Chapter 1: Taylor’s Bank?

Rowland joined the Space Cadets, Watchers Platoon just before Lieutenant Lloyd got a handful of ships. Rowland had become a second Lieutenant in the Space Cadets at 13 years old. He was the fourth one that joined the Watchers Division. He had been putting in 48 hours a week since the little Greys attacked almost five years ago now. He felt his Captain Bars on his collar. He wore two sets meaning he was considered full-time. Delilah joined him yesterday. They both had done very well at school. Rowland had two bottles of sparkling soda in a plastic lunch box full of ice. Delilah had brought a large German Double Chocolate Cake to add to the celebrations. Ralph and Sheela were on the ship with them. Ralph was a Sergeant. He was one of two partners for Rowland. The four of them had graduated. Both Ralph and Sheela had graduated in the top 10% although they did not want to go to college.

His mom Molly took off again and his Aunt Beth took care of the four younger ones. He was smart. His grades were the best in his class. He found early on people left him alone. His mom often said he was way smarter than she was. If she asked him to do something like taking care of his four younger brothers, he would tell her he had studies to do, and she would leave him alone. The last time he agreed to take care of his brothers she left for six days. He didn’t hate his mother, he just thought she needed to do a lot better than she did. The only grade for parenting he could envision for her was an “F”.

Grandpa was made guardian of all the boys by the state when Rowland was ten. He had some pull around this area of Georgia. Aunt Beth didn’t like men. Maybe, just maybe there was a reason. Rowland knew of a time when Grandpa came home to find his wife knocked unconscious and maybe Aunt Beth and his mother getting raped. Rowland had heard bits and pieces over the years enough to lead him to believe that was when grandpa drowned a man in the Ocmulgee River that ran on the north side of this chunk (8.6 acres) of land the two houses were on.

His mom had been with dozens of men. She had slowed down since little Jeffery was born almost eight years ago. Rowland would be 18 in July. Then there was Paul who would be sixteen this year then Ronald at thirteen and James at eleven and Jeffery would be eight on July 1st. Aunt Beth was only thirty-one and their mom was thirty-four. When mom left town, she convinced the bank that the family was moving so she closed out her account, the house account, and all the bank accounts for the boys and took the quarterly investment check with her. The bank only gave her one-third of the proceeds in way of a cashier’s check. The other two-thirds belonged to Beth and the boys.

She had Jud with her. He had just gotten out of jail and the banker said she and Jud got off with almost sixty thousand dollars in cash and Travelers Checks. Mary Lou closed out all the accounts she could but had to get Mr. Jackson involved for the quarterly cashier’s check of over $11,400. He wisely wrote her a bank check for her share of $3,800 in exchange for the bank to hold the investment check.

Mary Lou the cashier and friend of mom’s got fired and Rowland got Grandpa’s Lawyer involved and Mr. Jackson put the check-in escrow leaving Rowland and Beth high and dry for cash. Thank God for small blessings, his monthly pay hit his now-closed account after dear old mom left town three days before. That took one very long day to get straightened out. Mr. Billings of the Credit Union that the Space Cadets used in DC got him a Credit card with a limit of $1,000. With four weeks of food in the pantry and $1,000 of credit and his paycheck, the six of them would not starve anytime soon.

He didn’t have enough to pay for school. First time in his young life he wanted to kill somebody. He would be reimbursed by the Space Cadets but that would take maybe a month or two.

He and Beth forgot about the annual investment check. Mom didn’t forget. She and dear old Jud went to Atlanta and picked up over ten thousand in a check. They bought a year-old Corvette with all the fancies for over $7,000 then took off for Los Vegas.

It was ten in the morning when Rowland knocked on the door of the little house. Beth answered the door, “Come in Rowland. Want some coffee?”

“Yes, please. Aunt Beth, we need to talk about some things.” Beth led Rowland to the dining room table.

“Del is going to join us in a little bit.” Rowland shared.

“Rowland, did you get school straightened out?” Aunt Beth asked.

“NO! I’ll start in January for the Winter quarter. Mom’s little vacation just keeps paying dividends.” Rowland was still angry.

“What if you go in and tell the Dean of Admissions what happened and at least get a half load for next fall?”

“I’ve agreed to set up a company at the high school for Space Corp. If possible, a Battalion.” Rowland said, “If I can do that then in a year, I can be a Full Bird Colonel. With four dependents and housing and $40 a month for flight pay, I’ll be bringing in over $14,000 a year and loving it.”

