Chapter 43

The Olathe office of the Kansas Highway Patrol office is a large imposing building. Built recently, it is all concrete and glass. I would say that it is just a bit scary.

We went in and found Craig waiting in the lobby. "Hey Craig, thanks for coming."

We exchanged handshakes "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Do we know anything yet?"

"No, she is in holding and all we have to do is bond her out. A cash bond will get her out of here and home."

Ashlee gave an audible sigh of relief. "Do we know what charges they are going to use against her?"

"No, not yet. I'll have to get with the county prosecutor and negotiate that. I'll make sure that she is protected. Not to worry."

We agreed to let Craig take care of it. We stepped to the counter and started the paperwork and handing over cash for her release. When she came out from behind bars, she looked ashamed. She wouldn't make eye contact with us just shuffled along behind us as we went to the Land Rover for the ride home.

It was a quiet ride, as you would suspect.

While we were checking Brenda out of prison, we got the address of the impound lot where my car was being stored. We went there and then through the process of getting it back. One of the lot employees brought it out and I got in behind the wheel. When we first arrived, Brenda started to open the door, but I was like "No." She stayed in the back seat.

Once we got home, Brenda tried to go to her room, but Ashlee gave her a very firm, 'NO! SIT!'

Brenda flopped on the couch looking completely defeated.

"Now, would you care to explain yourself?" Ashlee started.

"We were just trying to have some fun. I didn't mean to get caught. I was just showing them how fast it went. I have no idea where that cop was but as soon as I saw it I pulled over. Nothing happened. There wasn't anyone around. Why are they picking on me so much?"

The adults in the apartment sat in the chairs on either side of the couch where the accused was sitting. I looked at Ashlee, she looked at me and then we both turned to Brenda and gave her our best pissed off adult look.

"Let me start, if I may." Ashlee gave me a nonverbal ok and I started in. "First off, we are pissed at what you have done. Really mad that you decided to take a brand new car out for a joy ride and then get caught speeding at over twice the posted speed limit. What the hell were you thinking?"

She started to answer, but I cut her off. "Second, you then did it with two other people in the car. What the hell?" I took a few breaths trying to calm my nerves. "Third, who was going to pay the fines and the extra insurance costs after this goes through the courts? You don't expect your mom to pay the costs? Me? Oh, I don't think so. You are gonna have to find a way to pay us back for this."

"Pay you back?" She cried out. "I don't have any money, how am I going to pay you back?"

Ashlee jumped in, "Get a job."

"A job?" she looked back and forth between us. "How am I going to going to do school, cheer and a job?"

"You may have to drop one of them and it won't be school."

"What? You want me to drop cheering?"

"How else are you going to have time to go to school and then work?" Ashlee continued to argue.

Brenda crossed her arms and pouted.

I got up and went to the kitchen and got a beer from the fridge then came back. "So Ashlee, what are we going to do to her?"

She sat back and crossed her arms and gave her that look, "I don't know. What would you suggest?"

"Well, if she were younger, I would suggest a spanking. But since she is so much older now, I don't know if that is going to be effective now."

"Oh, it could be effective if applied correctly."

I smiled and got a nasty thought in my mind. "What would you suggest?"

"I'll let you decide."

"Ok." I went back to the kitchen and came back with a big wooden spoon in hand. Ashlee's eyes got pretty big when she saw it. Brenda let out a 'eep' when she saw it. "Now, strip. We are going to do this bare-ass and you are going to feel it."

"Mom! You can't let him spank me with a spoon on my bare butt!" Yup, she was upset and starting to move away from the spoon.

"Honey, you brought this on yourself. Considering what happened and how much it cost us, this is light."

"Mom!" she whined.

"The sooner you strip, the sooner it ends and you can go to you room."

"Fine." she stood up in a huff and started taking her clothes off. I tried not to enjoy the view, but damn she was fine. "There, where do you want me?"

I patted my knees and she stretched out across my knees with her ass in the air. I picked up the spoon and touched her ass. "This is going to hurt, but I am only doing this for your own good." Then I bought it down across both of her ass cheek with a loud SMACK!

