Chapter 16

Out team continued to win three for every two we lost. Pitching got better, but fielding still needed a lot of work, as well as situational hitting. Things would improve over time. Every Double A club started every season with the same exact problems, and worked through them as the season went along.

As we worked together we developed methods of running the team. Colleen handled our legal issues and office staff. Rebecca oversaw the medical-training team. Mr. Bell stayed on top of the big picture things, and I handled the operational things, like parking, concessions, ticketing, ushers, live entertainment, marketing, advertising, and promotions.

I learned to work across department lines, where the folks employed by us weren't anxious to cooperate. Any time I found interdepartmental jealousy I went to work to eradicate it. Sometimes we cured the problem. Other times we cured the person. Sometimes we changed the person and went on as if nothing had happened.

Rebecca continued to be her old self. She was fun, funny, loving, and lovable. Benjamin would seek her out and they would take long walks around the property together. He loved the attention, and she loved the excuse to get outside.

Millie became more and more devoted to the grandbabies. She could be found playing on the floor, at almost any time of the day, or night. James was pulling himself up and taking those first wobbles that ended in an immediate fall, the instant he let go. Millie was almost always there to catch him, love on him, talk to him comfortingly, and help him up again.

Millicent Jane took a tremendous liking to Colleen. For some reason she loved to have Colleen hold her. Sometimes she expected to be held for hours. Colleen could be heard hollering for relief, when sitting too long in one position, holding Millicent made her body go to sleep. Those two would be best friends for life, I concluded.

Winnie was the favorite aunt. She lavished love on both babies, gratefully took them to give Rebecca, or Colleen a break, and often carried one to bed with her at night, where they would play, talk, giggle, and sing until the little one fell asleep.

James liked breasts. More than once he tried to suckle Winnie. She was patient ... most of the time. With no milk to give she knew giving in would lead to a sad ending for James, but he wanted what he wanted, and since Winnie had the proper equipment, he couldn't understand why she wouldn't provide the necessary nourishment.

We had our first real security scare about the time James and Millicent turned eight months old. It was a Friday and Colleen, Rebecca, and Mr. Bell were all at the stadium offices with me, for a wrap up meeting before the team took off for a twelve day road trip. Winnie stayed home that morning, to give Jack an extra hand at the house training a new agent, while Jack oversaw things at the office. Our office was - as always - virtually impregnable.

We were knee deep in reports when the conference room doors flew open and Jack rushed in with his team, and hustled us out towards my wing. As we approached my offices, Jack pushed us to an emergency door that led to a stairway, which took us to an emergency exit, where we were loaded into two Suburbans and rushed home.

Before we got out of our parking lot four police cars joined up and led us out of town towards home.

Jack turned to Mr. Bell and me and said, "There was an incident at the house. A caterering van tied up the gate guard with questions and nonsense, while two people hopped the fence and tried to force the basement doors. The alarms went off like they were supposed to, and our people got the children and Mrs. Bell into the second floor safe rooms. They are perfectly safe. No one got hurt, and we will have more information about the break in soon."

He put his hand against his ear, apparently to hear more from the team at home. Jack smiled and said, "Everything is Ok. Winnie must have put some kind of hurting on one of the idiots, because she's requesting an ambulance to take, 'what's left of him, ' away. That girl is some kind of scary where you and the family are concerned.

"We'll get you home and our escorts can deal with all but one of those bastards. We have him in the sub-basement waiting for us to ask him a few questions." Jack had the look he gets when he can't tell us the whole truth. Mr. Bell and I were familiar with it and let him be until we got home and could sort it out for ourselves. If those punks came to kill my family, they would regret it for a long time.

Our police escort roared up our driveway. I confirmed for myself that the gates closed behind us. An impressive array of law enforcement was camped out in our circle drive. Two ambulances pulled up to the gate, and our head of perimeter made them stay off property, until we confirmed every person's identity.

Our Sheriff was on the phone with the Captain in charge of their response unit when Mr. Bell and I walked up. "Captain," Mr. Bell smiled and said, "What seems to have happened here? Do you have any ideas, yet?"

"Sheriff Incarnato sends his regards and will be here, shortly." He said, giving us his full attention. "It seems some of your former enemies decided to make a stupid run at your security, to see how hard it would be to wreak a little havoc. We have two in custody and one is a regular opera singer. He is telling us everything he knows about this attack. The other one is silent as the grave, and will take the fall, because his partner is rolling over so efficiently.

"We'll have details later this afternoon, but the Sheriff said to tell you he is putting four patrol vehicles in service, just to control access to this end of the road. He will tell you this all himself, so let him - please - Mr. Bell. We don't know who all is involved, or how well they are funded, but with Caruso in there, puking up information, we'll know more very soon."