Chapter 79

It was hard for me not to slap hell out of Brian. Even harder not to at least tell him I was onto him. Either course of action and he was likely to start covering his tracks and I wasn't sure we were ready for that.

I knew Wilson was busy running Brian's contacts from the phone. I wasn't expecting too much, but it would be one more piece of the puzzle. When I got back to the truck the clone had only been activated two minutes. Nonetheless Wilson was just as busy as I had expected.

"Believe it or not his last call was to the B&B. I don't know who he spoke to, but my guess would be Christine," Wilson said.

"Mine to, but check the bar film, when we get home. Just to make sure there isn't a big bald man having a drink in the bar," I suggested.

"Yes of course," he said.

"I'm downloading his contract list as well. I want to run background checks on everyone on his phone," he said.

"I expected no less of you," I suggested. It was a long ten minutes back to the barge. Wilson immediately disappeared into the office to play with his room full of toys.

While Wilson worked on the phone, I took a shower. As had been the case with the first box house in the mountains, the water ran tepid after five minutes. Knowing that I did my body washing first, then I washed my hair in cooler water. I never actually went cold, but it wasn't pleasant to stand under tepid water to soak. I was giving serious thought to putting a shower in the office. One with an old fashioned how water heater.

It wasn't like the office didn't have a bathroom of sorts. It had a toilet and janitor's sink from when it was a bait shop. We had just cleaned it up for Wilson to use when he worked. I thought about it a minute, then decided what the fuck it was just money.

After I dressed in my jeans and red sweat shirt with the chopped of sleeves, I called EZ. When he answered I said, "EZ I'm calling in one of those hundred favors you owe me."

"Well hello to you to Sylvia. I'm doing just fine thanks for asking though," he said with a laugh.

"Okay, tell me all that shit, then tell me who to call to get a shower installed in the office," I demanded.

"I'll call him to come by to give you an estimate. He only has a cell phone and would probably not answer. He doesn't know you," EZ said.

"Have him call first," I said. "Meanwhile I'll pick out the one I want online."

"You need to work that out with him. I'll just have him call," EZ said.

"Fair enough, how is the repo business?" I asked.

"Lots of work but most of it is out of town. We are working a two county area. Between that and my trouble tenant business, I am keeping busy," EZ said.

"Good," I said.

After all that it was 6PM. Time to check on Wilson, I thought. I walked onto the pier and into the office. I had a flash of insight as I often do. Most times I ignore it, but that day I didn't. I dialed EZ again.

"My god how lucky I am to be hearing from you twice in one day." he said.

"I am in the car though so what can I do for you." he asked.

"I just flashed on how much shit I have in this building. Can you send me someone to install a better door and locks on the windows?" I asked.

"Oscar isn't really a plumber, he is a handyman. He is honest though, and he stands behind his work. Plumbers don't, if they have to come back to fix their fuck up, they charge you a service call. That's why I use him," EZ explained.

"Right have him call then," I said.

"Okay now Wilson, how are we doing?" I asked, when I entered the office.

"So far about half a dozen girls, who probably won't go out with him. Crissy is one of them of course," he said.

"Is that what you are calling the daughter at the B&B now?" I asked.

"Yes it is so much easier that way. It what her girlfriends call her," Wilson said.

"That's a good thing to know. If someone by that name comes up, I will at least know who they are talking about," I said. Just then the phone rang.

"Miss Porter?" the heavily accented voice asked, after I finished my opening speech.

"That's right. How can I help you?" asked.

"My name is Hugo Price. We have a mutual friend," he said.

"So I'm told. What can I do for you?" I asked again.

"I have a very important shipment coming into a small port near you. I wish to move a package of about one meter by half a meter. I am told you can make it happen without incident." he said.

"That depends on how much security you need, and what is in the package?" I made it a question.

"There is nothing illegal in the package. I prefer not to discuss this further on the telephone," he said.

"Than I am sorry, but without a full threat assessment, I'm not going to be able to help you," I said.

"Very well thank you for taking my call," he said. He thought that he was calling my bluff, but what he didn't know is I wasn't bluffing. If I didn't have the money in the bank, I might have risked going in blind. As it was, I really wasn't willing to take the chance that there would be ten men pulling up in a couple of crew cars. They could easily take the package away from me and take my life as well.

I turned my attention back to Wilson. "So Willie old boy what next," I asked.