Chapter 28

I sat back down, listening to Myrna chuckling at me. For the rest of the morning everything was a complete daze. Later I walked Kat out to her car and got kissed again. She said that she was looking forward to our vacation. Sally and Myrna stayed on the porch and waved as she went out the driveway. I headed back to the house, telling Sally she had better start getting ready for the prom. I told her I knew it took hours for girls to get the right look before they would go out all dressed up. She got a shocked look on her face and ran for the front door. Of course Myrna wasn't that easy.

"That was a good move, Jon. Don't worry though, I will make sure she looks like the young lady she is. Now, I think you have some phone calls to make before your meeting tonight. I will have an early supper for you both."

She turned and went back inside. I just sighed to myself, wondering if I would ever have my way in my own house. I followed her inside, went to my study and got on the phone. I called Jimmy first to see if he had gotten the cameras and the recorders ready to go. I wanted to turn Jubal and Farley loose this weekend to start watching the camp. He said he was just putting the final touches on them and would send them out with Tiny. I reminded him that he had to come himself. He needed to show my people how to wire them and what to do in case there was some kind of trouble. He said he would be there and wanted to know when we were eating supper. I just laughed and told him it would be before he got here, so he would have to settle for one of Myrna's sandwiches. He didn't sound too disappointed when he hung up the phone. Next I called Tiny and told him my thoughts about Kat and the recording from the limo.

"Jon, I already thought about that and I have a good man assigned to her. I called a couple of markers in, and the police will be patrolling the area where she lives pretty heavy for the next couple of weeks. I have five extra guys tailing us tonight, so don't worry about Sally or her friends. Jon, I hate to ask, but I need some money to help cover expenses. Several of the guys owe me big time, but the rest I have to pay. I got nothing but the best, and you know they don't come cheap. Normally I wouldn't ask, but it's been a slow year this year and I can't afford to do both and still keep the Mrs. happy."

"Dammit, Tiny, I didn't expect for you to shoulder the load and expense for all of this. You should let me know each week what you need, and I will write you a check to cover it. If that's not fast enough, I will transfer the amount into your account each week. That way you won't have to wait for the check to clear. You just let me know which way you would prefer. By the way, you will be bringing Jimmy out here tonight. He is going with me to meet the men who will be handling the cameras. I will take him home, so you don't need to worry about that. I might just have him stay over. If the meeting ends early enough, I may be able to make it to the prom to see Sally. Tiny, in case I don't get to the prom, will you do me a favor and get some good pictures for me? When she gets older, she will want them for her scrapbook, and I want some for my personal album."

"Jon, will you quit worrying? I have one of the guys I am using for extra eyes bringing along his camera. He is a professional photographer and he will take all the pictures you might want. I guarantee you they will all be good. Now settle down and get your mind back on your problems. Let us take a little of the load off this evening."

"Ok, Tiny, and thanks for all the help."

"Hey, she is like my own kid, and I sure wouldn't let anything happen to her while she is in my care. You do your thing and don't worry about Sally or Kat. Besides, I've already been read the riot act by Aunt Myrna about this. She included Kat in the whole thing too. Jon, what's going on out there? Myrna said something about multiple marriages and kids, or something like that. She sure was excited and happy. Well, I gotta go pick up the limo and have Jimmy go over it again. Catch you later."

He hung up with me wondering how my whole life had been taken out of my hands by my adopted daughter and my housekeeper. I decided to call Bill's cell. It went to voice mail but I didn't leave a message. I was starting to worry about him, and decided to call Jerry. When I got him on the phone, he said he hadn't heard anything from him either, and was as worried as I was. He said he was going to give it until the morning and then start making calls. I told him I had a list of numbers too and I would start calling them in the morning. He asked if I had heard anymore about the shooting, and I said no and I wasn't worried about it because it was a case of self defense. Jerry agreed and said his call to the new DA hadn't been returned yet, so maybe he decided to drop it. We chit-chatted a few more minutes before I hung up and used my cell phone to call Maurice. When I got him on the phone, he sounded beat. I told him he needed to go home and get some rest for a change.

