mauer get a bird?”

“He’s waiting to land on the roof, sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “He had to use ‘some kid’ – his words – as a co-pilot.”

Zack laughed. He and Alex had called Cliff “that kid” for more than a year before they bothered to learn his name. Zack sat down to put his shoes on.

“You better go,” Sergeant Dusty said. “They just remembered you’re there.”

“How long?” Alex asked.

“You have about three minutes before security gets to you,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Maybe five.”

“I’ll set off the fire alarm in the other areas of the building,” the Y voice said. “That closes the barriers between divisions. You have the run of the computer division.”

“What about the team?” Alex asked.

“They have access to you from the front,” the X voice said. “You will be alone until they reset the fire alarms. Gives you at least thirty minutes.”

They heard the fire alarm blaring in the other areas of the building. Alex took her weapon out of her handbag and nodded to Zack. She opened the door and peeked out.

“Ma’am, you’d do well to return to your room,” an Army Captain running by said.

“I have to pee,” Alex whined. “Can you point me to the potty? I promise to return the moment I’m done. Unless you’d like to party.”

The Captain pointed toward the bathroom and ran down the hallway. Alex nodded to Zack. Grabbing Zack’s jacket to cover her handgun, she walked toward the room where Ben was being held. Zack followed close behind.

When she reached the door, she looked up at the security camera. Y unlocked the door. She glanced at Zack. He took his handgun from his pocket. He nodded to her and they entered the room. Her mentor, biological father, and ex-boss was sitting in a leather office chair with his hands handcuffed in his lap. A US Army Private looked up with surprise when they entered.

“There you are,” Ben said in Parisian French. “Try not to kill this young man. He’s young.”

Ben’s guard fumbled for his handgun and Alex raised hers. With wide terrified eyes, the young man raised his arms.

“Hey Zack,” Ben said in English. “How the hell are you?”

Alex went to the young man and took his weapon.

“Good, sir,” Zack said. “I understand we moved our christening because yours was on the same day.”

“Nice of you,” Ben said. “I was otherwise detained when that was resolved.”

She searched Ben’s young guard with quick efficient moves. She found his ear bud communicator. She held out her hand and he gave her the ear bud. She dropped it on the floor to crush then realized she’d left her cool hooker shoes in the room.

“Zack?” Alex pointed to the ear bud. He stomped on it.

“Didn’t you guys have a baby early in the year?” Zack asked.

“Gerald? End of last summer,” Ben said. “Who knew that my goal of making love to my wife every day would result in another baby?”

“Wonder how that happened?” Zack laughed.

“I can either put you out or you can lay on your stomach on the floor,” Alex said to Ben’s guard. “Your choice.”

The young man dropped to the floor. With his face against the carpet, Alex used a plastic band she’d stowed in the elastic of her cheap thong underwear to bind his wrists behind him.

“We’ve practiced birth control by extensive travel schedule,” Ben said. “After Becky, we had to come up with something more… sincere.”

Ben and Zack laughed. Alex found the handcuff key in the guard’s back pocket and tossed it to Zack. Zack unlocked Ben’s handcuffs.

“Claire loves babies and children and little people, even teenagers. It’s like a disease,” Ben laughed. “She’s in heaven.”

“She’s happy to be done,” Alex said.

“Oh, she’s delighted to be done, but so am I,” Ben said. “Do think you and the gorgeous Bestat will have more, Zack?”

“If Bestat wants another child, I’m happy to oblige,” Zack shrugged.

“Fey, the filth are on their way to you,” the X voice said from the speaker of an office phone. “Should I turn on the overhead water jets?”

“That’s all right,” Alex said. “Where’s the team?”

“At the entrance,” the X voice said. “The Pentagon is freaking out about our announcement of taking over JFCOM.”

“Did you announce why you had to take over?” Alex asked.

“Dire threats to US security, which will cascade into international security,” the X voice said.

“A request for assistance from a friend in the ‘tippy top’ of US intelligence,” the Y voice said. “I love the ‘tippy top.’”

“Points to me without saying it’s me,” Alex said. “Nice.”

“And what did you find?” Ben asked.

“We’re not exactly sure, sir,” the X voice said. “We have three of our best people working on it.”

“How long?” Alex asked.

“Half an hour,” the X voice said.

“If you’re lucky,” the Y voice said.

“Thanks,” Ben said.

“Sergeant?” Alex looked up as if his voice was coming from overhead.

“Yes sir?” Sergeant Dusty asked from the speaker of the phone.

“Can you ask Colonel Gordon to talk to the Pentagon?” Alex asked. “He’s briefed on the entire plan.”

“That objective has been achieved,” Sergeant Dusty said. “It’s my understanding that this is a publicity move. They are anxiously waiting on your report. The entire alphabet soup is on alert and ready to act.”

“Can you inform them it will be a while?” Alex said.

“Yes sir,” Sergeant Dusty said.

With Alex’s help, Ben stood and stretched. Smiling, he hugged and kissed her cheek.

“Did you bring…?” Ben asked.

Alex went to her handbag and threw him a box of North Carolina cigarettes. He held the box to his nose.

“Lighter?” Ben asked.

“They took them from us,” Zack said. “Matches too. Alex had little candles for the mood. They weren’t amused.”

“Is Jesse with you?” Ben asked.

Alex gave a brusque nod.

“Jesse?” Ben held the cigarette away from him. “Help an old friend out.”

Jesse threw an energy ball at the cigarette. There was a tiny spark. Ben puffed, looked at the end of the cigarette and started to puff vigorously. The tobacco caught.

There were footsteps in the hallway.

“Oh tobacco,” Ben said. “Good Lord, I’ve missed you.”

“Better finish up,” Alex said. “We have visitors.”

Ben looked at Alex and she nodded. She was ready. She glanced at Zack and he nodded that he was ready too.

“Sir, Captain Mac Clenaghan asked me to remind you that you’re not wearing body armor,” Sergeant Dusty said.

Ben stood at the door. He raised three fingers.

Three.

Two.

One.

He opened the door and stuck the cigarette in his mouth.

“We’re taking over” and a rapping voice blasted over the loud speaker.

“What the hell is that?” Ben asked in a cloud of cigarette smoke.

“D.J. Khaled,” Alex yelled over the loud dance music. She nodded to Zack and stepped into the hallway.

Five men with machine guns ran down the hall toward them. Under the booming music, she heard a scratching, almost scrambling sound. Master Sergeant Bailey ran along the edge of the hallways toward her. Spinning in place, the dog got between her and the approaching men.

And it was not pretty.

Even standing behind him, Alex was terrified. The dog snarled, snapped and lunged at the men. The young Army MPs skidded to a halt.

One young man gave an unintelligible screech of horror. Another man raised his machine gun to shoot the dog.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Alex said.

When his finger moved to the trigger, Jesse threw a ball of electricity at him. The man screeched with pain. Jesse touched the machine gun and it became red hot. The MP dropped the it.

“Drop your weapons,” Alex said.

“Put yo hands up,” came over the loud speaker followed by the beginning of a fast techno beat. Master Sergeant Bailey snarled at them.

Once the final weapon was on the ground, the dog sat down as if to guard the MPs.

“Arrêt! Arrêt!” Yelling in French, Ben came out of the room with his hands up. “Shut off the crappy Syntho.”

“Techno, monsieur,” the Y voice said. “Le patron a dit…”

The music stopped.

“Sorry sir,” the X voice said.

The team turned the corner to the hallway. Sergeant Beetle gave one short whistle and Master Sergeant Bailey trotted back to him. Raz sprinted to her side. He dropped standard-issue body armor over her shoulders. She smiled her thanks. Instead of hugging her, he patted the Velcro into place. Leena brought Alex’s running shoes. Alex sat down to put on her shoes. Joseph gave her a sacrum holder with the Glock 9mm her father had bought for her when she was a child. When the handgun slid into its holster, she felt more like herself.

“Your attention is needed in the computer center,” the X voice said.

“I’m turned around,” Alex said. “Where is it?”

“I’ll guide you,” the X voice said. He couldn’t resist adding in an echoing voice, “Follow… the… light.”

Leaving Matthew and White Boy to deal with the MPs, Alex and Raz led the team down the hallway. X turned off all the lights except for those in the hallways they were to follow. They ran down one lit hallway to the next. Turning left, they saw a non-descript door in front of them. From the hallway, they heard Craig David’s “Hands up in the Air” blasting from the loud speakers.

“Put them on,” Alex said at the door.

Her team pulled their balaclavas down over their faces. The music came to an abrupt halt and Alex pressed open the door. The room had a five-foot-wide walkway over a sunken work area filled with more than a hundred cubicles and employees. The programmers were standing at the entrances of their cubicles with their hands on their heads. Alex’s team ran along the walkway to surround the programmers.

“X?” Alex yelled.

“Number 78, 83,” the X voice said.

“7,” the Y voice said.

“112,” the X voice said. “Desktops.”

“You heard them,” Alex yelled.

“Programmers for computers 7, 78, 83 and 112, step forward,” Trece yelled.

Three young men moved toward the center aisle. Matthew and White Boy ran into the room. Matthew stood next to Alex and White Boy went into the work area.

“We won’t ask you again!” Joseph said.

“You think you’re being loyal,” Matthew yelled. “You think you’re being citizens. If you don’t do what we ask to the letter, you will be on a plane to Gitmo faster than you can sneeze.”

A young woman jogged to catch up with the other three.

“Jeez,” Zack whispered to Alex. “They’re so young.”

“And stupid,” Margaret said as she passed by. She ran to frisk the programmers. She brought them by gunpoint to the walkway.

“Jesse?” Alex asked.

Four computers sparked and caught fire.

“What the hell!” the woman said.

“Be still,” MJ said. “You’re in enough trouble as it is.”

Vince and Colin ran forward with fire extinguishers.

“Merde,” the Y voice said.

“This is the disconnect order,” the X voice said.

“Copy that,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Alphabet soup has disconnected. You are isolated.”

“Is the General on the line?” Alex asked.

“Sir?” her father, General turned Senator Patrick Hargreaves, asked from the Pentagon.

“Your team,” Alex said.

“Disconnecting,” Patrick said over the intercom.

“Step away from your computers,” Trece yelled and ran into the work area. Vince, Colin, Trece and White Boy shooed the programmers from their cubicles.

The programmers shuffled toward the walk area.

“Vacate!” Leena yelled. “NOW!”

“Done,” Patrick said over the intercom. “Awaiting your orders.”

“Sir?” Sergeant Dusty asked.

“Jakker?” Alex turned to him. “Get to the chopper. You know what to do.”

Zack ran out of the room. Raz nodded to Alex and they ran out of the room. The programmers ran behind them with Margaret and MJ’s machine guns to encourage them. They followed the lit hallways to an interior meeting space.

Alex and Raz stood on one side of the door. Margaret and MJ escorted the programmers into chairs in the meeting space. Leena arrived mid-pack to help. Joseph and Colin arrived with the last of the programmers. Ben, Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey stood in the hallway while Ben smoked. They waited almost five minutes before White Boy and Trece ran down the hall.

“Done?” Alex asked.

“Set,” Trece said. “Okay assholes, we want your IDs. Pass them to the north end of your aisle.”

“You might think it’s smart to fail to produce your ID,” White Boy said.

“Just think how sad your momma is going to be when we tell her we had to KILL you because you failed to tell us who the FUCK you were,” Trece said from the north end of the room. “No, this north.”

White Boy went row-by-row collecting IDs.

“We want your phones, USB drives, and any other gadget you have on you,” Joseph said. “If you fail to produce them they will be destroyed.”

“Pass them to the south end of your row,” Leena said. “Yes that’s right. I’m standing at the south end.”

Leena and Joseph began picking up cell phones, pagers, iPods, flash drives, and other computerized objects.

“We are passing around ear plugs,” MJ said. “They only protect your ears to 65 dB. Put them in and cover your ears.”

“If you fail to put them in,” Margaret said. “You will become at least temporarily deaf.”

“And we cannot ensure you that your hearing will return,” Colin said. “If you need assistance, we will help you.”

“If you decide not to use the ear protection, we will post your picture on every Dungeons and Dragons website in the world,” MJ said.

“With the caption, ‘Deaf due to dumbassness,’” Margaret said.

MJ, Colin and Margaret began passing out soft foam earplugs. When Trece and White Boy had retrieved all the identifications, they began working with their handheld computers to identify each of the programmers. Margaret left MJ and Colin to help Trece and White Boy fill in a seating chart. Leena and Joseph were putting the gadgets into Ziplock bags and into a leaded backpack.

Alex and Raz watched the activity from the edge of the room, near the door. Trece and White Boy had completed the room chart before Matthew and Vince arrived. They nodded to Alex and ran into the room. Taking one last drag from a cigarette, Ben scooted into the room with Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey. MJ and Colin were moving from person to person to ensure their ear protection was in place. Margaret demonstrated how to cover their ears.

When the team was done, Alex moved to the middle of the hallway.

“I expect command in this room in fifteen minutes,” Alex yanked off her wig and balaclava. “You wanted me. You’ve got me.”

“Sir?” Raz held out earplugs to Alex. She jammed them into her ears.

“NOW!” Alex yelled.

 F

Lean on Me is the fourth novel in the fast paced Alex the Fey thriller series
by Claudia Hall Christian.

The novel is available in paperback and electronic books at Cook Street Store.
It will be available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local book seller after 2/29/12
Lean on Me, and all the Alex the Fey thrillers are available in eBooks.
Entire chapters are be published on Fridays beginning March 2, 2012 at
StoriesbyClaudia.com and AlextheFey.com.

For discounts, give aways, special fiction, and other fun
join the Alex the Fey Facebook Group

CHAPTER TWO

Sunday morning—11 a.m.
Fairmount Historic District, Fort Worth

Days: 8

“You know what I think,” Don Downs touched her shoulder to wake her.

“Hmm.”

Loraine “Lo” Downs rolled onto her side to look at him. The crisp white sheet lay across his tanned muscular shoulders. He reached out to move a piece of blonde hair from her face.

“Good morning.” He leaned over to kiss her.

“Hello beautiful,” she said. “What did you have in mind?”

“I think we should spend the entire day laughing,” Don said.

“You’re in court all week,” Lo said. “I have the no-carbs grumpies. How…?”

Don tossed the sheet in the air and scooched across the bed to her. She rolled onto her back. He kissed her face and her eyes and then wrapped his body around her.

“Love you, Lo.” He began tickling her. “Love you.” Tickle. “Love you.” Tickle. “Love you.”

Lo laughed.

“See! We’ve already started the day laughing,” he laughed with delight. “Never let the bastards get you down.”

“You know how to keep me from being down,” Lo said.

“No I don’t, little lady,” Don laughed. “Why don’t you instruct me in the finer arts?”

In one swift motion, Lo pushed him to the bed. Her lips moved across his face until they caught his mouth. He tugged at her, but she resisted engaging. She just wanted to kiss him this morning.

Pound. Pound. Pound.

“Don?” Lo sat up in bed. “Don?”

Her voice rose with panic. Don wasn’t in bed with her. In fact, she wasn’t in her bed. She rotated around to sit on the side of the twin bed. Looking around the room, she had no idea where she was.

Where was Don?

He was just here. He was just right here. She patted the bed where he’d been. They had started making love and Don was never distracted from love-making no matter what happened and…

Pound. Pound. Pound.

A shard of pain shot through her core.

Don was dead. She’d forgotten. Again. Don was dead.

She was at her mother’s house; the house she was born in; the house her mother had hanged herself in. Her house, Don’s house, their house was foreclosed while she was burying him.

She should have thrown herself in that hole.

She had to fight to take a full breath. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn she had a gaping hole where her heart once lived. She put her head between her knees to keep from throwing up.

Pound. Pound. Pound.

Wearing only a Dolly the Sheep T-shirt and panties, she went down the wide oak stairwell to the ground floor. Her memory filled in the image of her mother’s lifeless body hanging from the living room ceiling fan.

“Hi Mom.”

Waving, she continued walking to the front door. She flipped the lock and peeked out. Her little sister Lisa stood on her doorstep wearing her “get things done” outfit – blonde hair in braids, a bandana over her head, old jeans and one of her husband Earl’s old work T-shirts. She had four or five plastic grocery bags in her hand and her purse strap over her shoulder.

“It’s eleven o’clock!” Lisa said. “What the hell are you doing? You can’t sleep all day.”

Lisa pushed her way into the house.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Lisa asked. “I sat next to you at the funeral and a few hours later you’re homeless?”

“I don’t know,” Lo’s eyes filled with tears. “This whole thing… I…”

“Never mind,” Lisa said. “I’m here now.”

Lisa stopped in the doorway to the living room and stared.

“Do you see her there?” Lisa whispered.

“Larry too,” Lo nodded.

“I know she’s not there, but…” Lisa said. “God that’s creepy.”

Lisa pushed and prodded Lo into the kitchen. She set the bags on the Formica table in the middle of the room and began unpacking groceries. Lo leaned against the door frame to watch her sister. Within minutes, Lisa had bacon and eggs sizzling on the stove. She revealed a box of cinnamon doughnut holes and a bag of coffee grounds. Lisa gave the coffee to Lo.

Lo rummaged through the cabinets until she found her mother’s old percolator. She filled it with water and dropped the basket of coffee. She watched the coffee bubble in the little glass handle on top of the pot. This simple act was the first thing Lo had accomplished since she’d heard Don was sick.

“What’s that?” Lo pointed to a clump of grey-green leaves tied with a bright-red string.

“This is sage,” Lisa said. “We’re going to burn the sage, open the windows, and let the ghosts out of this place.”

Lo lifted her lips in a partial smile.

“Where’s your car?” Lisa asked.

“In front,” Lo said.

“Of this house?” Lisa shook her head.

Lo ran out the front door to where she’d parked her car. Gone. She dropped to her knees to touch the ground where the vehicle had been. Overcome, she began keening with grief.

“They came this morning,” a woman’s voice said.

Lo felt a hand on her shoulder. Through blurry eyes, Lo looked to see who was there.

“I asked them,” a dark-skinned woman said. “They told me they had to take it. It was their job. I told them that wasn’t much of a job. They told me about the economy and a bunch of other garbage.”

“Mrs. Williams?” Lo whispered.

“Yes, child,” the elderly woman said.

“Mrs. Williams,” Lo repeated. She looked up into the lined face of her mother’s next door neighbor. “I’m glad to see your face.”

“I’m glad to see you too,” Mrs. Williams said. “I usually see that husband of yours. Great man. He brought me groceries. Once a week. Not ‘cuz I can’t afford them, just ‘cuz I don’t move around so good anymore. I cried when I heard he’d passed.”

“Don’s dead,” Lo said.

“Yes, child,” Mrs. Williams said.

“Lo!” Lisa screamed from the porch. Lisa ran across the yard to her sister. She stopped short when she saw who was standing next to Lo. “Mrs. Williams.”

Lisa did an odd curtsey and Mrs. Williams laughed. The elderly woman held her arm out to Lisa and gave her a hug.

“Now, I read in the Star-Telegram that you bought that car after winning that Olympia thing,” Mrs. Williams said.

“Three years ago. Lo bought this car when she won Ms. Fitness Olympia the first time,” Lisa said. “Don insisted she get something she’d use every day, so she’d remember she’d won.”

“Paid cash for my car,” Lo said.

“Why did they take your car?” Mrs. Williams asked.

“Nothing makes any sense right now.” Lo shook her head.

“I’ll tell you what we do,” Mrs. Williams said. “We call the police and tell them that someone stole your car. We let them sort it out.”

“That’s a good idea,” Lisa said.

“Let’s get you up,” Mrs. Williams said.

Mrs. Williams and Lisa dragged Lo to her feet. A leering man jogged by them before turning into Fairmount Park. Mrs. Williams took Lo by the elbow and passed her to Lisa.

“You take her inside,” Mrs. Williams said. “I’ll call the police.”

