Chapter 4

Morning came too fast for me. Lisa was equally groggy as she rolled on to her back and whimpered, "Do I have to get up?"

I told her, "Let's get up and have breakfast with everyone, but we'll put off going home right away and maybe not even today, so we can get some rest. Come on, up and at 'em, Baby."

We quickly showered and went downstairs to chat with the ladies and hold the kids as they came by. John and his family showed up with Gene, who announced that it must be time for breakfast since he was there.

As we ate, John told me, "How about showing me this magical resort you have. People in town say it's for only the very rich and almost by invitation only. You need to tell me all about it."

John, his ladies, Brandy, Tiani, and I went to the main resort island after breakfast. Brandi and Tiani took the ladies to go see some of the special women's areas, while John and I took a cart and rode out to look at the golf courses. Almost as soon as we were alone, John began telling me, "I was working on the ducts up in the attic a month or so ago, and came across some suitcases stacked at one end. I didn't mess with them right away because I wanted to finish replacing the ductwork."

The man was becoming animated, so I pulled to the side of the cart path so we could talk.

"I forgot about the suitcases at the time, but saw them again last week when I was running some Romex for a fan. I went to them this time and opened the top one. The damn thing was full of bundles of hundreds, Chuck. I pulled a wad out to check them later, then shut that case and went to the next. It was the same thing, full of bundles of money. There were five of the same type suitcases, and four were packed with cash. The fifth case is full of guns, Chuck. I'm talking about killer guns. There were a couple of Mac-10s, a couple Berettas with silencers, and a couple of dozen little 22s with silencers. The only guns with serial numbers still on them were the Berettas, and the silencers all had military serial numbers. Everything else had the numbers ground off."

"Wow, what are you going to do with them, John?"

John was shaking his head, "I have to get rid of them, but I don't know how. I could rent a boat and take them out and dump them, but I think my old bosses still watch me. I've caught a guy lurking around several times, and the house across from me was recently bought by a mysterious couple who I haven't met or seen yet. There have been half a dozen different cars in the driveway, and I'd say they are agency cars. I have no idea why they're interested in me as I'm living nicely on my retirement money. I've covered my trail by using the money from my other house for yours. If you remember, I made you take money for it although you didn't get what it was worth. I don't live high, and I still drive the same old Ford. I got rid of the Rolls before I left DC."

I told my friend, "You need a boat. How about I have a motor catamaran brought to you at that little boatyard near the swim club. I'll make sure you get some lessons on safety and how to handle the boat. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for someone living on Key West to have a boat. You can do some fishing and take the family out on the water for the day. Keep your kids in life jackets and have some good times. Use a cooler to get the guns from the house to the boat, and toss them out one at a time when you're out in deep water. Don't dump them in the same place, and make sure you wipe them down before you toss them. You know how to check the numbers of the Berettas, so do that, and keep the guns if they are good. A couple of extra never hurts. I'm sure you have a gun safe and the false back on that closet will hold a couple more."

I used my cell phone to call Magellan. I talked to one of the owners and explained what I wanted and where I wanted it to be delivered to. Since I was a majority partner, they had a boat they said could be delivered whenever I wanted. John agreed to meet them at the boatyard day after tomorrow. He would take them back to Miami to learn how to control the boat, then motor back home. I cautioned John; "Remember that the boat requires fuel, so keep it topped off. Magellan uses the best diesels, so you'll be in good shape and I think most of their boats in this size have auxiliary motors as a backup. I asked for a boat that is fully tricked out, so you and your family should enjoy it."

John looked at me funny, "You didn't ask me how much money there was, you know, in the suitcases. Don't you want to know?"

I smiled at John, "So did you look at the bills to see if the serial numbers were consecutive and all that?"

"The money is clean, Chuck. The bulk of it is now in a bank safety deposit box, and the bank asked me if I was going to pay for your box rent while I was there. They know we're friends and they thought we were also co-owners of the house. I didn't tell them any different, and I paid up your box rent for a couple of years. You should probably clean it out and put whatever you have there up in Tampa."

John asked again, "You still didn't ask how much money was there."

I looked at him and said, "And I won't. The house is yours and whatever is in that house is yours. You know where it came from, so use it for your retirement. Buy something nice for your women. Put some in trust for your kids' college fund. Get a new roof. You know I don't need it."

