Chapter 106

I spent four more months living quietly on the bayou. Well it was quiet after I got the reputation of being crazy. I took a shot at a dirty blue pickup. Well he did try to run me and the trike off the road. I didn't really try to hit the truck with the duck shot. It might have looked to him as if I did. It was a little drastic but from that morning on trucks gave me a wide birth. Nor did anyone curse at me. It seemed that news indeed traveled fast on the bayou.

That is most likely why, after all those quiet months, I was surprised when the dirty yellow pickup passed me. The driver slowed then threw a package with a trailing red ribbon out the window. The package was obviously for me. It was also obvious that it was not a bomb.

What it was, was a heavily padded sealed envelope with the red ribbon attached. Inside the envelope was an old style USB flash drive. When I left Mossberg I left my old computers behind. I couldn't use it on the bayou. Of course I hadn't known that when I left it. I purchased new devices with Internet access through the Wireless Cell System. The new devices all featured mini USB ports but none of the old fashioned full size USB ports. I did however have two mini USB to full size USB adapters. It just took me a few minutes to get to them.

I was in the cabin when I plugged the USB flash drive into the adapter attached to the larger tablet. The drive had only one file, but that file had other files embedded into it. I opened the file to the sound of music. It was pretty good music, but I couldn't place it. Then there were credits. "WELCOME TO THE WORLDS OF GRACE ALLEN-IRIS MARTIN-ROSE SEABOLD" produced and directed by the all new Directorate Eleven Productions.

The video image, which played in the background, began with an aerial image of the three greenhouses. Then it switched to an image of the three story apartment building in Mossberg. The music was a little less dramatic when it showed images of Steve, Sterlin and Miss Sadie's nephew walking between the houses. Then of course there was Bart getting into his truck.

By that time, since they had obviously found me, I was expecting the next sequence. There I was on my trike riding down the road. Other shots were of my cabin and me on the water.

The final sequence was of a large man in a very nice suit. He was very much the politician type. "Miss Seabold or Miss Allen whatever you are calling yourself, my agents will meet you in New Iberia in the park beside the library at noon today. Wait for us at the grotto. Be on time please.

The grotto mentioned, and shown on the video, was a knock off of the famous one in France. Everybody in the area knew where it was located.

There was the implied threat that whoever sent the video knew and could harm my former associates. I was more curious than worried. I felt that this thing had something to do with those congressional hearings. I also knew that no matter who they were, or what they knew, I was not going to testify. I could always relocate my friends.

I had enough time to stop for coffee at the Mcdonald's in the Walmart parking lot before I went to the grotto. I was in the truck so I was close to my shotgun but I didn't take it from the truck, so I didn't have it with me. If they were coming armed, I had to expect that they would be in a better position to fire the first shot than I would. Considering the quality of the film, I was pretty sure they were people who could put a buck or two into things. That being the case if they wanted me dead I would be dead already.

I sat quietly while I finished my coffee. I had been there ten minutes when an attractive blond woman approached me. When she got close I realized she was much younger looking from a distance.

Blond: You came alone?

Me: My guess is you know I came alone, since you didn't give me enough time to bring in a team. Even if I had one, which I don't.

Her: Good, you don't need anyone to know about this meeting.

Me: You mean you don't need anyone to know. I have an extra coffee that isn't too cold yet, would you like it?

Her: No thanks, I never drink or eat unless I know where it had been.

Me: So you are careful, that is probably a good thing in your line of work. Exactly what is it you do?

Her: Me, I'm nobody special. The group I represent is the interesting one. Directorate Eleven is very similar to the group you worked for once upon a time.

Me: Really? And what group would that be?

Her: It seems to be called a lot of things these days. Most importantly it is going the way of the Dinosaur.

Me: Honey, everywhere I previously worked fits that description.

Her: Well, the one I'm thinking of has been in the news lately.

Me: So are you government connected.

Her: That you will have to take up with the boss. I'm not authorized to do anything but approach you with a job offer.

I removed my cell phone from my pocket. I took her picture.

Her: Why did you do that.

Me: In case one of my friends stubs his toe. I want to know who to kill. That video was a veiled threat. So this one isn't. I will use that picture to work my way up the food chain. We do understand each other, Right?

Her: Fine do you want the job or not.

Me: I don't need your money and I'm out of the business. But I am curious why me and did you use drones or Satellites to shoot the video.