Leaning on her cane, the elderly woman began a slow journey to her home next door. Lisa navigated Lo back into the kitchen and sat her down on a cracked-vinyl padded chair at the Formica table. Lisa returned to cooking. Lo picked at the chair’s stuffing through the cracks in the vinyl.

Neither sister said anything until Lisa set a cup of coffee with half-and-half in front of her sister.

“What do you think is going on?” Lisa asked.

“I have no idea,” Lo said. “Really. None. Don and I went over our finances every single Sunday. We’d sit down with a bottle of wine and go through them. The house was paid off. My car… his car… he had money from his father. Money for the girls… Oh God! I bet they froze Mandy’s school funds.”

Lo dropped her head to the table. She rolled her forehead on the cool Formica surface.

“What am I going to do?” Lo asked.

“Better yet,” Lisa grimaced. “What are you wearing?”

“Oh,” Lo looked down at the shirt. “I found this in my old room last night.”

“Dolly the Sheep?”

“I was pretty fascinated with cloning,” Lo picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite. “Still am. Do you think I could clone Don?”

Lisa shook her head. Turning her back to her sister, Lisa finished making breakfast and set two plates on the table. She poured Lo more coffee and sat down across from her.

“I’ll tell you what,” Lisa said.

Lo looked up over her coffee cup at her sister.

“Someone gave this a lot of thought, a lot of energy, and a lot of time.” Lisa emphasized her points with stabs of her fork. “This is no random screw up, Lo. Someone planned to screw you. They methodically planned it and waited for their chance. The question is, who? Anyone really hate you?”

“The hex-wife Sue Ellen’s got to be at the front of the line,” Lo said.

“She’s more likely to sic her little yappy dogs…”

“Miss Princess Barbie and Mr. Ken?” Lo asked.

“They’d bite your ankles for sure,” Lisa said.

“She’s not very bright,” Lo said. “What about Ruth Ann?”

Lisa laughed at the mention of Larry’s wife.

“But that’s right,” Lisa said. “I can’t think of anyone either. Who hates Lo? Who hated Don? No one.”

Lisa shrugged.

“Maybe there’s something else going on,” Lo said.

“Oh God, Lo,” Lisa said. “What if Don was murdered?

The Queen of Cool continues next week…
_____________________________

The Queen of Cool is an intense mystery set in Fort Worth, Texas
by Claudia Hall Christian.

The novel is available in paperback and electronic books at Cook Street Store.
It will be available at in paperback and eBook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and your local bookseller.
The half of the chapter will be posted every Wednesday beginning May 2, 2012
StoriesbyClaudia.com and theQueenofCool.com

For discounts, give aways, special fiction, and other fun
join the the Queen of Cool Facebook Group

Previous Chapters
Recap of what’s happened so far and character summary
Looking for the beginning? Chapter One

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and FIVE

Wednesday — 10:35 a.m.

“Hey hon,” Blane said when Heather answered the phone. “Are you watching TV?”

“No,” Heather said. “I was getting Mack ready for school. He was a little fussy this morning so I let him sleep after you left. He’s just getting around.”

“Is he all right? Is he sick?” The worry in Blane’s voice made Heather smile.

“I think it’s another tooth,” Heather said.

“No fever?”

“No,” Mack reached up for the phone and Heather smiled. “He’s okay. Plus, we’re just going to lunch and hanging out with Sandy. I can always stop by and pick him up if he’s fussy.”

“Oh right, lunch,” Blane said. “That’s why I called. Turn on the TV.”

“Okay.” With Blane on her hip, Heather went into their bedroom and looked for the remote control. “Any idea where the remote is?”

“Next to the window,” Blane said.

“You could just tell me what…” Heather clicked on the television. The screen lit up with pictures of an intense fire burning through a building. “Oh.”

“That’s Tanesha’s mom’s house right?” Blane asked. “We have a crew out in that area vacuuming sewers. They said they heard a gas explosion. The police have cordoned off the entire area.”

Heather took in scene. The picture switched to a live report in front of the blackened four-plex. She could make out four body sized shapes covered with white sheets. Water continued to stream into the charred remains of the building from fire trucks lining Fourteenth Avenue.

“They found bodies,” Blane said. “The guys said no one could have survived the fire. You think…?”

“She’s always there in the morning,” Heather said. “Always. Especially today when she knows I’m coming to get her.”

As she watched, a black limousine pulled up and State Attorney General Aaron Alvin stepped out.

“Who’s that?” Heather asked.

“State Attorney General… um… Alvin.”

“Ava’s dad?”

“The radio says he owns the building,” Blane said. “Westword is running an article tomorrow saying that he’s run prostitutes out of the four-plex for decades.”

“He’s Yvonne’s owner?” Heather was so shocked that Mack made a surprised sound. She looked down at her baby. “He’s a very bad man, Mack. Not like you.”

Heather watched Ava’s father survey the scene as if he was the injured party.

“I can’t just watch this,” Heather said. “I have to go see for myself.”

She jumped into action. Setting Mack in the middle of their King sized bed, she stuffed her feet into exercise shoes.

“I’ll meet you there,” Blane said.

“No,” Heather said. “You can’t be near the smoke.”

“Ok, but don’t go on your own, okay? They haven’t found the source of the gas yet,” Blane said. “Find our truck and the crew will go with you.”

“Okay,” Heather picked up Mack, grabbed her purse and ran down the stairs. “Oh my God, Blane, I don’t want to have to tell Tanesha that her mother’s dead. She…”

“She’s always hoped her mom would come home,” Blane said. “I know.”

Heather ran through the downstairs and to her car.

“I’ll call you when I know anything,” Heather said.

“You’ll look for our guys?” Blane asked.

She dropped Mack into his car seat and fastened the buckles.

“I will,” Heather said. “Love you.”

“Love you, Heather,” Blane said. “And… I’m really sorry.”

“The bastard is cleaning his tracks,” Heather said. “Fucker.”

Heather clicked off the phone before she went into a complete rant. Blane was only just starting to get better. He didn’t need to hear her rage at the man who’d stolen Tanesha’s mother and ruined her friend’s life. She started her Subaru and drove out Park Avenue to Fourteenth. She was almost there when Mack made a sound.

Stopped at the light at Holly, Heather looked back to see his fist in his mouth. He laughed as if he was caught doing something he shouldn’t. His small gesture and smile wiped the dark thoughts from Heather’s mind. She switched on a music CD he liked and drove to the edge of King Sooper’s parking lot. She had just pulled into a spot on the street when a man from Lipson Construction tapped on her window. She waved and got out.

“Blane said you’d come.” He looked worried. “It’s not a great place for a lady and a baby.”

“My best friend’s mother lives there,” Heather said.

She got out of the car and went around to get Mack. When she stood up, the other two Lipson Construction employees were standing near her.

“If you’d like, I can take Mack, ma’am,” a young woman said.

“Oh, no…um…” Heather looked up the street at the police, fire trucks, and media circus. She swallowed hard. “Can you just go with me? Would you mind?”

“Not at all,” the crew chief said. They started walking along the edge of the chaos on Fourteenth Avenue. The crew gathered around her and Heather. “We were working around the corner. Lipson employee owners wanted to try some smaller jobs to see if they were profitable, so Jake got the contract to clean and check the sewers in this area. We’ve been working up here for three weeks.

“We were just around the corner,” the young woman said.

“It’s a risk, with the sewers, you know,” the crew chief said. “If the gas builds up in the sewer, it can explode.”

“Our work can make that happen,” the man she’d met at the car said.

“These sewers are a mess,” the young woman said. “Either they weren’t done in the spring or…”

“We’re choosing to report that this area has heavy usage,” the crew chief said.

“But we think they weren’t done,” the young woman said.

“We heard the sound and thought it was from us!” the man she’d met at the car said. “From the sewer!”

“We checked everything real quick,” the crew chief said.

“Reported in immediately,” the young woman’s eyes became big. “Then I saw… and…”

As fast as they’d begun chatting, the Lipson crew fell silent. They continued walking until they were standing under the trees across the street. The water from the fire trucks poured into the building. The police directed traffic into the lane in front of them. And State Attorney General Alvin paraded around like an indignant peacock.

“I’ll tell you, Heather,” the crew chief said in a low voice. “The police told us not to talk to anyone, but since you’re Lipson family, I’ll tell you… We were here, right here, not thirty seconds after the explosion and…”

He swallowed hard.

“Everyone was dead,” the young woman whispered. Even with the wind and sirens and cars, Heather heard her whispered words like they were shouted from a bull horn next to her ear.

“There was a woman lying on her face…” the man she’d met at her car pointed to the apartment next to Tanesha’s mom’s place.

“The fire, not a minute after, was already burning the entire roof,” the crew chief said. “We used hoses but…”

“They were already dead,” the young woman whispered.

Heather lowered her head and put her hand over her eyes to block the view for a moment. She felt the young woman lift Mack from her hip. Heather sighed and opened her eyes.

As if they were placed there just for her to see, two cellophane bundles of yellow tulips sat in the gutter just east of where she was standing. She walked over to them and picked them up. The receipt was tucked into the cellophane wrapper.

“When did this happen?” Heather asked.

“9:37,” the crew chief said.

Heather’s finger traced the time stamp on the receipt. 9:23 a.m.

“Do you think your friend’s mom…?” the crew chief asked.

“No,” Heather shook her head. “I mean, I don’t know for sure but… I don’t think so.”

“Oh that’s good,” the young woman said. “That’s really good.”

“I think we all feel better,” the crew chief said. “I mean, the whole thing is horrible, but if a Lipson friend was killed…”

“That makes it personal,” the man she’d met at the car said.

“We can stay with you as long as…” the crew chief said.

“Thank you,” Heather said. “But you can go do what you need to. Thank you for being here for me. I appreciate it.”

The Lipson Construction crew walked her back to her car and helped her with Mack. When they left, Heather sat with the car idling.

If Yvonne wasn’t here, where was she?

She’d better get to Tanesha before she found out. Nodding to herself, she started toward the University of Colorado Medical School.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday — 10:55 a.m.

Tanesha pushed her way through the door into her Nervous System lecture and started down a row of seats near the middle of the auditorium. She nodded to a young man sitting in the row, set her book bag in the empty chair next to her, and sat down. Pulling out her notebook and pencil, she noticed that her cell phone message light was flashing. She flipped through the list of calls she’d missed – Jeraine, Sandy, Heather – probably to confirm lunch, Jeraine, and… a number she recognized. Without thinking, she dialed back the number.

“What?” she asked.

“You want her, you can have her,” her mother’s keeper said. “Five thousand dollars.”

“What?” Tanesha’s heart raced. She’d begged and pleaded with this man for years to let Yvonne come home.

“You heard me,” the man said. “You give me five thousand dollars and she’s all yours. Call me back when you have the money.”

The line clicked. He was gone. Tanesha stared at her phone.

“Ok, let’s get started,” the teacher on the stage below said.

Tanesha stuffed her phone into her bag and started taking notes. In the back of her mind, she heard – “My Mommy’s coming home today!” – repeated over and over again. Tanesha smiled and settled down to work.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday — 12:55 p.m.

“Yeah.” Driving to work, Ava hit the button on the blue tooth headset she called the fallopian tube or f-tube for short. She was late and assumed that Nelson was calling her to pick up coffee.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Her elder sister’s voice was mean and loud. Ava turned the sound down on the f-tube.

“Uh… when?” Ava asked. “Are we talking about something I did when we were kids? Or the Saint Jude thing? Or… I’m late to work?”

“Dad is livid!” Her sister’s voice rose with hysteria. “Mom was so upset the doctor had to give her something. And…”

Ava showed her badge to the parking attendant while her sister rambled off the status of her family’s most recent drama.

“Mom’s so upset that I’m late to work that she had to be sedated?” Ava pulled into her parking spot and got out of the car.

“Your boyfriend lied to Westword about Dad!”

“Uh…” Ava said as she opened the trunk to get her backpack. “My boyfriend?”

“O’Malley told that horrible Barton Gaston lies about Dad,” her elder sister said. “The DA told me to go home for a few days while everything cools off.”

“Seth’s in LA dealing with some crisis,” Ava flung her backpack over her shoulder and started toward the door. She saw Seth’s friend, Captain Ferguson, waiting at the door. “I’m about to go in. Would you like to tell me what we’re talking about?”

“Westword is printing an article saying that Dad has made a fortune off of prostitutes at the four-plex. And it’s all your fault.”

“Four-plex?”

“That he owns on Fourteenth? God, Amelie, you’re such a child. The world just floats around baby Amelie.”

“Well, I’m paying attention now and you’re not making any sense, as usual,” Ava said. “Dad’s running for office. The newspapers print stupid crap all the time. So what?”

“This one has photos of Dad and some whore,” her elder sister said. “Plus, the apartment blew up this morning. Gas leak. They’re saying Dad did it to cover up his prostitution ring.”

“Ok, so Dad’s been pimping out of a four-plex on Fourteenth Avenue,” Ava said. “I guess that explains how he paid for our private schools.”

“And the building blew up! Women died!”

She reached the door where Captain Ferguson was waiting. She held up a finger to him and he nodded.

“So there’s a crime scene,” Ava said. “Outside of letting me know where I’ll probably be working today, how does any of this have anything to do with me? Or Seth?”

“Seth O’Malley lied to Westword about Dad,” her elder sister said. “And, just so you know, Dad says Seth owns prostitutes all over town. And…”

“I have to go,” Ava hung up her phone. She looked up at Captain Ferguson.

“What do you know?” he asked.

“My sister says that Westword’s reporting that my father has been prostituting women out of an investment property he owns,” Ava said. “I know he owns buildings, rentals, all over town, but… She says that my father says that Seth owns…”

She looked up in to the Captain’s face and saw that he knew all of this.

“There were four bodies, Ava,” Captain Ferguson said. “Four females. The coroner thinks their throats were cut. The fire inspector found enough evidence to believe that the fire was staged to cover up the evidence. I guess there was a construction crew nearby. They used garden hoses on the fire until the fire department got there. If they hadn’t been there…”

“The fire was hot enough to destroy everything,” Ava said in a low voice.

“Crematorium hot,” Captain Ferguson said.

“Sounds like a professional hit,” Ava said.

“Seems that way,” Captain Ferguson said. “As it is, identification is going to be tough. The coroner has already called Seth’s friend Delphie to help out.”

“And they think my dad…?” Ava was so shocked she didn’t know how to complete the sentence.

“I’m giving you the rest of the week off,” Captain Ferguson said.

“But my lab can’t afford a week off!” Ava said. “Leslie’s just back and Bob is saving to take his wife on a cruise for their anniversary and Nelson…”

“Just you,” Captain Ferguson said. “Most labs are run by civilians. We’ve asked Bob to take over for the rest of the week.”

“You took my lab?” Ava felt her sister’s hysteria begin to rise in her chest. “I lost my lab?”

“No,” Captain Ferguson said. “No one is taking anything from you.”

“But…”

“We’re trying to protect you,” Captain Ferguson said. “I called Seth. That boy who follows him around is arranging for you to fly out there for the rest of the week. Seth said to just come.”

Ava nodded.

“I’m going to drive you home,” Captain Ferguson said. “I’m off shift.”

“To make sure I go?”

“To make sure you’re all right,” he said. “I don’t know how you’ve missed this shit storm so far today, but it’s spreading fast. I want you out of town when this explodes because it’s nasty enough and smelly enough to stick to anything it lands on.”

“I was getting my hair cut,” Ava said.

The Captain glanced at her inch long hair and nodded as if he understood. She was about to press past him, to go to her lab, and stake her claim, when she saw his concern for her. She nodded. They walked together back to her car.

The big man held his hand out and she gave him the keys. When he drove out of the parking lot, she saw what she’d missed driving with her sister ranting in her ear – news reporters lined the street. When they saw her car, they started screaming and yelling her name. Over the bevy of sounds, Ava heard: “Did Seth set up your father?” “Does O’Malley have grudge because your father solved the Saint Jude case?” “Is your father…” Captain Ferguson revved the engine. A police cruiser was waiting for them on the corner to lead the way. Another cruiser followed behind. With lights flashing, they sped to Seth’s house.

Avoiding the reporters at the house, he went around the back and ducked into the garage. The garage door was almost to the ground before the vultures with their microphones came running toward them. Maresol met them on the back lawn.

“It’s been crazy here,” Maresol said. “Dale is staying to make sure the house is all right.”

“We’ll have a detail out front,” Captain Ferguson said. “They should be here by now.”

Maresol ushered them into the house.

“I packed a bag for you, Amelie,” Maresol said. “You should go change.”

Dazed, Ava nodded and went upstairs. When she returned, Captain Ferguson was gone and Dale was sitting at the counter.

“Did your talk to your family?” Maresol asked.

“My sister called,” Ava said. “I… Do you think Seth…?”

“The truth always finds a way to come out,” Maresol shrugged. “Seth? Someone else? It doesn’t matter. La verdad es hija del tiempo.”

Ava nodded. Maresol was right, the truth is time’s daughter.

“Am I a pimp’s daughter?” Ava asked.

“Come on,” Maresol said. “Let’s get out of here.”

At the garden gate, Ava hugged Dale and thanked him for staying. When the gate closed, she felt more than heard the wall of sound from the reporters. A uniformed Denver Police Officer took her and Maresol by the arm and led them to the back of a white Denver Police Department SUV. In what felt like a second, Ava was sitting in first class on her way to LA.

Feeling something on her ear, she reached up and touched the f-tube. She took the Bluetooth device off her ear. Looking at the device, her ears rang and a wall of emotion hit her.

Ava began to cry.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday afternoon — 1:25 p.m.

There was a solid “Whump” and Jeraine screamed.

Bumpy sprinted across the open plain in the direction of the sound. Turning the corner, he saw Jeraine on his hands and knees. Blood poured from his mouth.

“What happened? What happened? What happened?” he yelled as he ran. Jeraine shook his head. As he neared, he heard a braying and a donkey’s head peered from behind a tall Cottonwood tree nearby.

By the time he reached Jeraine, his son was sitting up and holding a handkerchief to his mouth.

“What happened?” Bumpy dropped down to Jeraine.

“That thing kicked me,” Jeraine said.

“What were you doing? Trying to mount it?” Bumpy asked.

Even in pain, the absurdity of the question made Jeraine laugh.

“Yeah, Dad, I got so horny out here in the middle of nowhere. Since you were over there by the house, I thought I’d get me some donkey,” Jeraine laughed. “Don’t tell Tanesha, okay?”

Sitting back, Bumpy laughed, and then he saw Jeraine’s mouth.

“Oh lord, your mother is going to kill me,” Bumpy said.

“Why?” Jeraine asked.

“Your girlfriend broke some of your teeth,” Bumpy said.

“Oh,” Jeraine put his hand to his mouth. Two of his incisors had broken off near the gum. “Shit.”

He spit out a glob of blood from his mouth.

“Shit?” Bumpy asked. “You don’t seem so upset about it.”

“You remember when I had gold teeth and a diamond right there?” Jeraine asked.

“I remember when you looked a fool,” Bumpy said.

“Turns out all that gold weakens your teeth. This one on the right broke when they took the diamond out,” Jeraine said. “They capped the teeth. I guess I’m going to have to spring for implants now. Wanna loan me the money?”

“Sure,” Bumpy said. “How’d it happen?”

“I must have I startled the donkey-beast,” Jeraine said. “It was lying in the shade under this tree when I came around from the river. It hopped up and gave a little kick.”

“And caught your mouth,” Bumpy put his head back and laughed.

“That donkey was fast,” Jeraine said.

They laughed.

“Let me take a look at you,” Bumpy said.

Jeraine let Bumpy look at his mouth and lips.

“You’re mouth is going to swell up. You’ll be pretty bruised; nothing looks broken though,” Bumpy said. “Jeez, you’re filthy. How did you get so dirty?”

“Hanging out with you?”

Bumpy looked down at his own clothing.

“We’re a match,” Bumpy said. “I have some ice in the truck. We’d better get back.”

“You want to stay out here?” Jeraine asked. “I don’t want to spoil the day.”

