《Choice Cut》 Chapters 1-5 Choice Cut By George W. Parker revised initial print edition Copyright 2021 by George W. Parker All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced Chapter 1 The night was moonless. A hot, gusting, wind from the Northwest carried South Plains dust in it. On the crest of a rolling hilltop two kilometers from a highway, near a small travel trailer and a long bed pickup truck, a single glowing pole lamp was the only evidence of life between the towns of Haskell and Throckmorton. Along the highway, following a steel fence line, a mob of Living Dead worked their way down a hill. They could smell Living Alive in the trailer. Pressed up against the fence railings, they staggered along until they reached a ¡°Texas Gate,¡± a metal grid of pipes that allowed cars gateless entrance onto the property. They flowed through the opening, the leading LDs moving quickly toward the trailer. Behind the surging frontline several hicog LDs followed at a slower pace. *** The trailer swayed with the gusts of the wind. Crowded around the trailer¡¯s built in dining table Jerome, his wife Kay, their oldest daughter Kate and the younger girls ¡®the Twins¡¯ sat eating soup under the unshaded ceiling light. Jerome and Kate were in jeans, tee shirts and boots. Kay and the Twins were in pajama bottoms and tees. Kay said, ¡°I hope that wind don¡¯t flip this thing over.¡± ¡°Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz?¡± one of the Twins asked excitedly. Kate laughed. ¡°No, honey,¡± Jerome answered. ¡°No flying to Oz. We¡¯ll be okay. I got a couple of tie downs staked before the dirt hit. They¡¯ll hold us.¡± ¡°Darn,¡± both Twins said together. Kay did not look convinced. There was the sound of glass smashed outside. Jerome jumped up from the table. ¡°Someone¡¯s breaking into the truck! Kay, get the girls out of here!¡± ¡°Girls! To the bedroom! NOW!¡± Kay ordered pushing Kate toward the front bedroom with her right hand as she pulled the Twins out from behind the table with her left. Jerome rushed to the countertop drawer next to the door. He pulled out a Colt automatic and two extra magazines. He moved to the door and secured a heavy bar across it. ¡°Kate, leave the lights off and get the mattress moved over,¡± Kay ordered as she hurried the Twins into the front bedroom. Kate pushed the corner of the mattress off its platform exposing an empty, shallow storage area. ¡°Kate, get that piece of plywood out of the way so you and the Twins can get down under to the front storage. Just like we¡¯ve practiced. You can go out either way then if you need to,¡± Kay instructed. She smiled at Kate. Kate slid under the mattress and into the narrow storage area. She moved a small section of plywood aside as her mother had instructed. ¡°Girls, follow Sissy and do what she says. No arguing,¡± Kay told the Twins as she helped them into the space under the mattress. ¡°Get on down into that bottom storage. I am going to move the mattress back now. IF, you stay quiet, no one will ever know you¡¯re there. Love you. Now hush,¡± she added and pulled the mattress back into place. Kay smoothed out the bedspread so it was neat and went to the closet for the twelve gauge. Someone beat on the door with a fist. ¡°I¡¯ve got a gun and I¡¯ll use it,¡± Jerome shouted. Kay came in from the bedroom with the shotgun. ¡°You should be with the girls,¡± Jerome whispered loudly at her. ¡°I can shoot better than you,¡± Kay answered. ¡°That you can,¡± Jerome grinned. ¡°Cover the windows behind us.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Kay replied. Someone beat at the door again. Several voices chanted, ¡°Open. Open. Open,¡± Kate wiggled her way down into the lower storage compartment and onto some boxes of winter clothes. She pulled her sisters down beside her. ¡°Stay hushed, like Momma said.¡± The Twins nodded. The outside access door to the storage area was forced open. Hands reached in and pulled out clothes until they touched one of the Twins. Hands pulled the girl out of Kate¡¯s arms. Both twins screamed. There were more gun and shotgun blasts. Then there was just the gusting wind. Chapter 2 When the opening came, he cut across traffic and pulled into the orphanage. He stopped in front of the ¡°Administration Building.¡± A lean woman in a sleeveless dress came out of the building. Her hair was loosely pulled back into a ponytail. She walked quickly to the driver¡¯s side window and tapped on it with her right hand. There was a small tattoo between her thumb and index finger. The driver opened the window. ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± the woman said. ¡°I got here as fast as I could after I got the pickup call,¡± the driver answered. ¡°Should have given us some warning.¡± ¡°You get what I get,¡± she snapped back. ¡°We never know when we¡¯ll get the word to clear ¡¯em out.¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± the driver asked. ¡°Back in Admin,¡± she answered. ¡°They¡¯re ready to tear the walls down. They can¡¯t wait to go somewhere, anywhere.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 3 ¡° ¡° This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°Alice¡¯s, ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°¡® ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 4 ¡° Alice¡¯s ¡° ¡° Alice¡¯s. Alice¡¯s Alice¡¯s ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 5 Alice¡¯s ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapters 6-10 Chapter 6 ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Chapter 7 ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° No way,¡± Ruth stated. I¡¯m old and I don¡¯t get caught up in the hype,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°Kansas City.¡± I¡¯ll bet you five they lose,¡± Ruth responded. I can¡¯t afford to bet and if I won, you¡¯d be mad at me,¡± Keaton replied before taking another bite from his meat. Well, all that is great,¡± Davies interjected. ¡°I was talking about the job.¡± That¡¯s all I can ask of you,¡± Davies smiled. He set his fork down and asked, ¡°Desert, brandy, coffee?¡± I don¡¯t need the calories or the liquor,¡± Keaton grinned. ¡°A cup of strong, black coffee would be great.¡± I am not going to pass up orange sherbet just because that Tampa hater doesn¡¯t want any,¡± Ruth smiled. ¡°In fact, Hobson, bring me his bowl also.¡± Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Hobson answered as he cleared the table in front of her. He looked at Davies. Brandy, please,¡± Davies answered to the look. Yes, sir,¡± Hobson replied and headed back to the kitchen. Oh, Dad,¡± Ruth said. Professional sports is about the money,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Sandlot baseball, if that is still a thing, playground basketball, street hockey, middle school volleyball and those kinds of things are not about the money.¡± But the parents hope it will be,¡± Davies replied. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Yes, there is that,¡± Keaton said. Hobson,¡± Davies called. Please have Phillip pull the car around so he can take Mr. Keaton home and then show Mr. Keaton to the door.¡± Yes, sir,¡± Hobson answered and then he stepped back into the kitchen. As have I,¡± Ruth added. ¡°And I look forward to watching Tampa trash Kansas City with you beside me.¡± Thank you all again,¡± Keaton said as he stepped away from the table. Yes, he is perfect,¡± Davies stated. Chapter 8 The government worries about attacks,¡± Hobson explained to Keaton¡¯s back. Good evening, sir,¡± Phillip said as Keaton drew close. ¡°I hope you had a good evening. Are you okay, sir?¡± Phillip asked. Too old. Too drunk. Too tired,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°Can I go home now?¡± Yes, sir. Right away, sir. Do you need a blanket or anything?¡± Phillip asked. Just home,¡± Keaton answered. His head slumped slightly onto his chest. Just old and tired,¡± Keaton answered. Then he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t meet Tristan Martin.¡± No, sir. He had a family emergency,¡± Phillip answered. Does that happen often?¡± Keaton asked. No, sir,¡± Phillip replied. ¡°First time that I am aware of.¡± Can I trust him tomorrow night?¡± Yes, sir,¡± Phillip answered. Good,¡± Keaton responded. ¡°What time will you pick me up tomorrow?¡± Game starts at eight,¡± Phillip, looking up in the mirror, answered. ¡°I am picking you up last. We need to be parked by seven-thirty. Fifteen minutes to drive there from your place. So, about seven fifteen.¡± I walk slow,¡± Keaton responded. Okay,¡± Phillip replied. ¡°How about seven oh five? Do you think that will work?¡± Alice¡¯s was almost empty as Keaton walked into the building¡¯s lobby. A handful of people sat at the bar and the lights at the rear of the restaurant were off. Chapter 9 At seven PM Keaton was standing at the curb outside Alice¡¯s. At seven-o-five the Davies limousine pulled up in front of Keaton. Pretty good,¡± Keaton answered. Good evening,¡± Keaton answered. He looked at the young man. ¡°And you are Tristan Martin?¡± Yes, sir,¡± the young man grinned. ¡°And you¡¯re Mr. Keaton,¡± he said and stretched out a well-manicured hand toward Keaton. I think I should ride up front,¡± Keaton offered. Of course, sir,¡± Phillip answered. ¡°Let me go get that door for you,¡± he said and hurried around the front of the car to the other side. There¡¯s plenty of room back here,¡± Ruth laughed. ¡°I won¡¯t bite.¡± She looked up at Tristan and continued, ¡°But he might.¡± She laughed again. Front seat is fine,¡± Keaton smiled back. ¡°I get car sick sometimes.¡± Yes, sir,¡± Tristan answered. No problem,¡± Phillip answered. ¡°There¡¯s no one coming.¡± Mr. Keaton, do you want some champagne?¡± Ruth asked. No, thank you. I got my game face on. Champagne might wash it off.¡± Keaton answered. It¡¯s okay to enjoy the evening,¡± Ruth said. Boo,¡± Ruth responded. ¡°Tristan. Fill my glass, please. And fill yours. ¡®Father¡¯ is paying you to have fun.¡± Ruth held her glass out to Tristan. He opened a compartment behind the driver¡¯s seat and pulled an open bottle of champagne out. He filled Ruth¡¯s glass and then one for himself as Phillip eased the big car away from the curb. Nice shortcut,¡± Keaton offered. Friends in high places,¡± Phillip answered. What are you two talking about?¡± Ruth asked leaning forward over the car seat. You were not,¡± Tristan stated. ¡°You were talking about us drinking before the match.¡± Were you?¡± Ruth demanded. Ms. Ruth, do you think I would ever talk about you negatively?¡± Phillip said. I guess,¡± Phillip answered. ¡°You need to set back and relax. We¡¯re almost to the parking area.¡± There was a heavily guarded entrance under the Sportatorium just ahead. I¡¯ll whip your...¡± Tristan started but Ruth pulled him back into his seat. Hush!¡± Ruth ordered. ¡°Let him drive. Besides,¡± she laughed, ¡°I can kick your ass.¡± Can not,¡± Tristan sputtered. Ms. Davies, good evening,¡± he said to her. He looked at Phillip and added, ¡°Pull on in, Phillip.¡± Thanks. I am running a little late,¡± Phillip answered. That¡¯s not too bad,¡± Phillip said letting the car start forward and raising his window. He pulled into the Sportatorium. What the hell?¡± Tristan swore quietly from the backseat. Gang bangers,¡± Keaton responded. ¡°Phillip, can you turn around and get back outside?¡± No,¡± Phillip answered. ¡°They are behind us too!¡± Lock the doors! Lock all the doors!¡± Tristan shouted. Back up over them,¡± Keaton ordered. What? I can¡¯t!¡± Phillip answered. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them.¡± If they¡¯re real Harlequins, they¡¯re already dead,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Get Ruth out of here!¡± Oh, God. Oh, God¡± Tristan began repeating. Jeez,¡± Keaton muttered and unlocked his car door. Don¡¯t open that door,¡± Tristan shouted as Keaton leaned into the door to open it against the pressing bodies of the Harlequins. Arms came in through the opening. Hands reached for Keaton and pulled him out of the car. Ruth shrieked. Chapter 10 Old friend,¡± Keaton answered. I can believe that,¡± the woman answered. She handed the pistol back to Keaton. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that thing didn¡¯t dislocate your shoulder.¡± I¡¯ll be sore tomorrow,¡± Keaton answered. I was sorry to hear about his passing,¡± Keaton stated. It was clean. None of this coming back to life shit,¡± Escobar answered. He was a fair cop,¡± Keaton added. So does death,¡± Keaton replied. Yes, sir. It does,¡± Escobar replied. ¡°You and your people are free to go.¡± She reached into the left, outside jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. She handed it to Keaton. ¡°Before you start shooting next time, call me. Okay?¡± Sure,¡± Keaton answered taking the card. He turned and headed back to the elevator. Right,¡± the uniform answered with a deep rumbling voice. He looked back to where Escobar stood, watching. She nodded her head. Right,¡± the uniform repeated. He took a step back from Keaton and looked him up and down. ¡°See you around,¡± he stated and turned and walked away. Anytime,¡± Keaton called after with a grin. He looked at Ruth, ¡°The game is not to half time yet. Do you want to go up?¡± No,¡± Ruth whispered with a head shake. You¡¯re crazy,¡± Tristan said. ¡°We could have all been killed.¡± No, not really,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°They wanted Ruth alive or they wouldn¡¯t have been so nice in their approach. But they would have killed the rest of us.¡± I want to go home,¡± Ruth ordered. ¡°Right now!¡± Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Phillip answered. ¡°Let me go get the car.¡± No, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Ruth told him. ¡°I don¡¯t trust these two. One¡¯s a gunslinger and the other¡¯s a coward.¡± I¡¯d better call ahead and let Hobson know what¡¯s happened,¡± Phillip stated. He knows,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure Mr. Davies knows too. That woman, Escobar, said we had rich friends. That would be who she meant.