Chapter 95

When I walked into the diner, the place wasn't packed, but was doing a brisk business. I took a table facing the street with my back to the wall so I could watch the Jeep. I was greeted several times by people that evidently knew me, but I had no idea who they were. When the waitress came over, she recognized me immediately.

"Well hello Sheriff, do you remember me?"

"Umm, no I don't think so, should I?"

"If it hadn't been for you, my little boy might have lost his foot. I was the one whose little girl you made very happy by giving her and her brother their own bikes. That lady Doris has been back several times with friends to do repair work on all the kids' bikes if they needed it. I never got a chance to thank you for helping my son. Thank you, Sheriff, for me and my kids."

"That's not necessary. I hated the way the people here had been treated in the past, and was glad to help out all I could. If the situation came up again I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again."

"Well Sheriff, things have sure changed for the better since you and your friends took over the sheriff's office. You know, there is almost no one in the gulch who is not working again. We have had several new businesses come in and with the new casino being built at the edge of town, we all have a good life here again."

This was all news to me, so I just smiled and nodded my head, trying to get her to take my order. When she finally got around to it, I ordered sweet tea and an extra large order of onion rings. I had just leaned back and took a sip of my tea when I saw a familiar figure looking at my Jeep. I took the Glock out of my holster, and put it within easy reach in my lap. I scooted back a little further away from the table and waited to see if he would come in. He did, and damned if he didn't smile when he spotted me and came over.

"Hello Harry, long time no see."

"Hello Spook, what are you doing around here again?"

"Don't worry, Harry, I am not looking for trouble with you or anyone else. I will only be here the rest of the day then I have to go back overseas to my job."

"Spook, I always thought you were a company man."

Before he could answer, the waitress came over to the table.

"Hello, do want to order the same as the sheriff?"

He didn't bat an eye, just ordered the same as I had and waited till she brought his tea before talking again.

"Harry, I am not now or ever have been a "Company man" as you put it. I work for Interpol and always did. That's not why I wanted to talk to you, though. I know you have questions about certain matters, and I wanted to set your mind at ease before I left to go back. Harry, Dana is my niece. My brother was married to Mark's sister. They ran away and went to England when they were both seventeen. Her family disowned her, but I loved them both. I helped support them and made sure they both had good educations. When Dana came along they were bringing her to visit me when they were run off the road and killed. I took care of her for almost five years but my job kept me hopping, as you know, so she was always with a nanny. I decided to send her to Mark so she would have a stable and better life. I didn't tell him all the details, but I made sure he would accept her and that he would always take care of her."

Our food came so he knocked off speaking as we ate. I slipped the Glock into my lower vest pocket so it wouldn't end up on the floor as I had to scoot back up to the table to eat. He never looked, but I knew he couldn't have missed it lying in my lap as he walked to the table. I couldn't see any weapon on him, but I knew by instinct he had one. I didn't have the feeling I was in any danger, so I relaxed and enjoyed my onion rings. When we finished eating, we both got refills and sat back and lit cigarettes. I waited for him to continue with his story.

"I watched Mark and Terri for about three years, and when I couldn't I had someone watching them to make sure Dana was treated ok. I found out even after their divorce that Mark loved them both like they were his own. He never even told Dina that Dana wasn't her sister and they have grown up thinking they are. To me that was great so I quit watching them because I no longer had a reason to. I knew you and he were friends but I never realized how close until he died and you adopted both of them. Harry, don't worry, I won't dispute the adoption. They are happy and being well taken care of. Anyway, it took me almost four years to find out what really happened to her parents. But by that time, the trail was cold. They had been trying to get back at me for breaking up their arms and dope smuggling ring throughout Europe. I finally got lucky with a snitch and he gave me their names, so I went after them. I got his ex-wife in Russia then I found out where he was about two years later. By the time I got here, Mark and Terri were both dead. Dammit, if I had acted a little faster I might have prevented it."

"I don't think so, Spook."

"Harry, my name is Victor Saffen."

"Ok Victor, I doubt if you could have prevented Terri from dying because she was already an addict. Roman was the one who got her hooked and pimped her out to his friends. That was one situation you couldn't have stopped if you wanted to. She had been on a partying and downhill slide, even before the divorce. I was the one who got Mark custody of the girls because I knew she wouldn't take care of them. I guess over the years I became their surrogate uncle because of our friendship. When he died, he already had a will set up so that they could stay with me. I love them as much as my granddaughter, and as long as Tran and I live, they will have anything and everything they need to be happy including our love."

"I know that, Harry and I couldn't ask for a better person for them to be with. Since I have been coming here, all I have heard about is how you put this county and its people back on their feet and got rid of the bad elements. Harry, I been in some bad things over the years with my job and all, but I still love what I do. Now that I know I don't have to worry about Dana, I can continue doing my work with a clear conscience. Roman knew why he was dying, and he begged me to let him live and said he had nothing to do with Pierre's death. I had all the information I needed from his wife, so I knew better. Harry, if you ever need anything and I mean anything at all, you drop me a line at this address I am about to give you and it won't be a problem anymore. If for some reason I can't handle it, I will send someone who can. Oh, and the reason I always sought you out personally in Nam, was because I already knew General Brown was as dirty as they come. I could never get close to him so I stayed behind the scenes, helping you out all I could. Harry, I never did understand how you knew about the ambush that was supposed to take out your team. I tried to catch up to you in the field but by the time I got there, you had already destroyed the ambushers. By the way, they weren't NVA but paid mercs sent by General Brown. Harry, if Dana ever asks if she has any relatives, will you tell her and Dina that they have an uncle who lives in Europe somewhere? Maybe if I ever retire, I might want to come back and introduce myself to them. Tell your lovely wife she has my respect and admiration for the love that she clearly shows for the girls. Later, Harry, have a good life and take care of your family."

He dropped a piece of paper on the table and was out the door just that quick. I sat there for a few minutes, absorbing what he had told me in such a short time. I knew I would probably do what he asked if the girls ever brought up the subject of relatives. After all, he was their uncle and deserved to get to know them. I knew he would make a good role model for them if he ever quit his job and finally settled down. When I stuck the paper in my pocket, I bumped the Glock, so I put that back in its holster. I got up, leaving a good tip, and went to the register and paid my bill. I said goodbye to the waitress as I went out the door.