Bumpy turned to look at him.

“I’m enjoying spending time with you,” Jeraine said.

“Me too,” Bumpy said.

“If you want to stay for more…”

“No, it’s all right, son,” Bumpy said. “There isn’t much more to see here.”

“I like it,” Jeraine said. “I tell you sometimes I wish I could move out to a little cabin in a place like this – only dirt roads in, no way out in the winter, not press, no phones, no Internet, no cops, no drugs, no noise. In the middle of the noise and people and press and… this would have been paradise to me.”

Bumpy put his hand on Jeraine’s shoulder and nodded. He got up and held out a hand. Jeraine took it and hopped up. They started walking back to the truck.

“You going to do it, Dad?” Jeraine asked. “You going to let the oil people have the mineral rights?”

“We’re in the middle of this part of the Niobrara oil field,” Bumpy said. “If we don’t, the other’s won’t be able to either.”

“We don’t need the money,” Jeraine said.

“I thought you were broke,” Bumpy said. “Needed to borrow money for your teeth.”

“I am, but…” Jeraine pulled a wad of money out of his pocket. “I have this.”

“What are you doing with all that money?” Bumpy scowled.

“I thought you were in trouble,” Jeraine shrugged. “I didn’t know what, but I figured I’d get as much as I had in case you needed it. If we needed more, I’d sign a loan or call Schmidty.”

Bumpy’s eyes became moist. He nodded to Jeraine and cleared his throat. They were silent for a moment to let the emotion pass.

“Itth not enoutth for teeth,” Jeraine’s mouth had started to swell.

Shaking his head, Bumpy chuckled. They walked in silence.

“This land belongs to your Grandmother,” Bumpy said when they neared the truck. “She’d get the proceeds from anything they pulled out of the ground here. Outside of buying her a house, she’s never let me… help. Maybe with this…”

He shook his head and got into the driver’s side of the truck. When Jeraine got in, Bumpy held an ice pack out to him. Jeraine pressed it against his mouth and grimaced.

“You ever owe someone everything and have no way to repay it?” Bumpy asked.

“Yeth,” Jeraine nodded and looked into his father’s eyes. Bumpy started the truck.

“There sure is a whole lot of nothin’ out here,” Bumpy said.

Jeraine laughed.

The Denver Cereal will continue next week

Denver Cereal is a serial fiction set in Denver, Colorado.
You can get your daily dose of Denver Cereal at DenverCereal.com
Chapters are posted on Saturdays on this blog.
Download your free electronic copy of The Denver Cereal, the beginning.
Signed copies of the books are only available at Cook Street Store.
You can also find The Denver Cereal, Celia’s Puppies, Cascade , Cimarron, and Black Forest at Amazon or your local bookseller.
Looking for electronic books? Go to the Cook Street Store or Smashwords.

Claudia Hall Christian is a novelist.

Prelude
Previous Chapters

CHAPTER TEN

The weight of his words hung in the air. Almost every person rescued by the Fey Special Forces team had a black Vivaldi F tattooed on their right shoulder or wrist. It was a sign that they owed their life to the Fey. The team fell silent.

“Who is it?” Joseph growled.

“No disrespect meant, but that’s not my purview,” MJ said. “Lieutenant Colonel Hargreaves is my purview.”

MJ gave Alex an irritated smiled. She nodded and followed him out of the room. They went down the hall to the bathroom where MJ’s medic kit was set up.

“We talked about heels like this,” MJ said.

“I haven’t been wearing any,” Alex said. “I don’t think I can get away with not wearing them for this.”

“You can take them off and carry them in your hand,” MJ said.

“Point taken,” Alex said.

“I’m going to give you a shot,” MJ said. “But you remember what the doctor said…”

“Only one shot a day,” Alex said. “The steroids interfere with healing… and a bunch of other stuff.”

She lifted her skirt. As she had at least once a day since she’d had her last surgery, Alex bent over and grit her teeth against the pain. MJ injected her hip with a cocktail of steroids and pain medications. She stayed completely still for a moment while the steroids settled.

“I found a doctor who’s treating your very same symptoms.”

“Oh yeah?” Alex asked.

“Works with a lot of vets. I’d like you to meet with him.”

“Where is he?” Alex asked.

“Norfolk,” MJ said.

“Tell Joseph. If I can, it will go on the schedule,” Alex said.

“Yes sir.”

“We’ve got to go,” Zack pounded on the bathroom door.

“Thanks MJ,” Alex said.

“I’ll be in the Winnebago at Walmart,” MJ said.

“See you in an hour or so,” Alex said.

MJ opened the door. Alex gave him her best hooker wave and followed Zack to the door. Against the wall, a very intimidated US Army Master Sergeant stood at attention.

“Hey Darren,” Alex said. “What’s going on?”

“Sir, this creature was going to drive the Jakker to JFCOM so that he could be held hostage,” White Boy said. “He had full knowledge of the plan and still participated.”

Snarling, White Boy took a step toward the Master Sergeant.

“Permission to speak, sir,” the Master Sergeant said.

“Go,” Alex said.

“I was going to tell Captain Jakkman while we were in the car,” the Master Sergeant said. “I have a phone…”

He moved to his pocket and Trece was on him. Trece came up with a disposable phone.

“I bought that last night for Captain Jakkman’s use,” the Master Sergeant said. “I am required to do as I’m assigned or face court-martial. I’m on track for promotion this summer and…”

“I’d quit before I betrayed the Fey,” Matthew said.

“That’s just it,” the Master Sergeant said. “I’m not betraying the Fey. I’m helping. And I figured when it all went down, you could use another weapon.”

The Master Sergeant smiled at his brilliance.

“Do they know you wear an F?” Alex asked.

“Yes sir,” the Master Sergeant said. “I’m proud and humbled by my safe rescue by the Fey Special Forces Team. My wife and I thank God every day for you and the men.”

“They sent you because Captain Jakkman would trust you,” Alex said. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Eniac is monitoring all of your communication,” he said. “Even the Map Phone. It’s some computer thing. That’s why no one can call you. One of my team called the Map Phone with a map correction. He was picked up in the middle of the night from his home and taken to Leavenworth, sir. I know it’s selfish, but my wife… my kids… My mom has Alzheimer’s and…”

He swallowed hard.

“I thought I could help!” he protested.

“They were going to kill you,” Trece said. “You wouldn’t have made it past the front doors.”

“Oh God.” The Master Sergeant lowered his head and pinched his nose to keep from weeping.

“If you want to help us,” Joseph said. “You will say you had to drag Captain Jakkman out of bed. He wouldn’t leave without the Lieutenant Colonel. You will refer to the Fey as ‘some hooker’. You will stop at a liquor store and buy whiskey for Captain Jakkman. You will call in a panic and tell them that when you returned to the limo, Captain Jakkman and the hooker were having sex.”

“Yes sir,” he said.

“You will drop us at the entrance,” Alex said.

“Tell them that the limo is in a mess from their ‘activities,’” White Boy said.

“Retreat to the Walmart parking lot where you will find an ancient Winnebago with a blue fairy sticker on the back,” Joseph said.

“Oh, and can you play that ‘Cult of Personality’ song?” Alex asked. “I need to learn the words.”

“Hey!” Zack faked a hurt expression.

“Yes sir,” the Master Sergeant said.

“What’s your name?” Matthew asked.

“Darren Rossen, Master Sergeant, US Army,” he saluted.

“Sorry we gave you such a hard time,” White Boy said. “We had to be sure.”

“I understand,” Master Sergeant Rossen said. “We need to go. Captain Jakkman is already a day late.”

Trece held the door for the Master Sergeant. The Master Sergeant pointed down the stairs. Joseph gave Zack a bottle of inexpensive John Jameson’s 7-year Irish Whiskey. Zack saluted with the bottle and took the stairs. The Master Sergeant followed Zack. Alex looked at the steps and took her heels off. Joseph gave her a tattered handbag. With a nod at their worried faces, she trotted down the steps to the limo.

“It’s like prom,” she said when she scooted in after Zack.

“I wish you’d gone to prom with me,” Zack said.

“I think things have worked out pretty perfectly,” Alex said.

Zack smiled. He moved across the limo to sit next to her.

“Why do you smell like sex?” Alex asked.

“Didn’t shower,” Zack said. “You?”

“Same,” Alex said.

“Yeah, things worked out perfectly,” Zack said.

“Would you like to stop at the liquor store?” the Master Sergeant asked.

“Can we do both?” Alex asked. “Hit one here and then another when we get there?”

“Liquor stores aren’t open until nine in Washington DC,” the Master Sergeant said. “We would have to wait.”

“Shit,” Alex said. “I didn’t check.”

“I can call in to say you and Captain Jakkman are having sex when we’re on the highway,” Master Sergeant Rossen said.

“Good thinking,” Alex said. “We have this bottle. We can skip the liquor store.”

“Yes sir,” the Master Sergeant said.

“We’re going to nap,” Alex said. “There’s no way to know what this day is going to turn into.”

“Hey, I thought we were having sex,” Zack said in his most indignant voice. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for…”

His head dropped back in mock sleep.

“Wake us up about ten minutes before we get there,” Alex said.

“Yes sir,” the Master Sergeant said.

“Sleep now or forever hold your peace,” Alex said to Zack.

Zack put his arm around her. He dropped his hat over his eyes and was out. She put her head against his shoulder and fell asleep.

FFF

Monday morning
October 26 – 8:42 a.m. EDT
Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, VA

When Trece had said they would be thorough, Alex hadn’t expected them to be quite as probing. The grumpy guards at the front of JFCOM all but did a full body-cavity search. She was delighted to see Jesse waiting for them near the entrance. He asked her more than once if she needed him to shock them.

“Boys, you have to pay for any more than that,” Alex giggled. “But I should be available later.”

“I want you all day,” Zack said.

“Maybe tomorrow, cutie,” Alex said and stroked the guard’s cheek. “Hey! What are you doing?”

They took her phone and tossed it into a cubby.

“That’s my livelihood,” Alex tried to get her phone from the cubby.

“I’ll be your livelihood,” Zack leered. “What do you mean you need my phone? I’m a superior officer, Sergeant! Who is your supervisor?”

Zack breathed whiskey breath on the guards. They grimaced but didn’t step back.

“It’s JFCOM standard procedure,” the guard growled. “If you look at the cubbies, Captain, you’ll see all the other phones there.”

“It’s a security risk for you to bring your phone into the building,” the other guard said. “As is alcohol. You can’t bring this in.”

The guard waved the flask of whiskey he’d taken from her purse.

“Hey! You can’t have that,” Alex reached over him for the whiskey. “That’s mine! I bought that!”

“I’m sure you’re making enough today to buy another,” the guard used his forearm to push her away from him.

“I’ll buy you anything you’d like,” Zack said.

“I do like you,” Alex said.

Zack began a tongue-probing kiss. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jesse swing the security camera away from them. Noticing the camera, the guard slipped a handheld computer into her bag. The other guard came to break up their pornographic embrace. While they fought to stay together, he slipped weapons into their hands. Jesse let the security camera track back in toward the guards’ direction.

“Sir, you disgust me,” the guard said.

“If I didn’t have to be at this meeting,” Zack said. “I’d have you court-martialed.”

“Yeah, court-martialed,” Alex pointed her index finger in the air and waved it back and forth. “No disrespecting the Captain.”

“Get them out of here,” the guard said to a waiting Sergeant.

“Right this way,” the Sergeant said. “We’re not quite ready for you. We wondered if you would mind waiting.”

“I always wait when I’m here,” Zack exaggerated his drunkenness. “Why do you think I brought entertainment?”

“Your iPod is for entertainment, sir,” the Sergeant said.

“This is more fun,” Zack wiggled his eyebrows.

“Yeah, fun,” Alex said.

Zack put his arm around Alex. His hand drifted down her chest until he grabbed her breast. She gave him a lustful look. The Sergeant couldn’t keep the disgust from his face.

“Listen,” Zack did his best imitation of an angry drunk. “I flew that bitch around all day yesterday. All day. That’s against regs! Take me here, Jakkman. Take me there, Jakkman. I need to unwind.”

“I’m the best kind of unwind!” Alex said.

Zack moved to kiss her again.

“Shall we?” the Sergeant asked.

The Sergeant took Zack’s arm in one hand and Alex’s arm in the other. He hustled them down a long hallway. They turned left, then right, and waited for an elevator. Rather than letting go of them, the Sergeant asked Alex to press the button. They went up a flight and down another hallway. By Alex’s recollection, they were close to the computer facility. The Sergeant opened a door and pushed them into a small room. Before they could say anything, the Sergeant shut the door. They heard a key turn in the lock.

Zack jumped Alex. In a great show of lust, she began taking off his clothing. She took his hat off and tossed it into the corner. The hat flew up into the air. Jesse caught the hat and lifted it up to the room’s surveillance camera. Unsure if there were other cameras, they continued their act.

Zack picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to a low table with a phone on it. She slipped across the table top to the phone. He unzipped his pants.

“Wait!” Alex said. “We need a condom.”

“Would hate for that dragon-hearted woman at home to find out,” Zack said.

He picked up her handbag and carried it to her. With the handbag tight between them, she made a show of going through it until she found a condom.

“Better get two,” Zack said.

“You are so frisky,” Alex said.

Zack started at his girlfriend Bestat’s usual joke about him. Alex gave a drunken giggle. Laughing, he dropped his pants. While he was fumbling around with his underwear, Alex took the handheld computer from her bag and turned it on.

“We need some music for the mood!” Alex said.

Zack gave her a lecherous grin and took the iPod out of his pocket. Working under the cover of his body, she plugged the computer cord in the handheld computer and held it out to him.

“The cult of personality,” Alex sang off key.

“Neon light…” Zack joined in.

He dropped his tidy whities and stepped closer to her. Alex leaned back to use her hands to prop herself up. Zack fell forward as if they had connected. His hands went past hers to set the handheld computer next to the phone. She moaned to cover the sound of Jesse connecting the handheld computer to the phone line.

“Only you can set me freeeeee,” Alex and Zack sang together.

Even though the handheld computer’s sound was turned off, it made a series of clicks. Zack grunted and Alex added some “Oh Gods.” They continued their Adult-Video-News-award-winning performance until Zack gave an exaggerated “Yippee Kai Yea” and collapsed against her. She had to press her mouth against his shoulder to keep from laughing out loud.

Zack glanced at his watch. It had been ten minutes since they had hooked up the handheld computer. Alex lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

“Good thing you brought more condoms!” Zack said.

Alex put her head back and laughed. Her pink curls shook glitter all over the room.

“Here you go, honey.” Alex gave him another condom. “You are a fun date.”

“I want to have fun…”

“WE ARE ANONYMOUS,” a computerized voice came over the loud speaker. The voice echoed through the hallway. “DO NOT PANIC. WE HAVE TAKEN CONTROL OF THIS FACILITY.”

“It’s about fucking time,” Zack said. “I already used my best material.”

“STAY AT YOUR STATIONS AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LEAVE THE BUILDING. DO NOT TRY. STAY AT YOUR STATIONS.”

They heard general panic outside the door. The lock on their door clicked open.

“Love the outfit, Fey,” the computerized voice said from the phone’s speaker.

“Thanks X,” Alex said.

“You can put on your clothes Jakker,” the X voice said.

Wearing only a white T-shirt, Zack yanked up his underwear. He picked up his pants from near the door and his jacket from a corner, and started to dress.

“He has such a nice butt,” a higher-pitched computerized voice said. “Hey Alex, how big is he?”

“A high-class girl never talks size,” Alex laughed. The higher-pitched computerized voice laughed.

“Funny,” Zack said. “You’re very funny. Have you seen my tie?”

“Heya Y,” Alex said. “I should have known you were there.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” the Y voice said. “Can I have your outfit when you’re done? X wants the wig.”

“Jakker, your tie is in the bin,” the X voice said.

Zack went to the trashcan to find his tie. He noticed a rip in his dress shirt and dropped it in the trashcan.

“You can have my outfit,” Alex said. “It’s the least I can do. You guys know where Ben is?”

“He’s being held down the hall from you,” the X voice said. “It hasn’t occurred to them that you caused any of this. Should we let them know?”

“Let’s get Ben first,” Alex said. “Anyone else here we should know about?”

“Not that we’ve found,” the X voice said. “We’re just finishing the system. You were right, by the way. It’s not quite a virus but more than a monitoring program. That’s why it took so long. We’ll let you know the details when you confirm control of the computer facility.”

“Fey?” the Y voice asked. “Ben is three doors to your left as you exit the room and across the hall. He has one guard with him.”

“Is he saying anything?” Alex asked.

“He’s saying something in some other language,” the Y voice said. “I don’t recognize it and our software won’t translate it. I’ll patch you in.”

“While these final scans run, I’m going to announce this to CNN,” the X voice said. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. But Fey, you acted just in time. This thing was ready to do… I’m not quite sure what, on the entire international intelligence network.”

“Here’s Ben,” the Y voice said.

Ben’s voice came over the phone’s speaker. At first Alex thought he was injured until she realized he wasn’t actually saying anything. In his garbled non-language, he was saying he was there and he believed in her. She smiled at his confidence. Then, she realized what he was actually saying.

F

Lean on Me is the fourth novel in the fast paced Alex the Fey thriller series
by Claudia Hall Christian.

The novel is available in paperback and electronic books at Cook Street Store.
It will be available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local book seller after 2/29/12
Lean on Me, and all the Alex the Fey thrillers are available in eBooks.
Entire chapters are be published on Fridays beginning March 2, 2012 at
StoriesbyClaudia.com and AlextheFey.com.

For discounts, give aways, special fiction, and other fun
join the Alex the Fey Facebook Group

CHAPTER ONE

(part two)

“Yeah, some people are jealous,” Larry said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lo said. “She loves you.”

“I should stand up to her but…” Larry shrugged.

“We weren’t raised that way,” Lo said.

“You escaped,” Larry said.

“Yeah, like I knew what I was doing,” Lo said. “I was just sixteen years old. Don swept me off my feet and… I was very lucky. Even if he was with this Jean-Jean… Even if she was his lover… I was very lucky.”

Lo slurped the last of her milkshake.

“Want another?” Larry asked.

“I think I’m going to explode,” Lo said.

He smiled and she shrugged.

“Why did you marry him?” Larry asked. “I’ve never asked you but I always wondered.”

“Don is a Southern Baptist,” Lo said. “He couldn’t see any other way but to get married. Especially since I was so young. I mean, it bothers him that he’s twenty years older than me. He doesn’t want me to feel inferior or like I don’t have a say or…”

“That’s why he made you finish high school and go to college,” Larry said.

“Right,” Lo said. “He wants me to be ‘at his level, an equal partner in life.’ That’s what Don wants. I do my best to be that for him. But who can equal Don?”

Lo’s eyes lost focus. She gave a soft smile.

“He’s a better person than I am,” Lo said.

Larry smiled at her use of the present tense. It was going to take a long time for his little sister to put her husband to rest.

“And, I don’t know,” Lo said. “Dad died. Mom was a wreck. You’d left for the Air Force. And… it just happened. I got that summer baby sitting job with his girls, met him, and married him two months later.”

“Why didn’t you guys have kids?” Larry asked.

“We can’t,” Lo said.

“How did he have kids with Witchiepoo?”

“That’s a very good question,” Lo said. “We don’t think they’re his.”

“But he paid child support for them?”

“That man paid child support for those kids and they lived with us full time,” Lo said. “He loved those kids and gladly paid their mother if we could keep them.”

“Did they come back for the funeral?”

“Alisha has a trial starting on Monday,” Lo said. “She flew in and out today. She’s hanging on by a thread. I think work is the only thing that’s keeping her together. Mandy and I took her to the airport before…”

“And Mandy?”

“She went out with her friends,” Lo said. “She’s almost never in town so she wanted to see her friends while she’s here.”

“How’s law school?”

“Harder for Mandy then Alisha,” Lo said. “Don thinks she’s going to quit and go to Med or Vet school. But she’s getting through it. She has finals soon so she’s going back to Waco tonight.”