¡± Still yet...¡± Phillip started. Of course, call,¡± Keaton replied. No, no I¡¯m not¡± Ruth answered. ¡°You killed three people back there and we¡¯re just driving home.¡± I know apparently, that¡¯s true. But legally it¡¯s not. There are only two types of humans, LDs and LAs. You can¡¯t kill LAs because they¡¯re alive. You can¡¯t kill LDs because they¡¯re already dead,¡± Keaton stated. ¡°Hell, you can kill all the LDs you want. No one cares. There¡¯s always more of them coming along. LDs have never gotten an Equal Rights Amendment passed. They can¡¯t even vote. They don¡¯t want to. They have a simpler political power; if you don¡¯t do what they want, they bite you. You die. Then you come back as one of them and now you want what they wanted. It¡¯s pretty simple.¡± You¡¯re terrible,¡± Ruth said. I think of it as ¡®experienced,¡¯¡± Keaton answered. ¡°That¡¯s why I was hired.¡± Yes, sir,¡± Phillip responded. Chapters 11-16 Chapter 11 Come,¡± a voice responded. Great! Come in. Come in,¡± Raymond Davies answered. A soft light from an overhead fixture lit the room. There was a fire in the grate and a big desk angled away from it. A couple of chairs faced the front of the desk. The walls were hung with filled bookshelves. Davies stood behind the desk smiling. Thank god you were there, Bill,¡± Davies exclaimed. ¡°Get in here and have a drink with me.¡± This room looks bigger in the light,¡± Keaton stated and smiled at Davies. The light pushes everything farther away,¡± Davies answered. ¡°I like that dark intimacy better. But I trip over the carpet sometimes,¡± he laughed. Rye?¡± Rye would be great,¡± Keaton answered as he moved towards the chair nearest. Hobson, you heard the man. A bottle of rye and two glasses,¡± Davies ordered. Yes, sir,¡± Hobson answered and left closing the door behind him. Please, sit,¡± Davies motioned to the chair. Hobson is bringing them,¡± Davies answered. ¡°Should I call for a third glass?¡± No!¡± Ruth answered. ¡°You should call the police.¡± She pointed at Keaton. ¡°He killed three people!¡± And saved your life. I think that¡¯s a good trade. I am giving him a bonus.¡± Davies snapped back. ¡°What good was your ¡®Tristan¡¯?¡± Davies paused, ¡°And they were LDs. You can¡¯t kill the dead.¡± That¡¯s what he said,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. And Tristan was just fine. He was scared just like the rest of us.¡± Apparently, Bill wasn¡¯t scared.¡± Davies said. If he wasn¡¯t it was because he had a gun,¡± Ruth retorted. Whatever,¡± Davies smiled. ¡°LDs don¡¯t have any legal standing,¡± he responded. So they don¡¯t deserve to exist?¡± Looking at Keaton she demanded, ¡°So we should kill all the LDs then?¡± Ruth demanded¡¯ Well...¡± Davies started. No!¡± Ruth shouted and ran out of the study. Youth is wasted on the young,¡± Davies stated. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what they say?¡± he asked Keaton as he waved him down to take a seat. I don¡¯t know,¡± Keaton answered as he sat down. ¡°I would not want to be young again. There¡¯ve been too many hard knocks getting this far to start over.¡± Very good, sir,¡± Hobson answered. What?¡± Davies exclaimed. ¡°I was told they were Harlequins.¡± They were,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Not all Harlequins are LD. It¡¯s a gang. Having a variety in its membership helps it get around.¡± Really,¡± Davies replied sipping at his rye. ¡°How could you tell them apart?¡± LDs move different,¡± Keaton told him then he leaned forward and refilled his glass. Fascinating,¡± Davies commented shaking his head slightly. He looked at Keaton and said, ¡°Your experience is why I want to have you on a retainer. Ruth needs watching over. Detectives take retainers don¡¯t they?¡± I have heard that about children,¡± Keaton said. So, no kids?¡± Davies asked. No kids,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Just lots of wives.¡± Of course. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Davies quickly said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about things from your view. I was only thinking about my daughter.¡± He pulled a phone from his jacket, called Hobson and told him to have the car brought around. Phillip will be out front by the time we get there,¡± Davies said standing up from the desk. ¡°Bill, I want to thank you again for saving Ruth from those ghouls.¡± You¡¯re welcome,¡± Keaton answered as he stood up. ¡°I am glad I was of use.¡± I¡¯ll have to think up something,¡± Keaton said with a smile. ¡°But I won¡¯t take the job unless your daughter wants me.¡± She will. She will. Don¡¯t worry about it and don¡¯t be frugal!¡± Davies laughed and they stepped out into the hall. That crazy old man had a gun, Boss. He didn¡¯t look like he was packing,¡± Tristan spurted out. ¡°He just slid out of the car and started shooting. It was like a movie.¡± A damn expensive one!¡± Davies added. He stood up. ¡°Well. It is what is. We¡¯ll start over again and not underestimate anyone next time.¡± Yes, sir,¡± Tristan answered. Are you hungry, boy?¡± Davies asked. I am always hungry,¡± Tristan answered. Get to the kitchen. Chef has dinner waiting for you.¡± Thank you, sir,¡± Tristan answered and headed out the door. Nothing good happens before midnight,¡± Phillip stated. ¡°Thank you for being there tonight. I¡¯m not sure what would have happened.¡± Kidnapped, ransomed, tortured or killed,¡± Keaton offered with a smile. Glad I could help,¡± Keaton answered. Chapter 12 You don¡¯t put up much of a front, do you?¡± Honest PIs don¡¯t make much money,¡± Keaton answered. Old PIs don¡¯t make much money either, Ms. Davies,¡± Keaton answered. He pointed at the dish of red hots and said, ¡°Care for some red hots?¡± I would love some,¡± Ruth answered and crossed to the desk. She took a handful of red hots and tossed a few into her mouth. That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Ruth said and tossed some more red hots into her mouth. You wearing your gun?¡± Ruth asked. Should I be?¡± Keaton asked. ¡°No. It¡¯s fairly safe in my office.¡± And eaten,¡± Keaton added. ¡°There are still roving bands of LDs out where they¡¯re hard to find. Not everyone has a wealthy father like you, Ms. Davies. Poor people can¡¯t afford to hire someone to guard their bodies. Your father is rich. He owns Synthmeat. Which means he is the only one standing between LDs eating LAs fulltime again. Maybe those goons wanted money. Maybe they wanted a processing plant. Maybe all his plants.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Ruth, please call me Ruth,¡± Ruth said. Okay, Ruth,¡± Keaton answered. Will you forgive me for all I said last night and help me?