“Well, I’m not loving it.” Beth spits with a lot of anger.

“I’m sorry about the live frogs in the fridge.” Rowland shook his head, “I would have paid to have seen it.”

“It was pretty funny with twelve big bullfrogs jumping all over the kitchen. They could not have been in the fridge for more than a few minutes.” Beth started to laugh. “It was the last thing in the world I was expecting to see.”

“Jeffery said it was their last hurrah before they had to be good Space Cadets.” Rowland shared.

After the two wiped eyes of happy tears, “Rowland, how long are you going to be gone?”

“Two weeks.”

“What about the boys?” Beth asked in alarm.

“I’m taking them with me. I’m putting them to work. Will you sign their applications?”

“For what?”

“They have agreed to become Space Cadets.” Rowland smiled, “This spring all of them have flown two million miles as pilots, one million in the spaceship model 445 and another one in the spaceship model 335. They have certifications to fly. All of them did above 95% on the oral and written exams. That’s why I’m taking them to Seattle with me. Delilah is also certified to fly, and she is going with me.” Rowland said as he pulled out of his satchel five applications for the Space Corp. With them was a signed document regarding relationships within the Corp. A General Lucy Taylor suggested Rowland have one in his file.

As Beth was reading the Personnel Policy, “I saw a stone on Delilah’s finger. Is that...?”

“Grandma gave it to me the day before she died. Grandpa witnessed it. He gave me the original box it came in.” Rowland was about to cry, but he continued, “He told me never to look at it until I was ready to give it to the one, I wanted to make a life with. Then I was to place it in her hands still in the box, place my hands around her hands and say the Lord’s Prayer and then tell it what we wanted to do.”

“Dad gave me a ring that belonged to my grandmother with a beautiful stone on it. He told me, the same message for me or any of my children who wanted to use it.” Beth got up, “I’ll be back.”

It took about five minutes, but when she returned, she had a three-ring notebook that must have been eight inches thick, with more than a thousand pages, “You know when my birthday is?” Beth asked Rowland.

“August 12th?” Rowland asked.

“Close enough. I was born at 11:45 P.M on the 11th. I want this back on or before my birthday.” Beth waited until Rowland agreed.

“Okay, on or before your birthday.” Rowland nodded his head, “What is it?”

“Our Family History. Slowly over the years, I have gone through all the stuff that was stacked in the attic. I found out the little house was built first on this property then the big house. My mom kept a diary. Rowland, both your mom and Delilah’s went to a party. Twenty-two men and only eight girls. Every time a girl played with a guy, they had to hang a clothing item on a hook with their name on it. Your mom won $500 for being the first one without clothes. Brigette, Delilah’s mom won $200 for being second without clothes. Everyone else got $40 when they hung their last garment up. The men all paid $100 to attend with the promise of all the loving they could handle.”

“That’s why we have birthdays within five days of each other.” Rowland meant he and Delilah. Both under the sign of Cancer in July with Del’s on the 15th and his on the 20th.

Rowland was looking in the Family History Book, “Hanger Taylifer? Who is he?”

“OUR 20TH Great Grandfather. The original name was Taillefer!”

“What’s the meaning of Taillefer?” Rowland asked.

“We have an ancestor who use to be Count William of Angouleme in like 900 AD. He made his sword and killed a Viking Sea King by cutting him in half. Rowland the story has it the Viking was wearing chainmail. The cut was made diagonally across his chest. Taillefer is French for hewer of metal.” Beth said with pride. Rowland, here is a picture of a chainmail suit one might wear in battle.

“Good, I was always concerned about finding a Cloth Merchant at the top of our Family Tree. Maybe someone with a bail of cotton and a dozen slaves.”

“Rowland, our 33rd or 34th Great Grandfather is Charlemagne,” Beth said as some of Rowland’s coffee came out through his noise., “First wife, they had a daughter named Rotrud. She married a Count, and they had a little boy. From there it is all a male-only line down to your mother.”

There was knocking at the back door with the door pushed open, “Hello can I come in?” Delilah asked.

“Yes, join us in the dining room.” Beth said, “Do you want coffee?”

“Yes, this is certainly a three-cup day,” Delilah said trying to make herself sound cheerful.