Lo always seemed so happy when she talked about the girls. Larry gave his sister a smile. Even tonight, one of the worst nights of her life, she still smiled when she talked about those girls. Catching his smile, Lo smiled back at her brother.

“Don wants a baby more than anything,” Lo said. “We’ve been doing the fertility thing but…”

Lo shrugged. She took a deep breath and then broke down again. Like a silent guard, Larry stood watch while she cried into her hands. After a few minutes, Larry got up to grab some napkins for her. When he got back, she had put most of her sorrow back into its tight, private box.

“I don’t have Don. I don’t have a baby. I don’t have a house. I don’t have a dollar.” Lo looked at her brother. “I have nothing.”

“You have the girls. You have me. You have Lisa.”

“Poor Lisa. Earl’s been out of work this whole year,” Lo said. “They’re really desperate. They couldn’t even afford to buy tickets to the Cowgirl museum when her picture went up. Don bought the tickets for them.”

“Don was a great guy.”

Lo nodded.

“Their house foreclosed about six months ago, but they haven’t been thrown out yet. Some loop hole… I wish I had that loop hole. I wanted to lie awake staring at the ceiling in my own bedroom tonight.”

Lo looked out the windows into the early morning dark.

“Do you think his pillow will still smell like him when I get back?” Lo asked. “It’s the only thing that got me through last week.”

As he’d wiped the tears from her face, Larry wished he could wipe the pain out of his sister’s life. He squeezed her hand.

“I’ll tell you what,” Larry said. “I’ll talk to a few guys and see if we can get you in there tomorrow. You can at least get your clothes, jewelry, his pillow, and the stuff they can’t auction off.”

“Thanks Larry,” Lo said.

“I was thinking about having a strawberry pie. They’re here for spring,” Larry said. “Want one?”

“Sure.”

“No crying, okay?”

Lo nodded. Larry walked to the counter to order the fried delicacies. While he was gone, Lo tried to take a few deep breaths. His warm company and the fatty food were calming. For a brief second, she thought she might survive all to this. She smiled at him when he came back with two pies and two cups of coffee. They ate their pies and drank their coffee in silence. When Larry looked at his watch, Lo knew he had to go. He’d catch hell as it was. If he stayed any later, he might need that lawyer.

“Do you have any money?” Larry asked.

“Nothing,” Lo said.

“Any cards just in your name?”

Lo shook her head. Larry pulled out his wallet and gave her a hundred dollars.

“I got this before I came to get you,” Larry said.

“I can’t take this,” Lo said.

“You can’t not take this,” Larry said. “You need food, clothing, and a place to stay.”

“What about Ruth Ann?”

“I’ll tell her I lost it in a bet,” Larry said. “I’m betting on you, Lo. You’re going to turn this around. I just know it.”

“How?”

“What about Don’s company?” Larry asked. “Don owned the biggest air conditioning company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.”

“Owned in name only,” Lo said. “Henry, his Dad, bought it as a side project. Don never got around to selling it.”

“So what? Is that frozen?”

“I didn’t think to ask,” Lo said. “It’s probably still in Henry’s name.”

“I bet you five bucks they didn’t touch that air conditioning business,” Larry said. “You should take it over.”

“What do I know about air conditioning?” Lo asked.

“What’s to know?” Larry smiled. “Let’s check it out tomorrow after we get some of your stuff. I bet Lisa would go through the books for you. She’s really good at that kind of thing.”

“And have Earl take care of their three kids?”

“Hey, a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” Larry said. “He’ll survive. Lisa and I will meet you tomorrow.”

“Meet me where?”

“Mom’s.”

“Mom’s??” Lo shook her head. “No. No. No. Uh huh. No way am I staying at Mom’s! I haven’t been there since I found her…”

“Since she hanged herself,” Larry said. “I remember. I’m the one who cut her down. Best post-boot camp leave on record. Do you still have the keys?”

Lo nodded.

“I drive by Mom’s every week or so just too… well…” Larry shrugged. “Did you know Don took care of the place? It has a new roof. He had someone mow the grass and take care of the yard. I saw a plumber there once or twice.”

“He did?”

“I asked Don about it at one of your Fourth-of-July barbeques,” Larry said. “A couple of years ago. I asked him what he was up to. He told me that his Lorraine was born in that house. He couldn’t let it fall to the ground.”

“You don’t think he met other women there?” Lo asked.

“When would he have had the time?” Larry asked. “He had a busy law practice, the air conditioning company and he spent every other waking moment with you.”

“He was with another woman when he got sick.”

“You honestly think a man who wouldn’t be with you before marriage was with a bunch of women?”

“Ministers do it all the time,” Lo said.

“Now you’re just being weird.”

“I don’t know anything anymore,” Lo said.

“Stop the doubt, Lo. It’s killing you.”

Lo sniffed at her tears.

“No matter what happened, Don Downs loved you,” Larry said. “And…”

“And?”

“Now that all this crap happened,” Larry said. “I wonder if he kept up Mom’s house so you’d have a place to go.”

“How could he have known?” Lo asked.

“Don always seemed to know what was going to happen,” Larry said.

“Yeah, I always thought it was from helping the Romani,” Lo said.

“The Gypsies kept him well informed about the future?” Larry asked. “Probably.”

Shrugging, Lo wiped her eyes.

“Come on,” Larry said. “I’ll take you home.”

Larry put his arm around Lo and they walked into the Whataburger parking lot. Larry helped Lo into her Lexus then went to his cruiser. Lo drove up Hemphill Street to Feliks Gwozdz Place and turned left. She continued on West Myrtle until she got to Henderson. She turned right and pulled up in front of their mother’s house. Larry pulled in behind her. She waited for him to come to her door before she got out.

They walked to the front door together. Lo put the key in the dead bolt and turned it. The door swung open releasing a blast of hot air.

“I bet the air conditioning works,” Larry laughed.

Lo and Larry stepped into the house. Instinctively, they both turned to look in the living room. In the shadow and memory, they both saw their mother’s lifeless body hanging from the ceiling fan.

“I still see her there,” Lo whispered.

“Me too,” Larry said.

While Lo pulled the sheets from the furniture, Larry walked through the house. He turned on the air conditioning and checked to see if the water was running. He plugged in the refrigerator. He flipped on and off a few lights.

“Looks like everything’s working,” Larry said.

Larry hugged Lo tight.

“Here,” Larry gave Lo a disposable cell phone. “Your phone’s off. I didn’t know if you knew.”

“I didn’t,” Lo said.

“I tried to call you,” Larry said. “This isn’t as fancy as your iPhone, but it works. It’s from a set of phones cops are supposed to give informants. Witchiepoo will never find you. I programmed mine and Lisa’s numbers in case you need us. If Alisha or Mandy call me, should I give them your number?”

Lo nodded.

“You’ll be safe here.”

“Thank you,” Lo said. “For everything. Really.”

“Anytime of the day or night, Lorraine,” Larry said. “Call and I’ll be here quick as I can. Just don’t…”

Larry swallowed hard. He clutched Lo to him.

“The moment passed, Larry,” Lo said.

Larry kissed her cheek and walked out of the house. Lo closed and dead bolted the door. Crossing her arms across her broken heart, she walked back to the living room.

“Well Mom,” Lo said. “I guess I’m home.”

Q

“It’s okay,” Lo said. “She loves you.”

“I should stand up to her but…” Larry shrugged.

“We weren’t raised that way,” Lo said.

“You escaped,” Larry said.

“Yeah, like I knew what I was doing,” Lo said. “I was just sixteen years old. Don swept me off my feet and… I was very lucky. Even if he was with this Jean-Jean… Even if she was his lover… I was very lucky.”

Lo slurped the last of her milkshake.

“Want another?” Larry asked.

“I think I’m going to explode,” Lo said.

He smiled and she shrugged.

“Why did you marry him?” Larry asked. “I’ve never asked you but I always wondered.”

“Don is a Southern Baptist,” Lo said. “He couldn’t see any other way but to get married. Especially since I was so young. I mean, it bothers him that he’s twenty years older than me. He doesn’t want me to feel inferior or like I don’t have a say or…”

“That’s why he made you finish high school and go to college,” Larry said.

“Right,” Lo said. “He wants me to be ‘at his level, an equal partner in life.’ That’s what Don wants. I do my best to be that for him. But who can equal Don?”

Lo’s eyes lost focus. She gave a soft smile.

“He’s a better person than I am,” Lo said.

Larry smiled at her use of the present tense. It was going to take a long time for his little sister to put her husband to rest.

“And, I don’t know,” Lo said. “Dad died. Mom was a wreck. You’d left for the Air Force. And… it just happened. I got that summer baby sitting job with his girls, met him, and married him two months later.”

“Why didn’t you guys have kids?” Larry asked.

“We can’t,” Lo said.

“How did he have kids with Witchiepoo?”

“That’s a very good question,” Lo said. “We don’t think they’re his.”

“But he paid child support for them?”

“That man paid child support for those kids and they lived with us full time,” Lo said. “He loved those kids and gladly paid their mother if we could keep them.”

“Did they come back for the funeral?”

“Alisha has a trial starting on Monday,” Lo said. “She flew in and out today. She’s hanging on by a thread. I think work is the only thing that’s keeping her together. Mandy and I took her to the airport before…”

“And Mandy?”

“She went out with her friends,” Lo said. “She’s almost never in town so she wanted to see her friends while she’s here.”

“How’s law school?”

“Harder for Mandy then Alisha,” Lo said. “Don thinks she’s going to quit and go to Med or Vet school. But she’s getting through it. She has finals soon so she’s going back to Waco tonight.”

Lo always seemed so happy when she talked about the girls. Larry gave his sister a smile. Even tonight, one of the worst nights of her life, she still smiled when she talked about those girls. Catching his smile, Lo smiled back at her brother.

“Don wants a baby more than anything,” Lo said. “We’ve been doing the fertility thing but…”

Lo shrugged. She took a deep breath and then broke down again. Like a silent guard, Larry stood watch while she cried into her hands. After a few minutes, Larry got up to grab some napkins for her. When he got back, she had put most of her sorrow back into its tight, private box.

“I don’t have Don. I don’t have a baby. I don’t have a house. I don’t have a dollar.” Lo looked at her brother. “I have nothing.”

“You have the girls. You have me. You have Lisa.”

“Poor Lisa. Earl’s been out of work this whole year,” Lo said. “They’re really desperate. They couldn’t even afford to buy tickets to the Cowgirl museum when her picture went up. Don bought the tickets for them.”

“Don was a great guy.”

Lo nodded.

“Their house foreclosed about six months ago, but they haven’t been thrown out yet. Some loop hole… I wish I had that loop hole. I wanted to lie awake staring at the ceiling in my own bedroom tonight.”

Lo looked out the windows into the early morning dark.

“Do you think his pillow will still smell like him when I get back?” Lo asked. “It’s the only thing that got me through last week.”

As he’d wiped the tears from her face, Larry wished he could wipe the pain out of his sister’s life. He squeezed her hand.

“I’ll tell you what,” Larry said. “I’ll talk to a few guys and see if we can get you in there tomorrow. You can at least get your clothes, jewelry, his pillow, and the stuff they can’t auction off.”

“Thanks Larry,” Lo said.

“I was thinking about having a strawberry pie. They’re here for spring,” Larry said. “Want one?”

“Sure.”

“No crying, okay?”

Lo nodded. Larry walked to the counter to order the fried delicacies. While he was gone, Lo tried to take a few deep breaths. His warm company and the fatty food were calming. For a brief second, she thought she might survive all to this. She smiled at him when he came back with two pies and two cups of coffee. They ate their pies and drank their coffee in silence. When Larry looked at his watch, Lo knew he had to go. He’d catch hell as it was. If he stayed any later, he might need that lawyer.

“Do you have any money?” Larry asked.

“Nothing,” Lo said.

“Any cards just in your name?”

Lo shook her head. Larry pulled out his wallet and gave her a hundred dollars.

“I got this before I came to get you,” Larry said.

“I can’t take this,” Lo said.

“You can’t not take this,” Larry said. “You need food, clothing, and a place to stay.”

“What about Ruth Ann?”

“I’ll tell her I lost it in a bet,” Larry said. “I’m betting on you, Lo. You’re going to turn this around. I just know it.”

“How?”

“What about Don’s company?” Larry asked. “Don owned the biggest air conditioning company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.”

“Owned in name only,” Lo said. “Henry, his Dad, bought it as a side project. Don never got around to selling it.”

“So what? Is that frozen?”

“I didn’t think to ask,” Lo said. “It’s probably still in Henry’s name.”

“I bet you five bucks they didn’t touch that air conditioning business,” Larry said. “You should take it over.”

“What do I know about air conditioning?” Lo asked.

“What’s to know?” Larry smiled. “Let’s check it out tomorrow after we get some of your stuff. I bet Lisa would go through the books for you. She’s really good at that kind of thing.”

“And have Earl take care of their three kids?”

“Hey, a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” Larry said. “He’ll survive. Lisa and I will meet you tomorrow.”

“Meet me where?”

“Mom’s.”

“Mom’s??” Lo shook her head. “No. No. No. Uh huh. No way am I staying at Mom’s! I haven’t been there since I found her…”

“Since she hanged herself,” Larry said. “I remember. I’m the one who cut her down. Best post-boot camp leave on record. Do you still have the keys?”

Lo nodded.

“I drive by Mom’s every week or so just too… well…” Larry shrugged. “Did you know Don took care of the place? It has a new roof. He had someone mow the grass and take care of the yard. I saw a plumber there once or twice.”

“He did?”

“I asked Don about it at one of your Fourth-of-July barbeques,” Larry said. “A couple of years ago. I asked him what he was up to. He told me that his Lorraine was born in that house. He couldn’t let it fall to the ground.”

“You don’t think he met other women there?” Lo asked.

“When would he have had the time?” Larry asked. “He had a busy law practice, the air conditioning company and he spent every other waking moment with you.”

“He was with another woman when he got sick.”

“You honestly think a man who wouldn’t be with you before marriage was with a bunch of women?”

“Ministers do it all the time,” Lo said.

“Now you’re just being weird.”

“I don’t know anything anymore,” Lo said.

“Stop the doubt, Lo. It’s killing you.”

Lo sniffed at her tears.

“No matter what happened, Don Downs loved you,” Larry said. “And…”

“And?”

“Now that all this crap happened,” Larry said. “I wonder if he kept up Mom’s house so you’d have a place to go.”

“How could he have known?” Lo asked.

“Don always seemed to know what was going to happen,” Larry said.

“Yeah, I always thought it was from helping the Romani,” Lo said.

“The Gypsies kept him well informed about the future?” Larry asked. “Probably.”

Shrugging, Lo wiped her eyes.

“Come on,” Larry said. “I’ll take you home.”

Larry put his arm around Lo and they walked into the Whataburger parking lot. Larry helped Lo into her Lexus then went to his cruiser. Lo drove up Hemphill Street to Feliks Gwozdz Place and turned left. She continued on West Myrtle until she got to Henderson. She turned right and pulled up in front of their mother’s house. Larry pulled in behind her. She waited for him to come to her door before she got out.

They walked to the front door together. Lo put the key in the dead bolt and turned it. The door swung open releasing a blast of hot air.

“I bet the air conditioning works,” Larry laughed.

Lo and Larry stepped into the house. Instinctively, they both turned to look in the living room. In the shadow and memory, they both saw their mother’s lifeless body hanging from the ceiling fan.

“I still see her there,” Lo whispered.

“Me too,” Larry said.

While Lo pulled the sheets from the furniture, Larry walked through the house. He turned on the air conditioning and checked to see if the water was running. He plugged in the refrigerator. He flipped on and off a few lights.

“Looks like everything’s working,” Larry said.

Larry hugged Lo tight.

“Here,” Larry gave Lo a disposable cell phone. “Your phone’s off. I didn’t know if you knew.”

“I didn’t,” Lo said.

“I tried to call you,” Larry said. “This isn’t as fancy as your iPhone, but it works. It’s from a set of phones cops are supposed to give informants. Witchiepoo will never find you. I programmed mine and Lisa’s numbers in case you need us. If Alisha or Mandy call me, should I give them your number?”

Lo nodded.

“You’ll be safe here.”

“Thank you,” Lo said. “For everything. Really.”

“Anytime of the day or night, Lorraine,” Larry said. “Call and I’ll be here quick as I can. Just don’t…”

Larry swallowed hard. He clutched Lo to him.

“The moment passed, Larry,” Lo said.

Larry kissed her cheek and walked out of the house. Lo closed and dead bolted the door. Crossing her arms across her broken heart, she walked back to the living room.

“Well Mom,” Lo said. “I guess I’m home.”

Q

The Queen of Cool continues tomorrow…

_____________________________

The Queen of Cool is an intense mystery set in Fort Worth, Texas
by Claudia Hall Christian.

The novel is available in paperback and electronic books at Cook Street Store.
It will be available at in paperback and eBook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and your local bookseller.
The half of the chapter will be posted every Wednesday beginning May 2, 2012
StoriesbyClaudia.com and theQueenofCool.com

For discounts, give aways, special fiction, and other fun
join the the Queen of Cool Facebook Group

Previous Chapters
Recap of what’s happened so far and character summary
Looking for the beginning? Chapter One

CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED and FOUR

Wednesday morning — 6:45 a.m.

Jeraine looked over at his father. He didn’t say a word when Jeraine got into the old truck. Bumpy just nodded and started driving.

“You were going to tell me what’s going on,” Jeraine said.

“How much do you know about my past?” Bumpy asked.

“Um…” Jeraine scratched his head. “You went to East High School. You met Seth in the jazz band. They let you try all the instruments until you settled on the standup base. Uh… I know you lived with Grannie Louise in town while Gramps and your brothers lived out east.”

“That’s all?” Bumpy said.

“Um… yeah.”

Bumpy made a guttural sound that Jeraine couldn’t decipher.

“I thought Seth would have…” Bumpy said. “Not even when you were in prison?”

“Seth?” Jeraine asked. “That man is the Bank of Information – a lot of goes in but very little goes out.”

“That’s the truth,” Bumpy said.

“And anyway, why wouldn’t you tell me?” Jeraine asked. “I know you’re sober, but I don’t know why. You told the therapist when I was in treatment that you had trouble with drugs and women too, but you never said boo to me about it. And…”

“And?”

“You’re supposed to be telling me now,” Jeraine said. “Not asking me what I know.”

Bumpy chuckled. Jeraine scowled and looked out the window. They drove in silence until Bumpy got on the 270.

“How long are we driving for?” Jeraine asked.

“Couple hours,” Bumpy said.

“If you’re not going to talk, I need to sleep,” Jeraine said.

“Why aren’t you sleeping at night?”

“I am sleeping at night,” Jeraine said. “But I have to get at least ten hours of sleep a day. I only had eight last night.”

Bumpy scowled at Jeraine as if he was lying.

“Listen, Dad,” Jeraine said. “I’ve lost every single thing I worked my entire life for. I don’t have any money. I don’t have a record company or a recording contract. I don’t even own my own house. I can’t go to med school like I planned. I’m doing everything in my power not to lose Tanesha. And Tanesha believes this treatment is going to help me because that lady Delphie told her it was going to help me. So you can believe I’m lazy or you can help me get better. It’s your choice. Either way, I’m going to sleep for an hour because that’s what my treatment plan says I need to do – regular one hour naps throughout the day.”

With that, Jeraine crossed his arms and turned his body away from his father. Bumpy looked at his son for a moment then nodded.

“What?” Jeraine asked.

“There’s no cure for asshole,” Bumpy laughed.

“That’s the truth,” Jeraine laughed.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday morning — 8:45 a.m.

“Where you think you goin’?” her keeper said.

He didn’t look up from his newspaper. He wasn’t a particularly nice man. Her daughter called him her “keeper.” After more than twenty years, he was like a familiar tHorn in her side. She smiled but he didn’t notice. He was reading the Denver Post at a small white plastic table in the middle of the four-plex lawn.

