Chapter 3

The new house fit E'veen to a tee. Growing up in the Great Bend of Texas had left her starving for green. 157 acres of trees and her very own lake! AND the brick house was vacant. Smith, the realtor, hemmed and hawed a bit when Mina insisted on 'Immediate' occupancy.

"I mean, like yesterday, or we'll go to Jones Realtors They have a place ... with a lake and a newer bigger house and more land than this for less money ... and their lake isn't weed infested!!"

"And they'll take cash." Megan waved her card under his nose.

The Jones part was what did it for them ... Smith's company used to be Smith and Jones, but one day a shipment of paperwork Jones had ordered came in from the printers. Smith was checking it over for correct wording when he noticed that the heading was Jones & Smith Real Estate and the shit hit the fan.

Three days later the firm was Smith Realtors and Jones could suck eggs! The mere mention of the name Jones was a red flag and Smith was the Bull.

Before the run to the bank to finalize everything, Smith had contracted to have the weeds poisoned, the poison ivy eradicated and the front fence replaced ... at his expense! What he knew, and E'veen didn't: Smith had bought the entire place for three hundred and fifty thousand a month before.

The widow didn't know what she had, and didn't really need the reminder that her husband spent more time at the lake than he did with her.

E'veen, well, Megan, paid his asking price of seven hundred ninety five thousand ... with not a dime of dickering. Well, she did chouse him out of the sales tax. It was Mina that got the fence replacement, weed and ivy killing as extras.

The courthouse sent E'veen to the County Weed and Pest Control, after they had their lick, she got sent clear across town to the EPA and they got bent all outta shape about the weed poison. She had the perfect comeback.

"Show me the ordinance."

"We don't have to, you can't do it because we said so."

She hauled out her jim dandy cassette recorder and said, "repeat that please."

"We don't have to show you the ordinance, you can't do it because we said so. And what do you think you're doing with those handcuffs?"

"Well, I'm a Deputy United States Marshal. It's my job to protect and defend the Constitution and you are in violation ... so ... I'm placing you in confinement ... unless you'd care to avoid the problem and show me the ordinance.

"And it's too late to tell me there isn't one, because I've all ready got you on tape telling me there is.

"This is going to make the papers and I'm sure you've been running this office to suit your opinions and not the law. We will be advertising for others with whom you have exercised illegal authority to come forward."

"There's a Bill before congress giving us the powers."

"It's not passed into law?"

"Not yet, but it will be."

"Congress shall make no law retroactive ... that's already the law. Your wishful thinking and reactive ways have you in a world of hurt."

"Well, you don't..." There ensued a minor struggle, E'veen was going to have an aggressively landed bruise. " ... get off me, you bitch ... I'll kick your ass."

"Mina ... Megan ... Laurel? You heard?"

"Yes ... threatening a duly authorized Federal Law Officer in the performance of their duty. That's against the law."

"Yup ... ten years in the Federal Prison System." E'veen smiled even though her eye was swelling shut, "you're going to the FBI holding cells until Monday. His Honor will see you then. I need your keys to this building."

"Why?"

"It's Saturday ... I'll bet you've got the weekend duty ... as I have. Somebody has to lock up. You can't, so I guess it'll be me."

"The keys are in the top left drawer."

"Do I have your permission to retrieve them?"

"God Damn-it ... lock the place up. My boss will have your ass Monday."

"Witness please. Meggers? You want to watch?"

E'veen pulled on a pair of latex gloves, and opened the drawer, the clerk realized the implications too late. "SHIT!!"

"Lookie here ... a baggie with a suspicious white powder and a rolled up twenty." Conversationally she chatted as she speed dialed the DEA

( ... remember the Tyler DEA? The DEA who confiscated the flower child BillyBuilt over a couple of joints and three seeds? Yeah ... that DEA.)

E'veen said, "Did you know that over half of the twenties in circulation test positive for cocaine."

The other end picked up, "Hi, this is Aoibheann O'Riada, Deputy US Marshal ... sure,