Chapter 3

For Alma Walcott it was all in a day’s job as a freelance stringer. She started her day on the phone by calling her normal news sources, but it was an unusually unproductive day for news. Then she called her contact in the Sheriff’s office. To ensure confidentiality, she never used her real name when dealing with someone she had registered with her paper as a confidential informant. She was always Sheila and her informant was either Bob or Babs. Her contacts were aware of this duplicity, but it worked in everyone’s favor, so they used the aliases during their private dealings with her.

“Hi, Babs, it’s me Sheila. I was thinking we might have lunch if you’re not too busy.”

“Well I am a bit busy, Sheila, but I can meet you for a quick lunch at our usual place at twelve.”

“Sure, Babs, I’ll see you there at twelve.”

Reclining back in her chair, Alma started thinking about the innocuous conversation.

She and Babs both knew that if Babs had nothing for Sheila the answer would be she was too busy for lunch. Her contact in the Sherriff’s department was very reliable and when she had something worth selling, she usually replied that she wasn’t that busy; a code they used to say the price of her information was twenty dollars. But this time, she said she was a bit busy. For her contact to want a hundred dollars for the information meant it would probably be worth the cost. The price would have been five hundred dollars for very busy, and for extremely busy, it would have been a face-to-face negotiation of a thousand or more. Another of their codes was a quick lunch, which meant this is hot and you will want to get right on it.

If the information was as good as Babs thought it was and time critical, then a hundred would undoubtedly be a reasonable price; Babs rarely asked for more than twenty dollars and on those few occasions that she had, the information was worth far more than the hundred dollars she had paid Babs.

Alma was at the restaurant waiting for Babs when she saw her parking her car. As the police officer - dressed in civilian attire - approached her table, Alma stood and gave her a hug. As they stepped away from each other, she said, “Hello, girlfriend. I’m glad you were able to get away for a quick lunch. Anything interesting happening out your way?”

It was a typical greeting between two friends, since their waitress was standing at their table. Babs replied, “Oh, just the usual. Let’s put in our orders and then we can chat. I want to hear all about your new boyfriend.”

The busboy arrived with water and coffee for both of them, while the waitress took their order. After the waitress left to give the kitchen their order and the busboy was gone, Alma said, “A hundred is a bit more than you usually want, Babs. Is it that good?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know, Sheila. I think it’s worth more, but you’ve treated me good so far, so I’ll trust you to pay what it is actually worth to you.”

Alma smiled and handed an envelope to Babs. After opening the envelope and removing a card while leaving the five twenty-dollar bills in the envelope, Babs said, “Thanks for remembering; that’s a cute card.”

She slipped the card back into its envelop and put it into her purse. Then, she dropped her voice to a little over a whisper and said, “I was having my morning coffee in the breakroom, and I overheard a couple of coworkers talking. One of them said the Ambassador sent some video to the Sheriff’s office last week, and no matter what they tried, they couldn’t get a usable image of the assassin who tried to shoot him. The second one said something about the stolen getaway car had been burned out, and they hadn’t been able to recover any usable evidence. They also mentioned the FBI hadn’t had much success either.”

In a low voice, Alma asked, “Are you talking about the Multiverse Ambassador who lives out east of us near the reservoir?”

“They didn’t say, but I’m not aware of any other Ambassadors in our area.”

In reply, Alma whispered, “I’m going to have to think about this, Babs. Your information is definitely worth a hundred, but I’m not sure if it is worth much more than that.

“I already have an invitation to the Ambassador’s press conference tomorrow. He is going to be responding to the things that happened on his honeymoon. Since it appears that he wants to keep the assassination attempt a secret, it will be a perfect opportunity to ask him about the assassination. Don’t worry; I didn’t hear of it from you and if I’m able to drop a bomb shell at the press conference, I may give you a bonus.”

Their salads came and the two women talked about the various things going on in their lives since their last lunch. Just like two close friends would do over lunch. They just refrained from using their real names.