¡± I would love to, Ruth,¡± Keaton answered. Eat more red hots,¡± Keaton offered. Beside that they taste good. They keep my breath fresh,¡± Keaton answered. You don¡¯t go anywhere by yourself. Don¡¯t make any long-range plans. Do everything spur of the moment. Don¡¯t use any of your father¡¯s cars. People will know them. I¡¯m not sure you should even hire a car to go somewhere. Maybe you should call me, and I¡¯ll hire a car,¡± You can drive? Or are you hiring a driver too?¡± Ruth laughed. Well, I used to drive,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°I guess I still can. But I¡¯ll get a driver too.¡± Basically, you want me to stay in the house and hide,¡± Ruth said. Unless I¡¯m with you,¡± Keaton stated. ¡°I¡¯m the only one I trust.¡± How do I know I can trust you?¡± Ruth asked. You can¡¯t,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°But Hobson did invite me into the mess. So maybe I am still not tainted by whatever the money mess, powers that be plots there are against you. Not yet.¡± May I have some more red hots?¡± Ruth asked. Sure. Sorry. I get caught up in hearing my own voice,¡± Keaton stated. ¡°I don¡¯t get much company.¡± Well, you are my constant companion now,¡± Ruth said. ¡°Is that restaurant downstairs any good. Do they serve Mexican food?¡± Only the best,¡± Keaton answered. He checked the time. ¡°And if we hurry, we can beat the lunch rush.¡± None for me,¡± Keaton answered. No thank you,¡± Ruth added. That was really great,¡± Ruth repeated to Keaton. ¡°You eat here all the time?¡± When I eat,¡± Keaton said. You should weigh two hundred kilos,¡± Ruth replied. ¡°I would if I ate here every day.¡± I don¡¯t eat every day,¡± Keaton responded. Well, you might see me here whenever you do eat,¡± Ruth laughed. ¡°Just don¡¯t tell Chef about it. He gets jealous.¡± He won¡¯t hear it from me,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Let me get you a ride home.¡± You¡¯re not driving me after all that talk about ¡®being able to drive?¡±¡¯ Ruth questioned. No, Paul,¡± Keaton said. ¡°Can you call Rafie and have him meet us out front? I need him to drive Ms. Ruth home.¡± Of course, sir.¡± Paul turned to Ruth and nodded, ¡°Ms. Ruth, my pleasure. Rafael will be honored.¡± Paul hurried back to the kitchen. Rafie is Paul¡¯s nephew,¡± Keaton explained. ¡°I helped put him away for a few years. He was a getaway driver then. He delivers flowers now. But he is still a hell of a good driver.¡± Thank you, Paul,¡± Ruth smiled. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± What do I owe you, Paul?¡± Keaton asked. Nothing Mr. Keaton. I told Cook what Ms. Ruth said about her meal and he said everything is PAID,¡± Paul laughed. He¡¯s never done that for me,¡± Keaton answered. You are not as charming nor as beautiful as Ms. Ruth,¡± Paul answered. Well, that¡¯s true,¡± Keaton acknowledged. Thank you, Paul,¡± Keaton said as he stood up. He pulled some money from his wallet and set it on the table. ¡°Tell Cook, ¡®Thank you¡¯ and spread this around the kitchen.¡± Thank you, Mr. Keaton.¡± Yes, Ms. Ruth. Please come again,¡± Paul answered. As Ruth and Keaton left the table Keaton said, ¡°I think Paul¡¯s in love.¡± Chapter 13 Timmy, good to see you!¡± Tristan grinned standing up. He checked his wristwatch. ¡°Right on time, like always. Sit down, sit down,¡± Tristan said motioning to the metal chair. ¡°How have you been?¡± Fine, Mr. Martin. Just fine,¡± Timmy answered crossing over to the offered chair. Tristan did not offer to shake hands. Timmy sat down and so did Tristan. Mr. Taylor, are we keeping you busy?¡± Tristan asked. Just local runs, right?¡± Tristan asked. Yeah, Ft. Worth is still local,¡± Tristan laughed. Yes, sir! That sounds great,¡± Timmy responded. And because it¡¯s out of town and a full day¡¯s driving you¡¯ll get double time. How¡¯s that sound?¡± Super!¡± Timmy answered. Yes, sir. It¡¯s outside.¡± Good. Leave it here,¡± Tristan explained leaning back into his chair. ¡°There¡¯s a van parked outside you can drive. It¡¯s marked up as a plumber¡¯s van.¡± I¡¯m not picking up any kids then?¡± Timmy asked. No. No kids. At least I don¡¯t think so,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°All I know is you¡¯re to pick up some people and bring them back here.¡± Back to the plant?¡± Timmy asked. Okay,¡± Timmy answered. ¡°Got cha.¡± It¡¯s got one phone number in its memory. I have that phone in my pocket,¡± Tristan explained. ¡°You get two calls. That¡¯s it. You call me once when you have the load and you¡¯re on your way back. Okay?¡¯ Okay,¡± Timmy answered. If you have a problem on the way to the pickup or on the way back, call me. But you can¡¯t have two problems, Timmy,¡± Tristan stated. ¡°After that second call, I toss my phone. Do you understand?¡± Good. You are great to work with Timmy,¡± Tristan laughed. Thank you, sir,¡± Timmy replied with a grin. Yes, sir.¡± If you open up Maps, there on that phone, there¡¯s a location saved. That¡¯s where you are going. Don¡¯t look at it until you get to McKinney. Do you know how to get to McKinney?¡± Tristan asked. Yes, sir. Just take 75 north,¡± Timmy replied. Super!¡± Tristan answered. ¡°You need to start out tomorrow morning at 7AM. Don¡¯t want you driving strange highways in the dark.¡± Thanks,¡± Timmy answered. ¡°Strange roads or in the dark, it¡¯s all good.¡± Great,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°Leave the bus¡¯s keys behind the visor and I think we are good.¡± Great,¡± Timmy said and stood up. I look forward to talking with you tomorrow Mr. Taylor. Maybe even twice,¡± Tristan laughed. Then he added, ¡°And Timmy, don¡¯t wear the suit and tie, okay? Dress like a plumber.¡± Yes, sir,¡± Timmy laughed. He turned and walked to the door. Chapter 14 This is Escobar,¡± she answered. ¡°How can I help you?¡± I¡¯ll make note of the number, Mr. Keaton. And I always have time to talk to a taxpayer,¡± she said. ¡°Are you getting ready to shoot some more LDs?¡± Not right now,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°But I might tomorrow. You never know what¡¯ll come up. Do you?¡± No,¡± Keaton said. ¡°I was wondering if you have anything on that Tristan Martin character?¡± So, he¡¯s a character?¡± Escobar asked. ¡°Should I have something on him?¡± He is, is he? How do you know this?¡± Escobar asked. He has their tat on his right hand between his thumb and index finger,¡± Keaton stated. I didn¡¯t see a tattoo there,¡± Escobar answered. ¡°And I looked. There¡¯s nothing in his very skinny file about it.¡± It¡¯s small and he¡¯s had it inked over. Get a good image and enlarge it,¡± Keaton instructed. Okay, so what? He was in a gang and now he¡¯s out,¡± Escobar said. The Tong, the Mafia, the Crips, MS-13, the Harlequins. Gangs don¡¯t let you out. They let you go invisible until they need you again. Tristan has just been invisible,¡± Keaton riposted. ¡°Were those LDs I shot Harlequin?¡± I am not at liberty to discuss an ongoing case,¡± Escobar answered. Then what have we been doing?¡± Keaton asked. Just passing the time away,¡± Escobar answered. ¡°You got anything else for me? No, Detective,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°Just trying to do my civic duty.