Chapter 1

This is a story of cases that might have happened. It is also written as a work of fiction. I will give you a brief description of myself and my background, and tell you how I came to be in this business.

I got a divorce in eighty-nine, and after the usual time of feeling sorry for myself, I bought a small house on two lots in an unnamed Florida town. I was doing pretty good on my disability and working part time, taking some small cases for workman's compensation. I was taking pictures of case cheaters and small time grifters. It was working out pretty well, and I had a good little nest egg built up for a rainy day. I had just finished testifying in one of these cases, when I came home to find a survey crew in my front yard. I walked up to the white hard hat that looked to be in charge, and told him to get the hell off my land. He politely told me that I didn't own it, and my house was on the list to be torn down. I called the Sheriff and a deputy came out. After I showed him my deed, he politely gave the crew five minutes to remove the stakes and get off my property. The foreman gave him a hard time about it, and got himself arrested for trespassing. I started laughing out loud, and got a cussing out by the foreman. The deputy put some more charges on him before they hauled him away. I went in and called for a pizza, and while I ate, I wondered who thought this land was theirs

I woke the next morning to someone banging on my front door. I yelled out to them to get the hell of my porch.

"Sir, we need to speak to you right away about your land."

"Mister, I have a nice shotgun, and if you hammer on my door one more time I am going to shoot you through that very same door you're pounding on. If you want to talk to me, call Black's Investigations and set up an appointment."

They talked to each other for a little bit and I heard them leave. I started the coffee pot and went to take a shower and shave. I was sitting at the table drinking my coffee, when I heard the familiar sound of my boss's Harley coming in my drive. Damn, what now, I thought to myself? He let himself in the back door, got coffee, and sat down.

"Well, Harry, what the hell did you get yourself into now? I got a call from one of the biggest law firms in Florida, wanting to make an appointment to talk to you. They said at your earliest convenience, which I took to be right now."

"Charley, they can kiss my rosy red. I don't owe anyone money and my home is paid for, so I don't care what they want."

I told him what happened yesterday and about this morning's rude awakening. He laughed and told me that I should have shot and swore they were trying to break in. We discussed what they might want and why they were interested in my two little lots. We couldn't figure why they would make such a big deal out of it. Charley went on to tell me to go to the Federal Courthouse, and pick up my Federal Carry Permit. I had been finally cleared for it, and they wanted me to get my picture taken and get my identification card within twenty-four hours. They had a time limit for issuance, so it had to be processed within the prescribed time.

"You been trying for a year to get it, so you better go down there today. There's nothing going on at the office right now, so you have a day or two to recover from court. I am going for a long ride myself and relax. Shirley has the desk, so she will take any new cases that we might be interested in working. I'll catch you later, so call in sometime tomorrow. Do you want me to set you an appointment with those attorneys for tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah, if I don't talk to them, they will just drive me crazy. Set it for about twoish, so I can sleep in for a change."

He left, and I went to the courthouse to get my Federal Carry permit. I had been trying so hard for the last year to get it. It wasn't that I wasn't eligible, they had to have Homeland Security do the checks and they were slower than a seven year itch. I had finally had to call an old friend that was high up and have him push the clearance. It had finally come through, with a deadline on issuance. I wondered what would have happened if I had been out of town. I went in and went through all the government bullshit, and finally about three PM came out officially licensed to carry in all states and territories of the U.S.

I got back home about five thirty, just as the traffic was starting to get heavy. There was a Sheriff's cruiser sitting in my driveway and I had to stop and wait for him to move. He turned around and followed me to the house. When he got out, I could see it was my old friend Mark. I had saved him a lot of grief during his divorce by doing a little bit of picture taking at the right time. As a result, he didn't have to pay alimony, and got joint custody of his two little girls. He also was able to keep his house and property.

"Hey, Harry, who you got pissed off at you now? The Sheriff got a call this morning about the arrest of that surveyor. An attorney tried to tell him they owned this whole three blocks and thus he wasn't trespassing cause it was their client's land. Did you sell out and not tell anyone? Oh, I got some more news for you. I got promoted to Captain as of midnight tonight, so you better stay out of trouble or I'll put an APB out on you."

We laughed at his sickly attempt at humor. I showed him my Federal Carry ID and he was suitably impressed.

"So Mark, how do they figure this is not my land? I own this full lot, all the way to the street, and the one directly across there. I have a free and clear deed. Somebody read their plats wrong or something. I have to keep them mowed and neat, 'cause the city lets me know if the weeds get too high. I hope I haven't been mowing the wrong lots all these years."

