Chapter 62

When I got to the end of my driveway, I decided to call the Seal team at the chemical plant. When I got their Commander on the line and identified myself to him, he said he was expecting my call. I asked him if he could put someone up on one of the tallest buildings there with binoculars to keep an eye on my cabin. He said it had already been done as they watched out for their own. I had to think for a minute before I realized he was talking about Sandra. Damn, I would never have thought it would have been taken so seriously. Oh well, he never knew what I was thinking as he asked for my cell number. I gave it to him and he said not to worry as they would be keeping an eye on my cabin. I thanked him before I hung up. Then I headed for the courthouse to talk to a woman who worked there that I remembered had lived in the gulch.

I parked in an empty reserved spot and went inside. When I saw the sign that said Building Inspectors Office I went there first on a sudden impulse. The lady behind the desk asked what I needed and when I told her I wanted to talk to the building inspector, she just laughed.

"Sir, the only one left is old Denny and he is almost seventy years old. The others quit when the old sheriff died and the county, in all their wisdom, hasn't hired any others. Now Denny will be glad to talk to you but I suggest you put casts on both legs because he will talk them right off of you. His office is back there in the corner. Just knock on the door if you're fool enough to brave going in there."

She just cackled as I went toward the door she had pointed at. I knocked rather loudly and was grumpily told by the person behind the door he wasn't deaf and to come in. I went into to what looked like someone had left all their loose paper in one place to be recycled. I looked for a chair or something to sit on but gave that up and then looked for the person I knew was in here. I couldn't see anyone and when he spoke up I jumped in shock. He was behind what I think you would call a desk, but it was piled so high with papers you couldn't see him.

"Well I'll be damned if it isn't Harry Hanson, our famous sheriff. 'Bout time you started using your head for something besides being a Hubba punching bag. I wondered how long it would take you to get smart enough to come and have a little talk with me. I been doing this job more than forty years and nobody knows this county like I do. I bet you are looking for either more weapons or kids being hidden again."

"Actually I am looking for weapons but I wouldn't hesitate to free more children if I could find them. I wish you would stand or something so I could see you over all this mess. How the hell do you find anything in here?"

"Actually there is a method to what you see here. All of this is on a computer, but I always keep a paper copy of everything because the computer files seem to have a habit of either being deleted or changed after I enter them. There by the door is a stack of folders I think will help your search. I would rather you didn't see me face to face in case someone gets their hands on those files. If that happens I can say I never met you and you must have taken them from my office. That old hag out there has a mild case of Alzheimer's so she won't remember you being here ten minutes after you leave. Harry, when you go to search some of those places, I hope you have some professionals to help you because you will need them with these ole boys. They were born with the bark on and it never fell off as they grew up. Most served time in the military and they won't be easy to get near. There is a Wal-Mart shopping bag there that you can put the folders in. Put today's paper on the top so they can't be seen. There's one there by the door. I wish you the best but I will give you another word of advice, don't take them home with you and keep them some place safe. The plans and stuff in those folders no longer exist on the computer so only you will know about them. Now leave so I can go get some lunch."

I carefully put the stack of file folders in the shopping bag, put the newspaper on the top to cover them and went out the door. I went past the woman's desk in the front and she waved as I went out the door. I went from there to the Judge's office and was shown in almost immediately.

"Harry, I have a bunch of papers you will need to sign. Afterwards I will have my clerk file them and give you copies. Mark left it all to you to use as you see fit. He had six rather large insurance policies on him and his wife with you as the beneficiary on all of them. He left the cabin to you, and all the papers and other documents to you too. Harry, Dana is not his daughter but his niece. Her parents were killed when she was born and he adopted her. He had no living relatives nor did his wife. He made the will out about a week before he went to Florida. I asked him why he was leaving everything to you instead of the girls and he said he knew you would make sure they would never want for anything as long as you lived. I have a letter from him for you to read, but he said you were to never divulge its contents to the girls for any reason."

I signed all the papers in somewhat of a daze as the Judge set them in front of me. He told me as I signed the last one that it was about Sandra, and I had now legally adopted her as well as the girls. I just looked at him in shock and he handed me Mark's letter. I put it in my inside jacket pocket and sat with the bag between my feet, waiting for his clerk to come back.

