Chapter 6

Waking up at 2 am Tuesday, Barrett did his forms and tai chi, then went to his desk and checked the stock market. He’d built a desktop computer with two 32” monitors so he could see and do more in less time. First, he checked Natalia’s tip on the merger between Allied Materials and Blackmon Metals. Allied was the larger company, so they were buying Blackmon Metals. Blackmon Metals was selling for $15.89 a share, so Barrett bought five thousand shares. If it started to rise, he would buy more, but Barrett figured to double or triple his investment.

Then he showered, dressed, and put a suit, shirt, tie, belt, and shoes in a garment bag. After ordering an Uber ride on his phone, he went to breakfast. After breakfast, Barrett grabbed his garment bag and met the Uber driver. When Barrett went to the reception desk to get his pass, he asked the guard if there was a place where he could change into a suit. The guard laughed and said the bathroom on the right had an area for that, and Barrett thanked him.

Barrett changed into his suit and went to Bob’s office. Bob laughed and asked why he had a garment bag. Barrett told him I couldn’t walk out of the house in a suit without question being asked. Bob said shit, I forgot about that and complemented Barrett on his ingenuity. Barrett told Bob about the metal building he saw and described it to him. Bob said he would call the number and get the details, but it sounded like a good off-site multi-use building if the price was right.

Then Barrett asked Bob why he had to wear a monkey suit, and Bob laughed and said they were going to see the President. Bob then got up and said, let’s go and left the building through a side entrance Barrett never knew existed. On the way, Barrett said he hoped this wasn’t a big event, and Bob told him no, it was a private meeting. Barrett had to show the Secret Service his fake driver’s license when they arrived.

After they were cleared, Barrett said he could have brought his passport if he’d known. Bob told Barrett it was expired, and he checked on his birthday. Then Bob said I’d arrange to get you and Madeline new ones in a few weeks. We were escorted inside when we reached the Oval Office, where Bob made the introductions. Barrett shook the president’s hand, and they took a seat.

The President said Barrett, you single-handedly stopped the most serious security leak we’ve had since Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames. The man you observed and recovered the material he tried passing to the Chinese was in charge of the spy hunt. His name will remain anonymous for now, but he passed numerous security reviews and polygraph tests.

The President said he wanted to thank me personally for my excellent work and that Bob would find a discrete way to reward me. We laughed, and that ended our meeting. On the way back to Bob’s office, I asked when I got the eighteen virgins, and we laughed. Bob said my name was withheld, creating panic throughout every agency. The fact the person who caught the traitor didn’t take credit has caused rumors of a super secret spy hunter.

When we returned to his office, Bob said he would check into the building and let me know, and we said goodbye. After Barrett had changed clothes, he returned home, put the batteries in the box, connected the wiring, and then put the lid on and sealed it. Then, using the floor jack, Barrett lifted the battery box into the bracket and secured it. Barrett was excited, and it was the moment he had been waiting for. He got into the Hummer and turned the key.

It was silent, but the gages and radio/nav system lit up. Barrett opened the garage door, put it into drive, drove the hummer to the end of the driveway, and stopped. Then he put the Hummer into reverse, backed it up, and parked it outside the garage. Barrett watched the solar panel gauge activate, and it worked. He had to get some gas and check the generator, but he was confident it was ready for the undercoating.

Barrett set the alarm, and it locked the Hummer’s doors and beeped through the alarm siren. He smiled, closed the garage door, went inside, and cleaned up. Then, he ate lunch with Nana, and they went to the garage after lunch. Nana gave Barrett a ride to the dojo, and she saw the Hummer parked outside. Nana asked why the Hummer was outside, and he shocked her when he said it was done except for the undercoating and a few add-ons he wanted to do.

On the way to the dojo, Nana asked Barrett what add-ons, and he said I want a cattle guard bumper on the front and fog lamps. In the rear, I want a heavy-duty bumper and a backup camera. But I wanted the bumpers in a strong but lightweight material, definitely not steel, so that may take some time to locate. Then Barrett said I forgot you need to drive to get the undercoating done and they laughed.

