Chapter 24

When I awoke the next morning, it was as if nothing had happened the day before at all. Sure I had a plan for later in the day, but I had to start with the same crap I started with everyday. I added wood to the smoldering fire, and lit the gas ring under the funky water heater.

I put on a couple of layers of clothes and my ski mask, then took off to the plaza for breakfast. I chose to eat inside, since it was far too cold to eat at the stone table outside. I took off most of the layers of clothes to enjoy the food. After the good food and the lousy coffee, I headed home.

Once I got home I stood by the fire and removed a layer of clothes and waited to feel warm, then I would take off another layer. I continued until I was naked. Once I was naked, I went into the bathroom and showered.

After my shower I felt better about my future. Being clean helped me face forward not backward. I dressed in the skinny jeans and a tight tee shirt, then I removed the throw rug that hid the entrance to the stairs leading into the hidden grease pit. Once I was down in the pit I looked for the case of grease tubes. Mixed among the full tubes were six tubes from which I had carefully removed the contents and replaced it with the cash from the drug deal that went down in the Atlantic Ocean.

I carefully removed nine one hundred dollar bills, and then I replaced the tube to the middle of the stack of grease. I had to laugh when I thought of Jeremy acting as though I should be upset with the manager for demanding cash. I could never explain why I was smiling at the demand. I would buy most anything for cash. Because I did that and I appeared to live frugally from the outside. Nobody questioned my bank account.

I went to College Hill to pick up my desk. I gave the women her seven one hundred dollar bills. In exchange she had two of her employees load the desk for me. Once it was on board I drove back to the Country Store to wait for Carlos and his son Jose. The desk was so heavy I would need them both to help me get it off the truck.

I skipped lunch, as was my habit. Instead of eating, I fixed a cup of coffee. While I drank the coffee, I searched for, and found the cameras I wanted to buy. They weren't ordinary surveillance cameras. They were high resolution professional quality cameras. The resolution was the same as a high quality TV camera. The difference was there were many fewer controls. The cameras I bought had to be set up to a computer with a control panel because they were wireless.

I placed the order after I was sure the seller would accept a bank certified check. The cameras would be wall mounted, wireless, and very sophisticated. Then there was the laptop computer and software. The whole thing came in at just under five grand.

I went back into my grease tube safe for more money. I took the roll of bills to the bank before Jose arrived for his after school chore. With the cash in hand I drove to the bank. I went into the busiest branch I could find. I knew that it was impossible to hide completely from the surveillance camera, but I preferred that the teller didn't recognize me.

I wore a really nice wig I kept on a wig form in the grease pit. It had been given to me while at Church Camp, along with a few lessons in make up. When I went into the bank, I was a redhead wearing a baseball cap and a body pad that made my belly look bigger and my breasts look smaller. I was again thankful for my time at Church Camp.

I was pretty sure no one was going to recognize me. Yes I did have to show the driver's license. So I chose the one in the name of Lucille Billings. It was one of many identities I had on paper. You guessed it they too were stored in the grease pit.

Carlos probably knew something was wrong with me, since he fitted the hardwood panel so they looked as though they were a tight fit with the others. In actuality they made the trap door entrance. I felt like I could trust him, which is why I made sure to find continuing work for him or his family. It was kind of an insurance policy.

I parked the truck six blocks from the bank, then unloaded my bicycle. I was just familiar enough with College Hill from the purchase of the desk earlier that same morning to find the bank. I went inside to purchase the check, then went to the post office and mailed it still in the disguise of Lucy Billings.

Once the Bike was again in the rear of the truck, I rushed off home in time to meet Carlos and Jose. Yes I had worried about loading the bike into the bed of the truck where the huge desk sat, but it was a necessary thing. Fortunately the desk was covered with a tarp I had left over from the painting of the shop/living room. When I got the truck home, I unloaded the bike and then inspected my new desk. It looked as though it had survived my attempt at taking care of the camera finances. It appeared to come out no worse for wear.

I managed a cup of coffee and a check of the email using the computer provided by the SBI and the tablet purchased by me for the Phone Sex Lady's email. Nothing in my life was easy, but then if it had been easy, it would also have been boring. I came to realize that I had become accustomed to the craziness, and probably would need it for the rest of my life. Maybe not in the role of slut for hire, but somehow.

I was thinking those dark thoughts when Carlos pulled up in his truck. I saw Jose in the passenger seat. "Well hello you two," I said in greeting.