Her: Sorry I can't answer either of those. You will have to go to the interview to get your answers. I was authorized to suggest that you had been on vacation long enough. There are people who think you should be ready to work again. Also if we could find you a lot of other people could as well, if they wanted to use all the assets we did.

Me: So where and when is the interview?

Her: This was part one of your interview and you passed.

Me: Oh how did I do that.

Her: You took my picture.

I waited for her to explain. She never did.

Me: I see.

I understood that by threatening to take any attack on my friends personally, I had passed some kind of loyalty test. Then to figure a way to mount a counter attack with no time to plan probably seemed impressive to the higher ups. Those were the ones who really had the answers to my questions.

Her: Yes I think you do. So do you wish to go forward?

Me: What happens if I say no after the next interview?

Her: Nothing. We just say goodbye and hope you forget all about us. We will of course monitor you to be sure you forget all about us.

Me: So you have access to electronic communication monitoring?

Her: We have access your friend can only dream of having. His name is Wilson is it not?

Me: Among others.

I didn't blink an eye, even though I had been a little surprised.

Her: He was considered the best at helping people get lost. At least until the New York incident. How easy it is to lose your business, when your reputation is damaged. Then, if you lose the muscle behind your business, you are no more than a two bit hacker, no matter how good you are.

Me: So you know about Wilson. If you are taking over from the Swamp, you would. If you are a competitor of theirs, you are wasting your time on me. I'm out and I'm staying out.

Her: We are betting you are just about ready for a team of your own, but again you have to go to New Orleans to get the details.

Me: New Orleans is a big town.

Her: Hotel Saint Marie's Dining room at 3 PM tomorrow. He will recognize you. Do you want to know how we found you?

Me: The trike.

Her: Very good. You are right of course. We monitored that type of trike and we knew you liked Walmart so when there was one sold on the gulf coast it might as well have had your signature all over it.

Me: You sure wasted a lot of computer power monitoring all those sales.

Her: They tell me you are worth the trouble.

Me: As usual THEY are wrong.

Her: Probably.

I watched the pretty young thing, from a distance, walk away. It was hard to believe I had once been that beautiful. I was so jaded by that time that I wondered if the Directorate had paid for her body. I thought about checking with Wilson or Andrew about who these people really were, but decided to meet with them first.

Whether I decided to take their offer not, the swamp house was compromised. It looked as if it would be necessary to disappear again. If I did, I would be on my own, of course. If Wilson hadn't been bought off, he was sloppy. Either way he had been compromised beyond rehabilitating.

I could have gotten home in time for dinner. Instead I chucked the cold rice and beans idea I had planned. Instead I started the truck and drove from the grotto to the Iberia Family Steak House. I went for the sirloin and baked potato with a sour dough roll. It was greasy, but I had been eating fried fish for months so I didn't expect it to disrupt my digestion process.

After dinner I stopped by Walmart for a leather, or faux leather if you will, blazer. I also picked up a new long sleeved white tee shirt. It seemed to be what all the female cops on TV had worn that season. I had plenty of skinny, faded blue jeans to match up to it. Some were even free from grease stains not that it mattered to me.

After shopping I drove home to relax. As I entered an adult chat room, I noted that I instantly reverted to the old me. I instinctively knew that I needed help to relax enough to sleep.

It took me half an hour to find someone compatible, then another thirty minutes to get turned on enough to masturbate while someone typed to me. It was a mind fuck I know, but it was also much more erotic than porn. I slept pretty good that night.

When I awoke at 7 AM, I had to decide how I wished to spend my time till noon. Since my fifty gallon water tank was almost empty, I decided I would refill it before I dressed for my 3 PM meeting in New Orleans.

Refilling the tank was a process. First I had to put the short sterile hose I used solely for that purpose into the rear of the SUV. I also added the fifty gallon transfer tank into the rear of the SUV. After all that was done I had to drive to the water station. It was a free fill up which the government ran for those of us transporting water for home use. Actually running the water into the tank took only a few minutes.

I drove it back to the cabin with the front wheels of the SUV light on the road. The fifty gallons of water had the SUV tilted up in the front and down in the back. Once back at the cabin I rigged the small pump to lift the water to the water tank. Since the tank was a ridged plastic above ground tank, it tended to have a certain amount of crap on the outside. Every time I refilled it I added a sanitizer to the water. I had a feeling it was no more than chlorine bleach, but I still bought it in a bottle marked as government approved.