Chapter 45

The Hyundai was rattling a little more and it still looked like hell. I didn’t care when I pulled out of the car wash headed for Danville Virginia. That hadn’t been the plan when I went to bed with Mikah laying on her dog bed beside me. At that time the plan had been to wake up, dress for our walk, eat our breakfast, and take our walk. I no longer carried the war club. Owning Mikah had made a few changes around the place. After her arrival, we renamed her Mikah. It was supposed to avoid any accidental confusion. That was so that the only confusion would be what Thia wanted.

Then I had to make a new hiking tool. The tool had a small steel shovel blade on one end, and a hoe like blade on the other end. It was made for me by a local blacksmith. It wasn’t cheap but it would last forever he assured me. The tool was made with a shovel blade, the same size as an army entrenching tool, on the one end. On the other end of the six foot long hoe handle the smith attached a pointed hoe blade. Each blade reminded me of a gardening tool. Together they made a wicked tool, if I had to face a kid with a knife. Not something I would want to take to a gunfight, but if all else failed it might help to run away better.

I dressed in jeans and two layers of thermal clothing for my upper body, then a light weight fishing vest. Mikah dressed in fur. She and I left for the walk. She would rather have run free on her own, but she tolerated the leash since it was attached to a fifteen foot retractable cable. I couldn’t walk too fast anyway, so her three legged gate was hardly noticeable. I was curious what had happened to her, but Thia said it was better that I didn’t know. In all things medical, I trusted her judgment.

So Mikah and I made the walk in what was to become our normal one hour time. When we got home I gave her fresh water and her synthetic bone. While she chewed, I showered and made the coffee, that I wasn’t supposed to have. I had the terrible hot chocolate drink before walking. I used it to wash down the new trimmed down OTC pill cocktail. I didn’t carry it with me, while I walked. It wouldn’t have been convenient, since Mikah’s leash handle occupied the hand I previously used for carrying the thermos. I decided, as the first teenager crossed the street to avoid walking by me, that it was a very good trade off.

After the shower, I dressed in clean less cumbersome clothing. Mikah and I got into the Accent and left for Durham. We even got to the edge of town before the call came from Agent Gray Stone of the FBI.

“Hey Ed I am going to need you to meet me in Danville at the Ballou park shopping center Mcdonald’s,” Gray said.

“Gray I’m on my way to Durham. This had better be important,” I demanded.

“We think it is,” he said.

I knew it was then. “Ah did they run out of your brand of Chewing Gum?” I asked.

“Just get your ass up here,” her replied shortly.

“Give me ninety minutes,” I said. “My rocket car is in the shop.”

Mikah and I made it in a little over an hour, but I tried hard to make sure we were never late or even early for that matter. So Mikah and I played hide and seek, looking for fibbie cars parked in the lot, until it was time to go inside.

“Sorry girl I have to leave you in the car for a while, but here is something for you to chew,” I said handing her the knotted heavy duty hemp robe to play with while I was gone.

I found Gray seated by the window. He had seen me walk Mikah around the parking lot a little, when we first arrived. It was during our game of spot the FED walk.

“So that’s your new friend?” he asked.

“Yeah, Thia got her for me. She said now my friends were all dogs with one leg missing. I think she meant it lovingly not as a slur,” I explained.

I’ll bet you a hundred bucks she had to search the whole country to find that dog,” Gray said.

“Mikah, her name is Mikah, and I’m not sure where she came from. Thia explained that I would be better off not to know. Mikah was in law enforcement, and lost the leg in the line of duty.” I explained.

“Sorta like us. So when is she going to get her fake leg,” he asked.

“She is not going to need a peg leg. Remember your rehab, you need three points of contact to keep your balance. She still has that. She limps, but don’t we all,” I said “So what’s the big deal today.” Everyday their was an emergency to the Fibbies.

“The Hammer wants to come down on someone badly. He will only give them up to you,” Gray said.

“You do realize this is like the TV show?” I asked.

“Yeah, he probably got the idea from there. He isn’t your father is he?” Gray said.

“Not hardly,” I said. It really wasn’t a compliment that he would only work with me. He did it because he knew I would protect him first. Even before I gave his information to the FBI. “Do you have any information about his big rat out?”

“Not a clue” Gray said. “He just left his information on the obscure message board. After I spoke to you this morning, I confirmed the meet.”

“So where is it to be?” I asked.

“You know that I can’t tell you till we get there. Don’t worry it’s dog friendly.” he said.

“How did you know Mikah would be with me?” I asked. “Are you still in touch with Thia.”

“We talk on your burner phone now and then,” he said. “You know she told me to look after you the first time we met.”

“Obviously that’s not all you did,” I said. I dropped it there and so did Gray.

“You do know Mikah is going with us, or I go home,” I said.

“Of course I do. We are billing it as an extra layer of protection,” he said.