John was shaking his head. "You're amazing. You came along and set a whole new standard for all of the new guys who have been deputized. I'm glad I'm not in that rat race any longer, and you shouldn't be either. I'd love to find out that you're out of that and just kicking back like me. You could buy a house near me and we could do some fishing together, although you'd need a palace and a much bigger boat with the number of women you have."

John thought for a moment, and then said, "Hell, you have that monster sailboat, don't you? I'll bet your place in Tampa is as near a palace as it gets too." We both laughed at his observation.

We were heading back to the main resort when John told me, "I still have ears up in DC. I hear you're temporarily being put out to pasture, or permanently, if they can make something stick. Like I told you, Chuck, get the fuck away from those people. You don't need them, and they sure as hell don't want you unless it's for one of their crazy missions where you'd be target practice. Get out while you can. Shit, do like so many have done. Sue them for a disability retirement. A judge would award you a very nice settlement with your history."

We all met back at the main resort building and had a very tasty lunch. John's women wanted me to give them a chance to come back down and go to the spas for a couple of days. John was looking at me, rolling his eyes while thinking of how much that would set him back. It was laughable, since he was trying to tell me how much money he had found just an hour before.

We used Mark's small passenger motor cat to take us back to our island a little later. Gene took the family back to the mainland from there. I stretched and told the family, "I'm going to lie down for a couple of hours, and then we'll fly home. We should be home for supper on the patio. Can you guys be ready?"

Everyone was happy with the plan, so Lisa and I lay down to nap for a while. That's all we did too, as we were both still tired.

We got up just before two, freshened up, and made the trip down to the 737. It's always nice to have so many there to wish us a good safe trip home. Lisa did the preflight while I made sure everyone was seated and buckled up.

Lisa began spooling the engines up as I slid into the co-pilot's seat. I plugged the data into the flight management computer, and confirmed the flight plan on the radio, while Lisa taxied to the end of the runway. We rolled down the runway and climbed to a very smooth thirty-thousand feet.

We had to make a stopover in Key West for customs and immigration. I left the pillow cases full of money in the overhead of the rear regular seating. They didn't even open the doors as is usual. The girls divided the kids and themselves into three SUVs when we landed at home, while Lisa and I put our equipment and the pillow cases in my car that I had pulled up next to the aircraft. We were all home, preparing to go to the patio a little later.

You always feel the warmth of friendship, and you're happy to be there, regardless of how many times you enter the patio. Lisa and I enjoyed a tall drink without worrying about what we were going to be doing this time. The kids always had fun playing with the other little children and trying to imitate the older ones.

As was typical, there was music happening within the house, and when supper was announced, Bonita and Lizzy came out to discover that Lisa and I were home. We received a lot of hugs before Bonita said, "Kenny let us listen to your Stevie Ray Vaughn intro CD. That's going to be a lot of fun. He said something about a tour in Hawaii and the Far East. Can we come?"

I knew that was going to be a problem, and tried to explain, "It probably wouldn't be good for you and Lizzy to be away from your family for so long, Bonita. You'd miss your dad, mothers, and all your sisters and brothers. The tour will probably be for at least six weeks."

Bonita's eyes were tearing up, but she kept her poise. "But we can help make the tour better. You need us for some of your music. You need my violin, guitar, and keyboard, plus nobody fills in with a harmonica the way Lizzy can."

Steve was sitting with me and said, "We'll talk about it later today or tomorrow. There is a lot to consider if you guys do this. Bonita, Lizzy, can you wait until then to talk about it?"

Bonita didn't want to wait, but shuffled her feet and finally nodded 'yes'. Lizzy always follows Bonita, so it was temporarily settled for a little while.

It was good to be home with all of our huge extended family. The atmosphere was great and the food was even better. I think the family on the patio had missed all of my women and kids.

I was full of energy when I woke the next morning, and had the desire to do some forms outside on the grass. While I was putting my gi on, Lisa joined me in donning hers before we went out back to stretch and go through some of our traditional forms.

Several of the other mothers joined us, as did most of our housemates, within minutes of us beginning. Don and Jan were right there with us, and followed Lisa and me as we went through our more instructional forms.