At about the time Babs and Sheila started their lunch, a group of demonstrators arrived at the ranch. They pulled up to the entrance of the ranch in buses labeled with the names of some of Fort Morgan and Greeley’s more prominent churches. They would have come onto the ranch, but we had installed a barrier gate system, and the arms were down to prevent unwelcome visitors from driving onto the ranch. The chain-link fencing we had installed kept them from driving around the barrier.

Ken heard the buses arrive and all the noise the church folk were making, so he wandered over to the gate to find out what was going on. The leader of the church groups, Arabella Quarters, saw Ken approaching and ducked under the barrier’s arms so she could approach Ken and speak with him. A few of her people ducked under the barrier and joined her.

When she was close, Ken said, “Good afternoon. I’m Ken Johnson. Is there something I can do for you folks?”

“Yes, you can open this gate so we can come in.”

Ken said, “Well, I think you need to start over by telling me who you are, and what business you folks have on the ranch.”

“All right, if you want to be that way.

“I’m Missus Arabella Quarters. My group represents the people of Fort Morgan and Greeley who want this alien bigamist and heathen to leave our community. We refuse to tolerate him, his wives, and his heathen religion in our community.”

“All right, Missus Quarters, let me inform you of a number of facts.

“Ambassador Doug Smith is the man you are speaking of. He owns this ranch, so you are standing on private property. You need to keep in mind that Doug is an easygoing man, but he does have the right to have the Sherriff’s Office remove you from his ranch and as the sign posted on the gate says, he can charge you with trespassing.

“The second thing you need to keep in mind is, Doug is the Multiverse’s Ambassador to Earth. You are dealing with a highly placed diplomat.

“The third thing you need to know is, there is a treaty between the Multiverse and the United States Government that makes this ranch the Multiverse’s Embassy. The treaty gave the Multiverse the right to establish a permanent Embassy here at the ranch Doug owns. So in addition to standing on private property, you are also within the jurisdiction of the Multiverse Government, which Doug represents.

“You came onto the ranch without his permission. If you fail to leave when asked to do so, Ambassador Doug Smith has the right to have the Sheriff arrest you and to press trespassing charges against you and your party. You also need to know that the treaty also gives Ambassador Smith the right to arrest and try you according to the Multiverse’s laws and customs. Based on the little I know about Multiverse law, I think you would prefer the Sheriff arresting you. So, if you’re smart, you will get back on the other side of the barrier and you won’t come back on ranch property.

“I don’t think Doug will mind if you and your group hold a demonstration on the other side of the barrier. I’ll let Doug know you’re here, and if he has time, he may come here and talk with you.”

“That is not acceptable! I demand to speak with this heathen.”

“I’ll let Doug know what you’ve said, and as I said, if he has time to speak with you he will probably join us. Now I strongly suggest that you get back on the other side of the barrier and wait there for Doug.”

Ken turned and started walking back to his house.

“Wait! How dare you just walk away from me? I’m not through with you.”

Without turning, Ken raised his hand, waved it at the woman, and kept walking. When he got to his house, he placed a call to Doug’s office and Cindy answered.

“Afternoon, Cindy. I hate to disturb Doug with this, but a bunch of church people just arrived at the gate. Their leader, a very rude, self-absorbed woman with a very high opinion of herself, told me they came out here to demonstrate against Doug, and they are upset about me not letting them onto the ranch. The woman in charge is Missus Arabella Quarters, and she demands to speak with Doug.”

“Okay, Ken, I get the message. She is rude, self-absorbed, and thinks Doug should hop at her command. Doug is really busy right now getting ready for tomorrow’s press conference, so he won’t be able to join you immediately. I’ll let him know about the demonstrators, so tell Missus Quarters that he is very busy, but if he can find the time, he will join her at the gate.”

“Sure thing, Cindy. How are things going for Doug?”

“Fairly good, Ken. We are still dealing with the last of the fall-out of someone shooting at Doug and we are also trying to finalize the arrangements for tomorrow’s press conference. Doug will probably not have time to talk with this woman, but he may decide it would be a good break for him.