Sensi Hurato put Barrett through a demanding two-hour workout and surprised Barrett with a new exercise. It was running at Sensi, then jumping and doing a summersault over him and landing behind him, ready to fight. Sensi demonstrated the move for Barrett and had him do it. After several failures, Barrett could do it, but not well. Sensi said it for when you are outnumbered or surrounded. Then they talked in Chinese until Nana arrived.

After his exercises, Barrett checked his stocks and the market early Wednesday morning. Blackmon Metals had risen and is now selling for $17.25 a share, so he bought another two thousand shares. Then Barrett added Computer Networks, Advanced Computer Programming, and Data Science 101 courses for his second online college, giving him eight courses for the next semester.

After his shower, Barrett dressed and went to breakfast. He got a text canceling his dog training appointment, so Barrett asked Nana to drive the Hummer to get undercoated. Nana laughed and said it was your fault if she got into a wreck. Barrett said you wouldn’t hurt my baby, and if you do, he knows where you live, and they laughed. After breakfast, Nana got into the Hummer, adjusted the seat, and asked Barrett how to start it.

Barrett said wait, let’s take a picture he took several, then said turn the key. Nana said I did, but it didn’t start. Barrett laughed and said it was electric, and there was no sound. Put your foot on the break and put it in drive, then push on the accelerator easily because it will surprise you. After driving the Hummer a block, Nana said this is fun and scary at the same time. They made it to the undercoating shop without an accident.

Bud, the owner, came out, checked it out, and said, “Man, this is a sweet ride.” Bud told Barrett it would be ready for pickup tomorrow morning, and Barrett saw an off-road shop across the street. Barrett ordered an Uber ride, and Nana and Berrett checked the shop. They had everything Barrett wanted and more that he didn’t think of, like oversized tires and rims and a winch for the front, to name a few.

Their Uber ride showed up, and on the way home, Nana asked who puts a chrome ball sack on their trailer hitch. Barrett told her men who wish theirs were that size, and they laughed. Barrett cleaned up and organized his garage work area when they arrived home. The dirty work was done, and now the Hummer will be parked in the regular garage.

After lunch, Barrett went to the YMCA and did his swimming workout but didn’t see Brenda or Bree when he finished. In a way, he was relieved and realized too many commitments would take away his flexibility to do other things. On the way home, he determined that once a week was enough and would discourage Natalia. If he couldn’t and Brenda and Bree showed up, they could alternate on Fridays.

Barrett got cash from his closet stash and took Uber to the undercoating shop the next day. He paid Bud in cash and got a 15% discount, then drove the Hummer across the street. Barrett had new tires and rims installed and bought the bumpers, winch, and fog laps for him to install at home. He got a 20% discount by paying cash.

When the Hummer was done, Barrett took a calculated risk, drove the Hummer home, and parked it in his work garage. The hummer didn’t make noise, and Nana wasn’t home anyway. So Barrett ate lunch and then went to the dojo. Sensi Hurato put Barrett through a demanding two-hour workout, and he had Barrett do the new exercise twelve times. By the twelfth time, Barrett was doing it better, but it was not great. Jumping and doing a summersault over Sensi and landing behind him, ready to fight, was difficult to learn. They conversed until Nana arrived to pick up Barrett.

The next day, Barrett took Zeus for a walk, and they stopped at Brenda and Bree’s house. No one was home, and Bella wasn’t in the backyard. Barrett looked in the patio door window, and the house was a mess, as if they had left quickly. Barrett saw two yardsale signs so he and Zeus would have fun tomorrow morning. On the way home, they took a shortcut through an alley, and Zeus went to a garage and began barking. Barrett opened the side door, and there was Bella.

Barrett noticed they were behind Brenda and Bree’s house and rushed to get Bree some water. Bree’s food and water bowls were on the patio, so Barrett took them to her. Then he looked in the garage, and there were two cars inside. Once Bree finished her food and water, they continued home with her. Barrett thought about what to do, but there wasn’t an easy choice.

He wasn’t family and only knew Brenda and Bree for two days. The house looked like they left in a hurry or someone ransacked it. So reporting would do no good and risk the authorities taking Bree from him. Then, an idea hit him, and Barrett decided to look inside Brenda and Bree’s house early tomorrow morning. Maybe he can discover what happened to them.

