Chapter 7

I really enjoyed the Lauders' visit. Brooke talked with Lib about the rape and Will talked with Beau and Hub. After we ate the huge Thanksgiving meal, we felt sluggish. While Lib and I walked along the seawall to the Grand Hotel, Brooke and Libby walked through the parking lot to entrance of the lobby of Grand Hotel. Grandfather used the time to talk with Jan, Richard and Ania. Will, Beau, Hub and Jane sat on the porch and talked about banking.

Lib and I hadn't walked far, when she said, "I've worried about you."

I said, "What happened to Brooke was horrible and it could have easily been worse. I don't know if Will's really learned much. You can't fool with the mob."

Lib said, "I would've come if I had known."

"I know, but they needed time away to recover, and Summerdale was the safest place for them to recover. Brooke and I went to Topeka to Menninger's to get counseling, before Will was released from the hospital. It was good for both of us to know how to best handle things. We got her on medication before Will and Grandfather joined us down here. I was worried for their safety and thought Summerdale was a place where she could feel safe."

Lib said, "You can't be responsible for Brooke and Nicole. It's not your place. And you have to think about yourself. You look exhausted."

I was exhausted, but I certainly couldn't tell Lib why.

"I know. I've not been sleeping well. You look good. How's everything?"

Lib said, "Don't try to change the subject on me. You've got to get this under control. How are you feeling? How's your Grandfather taking all this?"

"You can see that he's very weak. We have him in the best nursing home here; a place where he has a couple of men friends his age who he met last winter. I don't know if he will go back to the City. He's not interested in doing much at the office anymore. I have someone working with him on a project for me, but that's about all he does."

"I'm sorry to hear that. If there is anything I can do, you know to call. When are you going back to school?"

"This was more important, but I plan to go back when Will, Brooke and Nicole go back. If Grandfather stays here, I'll go back to The University, otherwise, I may take classes at Columbia."

Lib said, "I hope you can stay. If you go back, I don't think you'll return."

"Probably not." I replied and asked, " How are you doing?"

"Things are going well. Hub is preparing for Beau to take over in Meridian. Hub's looking forward to retiring to Lauderdale. Beau's doing well at Ole Miss. He's putting a lot of effort in preparing for us to enter investment banking. He's very excited about that. He comes down most Fridays and spends the day working with Hub. I'm glad he's out of the Guard.

"And Libby has him wrapped around her little finger and he doesn't even know she's doing it. That's one smart girl."

I said, "Pretty too. They are almost too perfect together."

Lib said, "I pray something doesn't happen to mess things up. Libby's going to Europe this summer while Beau's working in New York with Will. I think that's their last hurdle."

"I haven't talked much with Beau today. He's been talking with Will a lot. I hope Beau can get him to be more careful."

Lib said, "I'll make sure Hub talks with Will before we leave. Would Brooke like to come to Lauderdale for a visit?"

"I think she needs some time alone with Will right now."

Lib nodded.

"She's a strong woman."

We walked and talked for about thirty minutes. Lib calmed me. I felt better after I talked with her. I promised to come to Lauderdale to see them at Christmas. When we got back to the bayhouse, Hub and Beau were getting ready to leave. Lib talked with Hub, and then Hub talked with Will alone.

The Lauders left at four from Fairhope Municipal Airport in Beau's Beech. After they left, I took Grandfather back to Westminster Village. He looked very tired.

On the way back, Grandfather said, "It was nice to get everyone together. Richard and Jan are doing well. Ania's really grown too. I don't think I have many more of these left. Bobby, could you see if you could get in law school now?"

"I'll check on it." I was surprised when he asked. I waited for him to explain.

Grandfather said, "Put it near the top of your to do list. I believe that as a law student, I can put the shares of the firm in trust for you. After what's happened, I've had to do a lot of thinking. I worry about control of the firm and the bank. I hope Will listened to Hub. Hub talked straight to him about his family responsibilities. I was surprised at how much Beau lit into Will about this mess. Beau thinks so highly of Will, that I think it surprised Will. I hope it got through. I'm really glad they came."

"I'll see about what I can do to get in law school."

Grandfather said, "It would ease my mind. I'm sorry your mother wasn't able to come."

I nodded. Mother didn't know who I was.

Grandfather said, "I'll talk with Judge Hyder here. I'll call in favors to get you in here or in New York. I doubt if I can do much at Columbia, but I surely can find a place at NYU or Fordham."

I nodded. Then I went to the VFW to help the Summerdale men clean up after the Thanksgiving meal that they served to the veterans, the veterans' families and the serving men's families. They served turkey with all the trimming from noon until six. The Lodge sought out the families of the serving men, without regard to race, and had a nice turnout of families. Some Gaston Lee Post members delivered meals to the homes of the elderly and disabled veterans.