Lisa and I had been practicing a few advanced forms that we migrated to. Our sudden movements startled those who were following us, but Don sat down with his legs under him, fascinated. He knew what we were doing.

My love jumped to give me a kick in the head that I turned away, as I swung my good leg and foot at her head. She turned it away as she lunged to capture my shoulders, but I grasped her and tossed her over me to land on her feet. We went through set after set of advanced fighting forms until we stood apart and bowed.

Don was still sitting and began clapping. "That was sensational, Lisa and Chuck. I haven't seen that demonstration since I was a student on Guam."

The others marveled at how we were able to keep from injuring the other and to continuously move with such flow and grace. I told Don, "We've been working on our combat readiness for a while now. I have this handicap that doesn't allow me to leap using both feet. Lisa knows my handicap and taunts me with it. I've been able to overcome her advantage and now we're even."

Lisa laughed, "Sure we're even; you come so close to taking my head off at the neck that one slip and I would be pushing up daisies. Give it a rest, Chuck. You taught me the combat forms, and I tried to use them on you, but you adapted. Hmmm, sounds like a Marine to me."

It was time for breakfast on the patio, so we all prepared for our day. Lisa and I sat with Jan and Wanda so we could get the local gossip and find out how the station was doing. There really wasn't anything hot on any burners right now, other than the usual top ten who might pass through our jurisdiction on the way to other areas. Jan told us, "The Station Deputy Chief is all puffed up over you not being in the same building, overlooking what he's doing since Sarge retired. He hasn't made any radical mistakes so far, and constantly talks about how all the shit you went through couldn't possibly have happened. He even discounts the video logs of some of your encounters."

I told Jan, "Don't worry about it. Sarah knows what's real and not real, so I'll let her work it out. Most of the guys who were here then know what happened and how close we were to being eliminated. That someone from outside our territory doesn't understand what all happened back then is understandable. The man will hopefully accept what really happened and learn from it."

Jan smiled at me, "I want you there if I ever need backup, Chuck. You and Lisa are just about the most efficient backup a lawman can have.

"I hope we're always nearby, Jan. We'd want to make sure you're safe."

Bonita and Lizzy came up to me as we ate breakfast, and Bonita asked, "Will you be taking us with you? Have you made your mind up?"

I pulled Bonita and Lizzy to my lap and kissed them both on their cheeks. "I'm going to talk to the Blues Expedition today, and also to Pop and all of his men. We'll try to figure out how to include you guys and what mothers to take with us if we do. We'll all talk together to make sure what we decide will work when we get home later."

Bonita screwed her mouth up trying to decide what to say, but it was Lizzy who said, "You'd better figure it out, because Nita and I are going with you. We love you, Chuck, and want to play with you for your tour. I can tell Lisa wants us, so just listen to all of us women and agree, okay?"

I looked at Lisa who was rolling her eyes as I smiled at the two girls. How do you handle a couple of kids like these? They were two of the most talented kids you could find, but they were also kids who needed Mom and Dad, not Chuck and Lisa."

We watched them shuffle off to their classes at the rec center, before turning to each other and grinning. Lisa said, "We have to figure something out. Let's get all of the mothers together with Steve, and figure out how to do this."

Pop and Rags came to the patio and spirited Lisa and me out to the studio. The first thing Pop did was begin playing some really sexy B-3 on the real Hammond B-3. There is nothing like the original to get the blood flowing.

Lisa and I went to our closet and pulled out a couple of guitars, and we were all of a sudden into some really funky blues. Lisa was going nuts with her guitar, and I was enjoying giving everyone a strong down home bass backup.

We jammed for over thirty minutes before we brought it to a close and smiled at each other. It was then that Pop said, "You know you need to let those two come with us. We need Bonita's violin and Lizzy's harp. They have become part of us, Chuck, and if you're thinking of taking all of my boys, you need to take them too."

I was shaking my head as I said, "Those two aren't even teenagers yet, Pop. How are we going to watch out for them? You know how hard the road is."

"You bring their mommas, Chuck. Their mommas are tough and will watch out for them. You might be able to bring just one of their moms, but both would be even better. Bring the whole damn family if you have to, but you need those two for us to really shine."