"Jon, my friend, it has been hitting the fan for the last four hours. That church in El Salvador was raided by the Army, looking for a wanted fugitive. When they went in under a white flag to talk to the church leaders, they were fired upon with automatic weapons. You know how it is down there; they don't worry about anything, just open up and shoot the hell out of everything. Between the mortars and the heavy artillery, they almost flattened the whole area. Jon, they only found thirty people alive, and most of them were women and kids. From what we have been able to find out, almost all of them were citizens from your country. They are in jail, waiting for the American Consulate to make an appearance. Jon, they were hiding several bands of rebels, and were furnishing them with small arms to keep fighting the Salvadorian Government. Intelligence is still coming in, but from the count of the dead, it doesn't look good."

"Damn, Maurice, I hate to hear that. I am sending you a couple of pictures from my cell phone. I think they are of the leader of the church here. Give them a good look see, will you? I think we have seen him before, but I can't remember where. If you can figure it out, let me know right away, will you? Maurice, you be careful with this one, because he might have fingers in places we don't expect."

"Ahh, Jon, you always worry about your old comrade. Do not worry, my friend, I will make sure I get an ID on him before I report anything to my commander. Of course it will be after I fax you the information. Jon, you be careful too, my friend, your name has come up in some radio traffic. We do not know who was sending it, but they mentioned you several times. I think maybe you have something these people want or need. The compound in San Mateo has been very active for the last couple of weeks. There has been a lot of night activity and truck traffic in and out of there. They have a small airport on the grounds, and it also has been very busy lately. We have not been able to get close enough to see what is going on because of all the armed guards. Jon, all the compounds we are watching have been very active of late, and no one here can figure out what's going on. I have to go now, my friend. Send the pictures to my personal cell and I will get back to you as soon as I know something. Goodbye for now, my friend."

He hung up and I immediately sent the pictures to my computer. Then I uploaded copies back into my phone and sent them to his cell. I got a text back almost immediately that said, "Got them." I was sitting at my desk staring at the two pictures, trying to remember where I had seen him, but it just wouldn't come to me for some reason. I was interrupted by a vision that I would have imprinted on my mind forever. It was Sally all dressed up for the prom.

"Boy do you look beautiful, Sally! I always thought you were really cute, but dressed like that, it seems like I have lost my little girl and gained a beautiful young lady in her place. Has Myrna seen you yet?"

"Yes, silly, who do you think helped me get my hair and makeup done? Do you really think I look beautiful, Dad?"

"Yes, Sally, I do, and I always knew you would be when you grew up. I remember that dirty faced little girl who looked so cute when I first saw her. I remember that smile, even under all the dirt on your face. I think, even back then, I knew you would turn out to be something special as you got older. Now look at you, about to start high school and the best looking girl at the prom. Wait till Tiny sees you, he will have to beat the boys off with a ball bat tonight. Why I bet he doesn't let you out of his sight the whole night long."

"Dad, I love Tiny, but if he follows me around all night, I will beat him with his own ball bat. A girl needs a little space, you know."

"Remember, Sally, he is there not only as your chaperone, but as your bodyguard too. Remember what's been going on, so don't be too hard on him. Please, for my sake, don't sneak away or get out of his sight for too long. Remember our talk and what I told you about the church."

"I remember, Dad, and all of us girls are going to stay in threes all night. All my friends will be close, and they already said if an adult grabbed me, they would start screaming as loud as they can. We all decided we would watch out for each other all night long. I'll let Tiny know as soon as we get in the limo. All the girls are meeting at Judy's, so Tiny will only have one stop to make. We arranged this yesterday with all their parents. By the way, they all said to tell you thanks for letting us have our own limo to go in. This is gonna be so cool."