After Delilah got her coffee, “I got my report this morning from Ancestry. We are not brother and sister.” Delilah was smiling as she gave Rowland a kiss and a hug.

“You want to get married this weekend,” Rowland asked for the thousandth time in ten years.

“What’s your hurry?” Beth asked.

Delilah turned to her, “We haven’t had sex yet. We’ve learned to kiss pretty well.”

“Row, there is another Rowland Taylor. Reverend Rowland Taylor, Ph.D. died in 1555 he is your 12th Great Grand Father. He was the personal minister for the King before Queen Elizabeth I. He angered some of the higher-ups by purposing a Bible for the common man and got his head cut off. King James had the Bible translated and that was completed in 1611. He could be part of the reason why we have a separation of church and state.”

Beth took a deep breath, “John Taylor landed in Virginia in 1635. His son James Taylor was born about then in 1635 and his grandson James was born in 1674. The Grandson was a land Surveyor and at one time had over 30,000 acres of the Shenandoah Valley under his control.”

“I wonder what happened to all that wealth?” Rowland frowned.

“He had thirteen kids and most of the kids all had twelve or thirteen kids.” Beth smiled.

“Any Presidents?” Delilah asked.

“James Madison, Zackery Taylor, James Tyler, James Poke, and another one I forget.” Beth listed.

“Can I share?” Delilah asked.

“Yes!”

“Mom is terrified that we are brother and sister. She doesn’t understand DNA and won’t listen to me. They forbid me to marry you.” Delilah was near hyperventilating with tears in her eyes.

Beth cleared her throat.

“How much do you know about this?” Rowland asked his Aunt Beth.

Beth turned to Delilah, “They went to a party nine-plus months before the two of you were born. Your dad can’t have kids. I don’t remember if he was there. Molly and your mom were two of eight girls and there were twenty-two to twenty-four men. The Shariff, the Preacher, the new banker another Taylor, I think, a couple of deputies, several young men from college, plus many more. Molly was just sixteen and your mother was just twenty-two. Molly earned $500 and your mom came in second.”

“What did they do to earn the money?” Delilah asked, “Or do I want to know?”

“Each of the girls had a cloths hanger with their name on it. As they gave a guy a good time, they got to take something off.”

“Jeepers!” Rowland whispered shaking his head, “Great.”

Beth wanted to change the subject, “Rowland, from what you told me, let me share something,” Molly said. The two girls hooked up with a distant cousin to the Taylor’s and his cousin was an Arthur Deming that has an auto parts store in Atlanta.”

“You’re thinking I have Taylor’s on both sides?” Rowland asked.

“When you were showing me your DNA Report, even you said, I seem to have a lot of Taylors.” Beth said, “You even said, why don’t we know some of these Taylors?”

Rowland was thinking about it.

“What if Deming and his cousin have a grandmother that is a Taylor?” Delilah suggested.

The back door opened, “Rowland, Aunt Beth we need to see you NOW.” Paul said.

“Come on in. What is it?” Rowland said. He was looking at his four brothers and two official-looking men, “How can we help you?”

“I’m Deputy Riches and this is Attorney Sam Ekes. We are from the City of Vegas. Can we sit down, we have some bad news to share with you.”

“What is this ... Wait, this has to do with Molly Taylor, the mother of us five boys here. This is Elizabeth Taylor, Molly’s sister and this is my Fiancée Delilah Barnwell. I was to start college in the fall and Delilah, and I were planning on getting Married this summer before dear old mom emptied our bank accounts and skipped town.”

“We will need to see some ID later because of some money issues. I’m sorry to say your mom and the man that was with her were both killed about five days ago on the twelfth in a car accident.”

After all, was said and done, the money and price of the Corvette that Deputy Riches had were only $21.93 short of what Beth and Rowland came up with.

Jeffery’s account $2,965.13 James Account $2,724.96 Ron’s account $2,764.92 Paul’s account $2,759.44 Rowland’s Account $24,765.72 Beth’s Account $3,946.72 Molly’s Account $57.47 House Account $4,230.69 Annual Trust payment $10,976.55 Quarterly Mineral rights payment $3,800.00 Cash Box $700.00 Total Taken by Molly and Jud. $59,691.59 Money being held by banker Jackson. $7,600.00 Total funds missing 67,291.59.

Cash, checks, and receipt for the Vette plus money at the bank $(67,269.66) Difference $21.93.

