Chapter 47

I should have checked for the Geek’s Email before I went to bed. It would have stopped me from second guessing the Hammer all night. I was getting anxious to know whether I was going back into the information business or not. If I did get into the business, I would be walking that line again. One slip and I would be extremely dead.

There was no way for me to know whether or not if the next time I had to run, it would be for my life. I thought it was the thing that kept my head in the game of life. At least I hoped it was. I finally fell asleep in time to get my six hours of sleep in before 6AM. At six in the morning it was still dark as hell.

Mikah and I stepped out into the thirty three degree air. It was cold enough for me to wear a knit face mask. Not the one with the eye holes, but the one with a slit for my safety glasses. I also wore my safety orange neck warmer. Every time I went out into the cold morning air, I swore I would get a mask that was a complete one piece knit hood. I never did it. I just promised myself that I would. I usually just wore the knit cap and the face warmer and bitched about the cold. That morning I mostly bitched about the lack of coffee.

Between my fucked up hip, and Mikah’s missing leg, one thing for sure, we weren’t going to setting any records on the two mile hike. That particular morning it was the usual one hour. Which meant I was cold as hell, when we turned into the car wash after the hike. Even though I had a couple of cups of coffee cooked, I put the chocolate chocolate milk into the microwave to heat. I swallowed the super sweet drink, so that I could switch to coffee after my shower. I sat by the living room vent hoping the propane furnace would kick on before I had to kick the thermostat up enough to force it to come on. I was just about to make it come on, when it came to life on it’s own. I was extremely happy that I didn’t have to do that for some reason. I finished the hot chocolate milk before I took my shower.

When I came out of the hallway between the bathroom and the bedroom I was dressed for the day. Before I poured my cereal for breakfast, I sat down to finish off the double chocolate mess. I opened the Geek’s email at the same time.

‘Ed ... I have verified some of the information, but I couldn’t verify others. It should be enough to prove to the gmen that you’re for real.” Looking forward to the 1850 antique black power shot gun. Sending along the Ebay number. Talk later.

I had the had the Email attachment, which gave me the files the geek could verify, as well as the ones he did not verify on my computer. I had transferred his data files to my key ring 32gig USB drive. I planned to keep the backup files somewhere safe. I couldn’t think of anywhere safer than my key ring to be honest. I figured if someone took it away from me, I would have no more use for it anyway. After the file was safely on my key ring I made another copy to put in my home safe, Better known as a brick which came out leaving a two inch by six inch hole in the wall. After I had to two files safely locked away I shut down the computer.

My next move had to be tracking down Gray. It usually wasn’t difficult, but that morning all my calls went to voice mail. I left the message that meant call me on the burner. Since It didn’t happen before noon, Thia showed up before I got the return call.

“I made a pot of pasta with red sauce, as you call it. The only spice is a small amount of salt. Don’t even think of sneaking shit into it. I have two meals worth in plastic containers. You have to eat it this week.”

“That’s sweet,”, I said kissing her on the porch, and on the mouth. We were already the neighborhood scandal, so what the hell, I thought. We might as well live up to cat lady’s expectations. I was still bothered by the obvious thing Thia had done with Gray without telling me. “So why didn’t you tell me Mikah’s partner was killed at the same time she lost her leg. Mikah’s partner’s husband found me the other night.”

“I didn’t want you to go off half cocked, and get yourself killed. “Did officer Alvarez tell you how it happened,” I shook my head. “Mikah was doing an explosives search, when some bastard detonated it. It was a SBI search, so now you know it all.

I managed a kiss goodbye for her, even as I processed my anger. I had an approximate date of the offense, along with the vic’s name. Now I figured it was just a matter of time. I decided to use the time to figure out what justice would fit the crime. The justice was a pretty simple decision. Getting it done might not be so easy. That’s why I put it on to simmer a while.

After Thia left, Mikah and I went for another walk. It was the warmest part of the day. It was nice except for the cold wind blowing down from Canada. After the walk, I went inside the car wash to hook up the silver box. That box had arrived in the mail a couple of months before. With it, I would no longer be at the mercy of the USA broadcasters. The box let me somehow add the European and Australian movie sites to my Computer. Well that’s what I wanted to used it for. Oh yeah and to scramble my signal a little. Just enough to keep other guys like me from looking at my shit. The geek sent it to me, so I was sure it was illegal for me to use. I expected the internet police to show up with ax handles any day.

It was after five when Gray called. Also after I watched a three year old show from Oz called Wanted. It was a crime drama, which did not take itself seriously at all. It was fun, but I had real things to do, so I only watched one hour of it.

“So where the fuck have you been?” I asked playfully after I got Gray.