“Do you think this woman will try to force her way onto the ranch, Ken?”

“Well, I really don’t know, Cindy. Why?”

“Well, dealing with them is more than we have time for right now. I think I’ll call the Sheriff’s Office and let them know there is a possible problem out here.”

“Good idea, Cindy. However, I’ll call them so you don’t have to worry about it. I talked with the woman, so I will be in a better position to answer any of their questions. Besides, I know most of the Deputies and dispatchers, so they may be a bit more responsive to a request from me.”

“Okay and thanks, Ken. I’ll let Doug know what is going on. Bye.”

After hanging up the phone, Ken places a 9-1-1 call and lets the 9-1-1 dispatcher know what is happening. The dispatcher tells Ken a car will be dispatched to the ranch as soon as possible, but it may take ten minutes or longer to get there.”

Ken goes back outside and walks back to the barrier. When he gets there, Missus Quarters is waiting for him. Her red face and her eyes tell him she is very angry.

Before Ken was ready to speak, she said, “I don’t deserve the treatment you are giving me. I demand that you respect my position and treat me in an appropriate manner.”

Ken responded, “Missus Quarters ... I talked with Doug’s wife, and she told me he is very busy right now. She said she would let him know you are here, but she doubts that he will have time to come talk with you.

“As far as me respecting you and treating you in an appropriate manner, I have treated you in a courteous and respectful manner, even though you failed to extend that courtesy to me.

“Since I believe you and your party are going to do something really stupid, I contacted the Sheriff’s Office and requested that a Deputy be sent out here to deal with you. Now that I think about that, I think I’ll let Doug’s Security people know that I need some backup for it will likely take a while for the Deputy to get here.”

Before Missus Quarters could respond, Ken placed a call on his cellphone. One of Tammy Charles’s newer security guards, Patty Burr, answered the phone. A brief explanation of the situation was enough for Patty to dispatch four armed security guards to Ken’s home. Since there was a potential for violence against the Embassy, but no acts of violence, the new changes to Bill’s Security Policy required they be armed with stunners and energy pistols; energy rifles were only required if acts of violence had occurred or were imminent.

“Missus Quarters, an Embassy security detail is on its way here. I suggest that you stay on your side of the barrier for you won’t like what happens to you if they find you on my side of the barrier.

“Now getting back to your complaint about how I am treating you. Your remarks to me have been highly disrespectful, but I am doing my best to treat you with respect. If you want me to treat you in a more respectful fashion, then treat me with respect.”

Missus Quarters only response to Ken was to gasp and to get even redder in her face. Ken decided to hell with her and went back to his house. Two security pickup trucks arrived at the house at about the same time Ken did, so he went over to talk with them. He was surprised that they were carrying their energy pistols in addition to their stunners.

Gary Mace was exiting his pickup truck as Ken approached. Ken said, “Afternoon, Gary. It’s nice out, so why don’t you fellows join me on the porch. We can keep an eye on these people from there.”

“Sounds like a good idea, Ken. We will be right there.”

While they were sitting on the porch, the demonstrators started walking back and forth on the far side of the barrier while repeatedly chanting “Down with the godless alien”... “Keep Earth pure”... “All sinners must leave.”

Ken and the four security guards sat on his porch. Gary explained the changes to the Security Policy caused by the assassination attempt. Then, they sat on the porch and listened to the demonstrators until a police cruiser with two of the Sheriff’s Deputies arrived. Then the officers walked to the barrier to talk with the demonstrators. After telling the demonstrators to stay on their side of the barrier, the Deputies ducked under the barrier and went to talk with Ken. Missus Quarters followed.

Ken pointed at Arabella Quarters and said, “I told you to stay on the far side of that barrier. Get back there or I will have these Deputies arrest you for trespassing.”

The Deputies Reese Rhodes and Izabelle Dixon turned around and looked at Arabella. Deputy Rhodes said, “Do what the man told you to do ma’am. We’ll come talk with you in a few minutes.”

Arabella Quarters reluctantly turned around and rejoined her group.

