Chapter 138

"So Wilson how you like the restaurant business?" I asked.

"You know it really is okay. I was surprised that I could do the shaking hands and talking to the people, but I am doing just fine at it. At least Mel tells me I am." he said.

"Good for you, how are you doing with the TV people," I asked.

"Oh they really don't want me. They want Mel. They also want her to run around half dressed, even in the winter months," he said.

"I guess that means you aren't the only one who finds her sexy," I said. I could see that she would stand out among the old men. I think they tried to keep the cast to a minimum so she would likely be the only female for a while.

Since they were filming season two, it was the ideal time for me to go play cop again. It looked as though I could be bad cop without being bothered by a good cop tagging along. Wilson nor I seemed to want a working relationship after all. He seemed happy doing what he did and I figure Happy Gilmore could get me anything I needed. It might take longer, since she would want it to be untainted, but that might be okay. It might be a good lesson in patience for me, I thought.

The time past slowly until it was time to go meet Happy Gilmore. I drove the Honda to Chattanooga Tenn. It was the site of the Electric Car Company. The Mission statement of the ECC stated that it was to be a manufacturer of affordable Electric Vehicles. It didn't give the definition of affordable. It also hadn't been able to put a single car out the door during the first Six months. There was a plant and employees so there had to be a reason, right?.

The excuse for the lack of production ran from a poor untrained labor pool to the unavailability of components and several other lesser excuses. My opinion, after meeting the owner and CEO of the company, was poor management and probably fraud. Now it was up to me to prove it.

While I did it I couldn't tell anyone it was for the senator's office. I guessed that was so that he could spring it on them in a hearing. I had no idea and I didn't care. I was going to do a Sergeant Friday. I was just going to gather the facts. Nothing anecdotal just the cold hard facts.

First thing I did, when I finally got to the town of Chattanooga, was find a drive thru restaurant. In the case of Chattanooga it was on a kind of service road. Even so it was on a well traveled one. The Service road was also home to an unimposing, locally owned motel, as well as a couple of fast food restaurants. It also looked like I could get a five mile run in by running up to a buy road then back tracking to the next busy road a couple of times.

Best of all the Electric Car Company was about five miles away. It was within reach on the bicycle, which I had loaded into the rear of the Honda SUV for the trip. I preferred the bike the last few years. running did a number on my knees. Just proof that I wasn't getting any younger, I told myself.

I drove the Honda to the Electric Car Company. I noted there were about twenty cars in the parking lot. With so few employees it hardly seemed necessary to have a security guard on the gate. I did remember that Evans was worried about theft. I had to wonder what the employees could steal that was so valuable.

Happy was supposed to be bringing a copy of everything the Senator knew about ECC. Mostly it would be right off their grant request. Still it was a place to start. The other place would be the plant itself.

I knew that I had arrived to late for anything more than a fact finding mission. To do that I checked into the Motel. It was one of those that looked a lot like a warehouse. It might be considered one come to think of it. It just warehoused people. some of whom were not so nice, I assumed. It looked a lot like a welfare motel to be honest. One that accepted emergency vouchers from Social Services. It would fit my cover, which Happy would be supplying.

She was bringing me the first part of the background, but there would be more details add as we went along. Hell working for Washing ton had to have some perks.

As for me I checked into the Motel, then made a call on my cell phone. I called the ACC to ask what time the personnel office opened the next day. "I'm sorry hon we aren't taking any more applications. We got a full staff and a big ole file of people already on the waiting list," the woman who claimed to director of human resources said.

"Okay thanks very much," I said. I settled in for the night. The room had a small cook top and a small dorm sized refrigerator. It also had the prerequisite microwave. It was a lot like the box house and the barge house except it had a nicer shower than either. I had unlimited hot water. That being the case I took a long shower and washed my hair about ten times.

The next morning I was up at 6AM. It was a compromise, at County Seat I was up at five and running or riding the bike. At New Wales I was up at seven so as not to wake Wilson. In Chattanooga I was up at 6AM with no real plan whatsoever. That being the case, I took off on the bike, after all it was almost full daylight. I rode the bike to the ECC plant. I saw that there were no cars and only the gate guard on duty. He looked to have his head down on the desk and sleeping.