The Corvette had a total cost with taxes and licenses of $7,258.33.

Rowland was looking at the numbers when he looked up and there across the table from him, “Grandpa!”

“Good, you can see me. If you can hear me raise your hands.” Grandpa lifted his right hand to give an example. Everyone raised their right hand.

“Attorney Sam Ekes and Deputy Riches, this is our grandfather and Beth’s Father. Grandfather, these men are here to tell us about mom’s dying.” Rowland said.

“There were no bodies found were there?” Grandpa asked.

“No sir, we had not talked about that yet.” Deputy Riches said, “No bodies Sir, only their clothes and shoes.’

Beth had gotten up and was hugging her dad, “How can that be dad?”

“They went back to the third dimension. Your mom onto another planet and Jud into the sun.” Grandpa chuckled, “Your mom realized what she had done and judged herself so harshly that she kicked both of them out of heaven. The Rapture continues and may for a hundred years.”

The boys were around their grandpa giving him hugs and just feeling like a real person. Delilah sat there beaming with an ear-to-ear smile.

“Where are you at now dad?” Beth Asked.

“I’m in the fifth dimension with your grandmother. We wish for something and it’s there in a heartbeat. When I want to see any of you, I think about you and your face appears and I can talk with your higher soul. You can see me because you have had an emotional hit. That is why Human Sacrifice was done by past civilizations to raise the etheric body sufficient to see beyond the normal senses.” Grandpa said, “The Vikings, and many of the ancient societies did that in South America.

“Can you give us an example?” Rowland asked.

“Ask Reverend John Taylor about his Vision Quest as a teenager.” Grandpa answered, “With that, you just had an emotional expansion of your etheric mind with your mother’s death notice.”

“Will it last?” Jeffery asked.

“No.” With that grandpa faded from view.

“I’m sorry,” Jeffery said.

“Now think of something funny like frogs dancing in the kitchen.” Rowland giggled.

“I can see him AGAIN!” Jeffery almost screamed.

“Be of a positive mind and spirit will be with you along with Grandpa.” Delilah giggled.

“I’ll see all of you again. I love you.” Grandpa faded from view.

All said, “Goodbye Grandpa/Dad.”

“How about some lunch,” Paul suggested, and Delilah and the boys all jumped to the task?

“Sorry for taking up so much of your time gentlemen,” Rowland said to the Deputy and Attorney.

“I wouldn’t have missed that for the world. One question though, what are frogs dancing in the kitchen about?”

“I asked the boys to get me two dozen frog legs. I was going to fry them up and make some southern-style potato salad to go with them for a nice lunch. They put a dozen bull frogs in a large pan with a light lid on it. The frogs hit the lid hard enough to clatter inside of the fridge. I heard the noise when I entered the kitchen. When I opened the fridge, this enormous FROG jumped at me, I screamed stepped back and his eleven friends followed him out of the fridge. The boys did exactly as I had told them, only I assumed the legs would not be attached to live bullfrogs.” Beth was laughing with tears running down her cheeks.

The two men were standing gathering their papers, “May we share the Frogs dancing in the kitchen story?” Deputy Riches asked as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“Yes, by all means.” Rowland was also laughing.

“The boys said something about becoming Space Cadets before we came in?” The Attorney asked.

“Yes.”

“Any enemy of ours is in trouble. They may die laughing.”

Beth whispered, “Jeffery said it was their last hurrah before becoming Cadets.”

“It is things like this that will bring about memories that last many generations.” Deputy Riches shook hands with Rowland.

The gentlemen were walked to the door with handshakes and goodbyes, soon enough they were gone never to return leaving the Corvette in the driveway.

While the group was eating lunch, “What’s your plan, Rowland?” Beth asked.

“We finish loading up the 445 and take it to the park. We then go and see Dear Old Dad at the bank and tell him about Mom. We give him a certified death notice and trade the $3,800 check for the $11,400 check. Once that is done then I ask him if I am his son.” Rowland smiled, “I would also like to know what his beef is with me. Every time I have had anything to do with that bank it feels like I get treated as an undesirable.”

“Row, I remember something about the sh@t hitting the fan when Molly and you came home from the hospital when you were born. I think your dad was here screaming at my dad that he could not have a b@st@rd son with his name and be able to run the Taylor Bank.”

“Yes, I could see that being a problem especially if he just married or promised to marry, another woman,” Rowland said.