Ken said, “Afternoon, Reese, Izzy. Sorry to make you come out here, but these church folk are likely to do something stupid. I though your presence might keep a lid on things.”

Izabella smiled and said, “No problem, Ken. Things are really slow today, so if you want, we will be more than happy to sit on your porch and drink your coffee for the rest of the afternoon.”

After Ken gets them some coffee, Reese asked, “What have they been doing, Ken?”

“Nothing serious so far, Reese. They came out here to demonstrate against Doug. A few of them ducked under the barrier, so they could come talk with me. I let them know about the ranch being the Multiverse’s Embassy and being on this side of the barrier could get them in a lot of trouble.

“That church woman is demanding that Doug come up here and talk with her. I let Cindy know she was here. Cindy told me she doubted that Doug would have time to come talk with them today. If he doesn’t speak with her, I think she and her group will try to go down to Doug’s compound and talk with him. I don’t think that would go over very well with his security people, so I called for help.”

Reese said, “I get the picture, Ken. Let’s go talk with the lady.”

Ken, the two Deputies, and four security guards start walking to the barrier.

They approached Arabella Quarters, and Reese said, “All right, Missus Quarters. You already told me that you and your group came out here to hold a demonstration. Ken tells me that several of your group crossed over to his side of the barrier and that he told all of you to stay on the far side of the barrier. Is that correct?”

“We have the right to be here and demonstrate, Deputy. He can’t force us to leave.”

Reese said, “Answer my question, ma’am.”

“Yes, that is correct. But we have the right to demonstrate.”

Izzy asked, “Ken, did you tell them to leave?”

“No, Deputy Dixon, all I told them to do is to stay on the far side of the barrier. I think that’s reasonable since the ranch’s property line actually starts five feet from the edge of the road, so even though they are on the far side of the barrier, they are still on ranch property.”

Reese said, “Ma’am, you heard Ken. There is no problem as long as you folks stay on your side of the barrier. If any of you cross over to this side of the barrier, and Ken asks us to, we will place you under arrest for trespassing. Do you understand?”

“Yes, but what about the heathen. I want to talk with him.”

Deputy Rhodes said, “Ma’am, if you are referring to Ambassador Smith, then according to Ken, one of his wives said the Ambassador is very busy today and she doubts that he will have time to see you. Go ahead and demonstrate, but stay on your side of the barrier.”

Ken, the Deputies, and security guards all start walking back to Ken’s house. When they get there, the security guards get back into their pickup trucks and return to the compound. The Deputies settle down in chairs on the porch, while Ken goes inside to refill their coffee mugs.

For a while, Ken and the Deputies sit on his porch drinking coffee and watch the demonstrators march in a circle chanting. Then a white van containing a local TV crew arrives. After filming the demonstrators, the interviewer talks with Missus Quarters while the cameraman films the interview.

Ken and the Deputies just sat in their chairs drinking coffee and watched the demonstrators. Eventually, the interviewer and his cameraman ducked under the barrier and approached the porch. Arabella Quarters started to follow them, and then stopped when one of the police officers pointed and glared at her.

The interviewer extended his microphone toward Ken and said, “I’m Blake Eberstark with KAPB News. My station was informed of this demonstration, and Missus Quarters told us about the purpose of her demonstration. She told us that Ambassador Smith has refused to meet and talk with her, and she also told us she was insulted by you. Would you care to comment on her remarks?”

Ken said, “I’d be happy to say a few things, Mister Eberstark.

“To start with, Missus Quarters arrived here a little over an hour ago. I suspect she was the one who tipped your station off about the demonstration. I also suspect that once your news team leaves, they will get back on their buses and go home.

“She started out demanding that I unlock the gate and let her party come onto the ranch. I informed her that the ranch is private property and the gate arm was down because the owner did not want people driving onto his ranch without his permission.