¡± Well, thank you for the hot tip, Mr. Keaton. Please leave the policing to the professionals. Goodbye, Mr. Keaton,¡± Escobar said. Chapter 15 This the right place ma¡¯am?¡± Rafie asked looking over his shoulder to the backseat. Yes, Rafael. This is where I live,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°Home, sweet home,¡± she laughed. I should have brought the Caddie,¡± Rafie explained. ¡°I thought they wanted some speed. You needed ¡®Classy.¡¯¡± This is perfect, Rafael. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ruth answered. She leaned forward and said, ¡°Stop there where that angry man is.¡± He looks like a bad dude, Miss. I have a gun.¡± He don¡¯t look like no cupcake to me,¡± Rafie answered. ¡°He don¡¯t look like a ¡®driver¡¯ neither.¡± Paul said, ¡®free.¡¯ So it¡¯s free,¡± Rafie replied. Can¡¯t I give you something for your time?¡± Ruth asked. You mean a race?¡± Ruth asked. Yes, Miss.¡± I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± Ruth laughed as Phillip got to the car. Are you okay, Ms. Ruth?¡± he asked. You got my number, Miss. Whenever you need a ride,¡± Rafie said to Phillip. Yes. Thank you, Rafael,¡± Ruth said with a grin in Phillip¡¯s direction. She stepped away from the Camry and Phillip slammed the rear door closed. What are you doing riding with that kid, Ms. Ruth?¡± he asked. ¡°You know it¡¯s dangerous for you. You shouldn¡¯t have sent me home. You should have called me.¡± Yes, Ms. Everything is fine,¡± Phillip answered. I believe he¡¯s in the house,¡± Phillip answered. It¡¯s open,¡± Tristan called out. I am so sorry,¡± Ruth repeated. ¡°Please forgive me.¡± You¡¯re forgiven,¡± he said. ¡°Just don¡¯t ever ask me to go to another rugger game with you.¡± You look like you¡¯re going to a funeral,¡± Tristan said. I¡¯ve been to see that terrible Keaton man. He didn¡¯t even notice I was dressed in mourning,¡± Ruth stated. Maybe he just thought you were beautiful,¡± Tristan said moving a step back out of Ruth¡¯s hug. NO. He just thought I should stay away from you and Phillip. He doesn¡¯t trust anyone,¡± Ruth said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he thinks I should trust him.¡± Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Tristan said. ¡°After all, you are talking to me against his instructions.¡± Tristan laughed. Maybe you can do something to help the LDs,¡± Tristan suggested. That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°What can I do?¡± Well, I don¡¯t know. But we could reach out and find some activist in that area. Your father does pull some weight around town.¡± Maybe we can drive around and meet some LDs. See how they live,¡± Ruth offered. There you go. That¡¯s a great place to start,¡± Tristan chimed in. ¡°We can take my car and then we won¡¯t have Phillip tagging along.¡± Yes,¡± Ruth smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s do that. Do you have time to set up something?¡± I¡¯ll make time,¡± Tristan answered. Chapters 17-20 Chapter 17 Still on the desk,¡± he said. He turned and followed the sound towards the front room. He was near the desk when the ringing stopped. Right.¡± Mr. Keaton, this is Alicia Escobar. We talked earlier. Can you call me when you have a minute? Thanks.¡± Alicia? Sounded like Detective Escobar,¡± Keaton stated. ¡°Wonder what I did?¡± This is Escobar,¡± the police detective said. Hello, Alicia. This is Bill Keaton. This is not your office phone,¡± Keaton stated. No, Mr. Keaton. This is my personal phone. I¡¯m out in the office parking lot smoking a cigarette,¡± Escobar answered. Smoking is bad for your health,¡± Keaton said. So¡¯s being a cop,¡± Escobar answered. That¡¯s true,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± I remember my father talking about you a couple of times,¡± Escobar started. ¡°Off the record, to his kid daughter, he told some stories. He said back in the day you were a man that things happened to. They weren¡¯t good things, but you made them work out right. And Dad recognized the difficulty that creates. And he appreciated it. You asked me some questions yesterday that I couldn¡¯t answer,¡± Escobar said. ¡°I can answer them right now.¡± Okay.¡± We did get a good image of you, Ms. Davies, Martin and her driver, Phillip.¡± And?¡± Keaton asked. You are right about that tat on Martin¡¯s right hand. It¡¯s been tatted over,¡± Escobar answered. ¡°His file is a single page. Nothing on it so I did my own digging. He grew up in Highland Park. His father, David Martin, was a VP with a bank downtown. His mother, Carol Klein, was a housewife. The two were in Venice for a vacation when the change came. They never made it back. There is nothing on Tristan during the Turmoil years. After Equilibrium was established, he lived with his mother¡¯s brother, Joe Klein. He was an import/export businessman then. Now Klein¡¯s a Congressman. Tristan graduated from SMU¡¯s Cox School of Business. Top of his class. He interned with Ms. Davies¡¯ father for six months after he graduated. Now he is personal assistant to Raymond Davies and Ms. Davies¡¯ paramour.¡± Paramour,¡¯¡± Keaton laughed. ¡°Escobar, you are the first person I have ever spoken with to use the word ¡®paramour.¡¯¡± I¡¯m glad I made your day, Mr. Keaton,¡± Escobar answered. Call me Bill, Alicia,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°What else did you get on Tristan?¡± Nothing, nada, nyet,¡± Escobar stated. ¡°No one is that clean. He doesn¡¯t even have a parking ticket. And you know how those Highland Park police are. I looked at your file.¡± That¡¯s not fair,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°You have the entire weight of the bureaucracy behind you.¡± That¡¯s right,¡± Escobar laughed. ¡°And ¡®The Man¡¯ says I only get a fifteen-minute break. I have done that and smoked three cigarettes. You¡¯re bad for my health, Bill.¡± I didn¡¯t light ¡®em for you,¡± Keaton stated. Fair enough,¡± Escobar answered. ¡°I assume your plan is to dig around Martin?¡± It¡¯s a place to start,¡± Keaton said. Keep in touch then,¡± said Escobar. ¡°I never turn this phone off.¡± I appreciate that, Alicia. Later,¡± Keaton said. Later,¡± Escobar said and ended the call. Chapter 18 No,¡± the cowboy answered. ¡°It¡¯ll just be easier to bring the packages out the front. Park there in front where the doors come together.¡± You want me to back up to it?¡± Timmy asked. If you¡¯re gonna puke, do it out here,¡± the cowboy said walking out of the barn. ¡°Not that you¡¯re gonna make it smell worse inside. It¡¯s just easier to clean up out here,¡± he laughed. ¡°Powerful stuff, ain¡¯t it?¡± What is that smell?¡± Timmy asked. Carcasses, man. Carcasses,¡± the cowboy answered. ¡°You want to look? It¡¯s worth more than fifty cents,¡± he laughed. ¡°Nothing like this where you come from.¡± Y¡¯all load up the packages while I show Perry around,¡± the cowboy ordered the men in white as he led Timmy into the interior of the barn. Don¡¯t get close to those cages,¡± the cowboy instructed. ¡°Hell, those animals ¡¯ll snatch out and drag you over. Seen it happen. One bite and then we toss you in that cage with ¡®em,¡± he laughed. What do you do here?