She jumped and gave out a shriek. I gave her another good one and she jumped and shrieked. Three more times I applied spoon to ass and when I was done, her ass was bright red and she was crying quietly. I put my hand on her ass and felt the heat coming from her freshly paddled ass. Ashlee came over and put her hand on her ass as well. "Have we made our point clear?" Ashlee asked.

"Yes," she sobbed.

I helped her get up off of my lap and then Ashlee and I sent her to her room. Ashlee and I just sat there looking at each other.

My phone beeped and I found out that I had a voicemail waiting for me. Paul, this is Julie. I have a team at your home and we are getting started on cleaning out your house. Call me.

I called her back. "Hey Julie, its Paul."

"Paul, so glad you called me back. I have a group of guys here and we are going to get started. Is there anything you want us to try and save?"

"No, everything I owned was in my bedroom and as you can see, it's a total loss. I don't even think that my dresser made it out. As far as I'm concerned, toss everything. I have my computers in the back of my car. If you can set aside any computer disks that you may find, that would be the only thing I may request."

"Not a problem."

"Thanks Julie."

"You're welcome Paul. Take care and I'll see you later."

I hung up and set it aside. "You want to go for a drive?" I asked my girlfriend who was sitting on the couch still working through the shock of what her daughter did.

"Yeah. Let me get ready."

She got up and went back to the bedroom. A few minutes later she came back out and we got in my car this time and headed for my old home.

"You ok Ash?"

"Yes. Just enjoying being with you.

When we arrived at my house, there were two dumpsters in my driveway and several cars and trucks parked in the street. I managed to find a spot on the street and walked over to find Julie directing traffic.

"Paul, so good to see you. I managed to find a few CDs near your desk. I have them in my car."

"Thanks. What about everything else?"

"The whole house smells like smoke so all of your new furniture has to be tossed, we might save some of the pots and pans from your kitchen, but I would say that it is a total loss. I am so sorry for this. You are just too nice of a guy to have this happen."

"Thanks." I went to the front door with Julie to look the place over. The kitchen was accessible and had already been cleaned out. The fridge was gone, as was the stove and washing machine. All of the cabinets were empty so someone must have salvaged my dishes and glasses.

The living room furniture was gone and the floor was all warped from water. We couldn't use the stairs so we exited the house and then entered through the garage. My old truck was still sitting there all burned and melted. The basement furniture was all gone. The carpet smelled musty from the water and everything in the laundry room was gone. My house was destroyed and that was that.

Comments were made about how bad it was and how everything was damaged so badly. I couldn't get over it. I had no idea that so much damage could be created by one single fire.

"Julie," I started, "Do you want this? Any of this?" I asked her waving my hand at the dumpsters.

"No. I can't use it for anything. I doubt you can donate it since it all smells of smoke. The best thing would be to toss it all."

"Thanks for coming over so quickly. After the day we have had so far," Ashlee giggled at that comment. We both looked at her and she just smiled. "After the day we have had so far, this is not something that we needed."

"Why? What happened?"

"My daughter took her new car to a friend's house and they ended up getting caught by the police for speeding."

"Well that isn't so bad."

I continued, "It wouldn't be if she hadn't been going 153 miles per hour at the time."

Julie sputtered. "What?"

"Yes, the car I bought for her is kind of powerful and she got busted for speeding and spent the night in jail. We bailed her out this morning and then gave her a serious talking to. She was last seen in her room tending to a very sore bottom."

Ashlee snickered as did Julie. "Yes, we spanked her."

Both ladies hid their smiles at the thought of spanking the bottom of a teenage girl. "What is the court going to do to her?" Julie asked after getting herself under control.

"We don't know yet. Our lawyer is going to take care of it and hopefully Brenda won't miss school over it."

While we were talking, Tessa and her family came over and joined in the conversation. I retold the story of what happened last night, what caused the fire and where I'm staying in the meantime. They were all very sorry for what happened. I got hugs from everyone as we stood on the front lawn.

