Chapter 152

The Brit and I drove out to the site, where all the activity would begin the next day. He asked to go there. I thought for sure it was some kind of security thing, but he asked far too many question about the plans for it to be anything but genuine interest.

"You were right to blackmail the road builder into grading this road. It would have been difficult with these ruts to back that trailer onto the site. As a matter of fact, why not just cut a new drive over here?" he ask pointing to a spot of more or less level ground. "The grader could get down to clay in a just a few minutes and you could have it graveled later. It would be simple. You are going to use the flat spot for you box house anyway, right?"

"Of course I am," I said not having even thought about the placement of the box. Sure it would be the easiest place to level it." I was thinking out loud then.

"I'm sure you also thought to put it so that the doors opened on the drive way side. Do that and your laborer can put a deck with a sliding door to replace the ones on it now. that would give you lots of light and a way to get in. Bolt some 2x4 studs up, then attach a patio door, and bingo it's a home."

"That is the plan," I said quickly adding the door to my list of things to do. Well it's getting late shouldn't we check the tape from the apartment?" I asked before he redid my whole plan.

"You are absolutely right," he commented. Let's go back to the McDonald's in, Dobson is it," He suggested.

"And how the hell do you know where the McDonald's is?" I asked. "Have you been here before."

"Of course not, but I found the location of McDonald's, so that I could get a WIFI signal without any questions." he said smiling.

"Hmmm," was my only comment. I turned the car toward McDonald's. Anyone with half a brain in my situation would doubt The Brit. He might well have been up here running a background check on me before Swamp Dog's offer of employment.

When we pulled into the McDonald's parking lot I ordered two coffee while the man from the swamp checked the first of the video. "Do you have mail delivered to your house?" he asked.

"Packages, I am sure come to the house," I said. "Why?"

"A black woman in a uniform came to your door an hour ago," he said. "Are you expecting anything."

"Yes bought a fishing rod from China," I said.

"Is the timing about right for the delivery?" he asked.

"Sure, it is about right," I agreed.

"Okay, do you fish?" he asked.

"Not yet, but there is a regional reservoir here. I decided to give it a try," I said.

"Oh that should be nice. I used to fish as a boy," he said.

"I had an uncle who fished when he retired. He even raised his own worms, at least he had worms." I said.

We used these god awful creature on the farm trees. Some kind of caterpillar I think, It might be my only good memory," he said.

"Mine too," I said as I backed into a space against the wall of a building next door.

"Excellent choice, no rear sniper threat," The Brit said.

"Best view of the parking lot," I said.

"You chose the space as a random selection didn't you," he said all serious.

"Yep," I said and we both laughed.

"I feel it to. The battle never touched this place," he said.

"Not enough people for any demonstration at all," I said.

"Good on you," he said. We sat there drinking coffee until he had accessed all the tape. He went back to the postal worker. "We want to take a look at that package for an outside trigger before you pick it up."

"Come on Brit, Sometimes a bomb is just a fishing pole." I said.

"And sometimes a bug is a microphone. There are no coincidences, till we find out who wants to bug you." he said.

"Well at least the coffee is good," I said.

"That it is, too bad you can't get a decent cup of tea in this country," he said laughing.

"I shouldn't tell you this, but if you buy a box of good tea, that coffee machine is supposed to make excellent tea as well." I said. "There is a first class grocery store here. I have never been in it, I have heard they carry all that specialty shit."

He came out of the store smiling. "Believe it or not this is the brand my mother used to use," he said with a very small laugh.

"Do you have a bottle of that hooch you make," he asked.

"I have a bottle or two of the peppermint. It wasn't a big seller. And I have some Apple Shine. Which would you prefer?" I asked.

"I guess you need to get rid of the peppermint," he said.

"I do indeed. Let's go get a couple of bottles." With that I drove to my apartment. I put on a pair of rubber house cleaning gloves, then went into the garage below my apartment. From a dusty old trunk, with a new combination lock, I removed two 12oz bottle of peppermint flavored Shine. It was a twelve oz bottle of water according to the label, but it was pure flavored fire water.

"Now before we start Brit there is no delivery service for food in a town this size. There is a Little Caesar's pizza to go, at the plaza. So do you like pizza," I asked.

"I do indeed but it's my treat. Besides I have been looking for an excuse to ride that tricycle. So tell me how you start it." he said.

I explained all the operations and safety feature on it. "So you understand how to start it?" I asked.

"I do," he said. "I also understand there are no safety features except this one little hand brake."

"Are you catholic?" I asked.

"Yes, what has that to do with anything?" he asked.

"You might want to say a few hail Marys, and make the sign of the cross. Good luck," I said.

I watched him pull out of the drive. It was eight miles out to the Plaze and the bike went about twenty five miles and hour, so he had about a half an hour each way. I went inside and planned on him being gone about a hour and a half, so I took a bath.