“Today’s my monthly visit with my daughter,” Yvonne Smith said. “Did I tell you she started med school this week? My Tanni is in med school. Can you believe it?”

Yvonne beamed at the man. He shook his head at her but never looked up from the paper.

“I asked you where you goin’,” he said.

“I got twenty dollars,” Yvonne said. “Mr. Aaron gave it to me to get something for my Tanni. I’m goin’ across the street to get my Tanni’s favorite flowers and a card.”

“Can’t go by yourself,” he said. “You ain’t allowed but one trip out by yourself a month. You want to use it going across the street?”

“No,” Yvonne said. “I’m going to lunch and getting my hair done. Today’s my day with my daughter. I get the whole day off. That’s what Mr. Aaron said. I wrote it down if you want to see. Her friend Heather’s coming to get me at noon. We’re picking Tanni up at school.”

“Guess you can’t go across the street then,” he said.

“You don’t seem to be doing much,” she said. “Come with me. You know those girls don’t get up for a couple hours. We’ll be back long before that.”

He gave her a sour look. He reached for his cigarette pack and found it empty. He looked up at her.

“I need cigarettes anyway,” he said.

She waited while he hefted himself out of the chair. After years of beating on Johns and hookers, his hips and knees were shot and pimping didn’t come with great medical insurance. He moved like a man a decade older than he was. He made a show of locking the other girl’s doors before walking toward the sidewalk.

“You’re wearing your new dress,” he said.

“I always try to look my best for my lunch date,” she said. “I look forward to it all month.”

“I know,” he said.

He took her elbow and they made a slow journey across Fourteenth Avenue.

“Someday, when my Rodney is home from prison, I’m going to shop here,” Yvonne said when they reached the other side of the street. “I’m going to drive my car here, load up on groceries, and drive home to make him dinner. Maybe Tanni will come over. And someday, she’ll even bring her kids.”

Her keeper scowled at her.

“I’ll wave to you when I pass,” Yvonne said. “Only seven more years now.”

“What makes you think he’s a gonna want the likes of you?”

“Because Rodney and I are one soul, two bodies,” Yvonne said. “We belong together, no matter what.”

He grunted something that she didn’t hear. They went inside the grocery store and immediately stood in line at the service desk. He wanted a pack of Winston cigarettes. When the woman brought the pack, he decided on a carton instead. After the cigarettes, he decided to get a lotto ticket and a few scratchers. Yvonne checked her watch a few times to make sure she hadn’t missed Heather. After scratching off the tickets, buying more, scratching a few more, and finally winning five dollars, he said they could go look at flowers.

“Look who it is!” Yvonne saw a familiar face in the flower section. “Delphie! It’s my friend Delphie!”

He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

“Did you set this up?” he asked in a mean tone. “You know you’re not allowed visitors.”

“Of course not,” Yvonne said. “I’m going to lunch today with Tanni. Why would I risk that?”

His eyes seemed to scour her very soul.

“Plus, you’re the one who sets up visits with Delphie,” Yvonne said. “You bring me because she’s my friend and gives us a discount.”

He released her with a jerk and she ran over to hug Delphie.

“What are you doing here?” Yvonne asked.

“You know Jill is on bed rest, right?” Delphie asked.

“Tanni said twin boys,” Yvonne beamed at having remembered.

“That’s right! Good memory,” Delphie said.

“I wrote it down,” Yvonne said.

“Well, Valerie’s trainer decided she needed some different food to lose the baby weight for her next movie and Jill was craving ice cream, and…” Delphie leaned in to whisper to Yvonne. “I knew you’d be here.”

Yvonne hugged Delphie again.

“I was looking from over there,” Yvonne said. “I don’t see any yellow tulips. Do you?”

“Let’s look,” Delphie set her red shopping basket on the ground and began going through the flowers. “There’ve got to be some here. Why don’t you check over there?”

“Ok,” Yvonne trotted over to an area by the desk and began looking through the flowers. Her head was down when she heard her keeper get a phone call. She stood up to look at him. He scowled at her and gestured for her to hurry up. She smiled to herself and took her time. He would wait as long as necessary to be able to ask Delphie one question for free.

“I don’t see any over here,” Delphie said.

“I don’t either,” Yvonne said.

“What are you ladies looking for?” asked a clerk as she came out of the back.

“Yellow tulips for my daughter,” Yvonne said. “She started med school this week.”

“Congratulations,” the clerk said. “I think I have some in the back. Do you mind waiting?”

Yvonne looked over at her keeper. He was still on the phone.

“We’re fine,” Delphie said. “If you don’t mind checking, I think you’ll find some on the bottom shelf in the way back on the left.”

“Delphie’s a psychic,” Yvonne explained.

“I’ll definitely look,” the clerk gave Delphie an unsure smile and left the flower area.

Delphie and Yvonne settled in to chatting. Because Yvonne wasn’t able to remember anything she didn’t write down, Delphie did most of the talking. Yvonne knew Delphie well enough to know that Delphie was talking about nothing. Yvonne didn’t care. At noon she would see her daughter, her med student daughter. She laughed at Delphie’s jokes and listened intently to the patter of Delphie’s voice. Just listening to her friend, Yvonne felt calm and happy.

“Today’s going to be the best day of your life,” Delphie threw in the middle of her flow. Yvonne’s eyebrow raised and Delphie nodded. Yvonne smiled to acknowledge that she’d heard her friend. Delphie continued chatting

“Oh great, you’re still here,” the clerk said. “Sorry it took so long.”

“Did you find them on the bottom shelf?” Yvonne asked.

“No,” the clerk gave Delphie an irritated look. “Top shelf on the other side.”

“My mistake,” Delphie smiled and took two bundles of yellow tulips wrapped in plastic. “Sorry.”

The tone of Delphie’s voice surprised Yvonne more than the words or even that Delphie had made a mistake. Yvonne turned to really look at her friend.

Something was going on.

Delphie was never wrong. Never.

Delphie smiled to acknowledge Yvonne’s thought. Her keeper’s phone rang again. Yvonne watched his bored face shift to irritation and then worry. His eyes glanced at her.

“No matter what happens,” Delphie said to her in a low voice. “Just go with the flow. Don’t argue or fight it. Promise me.”

“Go with the flow,” Yvonne replied in the same tone. “Do I get to see Tanni?”

“Better,” Delphie’s filled with moisture. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

“Killed?” Yvonne’s hand went to her throat in panic.

“Just go along,” Delphie said. “Promise me. Repeat it because you won’t be able to write it down.”

“Go along,” Yvonne repeated what she heard. “Don’t argue or fight it and I get something better than seeing my Tanni for a couple hours. I don’t get killed. I go along.”

“Good girl,” Delphie said.

Yvonne gave Delphie a sincere nod. Delphie hugged her tight.

“Love you, Yvonne,” Delphie said.

“You too, Delphie,” Yvonne said.

Delphie gave her the tulips. She walked close to Yvonne’s keeper. He opened his mouth to ask his question but she interrupted.

“They’ll find you in Florida,” Delphie told him. “No one knows about that property you inherited from your grandmother. The lot and house in Georgia? Take your car. Get to Saint Louis by morning. That’s soon enough. You’ll be in Georgia by end of day. Start a new life. There’s a better one waiting for you there.”

He bent forward as if he’d been punched in the stomach. She pushed him upright and patted his chest.

“You’ll be fine,” Delphie said. She raised a hand to wave good-bye to Yvonne and wandered off inside the store.

“What was that?” he asked.

Yvonne shrugged and walked over to the check out.

“You got lots of calls,” Yvonne said. “You remember I don’t work today. Today, I get to have lunch with Tanni.”

“I know,” he said.

“Then what about the phone calls?”

“There’s something going on,” he said. “I’m not quite sure what. We got to get back.”

“Ok,” Yvonne said.

She gave the tulips to the clerk to check out. Because the flowers were from the back, they didn’t have a code and no one seemed to know the price. Yvonne and her keeper waited more than fifteen minutes by Yvonne’s watch before they found the clerk and got the price on her flowers. Yvonne paid and then realized she didn’t get a card for Tanesha.

“I need to get a card,” she said.

“You need to come with me,” he said. In her ear, he added, “Mr. Aaron’s called three times. He’s freaked out and wants us back.”

“Okay, Yvonne smiled.

He took her elbow for support and they made a slow journey out of the store. After walking so far, and standing so long, the journey back was slower and more painful for her keeper. Yvonne didn’t care because she still had time to make a card before Heather came to take her to see Tanni.

They were under the trees, not quite to the sidewalk across the street from the four-plex, when Yvonne noticed something strange.

“Isn’t that Shawnie? What’s she doing?”

Yvonne pointed to a figure lying half in and half out of the apartment next to Yvonne’s. She could see the woman wasn’t wearing her wig. Shawnie never opened her door without her wig on.

She was wearing what looked like a red T-shirt. But Shawnie never wore red. Shawnie said red made her look like an angry black whore.

Yvonne stopped walking. Instinctively, she shifted deeper into the shade of the trees. Her keeper leaned forward to look.

“The doors were kicked in,” Yvonne said. “Every one but mine.”

Her keeper grabbed her elbow, turned her around, and started marching back toward the store. They walked at a steady clip across the sidewalk in front of the store. He didn’t say a word until they were past the store and in a small parking lot on the other side of the supermarket.

“We’re in big shit, big shit,” he said in her ear.

“Where’s your car?” Yvonne asked.

“It’s down the street,” he pointed to the side street behind the store. “You know I never park near the apartment in case the cops come.”

“Can we take your car?” she asked.

“They’re probably waiting for us at the car,” he said. He looked like a terrified little boy. For the first time in all these years of knowing him, Yvonne felt sorry for him.

“Delphie told you to take your car,” Yvonne said. “I didn’t write it down but it’s been less than an hour. I can remember for an hour and a half.”

Her keeper gave her a long look. He grabbed her elbow and they took off at a trot. He had just started the car when they heard a muffled explosion. They ducked below the dashboard. When nothing happened, he started down the street.

Driving past the four-plex, she saw angry orange flames shooting out of her apartment. She’d spent more than fifteen years in that apartment. She had a lot of things in that apartment. Right at this moment, she couldn’t remember what, but she knew that a lot of her personal things were getting burned up. Sitting at the stoplight on Fourteenth Avenue and Krameria Street, she turned around to look. The fire was consuming the entire building. A siren sounded in the distance.

“I have a full tank,” he said. “How ‘bout if we just drive for a while?”

She was about to say that she had lunch with Tanni and Heather was coming at noon and she was going to get her hair done and she didn’t want to miss it, when she remembered what Delphie had made her repeat.

Go with the flow.

“That sounds nice,” Yvonne said. She rolled down the window and gave the tulips a little toss so they rolled next to the curb.

“Good,” he said. They continued up Fourteenth Avenue.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday morning — 8:45 a.m.

“You don’t have to tell me in-depth,” Jeraine said.

Bumpy was startled. He hadn’t realized Jeraine was awake.

“Just the Cliff Notes,” Jeraine said. “I’ll just listen. I know you think I don’t know how to do it, but I’ve had to practice for couple’s therapy. And it’s a lot easier when I’m not doing cocaine. I’m actually pretty good at it now.”

Bumpy glanced at him. He thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I grew up on a farm out in eastern Colorado near where your Grannie Louise lives. I couldn’t read, couldn’t write, but my mom…” Overcome with emotion, Bumpy cleared his throat. “She dreamt that an angel told her I was smart. She argued with my dad for… months. Finally, in the middle of the night, she put us on a bus and we moved to town so I… could have a… life. I was twelve. They didn’t have the testing they have now and I was a big kid. They placed me at East High; that’s where I met Seth.

“Seth was just back from New York, very cool, and very open to… everything, even big, dumb me. He knew right away that I couldn’t read. Even bought me my first pair of glasses. Kind of like Charlie, you know Sandy’s brother. I couldn’t read because I couldn’t see the words. That’s why when Seth calls, I always come. I owe the man everything.”

Listening intently, Jeraine nodded.

“They called me Lennie Small,” Bumpy said.

“From Of Mice and Men?” Jeraine asked.

Bumpy nodded.

“Ouch.”

“Do you know my birth name?” Bumpy asked.

“No.”

“Leroy,” Bumpy said. “My mom said it like Lee-roy.”

“Close to Lennie,” Jeraine said.

“Close enough,” Bumpy said. “Seth named me Bumpy. Mitch was a jock, popular… I mean, everyone loved Mitch. Kind of like you. Mitch made sure everyone only called me Bumpy.”

“Where are we going today?” Jeraine asked.

“I thought you were going to just listen?” Bumpy asked.

Jeraine scowled at him. Bumpy’s eyes were on the road, but he could feel Jeraine staring at the side of his face.

“We’re going to Dearfield.”

“Dearfield?” Jeraine asked.

“It was an all black farming community from around 1910 to about 1940,” Bumpy said. “Your great-grandparents came from Texas to farm there.”

“When?”

“1911,” Bumpy said. “Dangerous time because Denver was a hot bed of KKK activity. They used to think any day they’d be wiped out by some band of nuts. But your great-great grandfather was born a slave. He was the force behind the move. His masters called him Jermaine. He changed it to Jeraine so he would have a free name. He changed the family name to Wilson after Woodrow Wilson who was the president when they lived in Dearfield.”

“Free surname,” Jeraine said.

“That’s exactly right,” Bumpy said. “That’s why you have the free name of Jeraine Wilson.”

Jeraine watched his father’s face.

“My dad was born in Dearfield. Most people left Dearfield during the Great Depression,” Bumpy said. “You remember the three Ds? Your Grannie Louise drilled it into you and LaTonya when you were a kid.”

“Economic depression, drought, dustbowl,” Jeraine said. “Kinda like now.”

“Yes, son. That’s why she wanted you to know it,” Bumpy said. “When we get home, I can show you pictures of our family if you’d like.”

“I’d like that,” Jeraine said. “Why are we going to Dearfield?”

“We still own land there,” Bumpy said. “It’s our heritage as a family, as a people.”

“What decisions do we have to make?” Jeraine asked.

“What to do with that heritage,” Bumpy said. “For our family. For our people.”

Jeraine waited to see if Bumpy had anything else to say. He didn’t.

“Thanks for telling me, Dad,” Jeraine said.

Bumpy nodded.

The Denver Cereal will continue next week

Denver Cereal is a serial fiction set in Denver, Colorado.
You can get your daily dose of Denver Cereal at DenverCereal.com
Chapters are posted on Saturdays on this blog.
Download your free electronic copy of The Denver Cereal, the beginning.
Signed copies of the books are only available at Cook Street Store.
You can also find The Denver Cereal, Celia’s Puppies, Cascade , Cimarron, and Black Forest at Amazon or your local bookseller.
Looking for electronic books? Go to the Cook Street Store or Smashwords.

Claudia Hall Christian is a novelist.

Prelude
Previous Chapters

CHAPTER NINE

Monday early morning
October 26 – 3:10 a.m. EDT
Sheridan Circle Mansion, Washington DC

Alex stood with her forehead against John’s chest in the open marble and wood-panel-lined entryway of the mansion. Her left arm was around him while he held her right hand next to his heart. With every breath, she knew she was one breath closer to saying good-bye.

“This time, don’t die,” he whispered in her ear.

She jerked back to look at his face. Their eyes sought each other, and for a moment his cobalt-blue eyes held her brown eyes. She gave a nod in response. His surgeon-trained hand put her hand back on his chest.

“Sir, Miss Emily has asked me to tell you that she, Mr. Cian, Mr. Eoin, and Mistress Amelia are waiting for you in the car,” the Butler said.

They stepped back together. Without ever breaking eye contact with John, Alex said, “Thank you.”

Still holding her hand, he picked up his backpack and walked to the open door. On the stoop, Colin was saying good-bye to his beloved Julie. John flipped around to Alex. Letting go of her hand, he held up his left ring-finger hand. She pressed her left hand into his. While their eyes held, they repeated their vows.

“I love you, John Kelly Drayson, today and every other day for the rest of this life and any other I’m blessed with. Now you.”

“I love you, Alexandra Hargreaves Drayson, today and every other day for the rest of this life and every other I’m blessed with.”

He kissed her hard and ran down the stairs after Julie. Colin, Alex, and Vince waved as the limousine took their families back to their busy lives.

“Nice of Julie to come,” Vince said.

“She saw us get out of the helicopter at the marathon and decided to find out what the hell was going on,” Colin said.

“And?” Alex asked.

“I told her,” Colin said.

“Everything?” Vince asked.

“Everything,” Colin said. “Sobriety, new job, bakery, Special Forces, hostage, trust fund – everything I could think of.”

“Wow,” Vince said. “Feel any better?”

Colin shrugged.

“And?” Alex repeated.

“She said she had to think about it,” Colin said.

“It didn’t seem like you were doing a lot of thinking last night,” Alex smirked. “You retreated to your room and never came out. Didn’t even answer when we knocked to check on you. Raz said he thought you were…”

Alex wiggled her eyebrows to finish the sentence. Blushing to the edge of his white blonde hair, Colin cleared his throat and nodded toward the inside of the mansion. They trudged up the steps.

“She had a lot to tell me,” Colin said. “She was pregnant last spring and lost the baby. We had a tough time having Paddie, so I’m not surprised. And, you’re right Alex; she’s pregnant again.”

“Aren’t you guys divorced?” Matthew asked from the bottom of the stairwell.

“I asked her about that,” Colin said. “Turns out we’re just divorced by man’s law, not by God’s law or that of the Catholic Church. Just because I’m an asshole doesn’t mean she’s going to take on a mortal sin.”

“Catholics,” Matthew shook his head. “Crazy cult.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Vince patted Matthew’s shoulder and went up the stairwell.

“What are you doing awake?” Alex asked Matthew.

“Grace woke up when you guys did,” Matthew said. “I thought I’d skip all the romantic movie good-byes and come down to figure out the schedule.”

Colin touched Alex’s arm and started up the stairwell.

“Zack will be here at 0500 with the whiskey,” Alex said. “Joseph should be here any moment.”

“Leena and Cliff report at 0500,” Matthew said.

“Where’s Joseph been?” Colin asked.

“Denver,” Alex said. “His little Alex had a big Halloween dance at his school. Joseph didn’t want him to have to go alone. He and Nancy were chaperones.”

“Little Alex took his girlfriend?” Matthew asked.

“He did,” she said. “Very big deal.”

“And?” Matthew asked.

“A good time was had by all,” Alex said. “He’ll be here in a bit with photos and details.”

“I’ll tell you, it was great to have Joseph in Denver,” Mathew said. “He was able to coordinate with Leena on nursing homes.”

“Leena will need our help moving her mother this week,” Alex said. “You’ll have to track that.”

“She’s on my list,” Matthew said. “Fey wives?”

“Since Nancy couldn’t make it, Maria, Jennifer, and their kids are here this week to help Troy,” Alex said. “I think Jen and her kids are going back tomorrow. Jen will help Troy get settled in Denver. She’s already talking to schools and therapists. Maria works for Dad. She and their kids are here until we leave. Did you see Jesse Jr. and Luis with Hermes and Hector James?”

“They are very cute,” Matthew said. “His boys are so… Troy.”

“Little charmers,” Alex said. “I think they’ll adjust. But we’ll have to take it slow.”

“And Troy?”

“Light duty,” Alex said. “We won’t know about custody issues until this evening at the earliest. It depends on how fast the criminal investigation is wrapped up.”

“When’s your pick up?” Matthew asked.

“They are sending a car for Zack at 0600,” Alex said. “He’s due at JFCOM for a 0830 meeting. It’s about a two-hour drive. You guys can catch a few more hours of sleep. I need to put a few balls in play before I get dressed.”

“Team breakfast and briefing at 0515,” Matthew said.

“Good thinking,” Alex said. “Now off to bed. We have a lot of plans in motion, but we have no idea what we’re walking into.”

“You’re going to…?” Matthew asked.