“Missus Quarters then demanded to speak with what she called the heathen. She expected an important man like Ambassador Smith to put aside what he is doing and just come to the gate because she wanted to speak with him. I called his compound and told his wife, Cindy, that a very rude, self-absorbed woman was here and that she was demanding to speak with the Ambassador. She told me that the Ambassador was busy with the fallout of someone attempting to assassinate him last week and with preparing for his press conference tomorrow morning. She told me that she doubted Ambassador Smith would be able to find time in his schedule to speak with Missus Quarters this afternoon. I let Missus Quarters know that he was busy and probably wouldn’t be able to meet with her.”

The interviewer asked, “What do you think about the situation that Missus Quarters and her group are demonstrating about?”

“Well I have two things to say.

“To start with, I’m not authorized to speak for the Ambassador, so any official comment on the situation has to come from Ambassador Smith or a member of his staff.

“However, I can speak for myself as a private citizen. Personally, I am very familiar with the Ambassador Smith’s situation and I believe Missus Quarters has been either misinformed regarding the situation or she is an ignorant religious bigot.

“Based on what she said to me, she seems to feel she has three problems. To her, he is a non-human alien, he practices polygamy, and he doesn’t practice one of the Christian faiths.

“Ambassador Smith took me with him on one of his trips to the Multiverse. The people out there are just as human as those of us here on Earth. It’s time for Missus Quarters and the rest of us to wake up to the fact that Earth is not the only planet where humans live. Missus Quarters is apparently ignorant of the fact that polygamy is a common practice in a number of Earth’s countries, which includes the US. She is apparently also ignorant of the fact that Christianity is not the only religion practiced here on Earth. A couple more religions shouldn’t hurt anyone.

“If I put all of that together, it would appear to me that Missus Quarters isn’t worth listening to. It would appear that someone told her what to think, so if I were you, I would question anything and everything she tells you. If she can’t provide facts to support what she says, then I would think she is nothing more than somebodies’ parrot.”

“You mentioned an assassination attempt. What happened?”

“All that I know is someone took a shot at Ambassador Smith and missed.

“Now no offense intended to you folks, but I would like for you leave. As soon as you leave, Missus Quarters and her people will probably leave. When that happens, these two fine Weld County Deputies can go back to work protecting us from the bad guys, instead of sitting here hoping a bunch of religious zealots won’t do something stupid and create an Intergalactic Incident.”

Sure enough, after the TV crew left, the religious groups boarded their buses and left. The Deputies thanked Ken for the coffee, and they went back to doing productive work.

That evening my wives and I watched the KAPB News report. Their report was interesting in that the station played the video of the demonstration in the background while reporting on the attempted assassination. They didn’t show the interview with Arabella Quarters. In fact, they only mentioned the demonstration in the context of it being where they learned of someone trying to kill me. The news story ended with a brief interview of a police representative who informed them that the Sheriff’s Office could not comment on an ongoing investigation.

An early morning press conference was just the thing that I needed to boost my energy level for the rest of the day. Ken had let the media know about the assassination attempt, so my rant wouldn’t have as much impact as it might have had.

Kim, Bill, and Sue had left early for the restaurant in Greely, so they could check to be sure that everything was ready for our press conference. Matt had driven a group of us and my bodyguards to the restaurant in the Embassy’s bus. We arrived well before the press conference was due to start. Matt joined Kim, Bill, and Sue in the restaurant, while the rest of us waited on the bus until five minutes before we were due to start the press conference. Then we went into the restaurant.

When we walked in the door, Matt said, “They all appear to be here, Doug. We also have a few uninvited reporters from a few of the small papers and our local TV stations. The news stations set up cameras in the Banquet Room and I suspect it will be a live broadcast. Oh yeah, Kim is receiving congratulations on her article from her peers.”

“Thanks for the warning, Matt. I think I will delay this slightly to give Kim the time she needs to take her bows. Hopefully, the TV broadcast will go out nationwide. I will have to watch my language, but hopefully these reporters and the reporters elsewhere will get the message.”

