Chapter 20

Tuesday morning I drove to the office and spent the first part of the day researching the owners of the Texas League teams. It wasn't hard to find the ones with difficult financial challenges, and those I turned over to Annette for forensic accounting review. I left a copy of my notes on Mr. Bell's email, and hopped in the Lexus.

Jo-Jo's Sports Emporium was nearby on the strip, and I stopped in there for a good quality bicycle. They also sold a receiver for my hitch that would hold the bike for transporting. It took some time to find something I really liked, and then to get it and the new hitch put together. At just under five hundred dollars, it wasn't like spending ten thousand dollars and then finding out I hated the thing. That, more than anything else, helped me decide to buy it.

After I was satisfied with the purchases, I noticed a tag along trailer that was made to hold a dog. Looking it over I knew I could take Benjamin with me and let him ride in the cart to keep me company while I exercised. Until he was fully recovered and full grown, riding twenty miles was a better idea than him trying to run. It seemed like a perfect addition, so I bought it. When they were done and I was all loaded, I headed home.

On the way I called Mr. Bell and asked, "Hey. Do you need me for anything today? I want to take the girls out on the houseboat for the afternoon, but with the Judge around, I wondered if I should stick close to home."

"Actually, David," he said. "I spoke to the Judge an hour ago. They have your diploma in hand, and served notice on Tim Sanderson, in jail, that you had exercised your rights under the terms of your grandfather's trust. He is permanently out. The locks were changed. Judge Jones has agreed to pay you fourteen point seven million dollars for your grandfather's company, and we've exchanged deal memorandums that commit us and the buyer.

"The closing is scheduled for three this afternoon, and unless you wish, you don't need to be there. Colleen said she wants to be there, though, which might upset your boating plan."

I thought about it for a moment and said, "I guess I'll come in to the office and spend a few hours. When you guys are done, we can pick up Rebecca and Millie and maybe head up to Springfield to celebrate?

"What do you think about Avanzare? Are you in the mood for great Italian?"

Mr. Bell thought for a second and said, "Call Millie and see if that works for her. I'll do whatever the two of you decide, and I'll let Colleen know we have plans for tonight."

"Thank you. See you at the office." I hung up and turned around. No sense going home and heading right back.

On the way I called Millie, cleared dinner plans with her, and then called Rebecca and gave her an update. I drove to the beginning of the nature trails that hug Table Rock Lake. It was as good a place to try out the new bicycle as anywhere else. The Tour Easy Recumbent Bike is set very close to the ground and has a seat that gave tremendous lower back support. I felt like it would help make the exercise more effective if I wasn't hurting all the time. As I gently started out, I learned the gearing system and worked on getting comfortable with turning and stopping. It was pretty easy to use, and I found myself pushing quite hard on the inclines.

When the odometer informed me I had ridden twenty miles, I realized David was an athlete. I was barely huffing, and the terrain was very uneven. That helped me feel kind of good about myself. After all that time spent as Brian, sick and dying, being healthy and strong was a wonderful change.

Coasting the bike back to my Lexus got me thinking. If David's body is athletic, maybe I could play sports. That would be fantastic and help me make a few male friends that were my age – or David's age – whichever way you look at it.

The bike was easy to load, and soon I was headed home, drinking from a quart water bottle I picked up at the 7-Eleven. Benjamin looked lonely and bored, so before I showered, he and I went for a walk along the lakefront. He loved 'reading the mail', and marking his territory for the mile we walked, out and back.

When we returned, he laid near the bathroom door and guarded me while I showered. Rebecca popped her head in and said he was not content the whole time I was gone. She said he sat by the front door and waited for me until the Lexus turned into the driveway. "When your car turned in, I swear he jumped three feet, straight up, and paced like a panther until you opened the door and greeted him. When you took him for a walk, I thought he'd levitate it made him so happy."

She and I both laughed at his devotion. Benjamin was the missing piece in our home. I apparently needed him as much as he needed a home. That made me feel kind of good inside.

While I air dried, I fed and watered him, brushed down his coat thoroughly, and gave him some much needed loving.

Colleen arrived in a hurry and shouted to Rebecca and me to meet her in the kitchen, right away.

That worried me, and I was there in a heartbeat, asking, "Are you OK? Is everything all right? What's wrong?"

She giggled at my nervousness. Rebecca was with us by then. "Rebecca, Br- I mean David sold his grandfather's corporation, today, to a company controlled by the DOJ. They agreed to pay fourteen point seven million dollars. WE ALL agreed on that price.

"When the electronic transfer came, it was for eight-hundred forty seven million dollars. Daddy was on the phone to Judge Jones instantly to let him know, and he said David's company was laundering over three quarters of a billion dollars, every three months for the mob. The federal government now owns all that money, and the payment to the trust represent the agreed upon percentage that the court imposed.

"Your trust, David, has just exceeded three billion dollars in cash, bonds, stocks, and negotiable securities. Daddy says we're going to Springfield to an Italian restaurant to celebrate. I called Jack's people and they are setting up our protection detail a little more intensely, because you're so RICH! It's a good thing Daddy fixed the terms of the trust when you came back to us, huh?"

She giggled.

Colleen actually giggled.

We shared a very intense kiss, and Colleen went off to lightly shower and change for dinner. I followed her into the bathroom and asked, "Will our protective detail start driving again?"