Chapter 21

After a great breakfast of sausage links, French toast, juice and coffee Janie, Joel, Sara and Dan all set out to make the arrangements for Hank Wilson's funeral. Janie rode with Joel in his truck and Sara and Dan followed in Dan's pickup. Their first stop was at the Allore Funeral Home.

Mr. Allore himself was a family friend, and had handled the arrangements two years earlier when Sara's husband Pete had died. Mr. Allore was a friendly man, and the consummate professional. He assured Janie that he would handle everything including obtaining enough copies of the death certificate from the county Clerk's office.

Janie decided on a very low-key ceremony. Hank was not a religious person but a minister was decided on to conduct the burial. Janie would buy one medium sized flower arrangement, out of respect for the marriage that she had hoped for, even though her marriage to Hank had become a living hell even before the honeymoon was ever over.

The funeral would be scheduled for the very next morning, at 11 AM.

After leaving the funeral home the two couples headed for the house that Janie and Hank had once shared before Janie had moved out.

The house was on the edge of town, a small ranch-style house that Janie had kept looking very neat and pleasant on the pittance that Hank had allowed her to spend on "bullshit flowers" as he called it. Now, the grass needed mowing and weeds were showing in Janie's flowerbeds.

Janie sighed at the run down looking house. It had needed a paint job ever since she and Hank were married. Hank would not hear of it. It was his house before the wedding and Janie had always felt like a visitor, the way Hank had treated her.

Janie pulled the house key from her purse and unlocked the door. Then they all went inside.

As Janie entered the smell of stale beer and other nasty odors hit her. She ran to open the few windows that actually would open.

"Damn it stinks in here! Janie yelled. "Uncle Dan, would you leave the front door open please?"

Dan agreed and said he'd go and open the back door too.

Sara, ever the mom and a meticulous housekeeper began picking up and straightening around the house. There were a multitude of empty beer bottles and dirty dishes scattered about.

Janie stopped and turned to look at Joel. She was on the verge of tears. Joel rushed to her and held her.

"It's ok Janie; we're all here for you. Let's get what we need and get out of here. We can do a good cleaning after the funeral baby."

Janie stood on tiptoes and kissed Joel. I'm so glad you're all here big brother. I love you all so much."

"We love you too Janie. We're here for you. Now let's get started."

Janie headed for the bedroom, pulling Joel along behind her. She went to the closet and pointed to the top shelf.

"Hank always kept a locked metal box on the top shelf. See if it's still there Joey. I never knew what was in it but maybe he had some insurance."

Joel could see the box and reached up and took it down. It was slightly dusty and it looked to Joel that it hadn't been disturbed in quite some time. Joel handed the box to Janie.

Janie carried the metal box over to the dresser and sat it down. She opened the middle dresser drawer and looked inside, shuffling through the contents.

"I don't know where he kept the key. Can we break it open Joey?"

Joel looked at the lock on the box and ran his fingers over it.

"I think I can pry it open with a screwdriver honey. Did Hank have any tools here?"

"I think there's a toolbox under the kitchen si..."

There was a knock at the door.

"Shit, now who can that be?" Janie said under her breath.

"I'll go see Janie."

Joel headed to the front door with Janie right behind him. Joel could see it was a policeman.

"Yes, can I help you?" Joel asked as he reached the door.

"Oh, Officer Bradley, what can I do for you?"

"Hello Mr. Adams, is Ja... Is Mrs. Wilson here? I have some personal items that were on Mr. Wilson when he was..."

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Janie standing behind Joel.

"... when Mr. Wilson died. I found no one at home when I tried to drop the things at your house, so I took a chance that Mrs. Wilson might be here."

Janie stepped in front of her brother and opened the door.

"Come in officer. It was nice of you to bring the things here."

"Actually, it was the Coroner's job. He should have given you Mr. Wilson's things last night."

"Well, he's not the nicest man I've ever met, that's for sure," Janie said as she took the brown envelope that Bradley handed her.

Bradley reached for the door to let himself out.

"I'll just be going and let you nice folks get on with your work then. I have more work to do myself."

Bradley offered his hand to Janie and she took it and let him hold her tiny hand for just a moment. When the handshake was finished he offered his hand to Joel. Joel shook it and said goodbye.

Officer Bradley walked to his waiting patrol car, got in, and was gone.

"He's nice, isn't he Joel?"

"For a cop, I guess he is. But personally, I think he likes my little sister!"