“Work,” Alex said. “Raz is with me this morning until we leave. I have a lot of phone calls to make. I’ll need help getting dressed.”

“And Troy’s stuff?” Matthew asked.

“I need to review the reports,” Alex said. “Eoin and Cian think they found something. Raz and Vince aren’t as sure, and Raz is concerned that Troy will be blamed nonetheless.”

“Why?” Matthew asked.

“Not sure,” Alex said. “See you in a few hours. Can you do reveille?”

“0500?” Matthew asked.

Alex nodded.

“Got it,” he started up the stairwell. “See you in a few.”

Alex smiled and went to her work area. Raz was supposed to meet her but she hadn’t seen him that morning. She pushed open the door and stopped short. Like walking into a wall, the wafting odor of fresh ground coffee hit her. She could only revel in the smell. Raz laughed. Opening her eyes, she saw him walking toward her with a cup of coffee.

“Where did you…?” she started.

“They had an extra machine,” Raz said. “They were willing to get up to make it for you, but I thought that was silly.”

“I may as well get as much coffee as I can in me,” Alex said.

“Before the whiskey?” Raz asked.

“Indeed,” Alex said. “You have my costume together?”

“Trece found the shoes last night,” Raz said. “He left them here.”

“Perfect,” Alex said. “What do we have?”

“Troy? Or this stuff?” Raz asked.

“One second.”

Alex held up a finger, closed her eyes, and drained her coffee cup. She felt more than saw him refill it. Without opening her eyes, she drank another cup and sighed. She pressed the warm cup against her heart.

“Ready?” he chuckled.

“Ready,” she said. “Troy, then work.”

“What were Cian, Eoin, and Jimmy arguing about last night?” Raz asked.

“What did you see?”

“I saw John break them up,” Raz said. “Cian was mad. The second John stepped away, Cian went after Jimmy with fists flying. Eoin held him back. I was just about to get involved when John stepped in again. I saw Jimmy give a real apology, but Cian was angry, angrier than I’ve ever seen him.”

“The IRA is back,” Alex said. “Or so the reports say. There’s talk that the IRA is looking for money. Jimmy’s concerned that Cian and Eoin are funneling money back to Northern Ireland. He’s not the only one. I wouldn’t be surprised if every expat volunteer gets a visit from MI6.”

“Seems like a reasonable question,” Raz said. “Why did that piss Cian off?”

“Oh…” Alex sighed and closed her eyes.

“What?” Raz asked.

“It’s the same old thing,” Alex said. “When they came, Cian and Eoin said all they needed was a chance to have the life they wanted. Cian’s furious that Jimmy doesn’t get that.”

“They’ve worked their asses off,” Raz said. “I didn’t think they’d pull it off.”

“I was skeptical too,” Alex said. “But they’ve done it. They aren’t going to blow it by sending money to the IRA.”

“They’re involved in our other little project,” Raz said.

“Exactly,” Alex said. “They want to help people, not go back to the horror and despair politely called the ‘Troubles.’”

“Seems like something Jimmy would get,” Raz said.

“Jimmy has to be sure. He’s been assigned to secure all the Kellys. He feels like it’s real prejudice. He told John later that he’s concerned for his life.”

“And the life of every Kelly?” Raz asked.

Alex nodded.

“Holy pressure, Batman,” Raz said.

“Batman?” Alex squinted and cocked her head. Raz laughed. “You’ve been spending way too much time with Sami. Why didn’t she come this weekend?”

“Work,” Raz said. “She has to defend the desperate in court today. Plus, Val’s in town.”

Alex nodded. Samantha, her elder sister, was best friend’s with a movie star. The two had been inseparable from the moment they had met at a high school beauty pageant. People who say that gorgeous women can’t be friends have never met Samantha and Val.

“Speaking of which,” Alex said. “Shall we cast aside global politics and love to dive into the intrigue and suspense of intelligence work?”

“Intrigue and suspense?” Raz burst out laughing.

“Computer research and telephone calls sounds so much more boring,” Alex said. “I’m going to…”

She pointed to the coffee pot. He nodded. She filled his cup and made another pot. When she sat down, it was time to work. The next time she looked up, Zack was standing in the doorway in his full dress uniform. He held a bottle of Red Breast Irish Whiskey and two shot glasses.

Time for a different kind of work.

FFF

Monday morning
October 26 – 5:45 a.m. EDT
Sheridan Circle Mansion, Washington DC

“Alex?” Zack held out another shot of whiskey.

Unable to move while Max was tucking her short hair under a nylon wig cap, she held out her hand. Zack put the whiskey in her hand. Max dabbed the whiskey onto the cap.

“Close your eyes,” Trece said.

Alex closed her eyes and he flicked whiskey on her face and put some behind her ears. He set the whiskey down to pick up the bright pink curly nylon wig with straight bangs. Trece dabbed whiskey on the wig. Alex bent over and Max rooted the wig on her head. Margaret appeared with a comb to straighten out her pink bangs which covered half of her eyes. Alex batted inch-long, blue false eyelashes, which matched her cosmetic contact-lens-altered blue eyes.

“Sparkles,” Leena said.

Everyone stepped away and Leena doused her with glitter dust.

“Captain Jakkman?” Leena asked.

Zack hugged Alex and rubbed his face on her neck. While they were hugging, Leena sprinkled glitter dust over them.

“What do you think?” Alex stepped back for the team to take a look.

She flicked her short blue and green pleated schoolgirl shirt to show off the sheer pink thigh-high sheer stockings. She scooched up the pink, padded push-up bra with silicon bra inserts tucked inside to show breast flesh in the neck opening of her white see-through tank top. Trece held out an arm so she could step into five-inch clear plastic heels.

“Can you walk?” Raz asked.

Alex walked to him. The team clapped.

“I don’t think she’s disheveled enough,” Margaret said. “Hookers usually look a little more… used.”

The team turned to look at her.

“What? I used to see them in Farmington,” Margaret said. “They work across from the Walmart.”

“Not unlike JFCOM,” Trece laughed.

The doorbell rang and White Boy went out to greet the driver.

“Dishevel me,” Alex said.

“You too, Captain Jakkman,” Margaret said.

While Zack was being woman handled, Max got his hand wet with whisky and smudged her overdone make-up. Joseph and Colin tugged her here and there. Matthew reached into her bra and shifted her breast so the edge of the nipple showed.

“You must be really good friends,” Leena said.

“Went to SF training together,” Troy said from the doorway. “Confirming that I’m out but available today. The boys and I have to meet with the Social Services this morning and the DA this afternoon.”

“We’ll keep you apprised,” Matthew said.

Nodding, Troy’s entire being seemed to ache to join their action.

“You’re welcome to any resource,” Alex said.

“Thanks,” Troy said. “You look magnificent. I’d take a photo, but you’d probably kill me.”

“Let’s go over this one more time,” Matthew said. “You are breaking into the Joint Forces Command Center.”

“JFCOM,” Alex said.

“The Joint Forces Command is a combatant command center,” Matthew said. “It plays a central role in the US military’s capabilities. All conventional US forces are led through direct contact with JFCOM. The command oversees more than 1.16 million men and women and…”

“Are you reading off the website?” Zack asked.

“He is,” Alex said. “What do we need to know?”

“JFCOM is central to daily operations of the entire US military,” Matthew said. “As such, it is the most heavily guarded of any US installation. There has never been a breach of security there. Not one in its entire history.”

“And?”

“This mission is crazy,” Matthew said. “Absolutely nuts. Even for us.”

“We need to get to the center of the entire military to see if what I think is going on, is going on,” Alex said. “They aren’t going to throw open the doors and say, ‘Come on in and check it out.’”

“How do you know they won’t?” Matthew asked.

“The Admiral already asked,” Alex said.

“If we’re going to do this thing,” Raz looked from Alex to Matthew. “Let’s just get it done.”

“Trece?” Joseph nodded to the big man.

“Two of our team are working the door at JFCOM today,” Trece said. “They give you a thorough going over – body scan and search, x-ray, and hand wand. Before you leave them, make sure you each receive a weapon.”

“You’re trained to automatically check the ammunition,” Joseph said. “Accept the weapon. Do not check it.”

“Do we know how many rounds we’ll get?” Alex asked.

“Six,” Trece said.

“Bullet piercing, government issue, like you’re used to,” Joseph said.

“They will take your cell phones from you,” Raz said. “Complain bitterly. Sergeant Dusty has provided a pocket computer. You will receive that with your weapons. Look for the pocket computer. You have the cord?”

Zack took a battered iPod from his pocket and took out the head phones. He flicked an ear bud off the earphones to show a computer jack.

“They shouldn’t take that from you,” Joseph said. “But you’re going to have to pretend to be listening to music. Did you pick something?”

“Living Colour, ‘Cult of Personality,’” Alex said.

“Our song,” Zack said.

“Your song,” Max said. “Not ours.”

Alex and Max looked at each other and laughed. Raz cleared his throat. As if they were ten years old, they gave him a shameful look and laughed again. He shook his head at them.

“Can we focus on the mission drunk ones?” Raz asked.

They nodded in unison.

“Until you take over, you and Zack are out of pocket,” Raz said.

“We have you on the MI6 x-ray and infrared satellite,” Jimmy said from a computer near the edge of the room. “But we won’t have sound or clear imaging until you’ve acquired the CCTV.”

“We’ll be across the street at the Walmart,” Raz’s eyes spoke his worry. She smiled at her partner. “Vince is already there in the Winnebago monitoring communications.”

“You’ll be on your own from the moment you leave the house,” Joseph said.

“Like Dad’s wilderness training for spies,” Colin said.

“Oh God, I nearly died that weekend,” Zack said.

Alex shook her head at them. The pink wig moved a tiny bit and Max put a hairpin in to secure it.

“Remember,” Matthew said. “You are not wearing body armor. Alex, you’ve worn body armor almost every day for more than a decade. You’ve got to remember you don’t have it on and act accordingly. You too Jakker.”

“Copy that,” Zack said.

“Zack?” Joseph said. “Your cell phone.”

Joseph gave him a Blackberry.

“We tried to mimic your actual phone, so you’d be used to it,” Joseph said. “This phone has a very small explosive device in it. If you need it, it will create a sound for a diversion, but that’s about it. Alex?”

Joseph held out a cheap disposable phone.

“Your hooker phone,” Joseph said. “Both phones will be placed in a cubbyhole near the entrance. We’re planning on getting audio from your phone, Alex. Try not to break it.”

“I don’t intentionally break them,” Alex said.

“That’s what you always say and still you go through four or five a year,” Joseph said. “That’s not counting the pocket computers.”

“How is it my fault…?” Alex started.

“We don’t have time for this,” Matthew said. “Don’t taunt her. She’s been drinking.”

“Both phones are GPS-enabled,” Joseph continued. “They’re on call at the GPS Operations Center. They will help us track you. If you have to get out of there fast, grab the phones. We have no other way to track you.”

“We’ve activated your Trudy account,” Trece held out a driver’s license. “It’s expired, but that’s almost better. If they run your fingerprints, that’s what will come up.”

“How do you have a Trudy account?” Matthew asked.

“I work with Trece sometimes,” Alex said. “I’m pretty good at breaking security.”

“She’s gotten through every single time,” Trece said. “She’s a ringer. You remember Trudy?”

“Trudy is from Ohio,” Alex said. “She’s not married. Her mother’s alive, but an alcoholic. Her father’s deceased. She was a waitress last time. She’s a hooker now?”

“Service personnel on her tax returns,” Trece said. “I need your tags.”

Alex looked surprised. He pointed to her neck. She had worn identification tags for so long that she no longer felt them around her neck. Of course, John wore her Fey Special Forces Team primary dog tag and Alex wore these tags. She gave her tags to Max.

“I need a minute before you go,” MJ said. “Matthew and Joseph, you’re needed in the entryway. White Boy has their driver flat on his stomach begging for his life.”

“Why?” Alex asked.

“He wears an F,” MJ said.

F

Lean on Me is the fourth novel in the fast paced Alex the Fey thriller series
by Claudia Hall Christian.

The novel is available in paperback and electronic books at Cook Street Store.
It will be available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local book seller after 2/29/12
Lean on Me, and all the Alex the Fey thrillers are available in eBooks.
Entire chapters are be published on Fridays beginning March 2, 2012 at
StoriesbyClaudia.com and AlextheFey.com.

For discounts, give aways, special fiction, and other fun
join the Alex the Fey Facebook Group

Saturday — 2:30 A.M.
Clarke Avenue, River Crest, Fort Worth

Days: 7

Tink. Tink. Tink.

“Don, someone’s at the door.”

Asleep, Loraine Downs waited for him to say:

“Shug, you stay right here. I’ll go see who it is. Probably just the kids.”

Her unconscious mind waited to feel him get up from their bed, put on his pants, and move through their River Crest home. She waited to hear the front door open downstairs, Don’s deep Texas drawl, and his eventual return to their bed.

She waited to ask him: “What was that?”

Tink. Tink. Tink.

Lo jerked to consciousness. Something was terribly wrong.

“ Don?”

She reached for him but found a leather bucket seat in his place. Her head turned to look for him. The seat was empty. Confused, she looked down at the photo album on her lap, her black silk suit, ruined black stockings and the steering wheel.

Where was Don?

Where was she?

Lorraine raised her chin. Peering through the smudged windshield, the horror of the last week came rushing forward.

Don was dead. His funeral was today. As if her mind had touched a hot coal, she retreated from any thought of Don’s death. But the tsunami of overwhelm continued to flood forward.

She’d arrived home from the burial to find that the bank had foreclosed her home, Don’s home, their home. She’d called Don’s lawyer but he knew nothing about the foreclosure. She’d begged the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Deputy to let her at least get her wedding album. While she wept on her front porch, he’d made some calls. Finally, he escorted her to get her wedding album and only her wedding album.

She hadn’t worried. She was pretty sure she could get in when he left. After all, she’d spent almost fifteen years in that house. She knew how to get in and out of it. She pulled her Lexus around the corner onto Clarke Avenue. When it was dark, she tried to sneak back to the house.

During the three hour tribute and finally the burial of the love of her life, someone had changed all the locks. They had even fixed the basement window the girls had used when they wanted to sneak out to party with their friends. Unsure of what else to do, she sat on the swing under the big elm tree in their backyard. She wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there. A long time.

Another Deputy Sheriff arrived. He hadn’t given her a ticket for trespassing. He just escorted her from their backyard. While she cried, he’d locked the gate with a padlock. Turning back to her, he saw something across the street. Lo followed his eyes to find Don’s vicious ex-wife, Sue Ellen Carr, standing there. Her mouth opened to shout something. Before her words could get there, the Sherriff’s Deputy began a loud monologue about all the laws Lo had broken by sitting on that swing.

He had grabbed Lo by the elbow and marched her back to her car. He’d waited for her car to start and watched Lo take off. Lo drove through their neighborhood for a while and finally returned to her spot on Clarke Avenue.

Tink. Tink. Tink.

“Lo!” a man’s voice yelled. His hand patted the window.

Lo peered through her driver’s side window. What she’d taken for a knock at the door was actually the business end of a metal flashlight tapping her driver’s side window. She turned the ignition key and rolled down the window.

“What can I do for you officer?” Lo asked. Her eyes blinked at the bright light in her face.

“What are you doing, sis?”

“Larry?” Lo asked.

“Your neighbor called the Sherriff’s department seven times and the Fort Worth PD six times,” Lo’s older brother Larry said. “Witchiepoo says there’s a vagrant sleeping in a car on Clarke Avenue. One of my buddies ran your plates. He called me and I came to get you as soon as my shift was over. What are you doing?”

“I was sleeping,” Lo said.

“I saw that,” Larry said. “Why here?”

“I have no where to go.”

Larry lowered his flash light. Reaching through the window, he hugged his sister. Her tear-wet face pressed against his black FWPD uniform.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Where?”

“You eating regular food?” Larry asked.

“Yeah, I’m not competing this year,” Lo said. “I don’t have to diet until the next photo shoot for my Nike contract.”

“Good,” Larry said. “Let’s go to Whataburger.”

“I don’t have any money,” Lo said. “All my accounts are frozen.”

“My treat.”

“But…”

“It’s either that or jail,” Larry said. “Come on, Lo. Don’t let Sue Ellen win.”

Lo looked up at her brother. His familiar face was the first thing that made any sense since she got home from the funeral. She nodded.

“Just in case you have a Molotov cocktail in there, I’ll follow you,” Larry said.

Lo started the car.

“Where are we going?” Lo asked.

“Whataburger,” Larry repeated.

“Which one?”

“You know which one,” Larry said. “You look like crap. I’ll order while you clean up.”

Lo gave him a smile and drove. She got to the end of the block before he caught up with her in his Fort Worth PD cruiser. It was a little less than three miles from her home, Don’s home, their home to where she grew up. Fourteen years, seven months, and four days later, she returned.

Driving down Hemphill, she passed through the intervening years as if they had never happened. She’d never babysat Don’s kids, met him, married him, and built an amazing life by his side. Standing barefoot in the Whataburger parking lot, she felt like the same impulsive mess she was all those years ago. She reached into her car and pulled out her black heels and her purse. She stopped walking to let Larry’s cruiser pass then continued into the restaurant and made a beeline to the restroom.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Lo assessed the damage. She’d lost weight. Her skin was pale and sallow. Dark circles had appeared under her eyes. Her blue eyes were swollen and bloodshot. Lo washed her face and stumbled around the bathroom looking for the towel dispenser of her youth. She groaned at finding the loud hot air hand drying machine. With mechanical efficiency, she washed her face again – lather and rinse; lather and rinse. After the third time, she stopped and looked into the large blue eyes the photographers loved. While the mascara streaks had disappeared and her eyes were less swollen, she couldn’t erase the stunned look from her face. By the time she left the bathroom, Larry was waiting for her with a pile of food on the table.

“Feeding the starving children in China?” Lo asked.

“When was the last time you ate?” Larry asked.

“Don took me to Café Modern last Friday,” Lo sat down across from him. “He had the Surf and Turf, of course, and I had the salmon. We drank a bottle of red wine and laughed our asses off.”

“Last Friday? A week ago yesterday?”

Lo nodded. Larry pushed a burger at her and bit into the one in his hand. Intending to just take a bite, Lo bit into the burger and realized how hungry she was. She finished the burger, then another. She washed the food down with a healthy swallow of Dr. Pepper.

“I haven’t had Dr. Pepper in…” Lo smiled. “Ten years? God, it tastes amazing.”

Larry smiled and went to order two milkshakes. He gave the chocolate to Lo and sat down with his vanilla shake.

“I miss him,” Lo said.

“I bet.”

“And now everything’s gone,” Lo said. “I can’t wander from room to room remembering. The bank won’t let me. I was able to get our wedding album. That’s all I have. After all this time, that’s all I have. Our beginning…”

Larry’s eyes watched her face while he sucked on the milkshake.

“Do you think he loved me?” Lo asked.

Larry spit up his milkshake. Choking, he coughed until he was able to catch his breath.

“Do you think he loved me?” Lo repeated.

“Adored you. Obsessed with you. You guys were…” Larry shrugged. “Amazing. Like a fantasy. Everyone wants what you had, but no one gets it. Everyone wanted to be around you guys just to catch some of the sunshine. Sure some people were jealous, but most of us…”

“Then why was he with her… that woman?” Lo asked.

“We don’t know what happened,” Larry said. “The Coroner’s waiting on a tox screen. That faith healer isn’t supposed to leave town until the tox screen comes in.”

“Makes me wonder if anything was real,” Lo said. “And now…?”

“Where’s your Nike money?” Larry asked.

“We only had one set of accounts,” Lo said. “The bank froze everything today, while Don was being buried. They froze everything with his name on it. The lawyer can’t even figure out why the accounts are frozen and the house…”

Lo hiccupped back a sob. Larry reached across the table to hold her hand. Their eyes held for a moment.