¡± Timmy asked, breathing through his mouth. We¡¯re doin¡¯ a breeding program with these things,¡± the cowboy answered. ¡°On this ranch we been doing it with cattle for two hundred years. We¡¯re just getting this herd started but we have high hopes for it.¡± When the change happens, the DNA changes, right?¡± That DNA change gives the LDs extended life. Knocks their brains down a bit but they live longer. We don¡¯t really know how long they¡¯ll last. Hell, none of the dead has died yet,¡± the cowboy grinned. ¡°We got a herd on another part of the ranch we¡¯re using as a baseline, monitoring that. You know how most these things have poor balance and a stiff walk? We got a herd of free range LDs out on the ranch that we¡¯re monitoring. With that particular herd we¡¯re working to identify flexibility and strength characteristics and IQ retention. Your packages are from that herd. Obviously they have to move well to make it out on the range. Coyotes rip these things up a bunch if they can get to ¡®em. Don¡¯t kill ¡®em. Got to rip the head off to do that but the coyotes tear ¡®em up bad. First thing you know they¡¯re out there crawling around on their bellies ¡®cause the coyotes got their legs. We let the buzzards take care of those partials. They ain¡¯t hurting anyone. So when this free range herd transitions a LA we capture that new LD, draw DNA, check its mobility and cognitives, and if they are good, rotate it back out into the free herd. Of course, we also cull the herd of any LDs with lesser attributes than the new member. Most of these in this barn are culls. They¡¯re not much good for anything. Least so far we haven¡¯t found ¡®em worth anything. We update our mental and physical test results, pull DNA samples and then transition them. Just building up the herd.¡± What¡¯s this free herd feed on?¡± Timmy asked. Locals,¡± the cowboy laughed. ¡°We drop some illegals out there sometimes. Sometimes we get a load from the cities. Cops clean out the homeless type thing. Got to do something with them. You get surprised sometimes with what adds good DNA.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Neither do the high cog LDs,¡± the cowboy laughed. ¡°That¡¯s why we are out here in the middle of nowhere. Those worthless city things would go ape over this.¡± The packages are in the van, boss,¡± Jorge answered. Thanks.¡± The cowboy turned back to Timmy. ¡°You¡¯re all ready, Perry. Do you need to use the bathroom or anything before you head back?¡± No, I¡¯m good,¡± Timmy responded. Okay, don¡¯t get caught with that stuff in the van. All kinds of folks would be unhappy.¡± I¡¯m a very careful driver,¡± Timmy assured the cowboy. ¡°What am I carrying?¡± Cows?¡± Timmy asked. No. Like I said, you got three LDs from the free range herd. A big one and two little ones,¡± the cowboy said. ¡°Don¡¯t get all worried,¡± he added. ¡°They¡¯re sedated and sacked up?¡± Sacked up?¡± Like potatoes,¡± the cowboys answered. ¡°Come on,¡± he said and headed out the barn. Their arms are down by their sides. If they were to wake up, they can¡¯t even get their arms up to try and get out,¡± the cowboy said. Closed the van doors. And they are sedated. But now that stuff won¡¯t last forever.¡± The cowboy slammed the van doors closed and looked at the watch on his wrist. ¡°You got five, five and a half hours to get ¡®em home. And it¡¯s only a three-hour drive.¡± Great,¡± Timmy answered. ¡°I better get going.¡± You better not leave your phone and wallet laying out where every Tom, Dick and Jorge can see them,¡± the cowboy laughed. You know what I mean,¡± Timmy grinned. Let me see your hand,¡± the cowboy ordered. Okay,¡± Timmy said pulling his hand back. Don¡¯t smear it,¡± the cowboy said. Right, right,¡± Timmy answered moving to the driver¡¯s door. ¡°Thanks.¡± You sure you don¡¯t want to use the bathroom? Get a bottle of water? Dr. Pepper? Anything?¡± Okay, Perry. You can just circle around the house to get back on the road,¡± the cowboy said making a circular motion with his right arm. ¡°Be safe.¡± Thanks,¡± Timmy answered and closed the van door and started up the engine. He looked back at the packages as he let the engine warm up. Chapter 19 Damn, it,¡± Davies said. ¡°I hate waiting. Those samples are the first seventh generation. I want to get a close look at them.¡± Timmy is punctual. He would have left Dallas at seven. A little over three hours to the ranch. An hour to load. I don¡¯t expect to hear from him for at least another ten minutes,¡± Tristan explained. ¡°And then another three and a half hours to get back to the Grove.¡± Sit down and wait here with me,¡± Davies ordered. You are all dressed up,¡± Davies said. ¡°You going somewhere?¡± Ruth and I are doing that thing I told you about later this afternoon and I have a meeting with Uncle Joe here in a little bit,¡± Tristan answered. What the hell does that fat bastard want?¡± Davies asked. If he wants it in Mesquite, he should be paying me instead of me paying him,¡± Davies answered. I won¡¯t disagree,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°I¡¯ll bring it up to him when we talk if you want me to.¡± Ah, hell no. He only has money I¡¯ve given him. I might as well take the change out of my right pants pocket and put it in my left,¡± Davies stated. And drop a few coins doing it. Uncle Joe is not a net even proposition,¡± Tristan laughed. Damn right about that,¡± Davies added. Everything is going great, sir,¡± Timmy answered. ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of the business out here and I¡¯m getting ready to head back.¡± That¡¯s great, Perry,¡± Tristan said. ¡°So everything has gone well.¡± Yes, sir. Everything is great. I even got a package for you,¡± Timmy said. Super. You all set for when you get back in town?¡± Tristan asked. Yes, sir. I am,¡± Timmy answered. Great, then. I¡¯ll see you late this afternoon,¡± Tristan said and ended the call. Yes, sir,¡± Tristan answered as he stood up from the chair. ¡°I¡¯ll stay in touch.¡± Chapter 20 Uncle Joe, how are you?¡± Tristan asked grinning, taking the offered hand. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Yes it has young man,¡± Joe answered. He leaned in and gave Tristan a hug. ¡°Too long.¡± Sure, Joe,¡± the waitress answered. ¡°It¡¯ll be there before you are.¡± She laughed. Women are the only thing you do let beat you,¡± Frances laughed. Damn,¡± Francis said softly. Reaching over the wall dividing the kitchen from the seats she set the cups down. You lose, Frances. No tip today,¡± Joe grinned. What¡¯s different about today?¡± Frances asked. She smiled at Tristan. ¡°Here¡¯s some cream for you, Hon. Don¡¯t let Chubby have any.¡± Thank you¡¯ ma¡¯am,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°Black is fine. You should probably take the cream back with you so ¡®Chubby¡¯ doesn¡¯t take it.¡± You still like some sugar with your coffee Uncle Joe?