Janie smacked Joel's arm.

"Oh you! You're going to get it one of these days!"

"Honey," he replied, "I've already had it, and I DO want it again! Now, back to work with you, woman!"

He swatted her on her ass as he closed the door.

Janie and Joel did not see the curtain in the house across the street as it fell gently back in front of the window.

Nor did they notice the man with the scruffy beard sitting in the car down at the corner, watching the Wilson house.

As Janie waked back to the locked steel box in the bedroom she felt the contents of the manila envelope that officer Bradley had given her.

"Joel, it feels like a set of keys in here, and maybe Hank's wallet."

Back in the bedroom she sat on the unmade bed and tore open the envelope and spilled its contents onto the bed.

"Oh my God! Look!"

There were indeed the keys that Janie had felt. There was Hank's wallet, some change, a Buck pocketknife, a Bic lighter, and a wad of cash rolled and held with a rubber band.

"Looks like you may have hit the jackpot little sister. The top bill is a hundred! Count it Janie."

As Janie counted the wad of money a ragged old Chevy, at least 15 years old, pulled up in front of the house and parked. Across the street the curtain was pulled slightly aside again.

Charles Wolfe, known only as Wolf in every bar he'd ever been throw out of, was mean and nasty. He stood six feet, two inches tall, and weighed a flabby but powerful 275 pounds. Bathing was not on his regular "to-do" list. He wore black leather boots, and faded grease stained black t-shirt. His dirty black jeans were held up by a chrome studded wide leather belt. He was a biker wannabe who had never owned a bike. And he was on a mission.

Wolf got out of his old beat up Chevy and walked to the door of the house where Janie and Joel, along with their mom Sara, and Uncle Dan, were sorting through the dead Hank Wilson's things. Unknown to Janie and Joel, Sara and Dan were taking a break, sitting at the old picnic table in the back yard and talking.

Stepping quietly onto the porch Wolf went to the screen door and peeked inside. Seeing no one he silently opened the door and went inside. He could hear Janie and Joel in the bedroom and they were talking about money, lots of money from the sound of it.

Wolf crept to the bedroom door and stood off to the side. He wanted to get an idea of who he'd be facing when he made his move. He looked in and saw Joel standing over Janie as she sat on the edge of the bed and counted the money. It was more money than Wolf had ever seen. For that matter it was more than Janie and Joel had ever seen either.

"Janie, where the hell did Hank get all this money?"

"God, I have no idea Joey. There's several thousand here. Look at those keys that Officer Bradley brought in the envelope. Maybe there's a key to the metal box. I want to see what's in there too."

Joel picked up the keys and sorted through them. There was one key a bit smaller than normal. He tried it in the locked box. It opened.

"Holy shit Janie, look!"

When Janie turned her head to look at what Joel had found her eye caught a shape just as it ducked back behind the door.

"Uncle Dan? Is that you?"

Joel turned to look in the same direction.

Janie whispered to Joel, "There's someone in the house. I saw someone. It was NOT Uncle Dan."

As she spoke she stuffed the wads of bills into the lock box, which was already near overflowing with money. Whatever Hank had been up to, it paid well.

Janie snapped the lid of the box shut as Joel stood to go into the living room to see who had intruded on them. As he walked to the bedroom door Janie called out to him, "Joey, be careful!"

As Joel turned to reassure Janie that he would indeed be careful Wolf stepped into the doorway.

"Yeah "JOEY", be careful you son of a bitch! Hahahahahahah!"

He spat the words out at the back of Joel's head as he swung the butt of an old.45 automatic and hit Joel in the skull. As the light in Joel's brain changed from brilliant red, then to flashing white and finally black, Janie screamed and tried to run past Wolf and out the door. Joel crumpled to the floor as Wolf's arm caught tiny Janie and threw her at the bed. Janie's head hit the steel lock box and off she went to dreamland.

Outside, in the backyard, Sara heard her daughter shriek. "That didn't sound good," she said to Dan as she bolted for the back door. Dan was right on her heels. As they ran through the kitchen and into the living room Dan had passed Sara and entered the bed room first.

Wolf was quick again with the butt of the.45 and Dan was soon unconscious atop Joel.

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DID YOU DO?" Sara shrieked and turned pale as she looked at her entire family lying in various heaps on the floor and the bed.

Wolf reached out and grabbed Sara by the collar and pulled her to him. His face just inches from hers; she nearly gagged at the stench of his foul breath.