“My life is… over,” Lo said. “Don was… everything and… I stayed until after they lowered the coffin, you know. I stood there wanting to throw myself into the hole. I wish I had. If I had known my entire life with Don would be flushed away, I…”

“Oh Lo,” Larry said. “You’re not Mom. You’re stronger than that.”

“You sure?” Lo shook her head.

“You’ll stay with us, of course,” Larry said.

“Ruth Ann has never been my biggest champion,” Lo said. “You’d better call her before you make any promises.”

Larry nodded. He took out his cell phone and pressed a speed dial number.

“Hey,” Larry said.

In the almost empty restaurant, Lo could hear Ruth Ann’s response.

“Where the hell are you?” his wife asked.

“I took Lo out for something to eat,” Larry said. “You know she buried Don today.”

“Oh woe is pretty little Miss Fitness Model. Had to bury her golden ticket,” Ruth Ann said. “I bet all that money is going a long way to ease her sorrow.”

“She needs a place to stay,” Larry interjected.

“She hasn’t booked herself a suite at the Ritz in Dallas?” Ruth Ann asked.

“She is my sister, Ruthie. She can stay with us,” Larry said.

“You bring that woman home and you better be prepared to call your lawyer,” Ruth Ann said.

Lo grimaced at the sound of Ruth Ann hanging up the phone.

“Yeah, some people are jealous,” Larry said. “I’m sorry.”

The Queen of Cool continues next week…

Previous Chapters
Recap of what’s happened so far and character summary
Looking for the beginning? Chapter One

Chapter 203
Monday night — 9:25 p.m.

Tanesha pushed open the door to the penthouse den. The room was sweltering from the computers lined up and stacked along one entire wall of the room. The stale sweet odor of stressed out men made her step back. To keep the sound down, the men wore wireless headphones with microphones on them. Jeraine and the music director were arguing. She stood in the doorway for a few minutes before venturing into the heat. Jeraine looked up at her when she touched his shoulder.

“I’m going to bed,” Tanesha said.

Jeraine raised an index finger to the music director and pulled off his headphones. The other men in the room took off their headphones and turned to look at Tanesha. Blushing at their attention, she raised a hand to wave at them.

“I’m going to bed,” she repeated. “I have an early morning.”

“Did you get what you needed done?” one of the men asked.

“We didn’t bug you did we?” the music director asked.

“No,” Tanesha shook her head. “I was able to get my studies done. Thank you for keeping the… wilder elements away. I appreciate it.”

The music director blushed and Jeraine smiled at her.

“Let’s ask Miss T,” Jeraine said. “She never lies. She’ll tell us if I’m insane.”

“You’re insane,” Tanesha smiled.

He hopped up, kissed her lips, and put his headphones on her head.

“What do you hear?” Jeraine asked.

“What?” Tanesha pushed the headphone off one ear. “I couldn’t hear you.”

“Listen to the sound and tell us what you hear,” the music director’s voice came in her ear.

Tanesha’s eyes shifted to Jeraine. He gave her an encouraging nod. She put the headphones on both ears, turned down the sound, and listened. Her eyes shifted off to Denver’s night skyline just outside the window. After a few moments, her head nodded to the beat.

“Sounds good,” Tanesha shrugged and pulled off the headphones.

“You don’t hear anything other than music?” Jeraine asked.

“Oh, sure,” Tanesha said. “There’s that scratchy sound I always complain about.”

“What did you say?” the music director asked in her ear.

Jeraine put her microphone down and clicked it on.

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Tanesha said. “It’s in a lot of things now. Like last summer, my friends and I went to see this movie we were excited about… um… Bonnerville…”

“Bonnervillle Blues,” one of the other men said. Jeraine nodded to him.

“Right,” Tanesha smiled. “We ended up calling it Bonerville. This sound went all the way through it. Weird too because the music was good, the story was good, the acting was good, but we hated the movie.”

“Most women did,” the other man said.

“ut wasn’t it a chick flick?” Tanesha shrugged. “At least we thought it was. I mean, we worked out babysitters and shifted our work schedules around to get the time to see it together. Sandy had a half off coupon and Jill bought popcorn. Then the movie was… irritating. We were really disappointed.”

“You heard this sound in that movie?” the music director asked.

“I wouldn’t have said it at the time, but yeah,” Tanesha said. “I hear it a lot now and I don’t like it.”

Tanesha stared off in the distance for a moment again.

“Makes me feel bad,” Tanesha said. “Like a bad smell or…”

She took her phone out of her pocket and called Heather. She explained what was going on and put her on speaker phone. The music came over the speakers.

“What the hell? Are they making Bonerville 2?” Heather laughed. “Jeez, do we have to go?”

“Hang on,” Tanesha said. “I’m going to call Jill.”

She called Jill’s cell phone. Sandy was with Jill.

“Can you listen to this?” Tanesha asked. “Tell me if you hear something other than the music.”

“Oh God,” Jill said. “What is that?”

“It’s like nails on a chalkboard,” Sandy said. “Is that some med school hearing test?”

“Nah, just something Jeraine’s working on,” Tanesha said.

“Well tell him to stop,” Jill said. “He’s way off track because that…”

“Terrible,” Sissy’s voice came from the background. “Yuck.”

“Absolute yuck,” Heather said.

“Thank you ladies,” Jeraine said.

“Ok, I’m off to bed,” Tanesha said.

“Good luck tomorrow,” Heather and Sandy said.

“Don’t forget your headphones,” Jill said.

And they were off the phone.

“That’s what I mean,” Jeraine said. “I’m going to tuck Miss T in and we’ll figure out what to do.”

“Good night,” the men waved. Tanesha waved back. She set the headphones down. Jeraine put his arm around her and they left the room.

“Did I say the right thing?” she asked in a soft conspiratorial voice.

“You were perfect,” Jeraine said. “And that Bonnerville thing? This is the team that did the sound for it.”

“What is it?” Tanesha asked. She pulled down her covers and climbed into bed.

“We don’t know,” Jeraine said. “They can’t hear it. I think only women can hear it.”

“Why can you hear it?”

“I’ve always been really careful with my ears,” Jeraine said. “I don’t have the high pitch hearing loss most men have. I’ve never been around motors and I always wear earplugs on stage. Why do you have to remember headphones?”

“Jill gave me an iPod,” Tanesha said. “She just wants me to use her gift.”

“I just wish…”

“Shh,” Tanesha said. “Everything is really good. You did well at therapy and you like your new trainer. I did really well at school. Let’s not fill it up with regrets and sadness.”

Jeraine kissed her.

“I don’t know how long…”

“You have to come to bed at midnight to get enough sleep,” Tanesha said.

“I’ll be back then,” Jeraine said.

“Tell them they can sleep here,” Tanesha said. “I cleaned up the guest room. I have everything packed for tomorrow.”

Jeraine smiled.

“What?”

“You’re great,” Jeraine said. “You’ll wake me up when you leave? I want to walk you to the bus.”

“That would be nice,” Tanesha said.

He went around to the door and turned off the overhead light.

“Good night,” he said.

Expecting her response, he waited a moment. She was already asleep. Everything was really good right now. Smiling to himself, he closed the door.

~~~~~~~~
Tuesday early morning — 4:25 a.m.

Valerie tapped on the door to the loft.

“Jake,” Valerie whispered through the door.

She turned the handle and leaned her head into the apartment.

“Jaaaakkkkkkeeeee,” Valerie whispered.

“What,” Jacob whipped around to startle her. She gave a surprised squeak and weaved backward on the step. He grabbed her to keep her from falling down the stairs. Once she regained her footing, she swung at him for startling her. He smirked and walked in to the loft’s small kitchen. Valerie followed him.

“Tea?” he asked.

Valerie nodded. He poured water into her cup and made himself a cup of instant coffee.

“Instant? Really?” Valerie asked.

“We have babies due,” Jacob shrugged. “It’s the best I can do.”

“How’s Jill?”

“The same as she was last night,” Jacob said. “What’s up?”

“Do you hate me Jake or are you just surly?” Valerie asked.

“I’m trying not to read people’s minds uninvited,” Jacob said.

“Oh,” Valerie said. “Why?”

“Because Delphie thinks my psychic ability activates the boys’ psychic ability,” Jacob said. “We reach out to each other in the dark. Or that’s what she says. Katy and I are on strict lock down for the next month or so until the boys are big enough to be born.”

“Oh.”

“But people like you wander around expecting me to know what’s on their mind and it’s…”He scowled at her. “Frustrating.”

“All women expect men to know what’s on their minds, Jake,” Valerie said. “It’s part of being a woman. You’ve just been lucky because you always do know.”

“Jeez, what does Mike do?”

“He thinks I’m crazy,” Valerie said.

Jacob smirked.

“Very funny,” Valerie said. “Listen, the developer in Brighton called me and told me that the house is gone! He showed up to the site this morning and the house is gone! My house! Disappeared.”

“White elephant gone missing,” Jacob said. “What a shame.”

“That’s not funny,” Valerie said. “It was an expensive building and the school really needs a new home and…”

“Oh good you’re home,” Jill said as she waddled out from the bedroom. Jacob turned to hold her and for a moment, his entire world was complete. She kissed him and shifted away. “Hi Val.”

“Oh,” Valerie said. “You just got home?”

“Val’s worried because her house is missing,” Jacob said.

Jill smiled.

“Where’s my house?” Valerie asked.

“The new Marlowe School is sitting on trailer trucks on a big lot near the airport,” Jacob said.

“Oh,” Valerie smiled her big manipulative smile. Jacob smiled back. “Are you going to tell me why?”

“We’re not sure where the best place to put the new Marlowe school,” Jill said.

“What do you mean?”

“The new job will shift a large portion of the company out east for the next three or four years,” Jacob said. “We can buy land out there very inexpensively and build an estate around the school. Or we can stick it in the middle of town surrounded by buildings and restaurants.”

“An estate?”

“Like Kent school or Colorado Academy,” Jacob said. “Those schools were built when the property was inexpensive out south. The city grew to surround them. Over time, that will happen around the airport as well.”

“Well, you’re kind of making that happen,” Valerie said.

“Right,” Jacob said.

“Would people bring their kids out there?” Valerie asked.

“That’s the question,” Jacob said. “We think we might try to keep both facilities. With your donation of the building itself, we probably can. Did you donate the building?”

“Sure,” Valerie said. “Why don’t I know about this?”

“You’re on maternity leave,” Jacob said.

“So you’re the head of the Marlowe school for one week and all this happens,” Valerie said.

“Something like that,” Jacob said.

“Can the company get big enough to do both – big enough to do the work in town and work out there?” Valerie asked.

“That’s the big question,” Jacob said. “Mom did it when we worked on the airport. But I don’t know.”

“Oh. Well, okay,” Valerie got up from her seat at the counter. “Bye.”

“You should be back in bed,” Jacob said to Jill.

“Um, Jake,” Valerie said at the doorway.

Jill and Jacob looked over at her.

“Thanks for… well, you know.” She closed the door and was gone.

“Any idea what she’s thanking me for?”

“None,” Jill said.

“Let’s get back in bed.”

“You coming?”

“Mooooommmmmyyyyyy!!” Katy called from her bedroom.

“I’ll get her,” Jacob said.

Smiling at him, Jill went back to bed. In a few minutes, Jacob and Katy joined her in for their morning snuggle. It was the best part of the day.

~~~~~~~~
Tuesday morning — 11:55 a.m.

“Son?”

Asleep, Jeraine rolled over.

“Jeraine?”

He felt a hand shake him and he opened his eyes. A shard of pain flashed through his brain.

“Hi Dad,” he shaded his eyes with his hand.

“Son, you doing drugs?” Bumpy asked.

“I have to take this pill after I go to treatment,” Jeraine said.

“Hmm,” Bumpy picked up the prescription bottle Jeraine gestured to. “Migraines?”

“Head pain,” Jeraine said. “Non-narcotic, blah, blah, blah, whatever.”

He rolled over away from Bumpy’s invasive eyes.

“I’m early,” Bumpy looked at his watch. “We’re supposed to have lunch.”

“Right,” Jeraine said. “Can you shut off the light?”

Jeraine pulled the pillow over his eyes and his aching head. Bumpy flicked off the light.

“Where are those movie people? Bumpy asked.”

“They went to work out,” Jeraine said through the pillow. Bumpy grabbed the pillow and pulled it off his face. “Since we’re having lunch, they thought they’d go explore Denver a little.”

“Seth said everything’s on hold,” Bumpy said. “He’s flying to LA this morning and…”

“Right,” Jeraine said. “Seth wants to check something out for himself. He should be back tomorrow or maybe the next day; depends on what he finds. Why?”

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Bumpy asked.

“Nothing,” Jeraine said. “The movie guys have some funding meeting for their next project. Downtown. All day.”

“No brain therapy?”

“It’s two days on one day off,” Jeraine said. “I have to give my brain some time to heal. I’d have to ask Tanesha but I think all I have is a  training session Wednesday night.”

“Your woman keeps your schedule?”

“Mom keeps yours,” Jeraine said.

Bumpy made an irritated sound.

“She writes our schedule on the refrigerator,” Jeraine gestured out the door.

He felt his father leave the room. When he left, Jeraine pulled the pillow back over his head. He was almost asleep when Bumpy said,

“Says here you don’t train until six.”

Jeraine pushed the pillow off his head and tried to sit up. He groaned and fell back to the bed.

“What’s wrong with you?” Bumpy asked.

“Terrible headache,” Jeraine said.

Bumpy looked at him for a moment and disappeared again. When he came back, he lay a cool washcloth over Jeraine’s forehead and eyes. Bumpy picked up his son’s hand and began putting hard pressure on the fleshy space between Jeraine’s thumb and the index finger.

“What are you doing?” Jeraine asked.

“How’s your headache?” Bumpy asked.

“Better,” Jeraine said. “That’s weird.”

“Weird that I know something or weird that it worked?”

“Yeah,” Jeraine sat up.

Scowling, Bumpy shook his head. Jeraine laughed.

“Did you want to do something tomorrow?” Jeraine asked.

“Tomorrow?” Bumpy asked. “Right. Yes. I need to take care of something. I’d like you to come with me.”

“Okay,” Jeraine said. “Are you going to tell me what?”

“It’s old family business,” Bumpy said. “We need to make some decisions. For the family.”

“Is Mom coming? LaTonya?”

“We are the men of the family,” Bumpy said. “We need to make this decision.”

“Mom’s not going to like that,” Jeraine said.

“She told me to take you,” Bumpy said. “And LaTonya?”

Bumpy shook his head.

“Yeah,” Jeraine said. “She doesn’t give a shit about any old family stuff.”

“Do you?”

Jeraine felt the weight of his father’s eyes on him. In the past, he would have had a surly answer to that question.

“You going to tell me what’s going on? Or leave me in the dark like a child?” He repeated something Tanesha frequently said to Rodney.

“’Cuz I’ve got a lot better things to do than play child to your grown up.”

Bumpy nodded.

“Well?”

“That girl is good for you,” Bumpy said.

“What’s it going to be?”

“Tomorrow,” Bumpy said. “I’ll pick you up at six.”

“Can’t do six,” Jeraine said. “I take Miss T to the bus stop at 6:30 a.m.”

“6:30 then,” Bumpy said. “Wear jeans, boots. You’re going to get dirty. Bring a hat, gloves and…. Ah hell, I’ll bring that stuff. Your mother’s packing lunch. Might take all day.”

“I’ll cancel with the trainer.”

“Probably a good idea,” Bumpy said.

“What’s the emergency, Dad?” Jeraine asked. “I mean, you’re taking a whole day off the office? Mid week? When was the last time you did that?”

“The day you were born,” Bumpy said.

“So this is a big deal,” Jeraine said.

“This is a big deal,” Bumpy said.

“And you’re going to tell me all about it?” Jeraine asked. “No half truths? Long pointless stories to obfuscate the truth? No convenient I forgots or you wouldn’t understands?”

“Obfuscate? Where did you learn a word like that?”

Jeraine gave him a sour look.

“I’ll tell you what I know,” Bumpy nodded.

“Then I’m in,” Jeraine smiled. He shifted and the headache came back.

“You still up for lunch?” Bumpy asked.

Nodding, Jeraine got out of bed, grabbed his sunglasses, and started out of the house.

“Pull up your pants,” Bumpy said. “You’re not going to wear those glasses at lunch are you? You look like a fool.”

