Chapter 7

I left the bar early so I could get my call from Ms. White. I was just inside my pickup at five thirty when my cell phone rang. It was Ms. White.

"What is all the cloak and dagger stuff about, Chuck?"

"I found some stuff in the office today that is pretty personal in nature that you might want to look at so you can decide what to do with it. Where can I give this to you?"

"How much is it, Chuck?"

"My satchel is full. Four or five big envelopes and it is sensitive enough that I don't wish to give it to someone to give to you later. I wish to hand it over to you personally."

"I'm at my husband's restaurant that we went to Saturday. Can you come by there now?"

"It's just down the street. I'll be there in five to ten depending on traffic and parking."

"Park in the back next to my car. I'll tell the security guard to look for your pickup."

I drove to the restaurant and parked. Ms. White met me in the kitchen and took me to a big office. I began handing her stuff in the envelopes that she looked at quickly and said, "This is some really personal stuff. My goodness there must be a year's worth of letters and cards. She looked at the first photos I had found and said, "These are from the big agency party we had a year or so ago."

I got ready to hand her the envelope with the porn in it, "Ms. White, in this envelope are some photos that are going to offend you. If you are easily offended, let someone else look at them and describe them. These are not for the squeamish and are very damning."

She wrinkled her forehead and said, "Give 'em to me, I'm no prude."

After she began looking through them, she exclaimed, "Oh shit. Damn, would you look at that, it looks like, ah Chuck, did you look at these closely?"

"Not too close, I didn't want to get caught looking at stuff like that at work."

"Where did you find these?"

I said, "The center drawer on my desk was sticking, as I was trying to fix it, I found those in an envelope taped to the bottom of the desk."

Ms. White thought for a minute and said, "Go home. I may call you later."

I told Mrs. White, "I gave your number to someone who will call you. They have a problem with this same guy. I told them you would help."

She nodded and made a motion shooing me out.

At home, Bart and Shirley had just begun to eat, so I quickly took off my tie and coat and sat to eat. Bart had to comment, "What kind of job do you have that you dress up fancy like that?"

"I find jobs for military people when they get out of service or retire. I just started so I'm just getting into it."

"If you run into any electricians or other trades people getting out, there are a lot of jobs out at the shipyard. They even have labor jobs out there right now."

"Thanks, Bart. I'll come out there to get a listing. Hopefully, beginning next week, a lot of men who have gotten out of the service recently will ask for help finding work."

Before I had finished eating, my cell phone rang. It was Ms. White. "Can you come back to the restaurant for a few minutes, I want you to meet someone?"

I told her that I would be there in about a half hour. I finished eating and put my tie back on, grabbed my coat, and left. I parked in back of the restaurant next to Ms. White's car again.

Inside, I went to the office and knocked. Reggie let me in saying, "You sure stirred up a hornet's nest, Chuck."

Ms. White introduced me to Howard Smith, U.S. Marshal. We shook hands and he motioned for me to sit. "Tell me, Mr. Johnson, where exactly did you find all this information that you gave Mrs. White."

I told him the story, and afterward he asked. "Have you had any conversations with the director?"

"He came by earlier and asked that I give him anything unusual that I might find in the office. He seemed happy that I had thrown everything away."

"We just had a couple of our men go out to the lady's house that is pictured here to pick up the agency car. She was not very nice and is currently in custody for assault. She's running her mouth off, telling us all kinds of things. We may not need anything you found to convict the director of misappropriation of government funds, but I wanted to let you know that you could be in danger if he finds out you have turned him in. Ms. White is in an equal amount of danger. If I arrest him now, he may get out on bail since it takes forever to take someone to trial on a federal charge. It's during that time that I would want you to be careful."

I asked the man, "What are you going to do, Mr. Smith?"

"Call me Howard. I think I'm going to investigate the director a little more. I'd like to find a few hooks that I could use to recover some money. I can keep the lady in quiet custody for a while so she can't let the cat out of the bag, but if he gets wind there's a problem, he could get weird. Where do you live?"

I gave him my apartment address and he said he would have the Tampa police do some drive-by's to keep tabs on the neighborhood, but that wouldn't protect me very much. He suggested I find a more secure apartment.

I was back home by seven and decided I needed some excitement, so I changed clothes to jeans and a T-shirt and took the bike out for some exercise. Actually, I rode straight to Jonah's. It was a slow night, so I played pool with Jonah, and with Millie, while enjoying a couple of beers.

Back home, I brushed my teeth and was in bed by ten thirty.

At work the next morning, I checked in with Ms. White and advised the group secretary where I would be and what my cell phone number was. Ms. White said that I could use an agency car as they had mine back, but it had to be replaced.

At the motor pool, I was given a plain white Ford Focus. It was fairly stripped, but had air and a radio. I drove out to the base and was directed to the employment office.

I explained what my plan was and that if they could keep me posted on what positions were open on base, I would appreciate it. The lady there gave me the name and telephone number of the personnel office out at the post office, plus several of the agencies in the city. I was back at the agency by noon, in time to eat with everyone. My lunch today was a surprise as it was a couple of sandwiches made up by Shirley and an apple. The Fab Five were planning a weekend excursion to a place called the Don Caesar in St. Petersburg. They said it wouldn't be real expensive and that we could get a room together to split costs. Some of the other ladies in the lunchroom looked at us a little strange, but the girls said, "Chuck is the perfect gentleman. We would never hesitate to share a room with him. Too bad though, we've all been trying to make him a little less gentlemanly."

Larry heard that and said, "Perhaps Chuck would prefer to go over there with me. He might not be such a gentleman with me."

"That's okay, Larry, I'd rather be teased by a bunch of cuties than by you. It will be fun to see all these girls in their unmentionables. It'll give me some nice dreams."