¡± Tristan asked. Yes I do,¡± Joe laughed. ¡°And you still taking yours black?¡± Yes sir,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°It¡¯s better for your eyes and your waistline.¡± She¡¯s talking to you,¡± Joe told Tristan. ¡°Frances has never mistaken me for a gentleman.¡± That sounds pretty good,¡± Joe stated. ¡°But, it¡¯s lunch time.¡± He looked at Frances, ¡°Steak and eggs. You know I want the eggs very runny and extra butter on the toast and...¡± Fried onions in the hash browns,¡± Frances finished Joe¡¯s sentence. Elsewhere¡¯s already run you off twice,¡± Frances stated. ¡°Food¡¯ll be up in a couple of minutes,¡± she said to Tristan. ¡°We already had Chubby¡¯s steak started.¡± Thank you, Frances,¡± Joe said as the waitress turned and headed to turn the rest of the order into the cook. Nice suit,¡± Joe said. Thanks. I feel a little overdressed,¡± Tristan answered. You¡¯re a lot overdressed there boy,¡± Joe laughed. ¡°But regular folks like to believe rich folks are just like them. It¡¯s good for you eat in places like this. Plus, the food is good and not fancy prices. You should think about running for office,¡± Joe added. ¡°People like you.¡± Uncle Joe,¡± Tristan started. Coffee, please,¡± Tristan answered. Joe already had a mouth full of steak. He nodded. Okay, Uncle Joe. I¡¯ll be President for you. What do you need right now?¡± Good, I¡¯m not sure we have anymore sugar,¡± Frances answered. Thank you, Frances,¡± Joe grinned. Something about kids,¡± Joe answered. He took a big bite of steak and around his chewing he added, ¡°LA kids.¡± I don¡¯t know what that would be about, Tristan answered. I told you, you need to go into politics,¡± Joe stated. ¡°Now let me eat. I can¡¯t think and talk and eat at the same time.¡± Uncle Joe, I don¡¯t know anything about whatever it is you are talking about,¡± Tristan answered. I know that boy. But¡­ if there turns out to be something of interest out there in my district; I would be interested in being a part of it,¡± Joe smiled at Tristan and waved his right hand at Frances. Hon, you didn¡¯t eat. Was everything alright?¡± she asked Tristan. Yes, ma¡¯am. It was great. I just wasn¡¯t that hungry,¡± Tristan answered. Always, Frances. Always,¡± Joe laughed. ¡°Especially when I¡¯m buying.¡± And you¡¯re paying?¡± Frances laughed. She looked at Tristan, ¡°Hon, you are special.¡± Chapters 21-25 Chapter 21 I just turned onto Preston. I¡¯ll be there in five minutes,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°Can you wait outside? I don¡¯t want any flak from Hobson or Phillip.¡± Just don¡¯t want to waste the time,¡± Tristan explained. ¡°We¡¯re already behind schedule.¡± I know, I know. You know how my Uncle Joe is,¡± Tristan replied. Yes, I do know. I¡¯m lucky you got away at all,¡± Ruth said. ¡°I¡¯ll be outside.¡± Almost there,¡± Tristan answered. You¡¯re all dressed up,¡± Ruth said. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve always liked the suit; but you didn¡¯t tell me I needed to dress.¡± Hon? Now I¡¯m Hon?¡± Ruth asked. Sorry, talking with Uncle Joe always lowers my vocabulary,¡± Tristan answered. How is your Uncle?¡± Up to no good, as usual. Trying to glom onto everything I do,¡± Tristan replied. Glom?¡± Ruth asked. Pleasant Grove,¡± Tristan answered. I¡¯ve heard of Pleasant Grove,¡± Ruth replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t recall ever being there.¡± What is this place?¡± Ruth asked. It¡¯s kind of a half-way house slash factory. LD¡¯s run it. They live here and work here. I thought it fit what you wanted to see.¡± Tristan stated. ¡°Let¡¯s get out.¡± Doing well, Mr. Martin,¡± a gravelly voice from near the dock door answered. Ruth, this is Jeffery. Jeffery, Ms. Ruth Davies,¡± Tristan introduced the pair. Nice to meet you, Jeffery,¡± Ruth said. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°You look fine.¡± Ruth wanted to get out and meet some people. I thought this would be the perfect place to start,¡± Tristan interjected. Yes,¡± Ruth joined in. ¡°What do you do here? How many people do you employ?¡± Come on, Jeffery. Don¡¯t be mysterious,¡± Tristan stated. That¡¯s wonderful,¡± Ruth replied. Can you show us the facility?¡± Tristan asked. The facility? Sure,¡± Jeffery answered. ¡°Let me get the lights on.¡± He walked back towards the dock door. There was a steel door near it and a bank of switches. With the side of his right-hand Jeffery flipped all the switches. The building was filled with light. Sorry,¡± Jeffery said watching from the light switches. ¡°I should have warned you. We keep it plenty bright in here. Lot of us have ocular issues. And lot of us have learning disabilities. Let me show you what we have here.¡± Jeffery moved away from the wall and back out towards the car. It¡¯s okay,¡± he whispered to her. ¡°Jeffery is fine. You¡¯ll see.¡± Is Doug around?¡± Tristan asked. No,¡± Jeffery answered looking back over his right shoulder. ¡°We have a shipment coming in late this afternoon, so he went home to get some rest.¡± Who¡¯s Doug?¡± Ruth whispered. Good. It might be a long night,¡± Tristan responded. Who¡¯s Doug?¡± Ruth asked speaking a little louder. I assumed you were in charge,¡± Ruth said. No, ma¡¯am. Numero two,¡± Jeffery answered and added the laughing noise. I am sorry. I assumed Mr. Martin had explained us to you. We are a small animal slaughterhouse,¡± Jeffery answered. Chapter 22 Sweet Jesus,¡± Timmy said. ¡°Sweet Jesus Christ. What am I going to do?¡± Timmy paced back and forth in front of the van a couple of times then ran to the passenger¡¯s door. The LD watched his motions with a smile on her face. We handle things like sheep and lambs mainly,¡± Jeffery explained. ¡°We¡¯re not kosher. To be kosher LDs can¡¯t touch LA food. But our prices are good so we usually sale out pretty quickly when we have something.¡± You are not paranoid if it¡¯s true,¡± Jeffery answered and added the laugh sound. I need to take this,¡± Tristan told Ruth and stepped away several meters from her and Jeffery. Tristan accepted the call. Mr. Martin, one of the LDs is loose in the back!¡± Timmy screamed. This is Timmy, Mr. Martin!¡± Timmy shouted. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know any Timmy. I believe you have the wrong number.¡± This is Perry! This is Perry!¡± Timmy pleaded. Oh, hello Perry. Mr. Martin is not at this number. Maybe if you calm down, I could help you?¡± Tristan stated. Packages can¡¯t talk, Perry,¡± Tristan stated with a laugh. ¡°Have you been drinking, again?¡± No, sir. Never. One of the packages came unwrapped and touched me. I almost had a wreck,¡± Timmy said rapidly. ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± The back is partitioned from the cabin, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tristan asked. Yes, sir,¡± Timmy answered. Then I suggest you get back in the van and finish your route before you have problems with the other packages,¡± ordered Tristan. But it touched me!