When she came back in, she handed me a thick file folder saying the insurance polices were on the top. The judge shook my hand saying he hoped I decided to go back to running the department since Mark was gone. I just sadly smiled at him and didn't answer as I went out the door. I went to my unit and started driving without thinking about where I was going. I ended up at the gate to the old chemical plant. I was asked for ID and when I showed it, I was told I was expected. This partially snapped me out of the fog I was in and I wondered how they knew I was coming. I was waved to a spot next to a building that said Offices on it. A soldier escorted me inside and up a long flight of old wooden stairs. He left me in an office telling me the Commander would see me in a few minutes. As I sat there, I heard a familiar voice and wondered what Preacher was doing there. I got my question answered when I was shown into the Commander's office. When I saw who was sitting there with a big grin on his face I went off.

"You sorry son of a bitch, since when did you become a Commander? How the hell do you get promotions that fast and into another branch of service? You better start explaining or I am going to bust you right in the nose, friend or not."

"Damn Harry, if you will you calm down I will be glad to explain it all to you. I was never in the Air Force. My team and I were working undercover to try to find out where all of the stolen ordinance was going. We worked on this for almost a year and kept running up against dead ends until you broke the whole thing wide open. I have been the head of Seal Team Two since I went into the Seals after Nam. Special Forces put me out so I went to the other side and have been here ever since. By the way, that was nice work on that basement. We were stumped until you figured it out. The Director called this morning and said you were in charge of both teams here as well as Three when they come out. Seems you have come a long way too since the Army. By the way, there are two more of those slugs we need to find, according to the Director. He called a few minutes ago and said the Russians were still missing three they couldn't account for. He said they might be with the other weapons you are searching for. I have been ordered to follow your orders to the letter. Damn, it's good to be working with you again. I wanted to tell you when we found those kids but I was under orders not to open my mouth to anyone."

I just sat down in shock and was handed a cup of coffee. I went to sip it and burned my lip again. "Damn that smarts," I was thinking as I looked at Preacher with that damn smug smile on his ugly puss. I decided to leave the folders here for his men to go through and see what they thought of the contents. I needed to go home and see the girls to help me calm down from all the shocks I had been handed today.

"Preacher, you and your men go through these files and see what you think of them. They don't exist as far as the county is concerned. They have been either erased or deleted from the computers in the courthouse. I think they will hold the key to where all the stuff we are looking for is at. There is a chance we might find more illegals so we will have to be careful as we raid them. I was told a lot of the owners are prior military and very good at what they do, so I would start planning for about any kind of situation. Some of them are old Berets and Seals that have gone native. I will leave these with you. You have my cell if you need anything. We won't start moving until Three gets here so you have plenty of time to scout and plan. I am going home to my girls and try to spend a quiet evening with them. I just signed the papers for the two little ones of Mark's so now I have three to try to take care of. Preacher, it's going to get hot around here and I want your best when it comes time to watch over them."

"Harry, I've had three round the clock on your place since you came back. We did a complete scout and I will have to admit those cameras are the hardest to spot I have ever seen. I want to add a few better ones in a few blind spots, if that's ok with you. We have tapped into your system and we can see what you do. I was going to ask but we had limited time so I gave the order to go ahead. We also have the other cabin completely covered too. Sean is bringing his family and we wanted to make sure they were all safe too. I will show you where we tapped in so you will know and can unhook the tap when this is all over. Don't worry Harry, we won't let anything happen to your family. Did you know that Butter entered Sandra in the official record as a member of his team? She is the first given this honor as far as I could find out. The Joint Chiefs about had a fit but the Director and the President overruled them and kept it as part of the official record. It is also entered at the training center in Norfolk. She must have made a hell of an impression on the sinkhole while she was there."

"You don't know the half of it Preacher. Thanks for watching my family; I appreciate it more than you know."

"Hell Harry you know we watch our own's backs. They will be fine so go home and enjoy your time together. We will have some long days when the other team gets here in a few days. By the way who is that beautiful woman watching them? Is she married or looking?"

"Too late Preacher, we are getting married next week."

His eyes bugged out and his mouth dropped open so I walked out the door, leaving him looking stupid. By the time I got to my unit I was laughing out loud at his reaction to my news. Several of the soldiers smiled at me just shaking their heads in wonder that anyone could find humor on this stinking chemical wasteland. I went back to the cabin and when I pulled up in front, Tran was sitting in the chair holding her head in her hands. She looked so pitiful I went up to her and hugged her, not saying a word.