With that she went back out the door after kissing me on the cheek. She said she didn't want to mess up her makeup or hair. I was a little miffed, because I wanted a hug. I sat back down at my desk and called Jeb, asking if the meeting was still on for tonight. I was assured it was and that Jubal and Farley had some good news for me when I got there. I was thinking about this when Myrna came in with coffee. Carver was on her heels with a smile on his face.

"Jon, doesn't she look beautiful? Carver and I decided we are going to get married on this island of yours. What are your plans for you and Kat? Are you gonna ask her to marry you?"

I looked at her in shock before I finally blurted out; "Dammit, Myrna, why do you always have to ruin a perfect day? Can't I ever make any decisions on my own?"

"Not in this case, Jon. Besides, I wouldn't be me if I didn't push you in the right direction. I think we ought to make it a double wedding. Carver has already got our rings, so we are ready. What about you? Have you thought about getting her a ring yet? If you need any help, I know what she likes. We had a nice discussion about it, and what we thought should happen down there."

"Yeah, Dad, I think it's time you got married. I also think she is the perfect one for you. After all, Myrna and I decided she is what you need, and I need some brothers and sisters to help keep you on your toes. Kat and I decided she would have two of each, and when I got old enough to get married, I would have three. I think a double marriage on a beautiful island is really romantic, don't you?"

I felt like screaming. How the hell did I ever get myself into this and how was I going to get out of it? Did I want to get out of it? I thought about Kat, her smile, the way I felt when she kissed me, and I knew I was sunk. I knew I didn't want to get out of it, but just be able to make up my own mind when and where. I looked over at Carver. He was looking at me and just shook his head slightly. I immediately took this as a clue to keep my big mouth shut, so I decided I would. I was saved by the arrival of Tiny and Jimmy. When Sally answered the door, I heard them both give out wolf whistles and Sally was giggling at them. I had to smile, because if nothing else good happened in my life, I had her.

Myrna gave me one of those looks that conveyed that this matter wasn't over yet, so I just grinned at her and got a glare in return. She went out, leaving Carver sitting in his chair with a smile on his face. I gave him a dirty look and he just laughed at me.

"Jon, I tried to warn you what would happen when they all got together. I personally am happy to marry that woman. She completes something in me that I have missed all these years. How old are you, Jon? How many years have you beat around this world like I did with nothing but uniforms and a gun for company? Sure, we had friends we would give our lives for, but having a smart and beautiful woman to be with is a whole new ball game for us both. I will tell you that Kat loves Sally like she is her own, and she will wait until you decide to marry her. But if you don't, you will be missing out on something, and you will regret it the rest of your life."

"Carver, it's not that I don't want to marry her, but I just want to be the one who decides when I will and how it will happen. Myrna and Sally have done this to me for years, and to tell you the truth, I am getting tired of it. I love them both, but for once I would like to make my own decision about something."

"I understand that, Jon, and I been in your shoes. Remember, I grew up with four older sisters, and I could never get to make my own decisions about anything. When I got picked on at school, one of my sisters would always beat the hell out of the bully who picked on me. I watched two of them die of cancer, and to this day I regret that I never told them how much they meant to me as I was growing up. I still have two living, and they still treat me like I don't have any brains. It took me many years to see this was how they showed their love for me. When I came home from Nam, they both were at the airport to meet me. They almost started a riot when one of those hippie chicks called me a baby killer. It took me and three of my buddies to hold them back from beatin' the hell out of that girl. One of my sisters married one of my friends, but he died of Agent Orange a couple of years ago. I stay in close touch with her, because she still hasn't recovered from his death. Yea, Jon, I know what you're feeling. Just remember, although Myrna don't say so, she loves you like the son she never had. Sally is something else entirely. There's a bond there even I don't understand. You heard her when she asked Myrna about getting her permission. Myrna talked about that most of the night. She was so proud that Sally thought that much of her."