Two minutes after the time the press conference was scheduled to begin, I walked into the Banquet Room and headed for the podium. As I made my way to the podium, the TV cameras tracked my progress. Amid a number of rude remarks, I heard a number of personal questions being shouted in my direction. When I reached the podium, I checked to be sure the microphone was turned on, and then I tapped it to ensure the sound system was active. It was.

For the first few moments, I stood there looking back and forth across my rude, raucous audience while listening to their shouted questions. Then in a very loud firm voice, I shouted, “Sit down and shut up!”

The shear audacity of the comment silenced most of media representatives. Before they could resume their verbal assault, I said, “I am Ambassador Doug Smith.

“Several months ago, I presented my Ambassadorial Credentials to the United Nations. At that time, I made it very clear to the media that I and a number of my companions were born on planets other than Earth. The media published this fact and in the articles I was sometimes referred to as The Ambassador from the Stars. At that time, the media and people of Earth had no problem with our presence here on Earth.

“There has also been a newspaper article published describing my wedding on the planet Vora. In that article, it was reported that I married four women. There was no hue and cry from the public about my plural marriage.

“We told everyone the truth then and nothing has changed regarding these facts.

“Why is it that a religious extremist’s rants have changed everyone’s attitude to one of anger? Is it because the media in Europe and the US have told them they should be upset with me? If so, why now and not when I told everyone I was born on the planet Vora and that I practiced polygamy.

“This extremist has been ranting about several facets of my personal life. I consider these items to be private, and it is highly inappropriate for the media to be publishing the details of my personal life without my permission. That is especially true because their facts are wrong.

“Those fools in Europe chose to intrude into my personal life, and now the American media is following after them like a bunch of ducks waddling along single-file following the leader. None of you are really thinking about what that idiot is saying. You are all just accepting his word about me leading an immoral life as being true. Let’s get the real facts out so everyone can address them.

“My wives and I recently returned from our honeymoon. Yes, that is right; I have more than one wife, in fact I have four wives. From what my friends have told me, there are a number of countries here on Earth where the practice of polygamy is legal and acceptable. Plural marriage is legal and common in the Multiverse, and it seems to be more common here on Earth than people realize or are willing to admit. Why is the media attacking my wives and me for a practice that many of your fellow Earth citizens practice, to include those people who practice polygamy here in the US? If you feel this practice is morally wrong, then you need to clean up your house before you try to clean up my house. Until then, give my wives and me the same acceptance that you currently give to the citizens of Earth who practice plural marriage.

“It is my understanding that here on Earth there are many non-Christian religions. When an idiot learned that my wives and I did not follow the Christian religion he practiced and that I worshiped a different God, he went on a rant about our failure to follow his religious beliefs. The media is making a big deal about us not being Christians. So what! There are a large number of people here in the US and elsewhere on Earth who aren’t Christians and they practice different religions and worship different Gods. I am no different than them.

“There are many forms of Christianity here in the US: Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist to name a few. There are theological differences between these religions. Currently, there is an idiot out there telling everyone, Christian and Non-Christian, that my wives and I are all heathens because our religious beliefs are different than those of his church.

“I’ve been told that he is a Baptist. The other Christian churches’ doctrines are different from those of the Baptist church. This extremist doesn’t rant about those other Christian churches having different beliefs, and he knows nothing about the doctrine of my religion. I find it totally unacceptable that you, the media, are supporting his prejudices and his bigoted outlook on religion.

“Here in the US, religious freedom is a hallmark of your Constitution’s Bill of Rights. My wives and I aren’t Baptists, so please explain to me and my wives why you are berating us, but not mentioning the rest of the American public who are not Baptists for failing to follow this extremist’s form of religion.

“In the Multiverse, we incarcerate most of our criminals on prison planets. Life on our prison planets is harsh and the planets are dangerous places. They are places to be feared. Sometimes people sent to these planets die before they finish serving their sentences. Under certain circumstances, our legal system allows a few of our convicted criminals an alternative to being sent to a prison planet. When a criminal is offered this alternative, they know the alternative sentence will be imposed on them for the rest of their life. They have the choice to accept or reject this alternative, and most are happy to accept the alternative.