Chapter 43

We had a general confab about how things were going. Linc told the table that there had been a break-in at the Burnside North factory. Nothing taken but there were several listening devices secreted in the factory.

“That’s worrying,” Soon-san said. “It seems early for industrial espionage. You’re still in the construction phase, right?”

“Yes,” said Linc. “It kinda reminds me of what the Soviets did when the US Embassy in Moscow was being built. Get your eventual spying devices implanted during construction.”

Sun Bear’s eyes almost bugged out. “Russians? Here?” he blurted out.

“I didn’t say that,” Linc replied. “I said it was the same modus operandi. Somebody, fairly smart, wants to know what we’re doing. Only fairly smart, ‘cause we found the bugs. A really smart guy wouldn’t have left a trail that was so easy to follow. OR...” he laughed, “if he was really, REALLY smart he’d have left us something easy to find, so we wouldn’t find his real bugs.”

Crying Wolf laughed, “You can follow that white rabbit all the way to Wonderland, double thinking and triple thinking like that.”

“I know,” Linc replied. “But we’re gonna get our own electronics wizard to look at it pretty soon.”

“We have an electronics wizard?” Marylou asked.

Linc looked at Maritsuki, “Yeah, we do. You’ve already met him.”

...

Adam Sun Bear picked us up in a borrowed pick-up the next morning. Joshua Painted Rock hopped out of the truck, and I slid into the middle of the bench-seat. We drove out to the McKesson’s Hollow town, the residential area north and east of the kiln site.

There was a lot of progress in the month-plus that I was down dealing with Burnside North and Tommy Sussex. There were ranch houses all over – mostly incomplete, but in various stages. And the big hacienda that was to be my northern home needed only to have the roof finished. There were several guys nailing shingles on the roof. They were putting metal strips around the base of each of the four chimneys. There were pipes coming up out of the roof, and air duct outlets too. I’d never looked closely at the roof of a house. Did they all have that?

I was touched that work on my house was nearly complete, but the workers’ homes were not finished, although there was a small army doing construction stuff on several other homes.

“Come ON.” I said, pushing Rock out of the truck. “Let’s see what it looks like inside.” We all got out of the Ford and the boys started to trudge up the slight rise to the house. I was running ahead of them and looked over my shoulder when I got to the door. They were yards and yards away, so I opened the door and walked in.

Inside, the house was a wreck. Well, not a wreck, just not finished at all. “If you’re looking for Jed, he’s not here,” came a voice from somewhere in the back. “Can’t get this fuckin’ thing to line up. I’m in the back.”

There was the pounding of hammers from the roof above. The boys came clomping in and looked around. “Not much to see, yet,” said Bear.

“Well, it’s not finished,” I said. “Obviously.”

“Who’s there?” said the voice from the back. “I thought you were one of the guys looking for Jed.” I heard the clatter of tools on tile, and then a young guy walked through what-would-be a hallway. “Who are you? You’re kinda young to be out here. Hi guys,” he said to the guys. “You new to the crew? I’m alone here, but you can get some of the flooring. It’s under the blue tarps over by #24. Just pile it up in front the main fireplace. And get me some more spacers. I ran out...”

He would have kept going, I guess, but I interrupted him. “This is gonna be my house. I’m Lexi, by the way. This is Painted Rock and Sun Bear. They’re watching me to keep me out of trouble.” I smiled.

“Oh,” he said. “I’m Apollo Spring Rain. My mother was reading about Greek Gods when she had me. That’s where the Apollo came from. She was only fifteen when I was born. We’re gonna live in #31 when it’s done. Ares is my twin brother, but he’s not here right now. He’s three minutes older. He’s helping ma move. He should be back with the pickup before dark. We’re gonna put all the stuff in #31, even if it’s not done yet and...”

“Wait. WAIT,” I raised my voice a little. “Take a break. If you tell my guys where #24 is and what kind of spacers you need and what kind of flooring to get, they’ll be glad to help. Right guys?” I looked at them expectantly.

“Sure.” “Yeah.” They said. I couldn’t make out which one said what.

“The spacers are for the floor tiles in the master bath,” he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “I’ll need two or three boxes. #24 is the storage area for everything. Over that-a-way.” He pointed. “Jed said it’s gonna be the common room when we’re finished with the construction. The flooring is all the same. It’s kiln dried oak and it’s under the blue tarp, like I said. All the houses are gonna get the same flooring. I think that’s real nice of whoever is setting up all this ... Oh. I guess that’s you, Miss Lexi. So thank you for that.” He looked a little embarrassed.

The guys headed out, looking for #24. “Just Lexi is fine for me, Apollo.”

He was a head taller than me, which put him just under six feet tall. He was wearing jean shorts, knee pads, work boots and no shirt. He had a tattoo of the head of cougar (or a mountain lion or a panther – whatever) on the right side of his well-muscled chest. It was about a hand-span in diameter and had bright green eyes and red blood dripping from its fangs. He wore a beaded choker around his neck. He was sweaty and covered with white dust. How come all the guys I meet these days had a well-defined six-pack – although in this case he had bulging muscles in his shoulders and arms, and if I had to be complete, a nice firm ass, too?

[In Apollo’s case, it’s because he works in construction, and was a half-back on the Shoshone High School Cougars football team. He finished high school about in the middle of the pack. No college. He’s twenty-seven, in case you wanted to know, and is engaged to a woman name Alicia Strothers, according to a notice a few months back in the local gazette. Alicia was just hired by Marylou to work in her office. He’s going to be one of your primary masons on this project.]

“So, Apollo,” I said, carrying on my conversation, “did I see a notice some weeks ago that you are to be married?”

A smile split his face. “Yes, Allie finally agreed to marry me. I’m building her a house out here. It’s #49. You’ll have to come to the ceremony! I hope to have Dark Wolf join us.”

“I’ll come if I’m in the Piaqogwaiq. Have you picked a date?”

“Well, uh, no. She wants to see the house first. She’s a Shoshone woman after all. They’re picky, you know ... Oh. I didn’t mean to ... Are you Shoshone, Miss Lexi?”

The boys came back. Each was carrying a bundle of tongue and groove floor boards and two boxes of spacers.

“Just Lexi, remember?” I said to Apollo. “Yes, I’m partly Shoshone.”