I held Ashlee's hand as we stood around. Tessa came over to my other side and stood next to me. When I felt her next to me, I looked over and noticed that her hair was now bright red, not the usual dark red. "You changed your hair color." I said to her.

"Yeah. Do you like it?" she asked with a smile on her face hoping that I approved.

"You look good. I like the color. It suits you."

"Thanks."

"You do look very good in that color" Ashlee said to her as well.

ring ring It was my phone again. An unknown 816 phone number. "Hello."

"Mr. Johnson?"

"Yes."

"This is Brian from your insurance company. Do you have time to talk?"

"Yes I do. What can I do for you?"

"I have a few questions for you. Do you have the police report number from the fire?"

"Sure." I pulled the number from my wallet and read it off to him. Why I had that scrap of paper with me, I don't even know.

"Thanks. Was anyone in your family hurt?"

"Yes. My girlfriend was taken to the hospital when we jumped out of the way of the car that was trying to kill us."

"Ok. What is her name?"

"Ashlee Jones. Would you like to talk to her?"

"Yes please." I handed the phone to Ashlee. "It's my insurance company wanting to talk to you about the accident."

She took the phone and started in.

"Hello ... Yes ... Ashlee Jones ... Yes ... No when the car came toward us, Paul pulled or pushed us out of the way and I hit my head on his Jeep ... Yes ... No, just one night in the hospital to make sure I was OK ... No ... I'm fine now ... I plan on marrying this guy, why would I do that? ... Yes I understand ... Ok, thanks."

She handed the phone back to me. "Did you get everything you wanted?"

"Yes sir. I have everything I need."

"One question, when are you going to help me fix my house?"

"We will have a check out to you very soon. We are currently working with the other guy's car insurance, but I have a feeling that they aren't going to be much help. This may end up being a claim against your own policy."

"Dang."

"Yes I know. I am sorry for that. But the good news is that you have arson on your insurance for the house and contents so it will be covered, but you are just going to have to pay the deductible."

"Thanks." I said with a snarky attitude.

We finished out conversation and I put my phone away. I finished up my time with everyone, said our goodbyes and walked to my car. When I opened the door, Tessa, Jenna came running over so that they could see it. I showed them around and allowed them to sit in the back seat and enjoy the leather seats. "Ok you two, I have to get going. Come on out of there." I finally had to say to them. If I didn't they were likely to spend the night in the back seat of my car. They grumbled and groaned but got out and went home with their parents.

Ashlee and I drove away. I stopped by Applebee's for lunch with Ashlee and there we talked about what should be done next. We needed an architecture firm to draw up plans to rebuild my house. I didn't know anyone, but Ashlee did. Looks like her family had a friend who was an architect so she called home, talked to her mom for about 20 minutes before she got the phone number. I dialed it and spoke with a lady who recognized my name and was very excited to hear from me. I asked for an appointment with their firm to rebuild my house that was damaged by fire. I gave them the address and said that I was very interested in making it better than what it was before and hoping that they could help me with the project. Well, the lady on the phone said that they could meet with me tomorrow. I confirmed that tomorrow would be fine and then traded contact information. We hung up from each other and I put my phone away.

"Ash, what did you say about living in Blue Springs?"

"I am not opposed to it, but you should call your realtor first before we make any final decisions about this house. You did ask him to find us a house that we could move right into. Don't forget that."

"You are so right. I need to call him." I scrolled through my contacts and found Jonathan's number and called him. "Jonathan, its Paul."

"Paul. So good to hear from you. How can I help you?"

"Have you found me a house yet?"

"Yes, I'm sorry that I didn't call you. I have three to show you. Do you have time today to see them?"

"Sure. Ashlee and I just sat down for lunch, why don't we head over to your office when we get done?"

"That sounds great, but why not just meet me at my house and we can leave from here."

"Hang on a sec." I covered the phone. "Do you want to look at homes today?"

Ashlee nodded her head. "Sure, I don't have anything else to do today."