“I seem to remember dad, your grandfather asking your mother if Rowland was the father.” Beth shared, “There was a lot of yelling that day. I think my dad made your father change his name.”

They landed in the park across the street from the bank. Rowland put an “I went around the Moon” black cap on each of them with his 4th Division Watchers cap with his Captain’s Bars on his head. They went to the light on the corner and waited for a walk signal. It turned green and seven of them marched across the street. A young lady held the door for the troop. As she smiled at Rowland, she flashed her eyes.

As Delilah walked by the lady, she held her engagement ring near her face and said loud enough for the young lady to hear, “He’s mine darling.”

“Oops, sorry!”

“Thank you for holding the door open.” Delilah smiled, “He’s worth fighting for.”

“Did all of you go around the moon?” The young woman asked Delilah as she looked at the cap Delilah was wearing.

“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Delilah said. As she followed Rowland, Beth, and the boys into the bank. When Rowland told the column to HALT, fall out and sit, Delilah told him, “I need to go talk with that young lady. We may have a recruit.”

Rowland looked in the direction of the door, “Take her for a ride if you want. Looks like dad is busy.”

“Ten minutes should be enough,” Delilah said. Rowland nodded and Delilah returned to the young lady by the door, “Hi, I’m Delilah Barnwell about to become Delilah Taylor.”

“I’m Molly Jackson, wait a second. You are marrying Rowland Taylor. That’s Rowland Taylor and his five brothers.” Molly’s mind was putting all the clues together, “This morning on my Ancestry DNA Report, Rowland is my half-brother.”

“Molly, Rowland only has four brothers,” Delilah said.

“No, I mean yes, but there is another half-brother out there that I know of. Maybe more.”

The two girls had made it back to the ship.

“Mac, open up, Rowland wants me to take Molly Jackson on a quick trip.” The door opens, “We only have ten minutes or so.

Inside the bank at the #1 teller. Mary Lou Styles graduated with honors and was fifth in academic achievement. They also had her give a speech at graduation then handed her the “AA” degree in business from the Community College. Last summer she got to intern here for 10 weeks, then two more weeks at Christmas Break. When Mr. Jackson called her two weeks ago and said he was looking for a bank teller with at least twelve weeks of experience, she started to cry.

She had no idea how it was connected to Rowland and his four brothers from a month ago that showed up on her relative list on Ancestry. Then within the last 72 hours first a Molly and a Delilah this morning a Phillip Bennett showed up. When Molly showed up on Ancestry her father did too because she had him listed that connected them all. Ancestry made the connection and posted Ron Jackson as the father of all the brothers and sisters.

“She had just cashed Phillip Bennett’s first check from Walmart. He was working at Walmart this summer, no benefits, no vacation, just minimum wages. Mary Lou recognized him from school. She had her laptop opened on her desk. He would be a senior in the fall.

“See my name and picture?” Mary Lou asked, “See, I’m a half-sister to you. Same dad, different mom.” Phillip was sitting at Mary Lou’s desk with Mary standing behind and leaning over his shoulder.

“See the name, Molly Jackson.”

“It says she is a half-sister.”

“Click on her picture. See the leaf, that will tell how you are connected.”

“Ron Jackson is the ... then ... then ... that’s my dad too!” Phillip started to get up.

“Where are you going?” Mary Lou asked.

“To kill him,” Phillip said.

“We are in heaven, you can’t kill somebody, you’ll go to hell.” Mary pulled him back down, “Oh look there’s Freddie Lighting.” Mary Lou waved Freddie over to her desk, “What are you doing here?”

“I came by to get some pictures of the Spaceship in the park. I’m chasing Rowland on yesterday’s news article about the Battalion he will be building in Macon. I need to talk to him.”

“Freddie, do you know anything about Ancestry DNA?” Mary Lou asked.

“Yes, my mom is into it, and we all have had our DNA tested. Our line joins the Taylor line at President Zachary Taylor through his wife.”

The talking around the manager’s desk had gotten to the “Need to turn down the sound” level.

“I got to join them.” Phillip jumped up and was across the lobby. Mary Lou and Freddie Lighting were on his heels.

“What in the Hell do you want?” Ron Jackson was pissed. His daughter just accused him of having an affair. She had made it sound bad, but if she knew how much fun it was. Well, maybe one day her prince would walk in, and she would see. Why was this other young man so mad?