Barrett left Zeus and Bella in the backyard with food and water and then went swimming at the YMCA. When Barrett finished his workout, Natalia awaited him in her aerobics outfit. Barrett asked Natalia why she wasn’t flashing her goodies at him. Natalia laughed and called Barrett a horndog, which caused both of them to laugh. Then Natalia told Barrett she consulted with an attorney and was divorcing her husband, James.

Natalia said her lawyer is also suing James in civil court for emotional distress, and he has all of the recording devices and cameras as evidence. Her lawyer said James would watch her like a hawk, probably followed by a PI. So he advised her to act like a Nun until it was over. Barrett said I could picture you wearing a nun’s habit, and it’s kinky, and they laughed again. Barrett told Natalia he understood and that if she needed help, she should call him, and they said goodbye.

On the way home, Barrett was glad Natalia had called it off, not him. Now, he only had commitments for Mondays, and that was fine. When he got home, Nana asked why another dog was in the backyard. Barrett said it’s a long story, but the short version is just as good. Zeus met a bitch a few days ago, fell in love, and got hitched. That dog is Bella, your new great-granddaughter-in-law. Rosa and Nana busted up laughing, and when they recovered, Nana wanted to know the real story.

Barrett told Nana that he met Brenda and Bree Price and their dog Bella at a yard sale last weekend. They were new to the area and found out he swam at the YMCA. Brenda said they would meet me on Wednesday, join the YMCA, and then give me a ride home. They never showed up, so he and Zeus visited their house today. No one was home, and Bella wasn’t in the backyard. Barrett said he looked in the patio door window and saw that the house was a mess as if they had left quickly.

Barrett said he and Zeus continued walking, and on the way home, we took a shortcut through an alley. Suddenly, Zeus ran to a garage and started barking, so he opened the side door, and Bella was inside. Barrett said it was then he realized it was the Price’s house, and both their cars were in the garage. So we brought Bella home with us. Nana said oh my god, what do you suppose happened to them. Barrett said he didn’t know but only knew them for a few days.

But it was strange, and he didn’t know if Price was their real name. Barrett said, leaving the house a mess, both cars in the garage, and the dog smelled of witness relocation. Then Barrett said, whatever the reason, leaving Bella locked in the garage to die was unforgivable, and she’s now part of our family. What the assholes who did that don’t know is Bella will remember them, and if they return, she has Zeus and me to help this time.

Early Saturday morning, Barrett, dressed in black, wore a ski mask and gloves. Then he went to the Price house and found a bedroom window unlocked. Once inside, Barrett inspected each room, and his perception was activated in the master bedroom. In the closet, Barrett noticed carpet fibers in the corner, so he pulled up the carpet. There was a folder under the carpet, and he removed it and then put the carpet back.

On the way home, Barrett saw a black SUV at the end of the street with a man inside. he maneuvered close enough to read his mind, and the man was a US Marshal. His name was Thomas Cook, and he watched the house to see who showed up. That confirmed Barrett’s belief that Brenda and Bree were in witness protection. He was about to leave when Barrett realized Thomas had put Bella in the garage.

Barrett walked up to the driver’s side window and knocked out Thomas. Then he pulled Thomas out and kicked him four times hard in the balls, put him back in the SUV, and went home. Barrett took a shower, then dressed and inspected the folder. The first page had four bank accounts with login and passwords. The next three pages had names and dollar amounts next to them. Barrett would have to research the names because he suspected the dollar amounts listed were payoffs or bribes. That made him wonder what Brenda gave the Feds in the first place.

After breakfast, Barrett skipped the yardsale today and spent the time training Bella. First, he changed her name to Hera, who was Zeus’s wife and sister and was mercilessly vindictive. Then, he trained both Zeus and Hera on the attack dummies for an hour. Next, Barrett trained Hera on protection commands and called it a day. When it was lunchtime, Nana asked how Bella was doing while they were eating. Barrett said he had changed Bella’s name to Hera, and Nana laughed and said that was the perfect name for her.

Nana gave Barrett a ride to the dojo and dropped him off after lunch. Sensi Hurato put Barrett through a demanding two-hour workout, and he had Barrett do the new exercise again twelve times. Barrett had perfected the movement, and Sensi said he did well for the first part. Barrett wondered what that meant as Sensi measured his feet. They conversed until Nana arrived to pick up Barrett.