Chapter 151

I mean there was nothing special about him except the scars. I guess I felt a little like scars make the man. Scars on your body and scars on your soul make you who you are. I wondered what my soul looked like.

The morning sun had driven the chill away, which made it pleasant for The Brit to sit in the park and call home. "Number 2329," he said presumably to the girl who answered his call.

"No elevator music," I said.

"What?" he asked. "They don't have music while you are on hold. All the best doctors and shit have elevator music."

He simply nodded and continued to wait. After about five minutes he said into the phone. "Good morning Sir. I have determined what kind of equipment they are using. It's a direct RF transmitter with two slave microphone also RF. Bad news it it's line of sight. There is no platform I can use to track it down. It's Radio shack shit.

Yes, I was thinking that as well. Very well sir, we shall see who shows up, but not attack them. Yes sir, it makes perfect sense. Goodbye sir." The Brit said.

"So what's our next step," I ask.

"The main transmitter draws its power from a simple 9volt battery. The Microphones have a similar power source. Probably a smaller battery like a hearing aid. So we just have to catch them changing the batteries, or there is some other problem that causes them to go into the apartment. There is a camera on your front door right now. It should give us a view not only of the inside of the apartment, but one of the steps as well. since you have a nice big window in the door." he said.

"It could take months for the batteries to die." I asked. "How about we bait them?"

"Okay, what are we going to use for bait?" He asked.

"Well there are only three possible groups interested in me. The county sheriff, the bootleggers or the government. So lets bait them one at a time and see who bites." I said.

"So what are you thinking?" he asked.

"Well the proof of a crime would be more than enough to bring the Sheriff's Deputies into the apartment. And if that proof was a list of delivery points and pick up information, it would bring the bootleggers in as well. So I fake a list and we plant it for them to find. Then we sit back and watch your camera," I suggested.

Tell you what, let's give it a couple of days before we do that. Just stay out of the apartment during the day for a while. Just go about your business and I will tag along and watch your back.

"Well okay, but I'm going to bore you to tears," I said.

"I doubt it. You have no idea what kind of things in which I have an interested," he said.

"Okay, I'm going to make a call to see about some dirt," I said. "You did know you talk funny?"

"Garden soil," he asked.

"No, the kind of dirt that holds the earth together." I left it a mystery as I made the call to Monk.

"Did you talk to your brother and sister?" I asked.

"They said the price was fair and the taxes are all paid up, so all we need is to get old Sam, Dad's lawyer, to draw up the contract. My sister was supposed to call him this morning," Monk said.

"Monk I'm going to arrange for a house on the place, don't fuck me up now," I said. I had the phone on speaker phone so The Brit could hear.

"What was that about?" The Brit asked.

"I'm going to buy some land from that guy's family. Then I am going to put a house on it. Well not exactly a house. If you stick around long enough you will see.

The first thing I have to do is get the house on the way up here."

I made a call to Jerry. Since it was early in the week I had hopes he would be on the road. "Jerry love, where are you?"

"I'm in Maryland about to drop off a couple of front end loaders. a construction company needed right away. why?" he asked.

"I need you to pick up a storage unit at the port of Wilmington and bring it here." I said.

"That is just great. Can I get it tomorrow?" he asked.

"They said anytime and they would drop it on your trailer. It's only twenty feet long." I said.

"That will work just fine. If I drop this today and head back, I can be there tomorrow. If they will load it I can be in County seat day after tomorrow. Will you have someone to take it off my trailer?"

"I was hoping you knew someone with a front end loader to drag it off. You could just drive out from under it." I knew he could do it because I had seen him do it.

"Sure, I can call my buddy and have him standing by. You gonna meet me at that convenience store by the plaza and pilot me to your drop site?" he asked.

"No problem I can do that and even help you with the work. I might even have another body to help." I was thinking I could use The Brit, if he didn't finish my case by then.

"Sylvie that is going to be $500 cash or $600 check," Jerry said.

"$500 cash would be fine," I said. I was planning to use gray money as much as possible.

"And Silvie honey, another $100 for the front end loader." Jerry said.

"Jerry, honey that's the end of the money. If you come up with anymore shit you need to drop it, you are going to have to pay," I said.

"You got it," he replied. See you day after tomorrow. Please remember that will be a Saturday. Don't go getting drunk and forget me," Jerry said with a laugh.

I turned to The Brit, "We got lots of shit to do before he gets here. Come on let's get a move on."