“Sir, I just found out you are my FATHER!” Phillip screamed FATHER.

“Bennett?” Jackson asked. Phillip nodded.

“Sorry.” Ron Jackson said.

Mary Lou added, “A couple of days ago, I found out you are also my father.”

Freddie Lightning was thinking on his feet, “Four women, eight children...”

“Freddie, I have three siblings.” Molly Jackson added.

“I need to start again, four women, eleven children, one marriage. Are the numbers, right?”

Everyone was quiet for three or four minutes then, “I have a meeting I need to be at. No on your numbers, there are three more women and seven more children.” Ron Jackson stood and went towards the back door, “It’s yours, Mary Lou, make sure all the doors are locked at closing if I’m not back!”

“One wife, seven women, and eighteen children.” Rowland took charge, “Cadets find seats for all of us to sit down.” He moved to the seat that his father just left. “This bank is going to be the bank for the Space Cadets. We will provide services for the Cadets. This branch of the United States will still move people around, but as General Lucy and her two Full Bird Colonels have proven, a person does not need to move when fulfilling an assignment. Those three live in West Seattle and have started and grown third division in Washington DC into one of the best trained and most powerful divisions in the history of mankind.”

“The Space Corp and the Marine Corp are now working together. The Fourth Division will be a major player in this.” Rowland had every eye on him, “Our Fourth Division will be in the center of this while also keeping planet Earth safe from outsiders. I need some help with this. Will, you my family help me?”

Phillip started it, “I have always known I wanted to go into space. How can I join up?”

“Come to West Seattle with us.” Rowland suggested, “All of you come with us.”

“Do you have room in the ship for all of us?” Molly asked.

“Yes!”

“How long does it take to go to West Seattle?”

“Ten to twelve minutes.” Rowland thought for a bit, “Might take a bit longer to find the address the first time.”

Many Friday afternoon customers came into the bank expecting to see Ron the likable guy but were pleased with all the young blood at the manager’s desk.

An older man came in. After his banking business, he came by the desk, “Are you, my new students?”

“Have you some experience in banking?” Mary Lou asked.

“I sat at that desk for forty-five years.” The man said, “Are any of you of the Taylor Clan?”

“Yes, and we are all related except for my Fiancée and Freddie there,” Rowland said.

Rowland had given the boys the big stack of business cards to put into alphabetical order.

“Good, then I am in the right place.” The man said.

“I remember you, sir. I used to sit on your knee and talk with you when my daddy or momma came into the bank. I’m sure you remember E.J.” Beth said.

“Little Elizabeth?” The man asked. Beth stood up and moved towards the man, giving him a long hug. As she passed the boys, “Find a card for Tobias Johnson.”

“I lost Martha. We put her in the ground today.” There was nobody but his family at the service. They had outlived all their friends. Tobias wiped his eyes with his white hanky, “Actually she isn’t in the ground, she just disappeared.”

“Del, go sit in Rowland’s lap.” Delilah did just that very willingly and Beth and Tobias sat down.

“What’s his name?” Tobias asked pointing at Rowland.

“He’s my nephew Rowland Taylor!” Beth answered.

Rowland was looking at a business card, TOBIAS JOHNSON, President of Taylor Family Bank, “Mr. Johnson how did you become President of the Taylor Family Bank?”

“My mom’s a Taylor. She was C.J.’s Aunt, you are my cousin twice removed.” Tobias held his stern look for a minute then broke out in laughter, “In all my life I have answered that question 100 thousand times. Today it sounds nice to hear it again. Have you found the shotgun yet?”

“First time I have sat at this desk,” Rowland said.

“Have you handled guns before?” Tobias asked.

“Yes, Grandpa made sure all of us boys could shoot and be safe with guns.”

“And the neighbor’s girl also.” Delilah laughed sitting on Rowland’s lap.

“Reach into the top drawer along the left. When your elbow touches the back of the drawer front you should find a hole about 1” from the bottom on the left. Press the button hard enough until you hear a ‘click’.”

It took a minute, “Click!”

Rowland moved the chair back and eased the left panel out by his leg. Then he pulled out a shortened hundred-year-old pump-action 12-gauge shotgun.

Tobias talked him through it, “Make sure the safety is on and release the slide action to remove the round in the chamber.

“It says Winchester 1912. It says this gun is number 79, made in 1912.” Rowland said.