I matched the donations the Lodge collected to support the event. A grocery donated a hundred dollars and sold us turkeys at cost. With the reduced priced turkeys and donated sweet potatoes, we had plenty to feed everyone and to allow people to take some turkey and fixings home. Leon and Ponder had started serving with the first group and served until two; then they took a nap at the Fairhope Airport pilot's lounge. Leon and Ponder returned from the nap to serve when the second large group came at four. I joined them at the Post a little before five. No one seemed to realize that we had been gone all night. At least, no one said anything about us being away. The Summerdale men primarily talked about the fishing tournament Colonel Mac had organized for the day after Thanksgiving on Wolf Creek. Colonel Mac rented three platform pontoon fishing party boats, a few small boats, and fishing tackle for everyone for the event. He had arranged for the boats to be stocked with plenty of coolers filled with iced soft drinks and beer. Everyone seemed to be really looking forward to the outing.

The meal was a big success. The Summerdale men served a lot of people, who seemed to appreciate the Summerdale men and the Lodge's efforts, the nice meal, and the food they got to take home. At six, the serving line closed; and the servers ate together, policed up the dining area, and then went back to Summerdale. As they ate the men were remarkably quiet. Being around the widows and children left by causalities was sobering. Bill Buterworth did an excellent job of chatting up the families and finding out those with pressing needs. Bill wasn't above soliciting donations of labor and money to meet those needs. He had several volunteers scheduled for work projects by the end of the day. And he had me meet the people who needed help, so that I saw the need firsthand. Bill and I never told where most of the money came from, but most people suspected that Bill and I were the source. I didn't mind if people thought Bill was the source. And Bill was really good at keeping the event from being maudlin. He found out what every child wanted for Christmas and all the children's clothing needs.

When we got back to Summerdale, Ponder took my old quarters and I prepared to move into the unit Brooke and Will had vacated. Leon had me stay in the third bedroom on his side, the one that had been Will's office, until he was sure I could sleep. He was concerned that I might drink myself to sleep and wanted to make sure I was okay after the stress of the New York operation. I didn't mind staying with them, so they could see that I was handling it okay.

Even as tired as I was after our New York activities and Thanksgiving festivities, I didn't sleep much Thanksgiving night. My mind was racing; I knew a lot could have gone wrong that could lead to us being identified. We had tried to use readily available materials and recipes from the Anarchist's Handbook for our explosives; but we had used some C4 and shaped charge cases at the clubs and at the counting room at the casino. Several sources might put Ponder with explosives, though he was careful not to buy an unusually large amount of C4 from any one of his sources and they avoided the feds.

Talking about it was the greatest danger to us. I was the weak link there. Ponder and Leon had learned not to talk. Vietnam had hardened me to operations I though necessary and I didn't feel guilt. Leon and Ponder didn't need to get anything off their chests and wouldn't speak of it, even among us. I was new to black operations; everything I had done in Vietnam had been in the open with a unit.

I knew my greatest temptation was to tell Karen and Brooke to make them feel better, but I knew I couldn't. Leon and Ponder had to have realized that I was more likely to screw up after the operation than while we were performing it. When I thought about it, I realized it required more of a leap of faith from them about me being able to keep the secret, than did it did for them to accept helping me do the deed. I owed them.

Friday, as soon as the mail was up at the day room, I got the New York Times. Because of the holiday, both the Thanksgiving Day paper and the Friday paper were in my box. The Thanksgiving Day Times had a front page picture of the fire that resulted from the explosions at the trucking company, the warehouse, and dock area. In the inside of the paper was a picture of the fire and thick black smoke that came from the burning trucks in the garbage company's parking lot. The article was sketchy as they didn't have much time before the paper went to press and the night photos didn't show much. It amazed me the Times could get the paper to me the same day it went to press. Most of the time, a letter took three days to get to Fairhope from Tuscaloosa.

I read Friday's Times after I finished the Thanksgiving edition of the paper. It had a follow up article that said that several people were missing. The article mentioned the names of the clubs and the banks also hit with suspicious fires and explosions. The names of the people missing were not listed. Friday's paper had pictures in the daylight of the aftermath. The trucking company, warehouse and dock area looked like a war zone.

The collateral damage was greater than I anticipated. The windows in a six block area around the trucking company and a three block area around the casino were completely blown out. More fire damage was done to the dock area than I anticipated also. The warehouse, trucking company and casino were completely destroyed. There was no mention of a connection with the fuel oil company in the articles. Friday's Wall Street Journal didn't have anything about the explosions at all.

Friday, I drove to Spring Hill, where I visited with Cathryn and Charles. He was back from Vietnam and was stationed at Fort Jackson. They lived in a small duplex on Post. Cathryn was large with child and very happy. I enjoyed seeing them, but didn't stay long. I drove to Foley to watch the boats come in from the fishing contest.

Leon and Ponder didn't win any prizes, but they had a good time. Colonel Mac and I talked about getting a few small fishing boats and trailers that the men could check out and take fishing. The sergeant-major said he thought he could get some boats at a good price. I figured Navy Special Services would be missing some boats soon.