We both got a laugh out of that one, knowing that the city never makes mistakes. We finally got down to why he came over, and it was to invite me to a promotion party at his house tomorrow evening. They were having a BBQ and beer bash, and all the guys wanted me to come. Because of my background, most of them considered me a brother officer. I told him I was off tomorrow and would be there. I asked him what I needed to bring, and he said; "Yourself." I gave him the finger, and he was laughing as he drove off. I went in the house, cracked a cold one, and sat down in front of the TV. That was the last thing I remember, 'til I woke up to that damned crow cawing on my front porch. I had tried feeding it dry rice, figuring it would blow up and bust. But it seemed to thrive, even with a big belly. I had even thought about getting a cat to kill it, and I hate cats. It was there on the banister every morning. I thought about getting a shotgun and shooting the bastard, but with my luck, I would miss and hit one of the cars on the street, and end up getting sued. I went in and took care of my morning ablutions and could still hear the damn thing above the noise of the shower. Damn Crows! I went out and got my coffee and listened to the morning news as I sipped it. I almost choked when the news said a Charles Carmen had been killed by a hit and run driver yesterday on the turnpike. The funeral arrangements were pending the release of the body by the Coroner's Office. I really felt bad, not only because he was my friend and boss, but I was out of a job. Damn, what a way to start the day. Then I remembered the appointment with those attorneys. I hated attorneys, not because of what they were, but because I had never met one in my fifty some years that wasn't greedy and crooked as a dog's hind leg. I got dressed and headed for the office. As I drove over, I wondered if Shirley was in today. I knew she would take his death hard, because he was the only one to give her a chance when she got out of college. I let myself in, went to my desk, and sat down. Shirley had been here, 'cause the coffee pot was still hot. I poured a cup and waited for the attorneys to show up and tell me why they were bothering me so much about my two lots. I was reading a file on private investigation licensing for each state, when the two attorneys showed up. They immediately came over and sat down.

"You are Harry Hanson, I take it, sir?"

"That's me, so quit with the small talk, and tell me what the hell a big firm like yours wants with little ole me."

"We would like to make you an offer for your land. Our client would be more than fair, and you would make a profit from the amount of the offer."

"I am not interested in selling either lot. I bought and own outright both lots, so keep your men off my land."

"We represent a large company that has bought the block your house is sitting on. We thought we had bought to the "Y", until yesterday. It seems the realty company we were using thought the last two lots were part of the package. There is a commercial development going in, and we need your two lots to complete the package. We will make you an offer that you can live with."

"I don't like attorney's and never did, so let me spell it out for you: N. O."

"Now you listen to me a minute. We can file for eminent domain and take it from you, but we prefer to be straight with you and make a good offer."

"No, let me tell you something. You can't take it using eminent domain, because it is zoned residential and commercial. By the law, that exempts me from any such action. You two think that I am a dummy, and that I didn't check all this before I bought the last two lots, seven years ago. You're wasting my time, so leave before I call security and have you escorted off the premises."

They had a sour look on their faces but left. Damn, as if I didn't have enough problems today. I went through my stuff in the office, and took all my personal files and things. I still had my pay coming from this last job, and wondered if I would ever get it. Dammit, Charley, why did you have to go riding on the turnpike? I was going to miss him, 'cause he and I went way back. I wondered if his daughter would sell the business or just close it. She was working on her masters in college, and would probably not have the time to run the office. I had been looking at land and job opportunities in Nevada, and maybe this would be a good time to get serious about it. My PI License would transfer, and now that I had the Federal Carry Permit, I wouldn't have to wait for a weapons permit there. I headed for the house and my computer to look at land again. As I left the office, I put my key, with what I was still owed in the in basket. I knew Shirley would handle it with the estate attorney. I still had to find out when the funeral was, and I had the barbeque to go to tonight.

I got to the house, and was relieved to see that I was alone except for that damn crow that just wouldn't leave. I grabbed several hands full of rice and threw it in his direction. He jumped right down and started stuffing himself, and I hoped he would blow up this time. I went in and got a beer, and then sat down at the computer. I brought up the realty listings I had book marked for Nevada, and started going through them, looking a little closer for listings in rural areas. Nothing new on this one, so I jumped to another and one lone ad caught my eye. Old gold mine and cabin combined, thirty acres with year round water and plenty of trees. All equipment, including snowmobile and off-road jeep with dual winches. I wondered if there were roads or just trails that went to the cabin. I took the picture tour and was really impressed with the cabin and the surrounding scenery. I noticed a little diamond flashing at the edge of one pic. When I clicked on it, a note came up saying that the mineral rights to the acreage were included in the deal. Now this fellah was smart, because he had bought them in the first place. There was a number so I called and got a recording, asking me to leave a return number and the call will be returned within the hour. I went in and took another shower, and dressed for the party at Mark's house. By the time I was done and ready to go, the phone was ringing. I answered, and the man on the other end said his name was Abe and he was the one selling the property I had called about. We talked for about an hour and he filled me in on why he was selling, and what he wanted for the whole shebang. I asked how I could get ahold of him if I came out to look at it, and when it would be convenient for me to come out. He quickly told me how to get there and to come at any time.

I got all the directions from him, and then quickly went out the door and to Mark's. I spent about three hours at the party, and the food was great. Some of the people there got pretty wasted, so others drove them home. I always limited myself to three beers, so by the time I left, I was just about totally sober. I went to bed and slept good, without being awakened by the noise that usually occurred when traffic started up in the morning. I rolled over and realized it was Saturday morning, and I had nothing planned for the day. I called the airlines, and then got online and got some rates for motels stay in while I was there in Nevada. I hated cold weather, but really missed the change of seasons. After checking several sites, I found one that was the cheapest of them all. The motel was near where the cabin was, and it was a national chain that I had stayed in before. Now that I had the site and prices, I had to book within seventy two hours to guarantee the price. I wasn't going to make any plans until I went to the funeral of my friend and paid my respects. I got on the phone and called Shirley's cell. She said the funeral was Monday afternoon. I thanked her and quickly got off the phone before she started crying in my ear. I sat around the house all day and watched movies and football. Now I don't particularly like football, but I had bet fifty on this game at five to one and I just won. I would make it a point to see Mark tomorrow and collect. He always got me to bet him and won nearly all the time, so this time it was my turn to brag a little. Damn, what was the name of that team I bet on again? Oh yeah, the Patriots.