"Hello Miss Rose," Carlos said. Jose just smiled shyly and nodded. "So is this the desk you bought for the house?"

"Yes it is. I have no idea how much it weighs but I know it is too much for me. I would rather not wreck it. It is on wheels, so once we clear the door we should be able to roll it," I suggested.

Carlos climbed into my truck and lifted one end of the desk. "Holy mother of god this thing is heavy," he said. "Jose you come up here and roll this monster to me. I'll get on the ground to guide it down. I am pretty sure I can hold it, while me and Rose lower it to the ground."

And that's what we did. After I helped with the rear of the desk I was told to get out of the way so the real men could finish. It was kind of cute because Carlos was pumping up his son's ego. "Well I'll just go in and clean the kitchen," I said laughing at them.

When the desk was in place, it gave the room a turn of the century vibe. I loved it. "So do you need to get home Jose?" I asked.

"Not at all Miss Rose," he said.

"Carlos what's the chances of me hiring Jose to help me get a load of wood. I would love to have some more before the winter sets in," I said.

"Have him home by dinner or call and let his mother know you have him," Carlos said.

"I can do that," I suggested.

"You should run by the shop. There are lots of scrap pieces you can use for kindling," Carlos added. "I can't burn enough to get rid of it all. Take all you want, but it is dry and burns too fast to provide much heat but it is good kindling."

"Yes, I have been using some of your scraps from the roof project last spring, but they are about gone now," I said. "So I would be grateful for more."

"You going down to the lumber yard?" Carlos asked.

"No I pick up some fire wood from that co-op on the mountain. If they don't have any, we probably will go down to the sawmill. All that shit down at the sawmill is green though. It burns hot but it fouls the firebox, and coats the stovepipe. They tell me it can catch fire in the chimney," I said.

"Yes but I know the opening through your roof isn't going to catch fire I put it in myself. Also your chimney is a piece of stainless steel. It is thick enough to withstand a fire. So you can burn that green shit. With that stuff you don't have to stoke the fire as often."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I said. I knew I was going to buy dry wood, if I could get it. The stove I had could heat twice the space I had, so I kept the fire small and the drafts almost always turned off.

After Carlos left I asked Jose, "Are you hungry? Before I work your ass off, I can feed you."

"No Miss Rose I am fine," he said.

"Well then get in the truck and lets go get some wood." With Jose sitting on the passenger side of the older model pick up, I drove up the mountain. First I went up a two lane state road. Then I went up a county two lane road which was poorly maintained. Then finally I turned onto a dirt road which led to a gated drive. I stopped there and blew the horn. Jose and I waited.

"So Jose, we are likely to be here a few minutes, tell me how you are doing in school?" I demanded.

"I am doing fine," he said in the voice he would use to answer his mother.

"So what's your favorite subject?" I asked a bit sarcastically but with a smile.

"I like Geometry," he said.

"Holy shit, I never knew anyone who liked geometry," I said with a laugh.

"Neither did I," he said.

"My favorite subject was art, any kind of art," I suggested. Just then an old, bent, gray haired man came to the fence riding a mule. "Remember me?" I asked.

"Yeah, what you want this time?" he asked.

"Thought I might see if you have a pickup load of seasoned, and split wood for sale," I explained.

"Yeah, it's one hundred dollars," he said.

"Can we drive down to the shed and load it up," I asked as I reached for my wad of cash. I was trying to do all the cash transactions that I could at one time.

"Do you know where it is, or do you need me to show you?" he asked.

"Well if you showed us, and help load it, you would be sure that we got the right wood, and didn't take too much," I said.

"You can't get too much in this pick up, but I will come help you load it," he agreed.

The three of us made quick work of the split logs. The truck was filled in much less than a half hour and Jose and I were on our way. We didn't have room for the scraps from his father's shop, so we went right to the country store. We made short work of stacking it on the deck and covering it with the same tarp I had used for covering the desk.

We then went to the shop of his father to load a bunch of scrap wood. The scrap was all less than a foot long. Anything longer could be used sooner or later, Carlos had explained as Jose threw pieces of scrap into the bed of the truck. It took only a few minutes once we were back at the Country Store to fill two large covered plastic bins with the scraps. Some of the surplus pieces I carried into the house to use in the next few days, and some I piled loose onto the deck. I would try to get them into the house before they got rained on, but if not they would dry.