Early Saturday morning, I flew to Tuscaloosa. At the last minute, I had decided to go to the Alabama-Auburn game at Legion Field in Birmingham. Fortunately, John Sammit used only one of the two student tickets I had given him. I rode to Legion Field on the fraternity's chartered bus. I felt a little strange; everyone else had a date. I sat on the bus' front row and stayed away from the drinking. I planned to fly back after the game. My tickets were in the student section with the fraternity. I saw Thornton at the game. Eunice had stayed in New York with Carolyn. Thornton was with his father at the game. The atmosphere was electric. It was my first Alabama-Auburn game.

The game was an experience. Coach Bryant and Coach Jordon were both outstanding former players and alumni. Even non alumni were passionate about the game. It was the state's major social event of the year and people dressed up. After the game, which Alabama won, several fraternities had joint parties hosted by the Alabama and Auburn chapters in rented halls around town. Deke didn't have a chapter at Auburn. Several Deke brothers stayed with brothers from Birmingham and went to parties of friends in other fraternities. Deke had a small party at the fraternity house back in Tuscaloosa. There was usually a bit of drinking at the game and a lot of drinking on the bus back to Tuscaloosa. The Tuscaloosa parties after the game tended to be wild and most dates checked out of the sorority houses and stayed over.

I didn't drink, go to the party, or stay overnight in Tuscaloosa. John and his date dropped me at the airfield and I flew back to Summerdale. Sunday morning I drove to a newsstand in Mobile that carried the Sunday Times. The Sunday Times had several pages on the explosions and fires. Big George and the other two in the Polaroids were listed among the missing. I was relieved that he wouldn't be bothering Brooke or Karen again, but I knew it didn't undo the damage to the women. I didn't feel much satisfaction from his death, more relief. And I was also worried someone would make the connection.

I played dumb when Will asked if I knew anything about the explosions. From the way he talked, I guessed that Brooke had not said anything about the Polaroids. He had no way of knowing about Karen, or that I knew who Big George was. I had never mentioned about Karen knowing who Big George was.

Sunday, I chartered a boat to take Leon, Ponder and me fishing in the Gulf on Tuesday. Ponder and Leon had a great time. I already knew I preferred sailing to fishing, but wanted to do something for them. We went out from Gulf Shores and caught some nice fish. It was a nice quiet day. We never spoke about New York. To them it was if it never happened.

On Wednesday I went by the bayhouse. Will was sky high after he read that Big George was missing after the explosions. He looked forward to getting back to New York. Brooke and I went for a walk while Will was in the office in the building next to the bayhouse.

I asked, "How are you doing?"

"Much better. Will thinks it's safe to go back."

I responded, "I hope you'll wait until the New Year. I'll be glad you can go back, but I'm going to miss you."

"I feel the same." Brooke said softly, "It's been harder than I thought it would be to put this behind me. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"You can call on me anytime; you know that don't you? I'd come for you anytime."

She nodded. "Will's not as patient as you. He wants to conquer any obstacle and move on."

"That doesn't always work. He should've found that out."

She gave me a disapproving look.

I said, "Sorry." I paused then continued, "You take as much time as you need. If you have to, you can stay here with Grandfather and me, or you could go to Lauderdale and stay with Lib and Hub."

She smiled, "Thanks, but I don't think that'd work. When Will goes back, Nicole and I will too. Do you think it's safe to go back?"

"Probably"

"Will said the man he had the problem with died in a fire."

I nodded.

She asked, "You really think I should stay here?"

"Until the New Year"

"Will wants to get back to work now. He's talking about leaving now."

"Grandfather needs him to stay until New Year. He's afraid it'll be our last Christmas together."

Brooke said, "Grandfather isn't recovering as quickly as I thought he would."

"I think they take good care of him at Westminster Village, but he's not doing as well as I thought he would either." We both knew that the incident had been very hard on Grandfather and Will had some responsibility.

Brooke said, "I'll talk to Will about staying for Grandfather. Will you to do me a favor?"

I looked at her. She knew there weren't many things I wouldn't do for her.

She said, "I want you to go away for the weekend. It'd be nice if you went with a girlfriend. You've been taking care of me and not having any fun. I need for you to smile and have fun."

I nodded. It was more than a suggestion and I responded immediately. I went straight to the phone.

I called Tri-delt at Tuscaloosa. "Peggy Williams, please. Rob Jenkins calling."

I don't expect Peggy to be free. There are too many Christmas formals going on, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

After a minute or two, Peggy came on the line. "Rob, a pleasant surprise. It's great to hear from you. I haven't thanked you for the flowers you sent. It was a nice touch. I appreciate it."

I asked, "How are you doing?"

She hesitated. I could tell something was wrong.

I asked, "What's wrong?"

"My high school boyfriend got orders for Vietnam. He was home over the holiday."

"I'm sorry."

Peggy said, "You've been there, you know what it's like. I'm worried."

"I wish him and you well. I guess this isn't a good time to ask, but my sister-in-law made me promise I'd go away for the weekend. I wanted to know if you'd like to go to New Orleans for the weekend."