Tiani hit me on the shoulder, saying, "Be nice, we'll just have to get you drunk and take advantage of you."

I laughed and said, "Promises, promises."

Ms. White asked if I could join her and her husband for supper this evening at the restaurant. "I would never pass up free food, Ma'am. What time?"

I was to meet them at seven.

After work and Rocky's, I went home and told Shirley that I was invited out that evening, so Bart should eat my share. Shirley said, "It's a roast so you can take some with you for lunch tomorrow."

I changed into a casual shirt with a sport coat and slacks. Reggie's sports bar and restaurant was sort of fancy, so I thought I would dress as I saw him dress the night before.

Surprise, surprise, Howard Smith joined us for supper in a private dining room. First Howard spoke, "I'm not sure how much you should know of our investigation, but I thought you should know that it is continuing and that we've uncovered several areas that we are pursuing. From the extent of what we've found, my agency feels that anyone with information on the case should be aware of the potential dangers. Apparently, some underworld people are involved. We don't know to what extent yet, but they are being funneled fees through your agency, especially your department, Mr. Johnson, so you need to be especially concerned. I've asked that you be re-assigned to DC or somewhere else for training. No one has responded yet, so this is to just let you know what may come."

"Chuck," Ms. White began, "Reggie wants to give you something before you leave, plus Howard has a permit that was issued to you today. I want you to be especially careful as the director did not come in today and Howard's people lost him this afternoon."

Reggie leaned over the table and handed me a Browning semi-automatic 9 mm. "Here take this, it's yours. This is like what you had as a sidearm in service, and it's a piece I don't use anymore."

He pulled back his coat, "I have this neat 40 caliber Glock now that I carry. I can carry it in the bar here as the place is mine, and I'm a registered security agent. You are too now, so you can carry inside a bar but be careful. A lot of people wouldn't understand and it could get you in trouble."

Howard said, "I've registered you with my office and with the Tampa police department. You're in the Hillsborough County and Florida state records as well, so you shouldn't have any trouble if you are stopped. If a policeman stops you for a traffic violation, tell him you're armed immediately. That way he can look at your permit and check you out right away. Anyway, I hope you don't need that, but I brought along a couple of extra high capacity magazines for it and this box of rounds."

For the first time, I picked up the piece Reggie had laid down in front of me and dropped the magazine, and operated the slide to clear the chamber. The magazine was empty, so I put it back into the piece and let the slide forward.

Reggie said, "Fill a clip would you, make me feel better."

"I'll do it before I leave, Reggie, I'd rather eat your good food first."

As we finished, Ms. White said, "DC called me today to let me know I was under consideration for a new position. I don't know whether it is because of all of this, or whether it's because the director is trying to get me out of this office. You see, when I first started there, he put the make on me and I shot him down quick, and told him in no uncertain terms that he was on thin ice. His wife propositioned Reggie and me a couple of times at gatherings, but I didn't think too much of it until I viewed the pictures you brought to me. Howard has them now and will be checking out those people in the photos."

"The other people from the agency may be harmless and just a member of a swingers group, but my people, along with another agency, will be checking these other people out," Howard said and added. "I've asked the FBI to get another security clearance on you so I can have some private talks with you. Too bad you didn't finish your degree, I could use someone like you."

"Thanks, Mr. Smith, ah, Howard, but I think my job is a good one and I'm looking forward to helping other returning vets find work. This should be a good place to help others."

Ms. White said, "See, Howard, that's why I wanted this young man in our agency. He wants to do good."

After supper, I went with Reggie to his office and loaded all three magazines. He rummaged in a closet and came out with a shoulder holster harness and a belt holster. "Here, Chuck, take these. They fit the Browning and won't work with the Glock."

"Reggie, I can't just take this from you, let me buy it okay?"

Ms. White laughed, "Are you kidding, he's been saying he's going to turn that thing into the police department as it's just extra and he doesn't want it anymore. Besides, Chuck, if the director goes away, I'll probably get his job and it pays about twice what I get now. It's a cushy job that pays a ton. There are benefits to the higher levels of government jobs."

Reggie helped me with the shoulder holster checking to make sure I didn't have a bulge under my arm. Ms. White said, "Wear that, even to work. If you take off your jacket put the whole thing in your desk drawer and lock it. If the drawers don't lock, tell me and I'll order a locksmith for you."

On the way home, I thought to myself, 'This is a hell of lot more trouble than it should be. I just needed a job, not all this mystery and supposed danger. Over there in Iraq, I knew where to look for danger, but here, I don't know where it is. I need to look at my place differently I guess, and see what I can do to make it safe."

At home, I did a tour, checking the window locks as well as the catch on the front door. The dead bolt would be fine, but the door might as well have been made of balsa wood. One good kick and it would splinter tearing the jam out. I used one of the kitchen chairs and put it under the knob on the front door. The back door had a window on the top part so it wouldn't make any difference even with a chair on it. There was no way to make the place more secure.

I changed into jeans and put the piece in the clip on belt holster and left my shirt out. I walked around in front of the apartments and looked at how the cars were parked and the access to my front door. There wasn't an easy way to protect the door so I went back to the dumpster and poked around until I had a grocery bag full of beer cans and a couple of bottles.

There was a broken up kite with a roll of string on my back porch, so I poked holes in the beer cans and strung them up in the living room. I ran the string from my door knob to the bumper of my truck so if someone came to the door, they would trip on the string and rattle the cans. I put the cans by my bed with the string through the bottom of the front window. Next, I put some bottles and cans on the ground around my truck. I put a bottle standing up, with one lying down. Next was a can standing, then a can or bottle lying down. It looked like a bunch of trash except that if it were moved, I would know. If someone knocked over a bottle or stood a can up I would know.