"Ok Johnathan, We will meet you at your place in say, hour and a half. Sound good?"

"Sure. See you then."

Ashlee and I enjoyed our lunch and then got back into my car and I drove us over to Jonathan's house in the very nice Lee's Summit, Missouri. When I pulled up front, their garage door was open and he was in the garage fiddling around with his Porsche. I revved my engine to get his attention and he cheered with his hands in the air. I got out and heard Jonathan yell, "Great car!"

I helped Ashlee out and did the introductions. I started showing him around the car including the back seat. "Hey, my Porsche has a back seat. Does yours?" I said teasing him.

We joked back and forth a little while and then he took us inside. Sophia, his wife, was in the kitchen playing with their three kids at the kitchen table. She got up and gave hugs to me and Ashlee welcoming us to their home and she of course was sorry for my loss. The kids were sent to the other room and the adults sat down and talked.

Jonathan brought out three different sets of papers all showing off the three houses that he found for us, me. One was in the Brookside neighborhood. The house was old but had been fixed up with all new amenities and windows. It was nice, but the problem was that it had no backyard and no space for a working garage. The price didn't matter, I could afford it.

Ashlee liked the house, the layout, but I was not happy about not having space for our garage. I already owned four cars and if Ashlee kept her two, then that would make 6 cars in one family and don't forget the Mustang being built for us. There wasn't really any space on the street, so this house was out of the running.

Next he showed a house in the north land and looked at a rather large lot that had a smallish house on it, but with plenty of space for everything we wanted to do. The one problem was that it so far out, that it would take 10 minutes just to get to a grocery store. The insides could be redone and if that wasn't enough, there was enough room around it that we could tear it down and build our own. Ashlee thought that we should hold this one just in case the last one didn't work out.

The last one was way out on the east side. Out past Blue Springs even. Grain Valley was the next town over. Out there, you had to drive way east of town (KC) then south to get into the nice neighborhood where the houses were big and the yards were even bigger. The house was empty, foreclosed upon by the bank. We could move right in. The floors had hardwood, the bathrooms needed to be updated along with the kitchen but after a few little touches here and there and some fresh carpet in the basement, the house could be ours by the end of the month.

None of them really got us excited so, I had to redirect his attention to something else. "What about a condo around town? Can you do anything there?"

"Oh, in that case, I have just the place. You have to see it to believe it." We got into my car and he led us downtown to a condo building. It was called One Park Place. The building had a very distinct white facade on it framing the windows. It was on a hill overlooking the south side of downtown Kansas City. I had dreamed about this place since I first saw it being built. We pulled up to the front of it and he led us in then up to the 16th floor. We went to a door and he welcomed us into a condo facing north. I don't have the words to describe it. It was amazing! Granite countertops in the kitchen and in the bathroom. A kitchen big enough for a dozen people. Living room, family room, a study and three bedrooms. The dining room was large, like 15 people sit down for dinner large. Simply amazing for sure.

Ashlee ooh'd and aah'd at the view, the kitchen, the master bathroom, simply everything. I stepped to her, "What do you think?"

"I love it. I have seen this building for a long time from the outside but I had no idea what it looked like on the inside. This view is to die for. Can we get it?"

"Sure, but who is going to pay for it?"

She got real serious at that question. "Paul Johnson, my love, why are you asking about money at time like this? I know how much you have and just interest alone could pay for this place several times over. You can afford it."

"Yes, that is true, but are you willing to invest in it as well with your money?"

She realized what I was asking and smiled, "Yes, I will invest in this as well and we can do it together."

I kissed her and we went back to Jonathan who was standing off to the side trying not to eavesdrop on our conversation. "Any decisions?"

"What amenities are available for those living here?"

He led us downstairs and showed us the outdoor pool, the hot tub along with the conference room they have available as well as a humidor and wine cellar and don't forget the 'party room'. It is a conference room with a full kitchen in it for parties; pretty cool if you ask me. They allowed dogs and had their own doggy playground. I tell you what, they had everything a professional could want and need here.