Chuckling to himself, Jeraine followed Bumpy out of the penthouse.

~~~~~~~~
Tuesday afternoon — 3:55 p.m.

“You’re sure about this?” The publisher looked over his reading glasses at Westword’s the managing editor. “If we’re wrong…”

“We’re not wrong,” Barton Gaston shifted forward. “He owns the duplex. The other apartments are used for the same purposes. The money all goes back to an account he opened almost twenty years ago. Expenses and profits. His taxes indicate that it’s as a professional services group. They just don’t indicate which professional services.”

“And you’re sure it’s prostitution?”

“It’s prostitution,” the managing editor said. “Barton interviewed two of the women who work in his professional services group. They even have a website.”

“And the Denver PD?” While the question was for Barton, the publisher’s eyes never left the managing editors face.

“Know all about it,” Barton’s voice raised. “They’ve had to look away all this time.”

“And the Rodney Smith angle?” The publisher said.

“It was my decision not to include it,” the managing editor said. “We don’t have proof that there’s a connection.”

“But Alvin was the prosecutor in his case.”

“Yes,” the managing editor said. “That’s correct.”

“Do you believe they’re connected?” the publisher asked.

“They’re connected!” Barton’s intensity caused the publisher to look at him. Intimidated by the look, Barton settled back in his chair.

“The story is strong enough without adding that detail,” the managing editor said.

“Leave a bone for the Denver Post?”

“Why force a good man to face something awful?” the managing editor shrugged. “He only wants to live what’s left of his life in peace.”

The publisher blinked.

“You know me,” the managing editor said.

“I do know you, that’s why I’m asking,” the publisher said. “You’re always more than happy to slit an artery or two.”

The managing editor nodded.

“Then what?” the publisher asked.

“You remember that we ran a couple of stories about Rodney before and after he got out?”

“I remember.”

“One thing he said was that all he wanted was a chance to get Yvonne back and no matter where she’d been or what she’d done, he’d take her back with open arms,” the managing editor said. “There was something about the way he said, even on the tape, I…”

“He had like this light that came from inside him,” Barton nodded. “I remember that. She’s his real deal.”

“If we say that Alvin prosecuted Rodney to get Yvonne, we…,” the managing editor said.

“It will come out,” the publisher interrupted.

“Maybe so,” the managing editor said. “We can run with it then. In the meantime, Barton can work through Rodney’s case. Is there any evidence that what we suspect is true? And after Rodney and Yvonne…”

“You old softy,” the publisher smiled. “You want them to get back together.”

The managing editor nodded.

“Run it,” the publisher said. “I’ll call the lawyers. You going to let his campaign know?”

“After it’s on the trucks,” the managing editor said.

“After it’s printed,” the publisher said.

“Tonight then,” the managing editor said.

“Tomorrow morning is fine,” the publisher said. “We don’t owe them anything.”

The managing editor nodded.

“It’s going to be an interesting week,” the publisher said.

“It always is,” she said and she left the room. Barton hopped out of his chair and jogged after her.

The Denver Cereal will continue next week

Denver Cereal is a serial fiction set in Denver, Colorado.
You can get your daily dose of Denver Cereal at DenverCereal.com
Chapters are posted on Saturdays on this blog.
Download your free electronic copy of The Denver Cereal, the beginning.
Signed copies of the books are only available at Cook Street Store.
You can also find The Denver Cereal, Celia’s Puppies, Cascade , Cimarron, and Black Forest at Amazon or your local bookseller.
Looking for electronic books? Go to the Cook Street Store or Smashwords.

Claudia Hall Christian is a novelist.

Prelude
Previous Chapters

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sunday morning
October 25 – 10 a.m. EDT
The Jefferson, Downtown Washington DC

Rebecca had been ready to hammer Elizabeth with the truth. She had all the documents, photographs and reports from Social Services. But Elizabeth didn’t need that kind of intervention. She wept at the first photo of the boys’ bedroom. Even upset, she refused to back down. She wanted to see everything. While Rebecca held her hand, Patrick went through the photographs of the house.

“I never went upstairs,” Elizabeth said through her tears. “I knew the boys were small, but Dahlia was size 0. And I…”

Patrick started on the photos of the boys and Dahlia. Elizabeth clutched each photo and sobbed.

“Hector did all of this?” Elizabeth asked. “Don’t answer that. I know he did. He used to torture flies, mice, alley cats – whatever he could get his hands on. I never allowed the children to have pets because he was so cruel. I knew Dahlia was unhappy, but I thought it was because she chose Hector over Troy. I figured she got what she deserved. But no one deserves…”

Elizabeth held up the photo of the shackles on the wall of Dahlia’s room.

“He locked her in every night,” Rebecca said. “He threatened to kill the boys if she left her shackles.”

“General, Rebecca, what am I going to do? I can’t go home,” Elizabeth said. “I won’t go home. We have no money. Mr. Jasper spent every cent of my inheritance. When the economy crashed, he cashed out my 401K. I… I may not be shackled, but I’m as trapped as poor Dahlia.”

Rebecca held out a disposable phone.

“These people are called ‘For the Friendless,’” Rebecca said. “They help women in situations like yours. The only agreement is that you must repay the money. There’s no interest. But your repayment ensures that another woman can get help.”

“If you’re ready to get help, call the number that’s programmed in the phone and leave a message,” Patrick said. “But don’t call unless you’re ready to be helped.”

“Huh,” Elizabeth took the phone and turned it over. “Dahlia had one of these. At that party, you know, at Red Rocks? Before everything happened, Troy took Dahlia away. When she came back, she had one of these phones and was… different, stronger. I was going to ask her but… She gave me one of these phones a couple months ago. I thought she was an idiot and threw it away.”

“I don’t know anything about that,” Patrick looked at Rebecca. “You?”

Rebecca shook her head. Elizabeth shivered.

“Afraid?” Patrick asked.

“Terrified, General,” Elizabeth said. “What if…?”

“Sometimes, you have to grit your teeth and move forward,” Patrick said.

“Yes sir,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t have anything. Not even a change of clothing. But…”

“Yes dear,” Rebecca said.

“I do have friends,” Elizabeth looked from Patrick to Rebecca. “Thank you. Will Gerald forgive me?”

“I don’t think he has to,” Patrick said. “He always knew what was going on.”

“I’d like to see my grandchildren,” Elizabeth said.

“Troy’s with the police this morning,” Patrick said. “With their mother dead, it’s really up to him as to who sees the boys.”

“Oh God, what will I say to Troy?”

“You’d be surprised how far ‘I’m sorry’ goes,” Rebecca said.

“I’ve rented this room for a week, Elizabeth,” Patrick said. “If you’d like to stay here and get oriented, you’re welcome too.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said. “You’re in the city for a while?”

“We’re here until the kids leave,” Rebecca said. “Why don’t I call you later and see how you are?”

“I’d like that,” Elizabeth said.

“Should I leave these?” Patrick asked.

“No,” Elizabeth said. “I won’t ever forget. Ever. Thank you.”

Patrick put the photographs and reports in his briefcase. He and Rebecca hugged Elizabeth good-bye. They were in the elevator when he asked:

“What do you think?”

“She’ll either call Jasper and return to her life or use the disposable phone,” Rebecca said. “She already destroyed one phone. Who knows?”

“I’m sorry, Becky,” Patrick said. “I had to try.”

“That’s what I love about you, Paddie,” Rebecca said.

“She might take the chance,” Patrick said.

“She might.”

Unable to come up with words to soothe her doubt, Patrick gave her a curt nod.

FFFFFF

Sunday morning
October 25 – 10:00 a.m. EDT
Sheridan Circle Mansion, Washington DC

“This is an interesting turn of events,” Eoin McKinney said in Ulster Gaelic. The sound of his rich Irish voice echoed off the marble.

“Can you believe this crap?” Cian Kelly replied in Ulster Gaelic. “They whine and whine and whine about how they work so much while they’re here in Washington DC. And here they are! Living like proddies on a government contract.”

“May I bring you something while you wait for Mr. Rasmussen?” the butler asked.

“I’d love some tea,” Eoin said in Ulster Gaelic.

“Sir?” the butler asked.

“He’d like some tea. I’d like some as well,” Cian said in English. “Preferably an Irish breakfast, a wee bit of cream, and a scone or two if you have them.”

Eoin smiled.

“As you wish,” the butler gave a little bow and retreated to the kitchen.

“Did you see that?” Eoin asked in Ulster Gaelic. “He bowed.”

Cian nodded to Eoin. They shared a look that celebrated their brilliance for taking Alex up on her request for their help.

“Gentlemen?” Raz asked. “Plotting?”

“We just ordered tea and scones,” Eoin said.

“And he went to get it,” Cian said.

“Do you think he’ll really get…?” Eoin started.

The butler appeared with a tray of scones, fresh fruit, a small thermos of coffee and a pot of tea.

“Shall I deliver this to your work area?” the butler asked Raz.

“Please,” Raz said.

Eoin and Cian watched in awe as the butler retreated down the hallway. With a hand on each of their shoulders, Raz pushed the men down the hallway.

“Thanks for coming,” Raz said. “I didn’t expect…”

“Miss Alex asked us to help,” Eoin said. “We’d do anything to help a friend.”

“Plus Eoin’s missus is a little ‘fragile’ right now,” Cian said.

“Fragile?” Raz asked.

“Not to defame her or anything,” Eoin said. “She’s really a lovely person but…”

“She’s a wee bit angry,” Cian said.

“Eight months up the pole and mean.” Eoin gave a dramatic shiver. “Had to get out of town before she castrated me in my sleep.”

“Who’s taking care of the bakery?” Raz asked.

“Colin hired some nice Yanks to help out,” Cian said. “They’re watching the shop for the day.”

“And Maggie?” Raz asked. “Alex will kill you in your sleep if you put her in a kennel.”

“Kennel?” Cian asked. “We’re not barbarians!”

They both looked shocked and misunderstood. They made a show of not looking at Raz while they completed the journey to the room he was working in. Used to their antics, Raz chuckled under his breath.

“Hey, Troy’s going to bring his boys home,” Raz said. “Will that be a problem?”

“We love boys!” Eoin said. “I’m hoping the missus has a boy!”

“So you’re all right with Troy bringing his boys home?” Raz asked.

“Sure,” Cian shrugged. “They can play with Fionn.”

“Fionn?” Raz asked.

“Fionn’s not so much of a boy, Cian,” Eoin said. “He’s seventeen. Passed his O-levels and everything. You forget.”

“Seems like a kid to me,” Cian said.

“Fionn who?” Raz asked.

Seeming to hear Raz for the first time, the men looked up at him and shook their heads in unison.

“No one,” Eoin said.

“Didn’t you have something for us to look at?” Cian smiled and patted Raz’s shoulder.

“Miss Alex said you needed our help,” Eoin puffed his chest out as if with pride.

“John’s sister Rita has a son named Fionn,” Raz said.

“She does?” Cian asked. “I can’t keep track of all the nieces and nephews.”

“Kellys breed like Australian bunnies,” Eoin said.

“Or McKinneys,” Cian said.

The men looked at each other and laughed. Raz glanced from Cian to Eoin. Seasoned IRA volunteers, Cian and Eoin retreated to this inane juvenile act when they didn’t want to be questioned too closely.

“Is there a video or something important you want us to do?” Cian asked.

“Over here,” Raz said. “Troy’s father is saying that Troy set the explosives.”

“Like Troy knows how to set explosives?” Cian laughed. “The boy can barely tie his shoes. He’d have blown his head off.”

“Like your da,” Eoin said in Ulster Gaelic.

Cian and Eoin laughed. Shaking his head to clear it of their nonsense, Raz looked into Cian and Eoin’s bright faces.

“We’re hoping we can find footage of someone setting the bombs,” Raz said. “The footage is…”

“Can we see the explosion first?” Cian asked. “Then we’ll know what we’re looking for.”

“Do you have a diagram of the house?” Eoin asked. “I can draw one up lickety split if you don’t.”

Raz held up a diagram.

“Did our protégé Hutchins take a look?” Cian asked.

“He went out with the FBI,” Raz said.

“Do you have his report?” Cian asked. “He’s very good.”

“Trained by the best,” Eoin said.

“That would be us, in case you wondered,” Cian said.

Not trusting himself to respond, Raz held up the report.

“Good,” Eoin said. “Show me how to work the controls and give us a few minutes. We have to sort what the explosion looked like first. Do you have one of those boards Alex uses?”

“A white board?” Raz asked.

“Right,” Cian said.

“I’ll ask,” Raz said. “Just so I’ve got this straight. You’re saying Rita’s son Fionn came to live with us.”

“I said no such thing,” Cian said.

“I don’t know where you come up with this stuff.” Eoin mimicked Raz’s tone.

“Americans,” Cian shook his head in mock disgust. “You all have such fantastic imaginations.”

“But Fionn is taking care of Alex’s puppy Maggie,” Raz said.

“Maggie would be very offended to hear you call her a puppy,” Cian said. “When do we get the white board?”

“We can’t start without it,” Eoin said.

“Are you supposed to be running…” Cian said.

“Pacing, he’s supposed to pace,” Eoin said. “Just one stage because of his bad back.”

“Yes, pacing my baby brother?” Cian asked. “We rushed all the way here so that you wouldn’t miss it.”

“Our Johnny will be crankier than the missus if you’re not there to help,” Eoin said.

“Just have the white board sent down on your way out,” Cian said.

Raz opened his mouth to say something, shook his head, and chuckled.

“Have fun,” Eoin raised his hand and waved to Raz on his way out of the room.

FFFFFF

Sunday morning
October 25 – 10:20 a.m. EDT
Over the Pentagon, Washington DC

“Alex, I thought you got permission to land at the Pentagon,” Zack said over the intercom.

Flying fast toward the Marine Marathon route, they had already picked up Troy and his lawyers on their way to the marathon. They’d planned a grand entrance. Once again, their plans fell through.

“I did,” Alex said.

“They’re being fussy today,” Zack said. “They said something about a new intern and something else about paperwork.”

“Fuck’s sake,” Alex repeated John’s favorite expression.

“What does Royce say?” Troy asked. “He was on permissions and paperwork duty.”

“Royce is running today,” Zack said.

“I patched him on the line,” Sergeant Dusty cut in on the line. “He’s just behind John, Max, Matthew and Raz at mile twenty-two.”

“Everything was cleared, and every piece of paper was filed, Olivas,” Chief Petty Officer Royce Tubman said. “And I’ve been running for a couple of hours.”

“What’s your point?” Zack laughed.

“All I’m saying is that everything was golden when I started this race,” Royce said. “And I’m not the one gallivanting around the country.”

“That’s a little insubordinate,” Trece growled.

“You’d know,” Royce said.

“You wound me,” Trece sniffed. “I’d have thought you’d be grateful to your fitness trainer that you can walk, let alone run.”

“I worship you like a God, Andy!” Royce said. Trece laughed at him.

“Can we get back on track?” Alex asked. “Zack needs somewhere to land.”

“Who’d you piss off?” Royce asked.

“Piss off?” Alex laughed. “Me? I had breakfast with an old friend.”

Zack, Cliff and Trece laughed.

“Wasn’t me,” Troy said. “This time. I was with the police.”

“The rest of the team is either working on post or waiting for us at the finish,” Royce said. “Olivas was with the police. That leaves you, sir.”

They laughed.

“Alex?” Zack asked. “We’re not going to have time to land.”

“What about the cemetery?”

“The Army’s being cranky,” Zack said.

“The Army?” Alex asked.

“They don’t want to deal with our show boating at Arlington National cemetery,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Plus…”

“They’re squawking about an intern,” Zack said.

“What intern?” Alex asked.

“We have a new intern,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Two really. The Pentagon is playing hardball because they say you’re refusing another intern.”

“Am I?” Alex asked.

“I am,” Sergeant Dusty said. “These interns, sir. They…”

“Are they frat boys like Flagg?” Zack asked.

“No sir,” Sergeant Dusty said.

“Navy?” Alex asked.

“Hey!” Royce laughed.

“No sir, they’re from the 10th Special Forces. I’m to remind you that the Fey Special Forces Team was a part of the 10th,” Sergeant Dusty said. “My home team.”

“Oooh that does sound pissy,” Alex said. “Even for them.”

“They want us to take the interns,” Sergeant Dusty said.

“How bad can they be?” Trece asked.

“What does Joseph say?” Alex asked. “It’s really up to him and Mattie.”

“Major Walters said it’s up to you,” Sergeant Dusty said. “But sir…”

“Why don’t we test him out?” Alex said. “Tell him to meet us at mile twenty-four.”

“Them sir,” Sergeant Dusty said.

“Whatever,” Alex said. “We were ordered to make a grand display. Can’t do it if we can’t get there.”

“Uh oh,” Royce said. “I’m out before I hear whatever is coming next.”

“He’s so sensitive,” Troy laughed.

“What are their names, Sergeant Dusty?” Alex asked.

“Sergeant Pete Beetle and Master Sergeant Bill Bailey,” Sergeant Dusty said. “But sir…”

“Beetle and Bailey?” Trece laughed. “Really?”

“Sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “I don’t think you’re going to want to…”

“I trust you completely,” Alex said. “But sounds like we don’t have a choice.”

“Again,” Trece said.

“The Army goes rolling along,” Alex began to sing the Army song.

“Oh no,” Trece shook his head. “No, no, no, no, no.”

Troy’s Army JAG lawyer, Captain Tyler, joined Alex’s song: “Proud of all we have done.”

“Fighting till the battle’s won,” Troy joined in.

“And the army goes rolling along,” they sang together.

Over the intercom, Zack blasted the Army Song in a loop while Trece moaned.

“When you’re done, sir,” Sergeant Dusty said.

The song abruptly ended.

“I remind you that you have air clearance,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Slight wind out of the East, otherwise, you shouldn’t have much trouble.”

“What are you doing?” Hawkins Mac Alister asked Alex.

“We’re going down by wire,” Alex said. “We have clearance to fly but no clearance to land.”

“We plan for everything,” Trece said.

“You want to run with us?” Alex asked.

“Sure,” Hawkins Mac Alister said.

“You’ve got to wear the gear,” Alex said.

“You have shoes in there?” Army JAG Captain Tyler said.

“Of course,” Troy said.

Trece threw shorts and the light blue Fey shirts at the lawyers.

“You running?” Trece asked Troy.

“Sure,” Troy said.

“What about your feet?” Alex asked.

“What about them?” Troy asked.

“There’s shit storm coming in our direction,” Alex said. “I’d rather have you healthy.”

Troy gave a nod and continued dressing.

“That’s an order,” she said.

“I’ll meet you at the finish line,” Troy said. “Need my gear.”

Knowing the cost of giving up this run, Alex touched his shoulder. He smiled at her.

“The boys are at the finish line,” Troy said.

“They’re waiting for you, sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Captain Blanco, Sergeant Scully and Sergeant Peaches are with them as well as Erin Hargreaves, the General and Mrs. Hargreaves.”

“Sounds like a party,” Alex said. “Everyone ready?”

“What does ‘going down by wire’ mean?” Hawkins Mac Alister asked.

“It’s pretty straight forward, Hawkins,” Captain Tyler said. “If you go first, you just clip in to the wire and get lowered. Remember to wear gloves – the wire’s a killer.”

“I’m going down with the Lieutenant Colonel,” Trece said. “Captain Tyler can go down with you or…”

Much to everyone’s surprise, Hawkins Mac Alister nodded. He got up and changed his clothing.

“You don’t have to do this,” Troy said.

“It sounds like fun,” Hawkins Mac Alister said. “I think you can understand this, Captain Olivas. I’ve never had a chance to do this kind of thing. I’ve always wondered what it would be like.”

“I wanted to do the action and not just plan it,” Troy said.

“Exactly,” Hawkins Mac Alister said. “My kids will be thrilled.”

“We tape from the helicopter,” Alex said. “I’ll send you a copy.”

“And it’s all right if we seem like we’re on the team?” Captain Tyler asked. “It feels kinda arrogant to pretend.”

“No one knows who’s on the Fey team,” Trece said. “It’s part of our gig.”

“Sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey are waiting for you at mile twenty-four.”

“How will I know them?” Alex asked. “Switching to satellite phone.”

She took off her headphones. She waited a moment for Sergeant Dusty to call. Once on the line, she waited through a series of clicks until she was connected to Zack’s feed.

“You won’t miss them,” Sergeant Dusty said.

“Who?” Alex asked.

“Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey,” Sergeant Dusty said.

“We’re there,” Zack said.

“Glasses!” Alex said.

Trece tossed a pair of dark Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses to Hawkins and Captain Tyler. He opened the helicopter door and let out the wire line. He took care to hook Hawkins in while Troy hooked Captain Tyler on the other line. Hawkins Mac Alister looked terrified but never said a word. While the helicopter hovered, the men were lowered to the middle of South Rotary Road. Troy helped Alex hook onto the line. Trece took the other line.

“Ready?” Troy asked. Trece went down the line.

“You sure you can make it?” Troy asked. “The new hip has never been right.”

“It’s not the ball of the hip, it’s the entire joint socket,” Alex said. “The joint is inflamed.”

“Still,” Troy said. “I can go down with you.”

“Nah,” Alex said. “I got this. See you at the finish.”

With Trece holding the bottom of the wire, Alex slid down.

“Do you see them?” Alex asked as she took off her gloves.

“Behind you,” Troy said over the feed.

Alex turned to look and waved to John, Max, Matthew and Raz.

“Why is there a dog on the course?” Alex asked. “Man, if I’d known we could bring dogs, I’d have brought Maggie. I hate that she has to stay home.”

“That’s Master Sergeant Bailey,” Sergeant Dusty said.

“What is?” Alex asked.

“Our new intern is a real dog,” Trece laughed.

“Our new intern is a dog,” Alex said. “They want me to train a dog?”

“Technically, he’s a Belgian Shepherd, sir,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Master Sergeant Bill Bailey is a decorated veteran. Sergeant Beetle is his handler.”

“We’ll straighten this out, right?” Alex asked. “What does Gordon say?”

“He was unaware of the assignment,” Sergeant Dusty said. “Something happened – I’m not sure what, but I’m tracking it down – and Sergeant Beetle was assigned to our team.”

“The dog is coming over,” Alex said. “The Sergeant is saluting the civilian lawyer Hawkins.”

Trece laughed. John, Raz, and Matthew came up behind them.

“That was quite an entrance,” John said as he ran up.

“Create a memory,” Alex said. “That’s me.”

“Yes, my love,” John said. “Shall we?”

Alex began running beside him. Max ran on his other side. The rest of the men fell in around them.

“Who’s the dog?” Matthew asked.

“Our new intern,” Alex said.

“No fucking way,” Matthew said.

“Way,” Trece said. “Better go talk to the boy. He’s saluting the lawyers.”

Matthew jogged to Sergeant Beetle and Master Sergeant Bailey. The Sergeant saluted Matthew. Matthew pointed to the group, and the new interns fell in. The entire group ran as a unit toward the finish. John, Max and Matthew picked up speed in the last half mile and finished fast. Amid wild cheers from men and women who recognized them, Alex and the motley crew followed them through the finish.

Trece and White Boy shuttled Alex and Max through the crowd. Alex took the wire up to the helicopter, followed by Trece and White Boy. Within minutes of crossing the finish line, they were settled into the passenger compartment.

“Where to, my Fey?” Zack asked.

“Sheridan Circle,” Alex said. “We have a party to get started!”

F

Lean on Me is the fourth novel in the fast paced Alex the Fey thriller series
by Claudia Hall Christian.

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Lean on Me, and all the Alex the Fey thrillers are available in eBooks.
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