¡± Timmy exclaimed. All our vehicles have tracking features on them, Perry. We know where you are. If you walk away from the van, we will pick up the van and we will find you wherever you choose to hide. Do you understand me?¡± Tristan asked. Yes, sir,¡± Timmy answered quietly. So, get back in the van, Perry. Drive carefully home, okay. Your packages are valuable. And if they don¡¯t arrive in a timely fashion someone will be sent out looking for them. Okay?¡± Tristan explained. Yes, sir,¡± Timmy answered. Perry, when I hang up, this phone will not be answered again. Do you understand?¡± Tristan explained. Yes, sir,¡± Timmy responded. Great,¡± Tristan said, and he ended the call. He slipped the phone back in his pocket and walked back towards Ruth and Jeffery. Who is Perry?¡± Ruth asked when Tristan was near. Delivery driver,¡± Tristan said and smiled. ¡°Freaking out because he¡¯s running late.¡± Should I have someone start out after him, just in case?¡± Jeffery asked. But before you do that let¡¯s go have a seat in the office,¡± Tristan said. He smiled at Ruth and took her hand. They, and Jeffery, headed to the back corner and the office. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. No,¡± Timmy answered sharply. He sat in the driver¡¯s seat and adjusted it forward as far away as it would move from the wire cage. Timmy¡¯s knees bumped into the searing wheel. The motor was still running. He checked the gas level and put the van in gear, checked his mirrors, turned on the signal and waiting to pull out onto the highway. Chapter 23 This is like a little condo,¡± Ruth said looking around. ¡°It needs windows though.¡± If you are in here you don¡¯t want to see what goes on outside,¡± Tristan replied. It¡¯s a slaughterhouse, Ruth. That¡¯s not something to sit and watch. At least it shouldn¡¯t be,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down on the couch. I need to talk to you.¡± Corporations run this world, Ruth. You know that. And your father heads one of the biggest corporations in the world. He feeds both the LDs and the LAs. Without your father, and his businesses, there would be no world. There would just be the Change. LDs live in their slums and the LAs live in different slums. But they are still the same. When the government sends in subsidies, it is the same stuff. And it comes from your father¡¯s businesses.¡± Ruth asked. ¡°What is your point?¡± My point is that your father is a very important person. And he is really interested in helping humanity. Both LA and LD,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Civilization is all about disparate groups joining together to become a cohesive identity.¡± How long have you have been working on this speech?¡± Ruth asked. My whole life,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°It¡¯s something I believe in. It¡¯s something your father believes in. It¡¯s something we have been working towards. We want to merge the best of what the LDs have with the best of what the LAs have.¡± And how do you do that?¡± Ruth asked. A breeding program,¡± Tristan answered. Eugenics,¡± Ruth stated. Exactly,¡± Tristan grinned. ¡°¡®The Change¡¯ created this great schism in humans. Locogs are less intelligent than even the least intelligent LA. Hicogs are smart but they¡¯re weak physically. But they don¡¯t die. But that is the one thing all LAs do; they die. We need to bring these things together, for everyone.¡± It means we need to do something. Someone has to take the point on this problem. Someone has to make the hard decisions,¡± Tristan answered. And that someone is you?¡± Ruth asked. Oh no,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°That someone is your father.¡± My father. Really?¡± Ruth laughed. ¡°My father thinks the government¡¯s job is to protect private property. Especially his. And he will do anything to manipulate people and governments to get what he wants.¡± That¡¯s why we¡¯re here,¡± Tristan answered. What do you mean?¡± Ruth asked. Ruth, you know I love you. Don¡¯t you?¡± Tristan asked. He moved across the couch and put his left hand on her thigh. I thought I knew,¡± Ruth answered. She reached down and moved Tristan¡¯s hand off her leg. I am a Harlequin,¡± he said. Like those things that tried to kidnap us?¡± Ruth demanded. Not exactly like them,¡± Tristan answered. ¡°I¡¯m still LA. But they took me into their group after my parents died.¡± And your Uncle Joe? He¡¯s one?¡± Ruth asked. Uncle Joe doesn¡¯t know anything about me. Harlequins helped get me through college. Your father was looking for someone and they steered him to me. I would not be alive without them. And they were only trying to kidnap you,¡± Tristan laughed. ¡°I set the whole thing up. Phillip and that detective would have been fed to the group if he hadn¡¯t messed everything up. You would have been carried off to someplace safe and I would have reported everything to the police. It was supposed to be like tossing a wrench into the works. Make pieces fly and see what happens.¡± What did you expect to happen?¡± Ruth asked. But you are one of them,¡± Ruth said. Yes, I am,¡± Tristan grinned. ¡°But I run the Harlequins. We¡¯ll stay out of everyone¡¯s way while the government gets everything back under control. Synthmeat will be even more valuable. Your father has a long list of friends and businesspeople and government agents waiting in line for the new treatment. And we new LDs will slide into positions of control.¡± Oh. Okay,¡± Tristan said. ¡°I was sure you would say that.¡± He smiled, ¡°But I¡¯m not disappointed that you didn¡¯t. I spent a lot of time on that speech.¡± What happens next?¡± Ruth asked looking up at Tristan. I can¡¯t wait,¡± Ruth answered. Chapter 24 Are we there?¡± the two voices in the back of the van asked. I¡¯m Perry,¡± Timmy answered stopping a few feet from the six LDs. ¡°I¡¯ve got three packages outside.¡± The other LDs turned to look at Timmy. You made good time,¡± Jeffery smiled. ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting you for a while.¡± I got a problem,¡± Timmy hurried. ¡°Two of them are awake.¡± Two of them are awake?¡± Jeffery asked. Yes, sir,¡± Timmy answered. He ran his hands through his hair. ¡°Two of them are awake. It¡¯s the two little ones. One¡¯s been awake for hours now.¡± Great. Let me take a look,¡± Jeffery said. He made his way around the domino table and walked toward Timmy. I thought they were going to kill me,¡± Timmy said. They were supposed to be sedated,¡± Jeffery answered. They were for a while. Then they weren¡¯t,¡± Timmy answered. He followed Jeffery to the dock door. No. I got ¡®em here,¡± Timmy answered. He held out the keys in his right hand. I¡¯ll pull the van in,¡± Jeffery said. He took the van keys from Timmy. Thank you. I thought I was going to die,¡± Timmy said. That¡¯s easy to say when they aren¡¯t pickin¡¯ at your hair,¡± Timmy replied. Guys,¡± he called out to the domino players., ¡°bring three cages over here.¡± There are seven of us,¡± Jeffery stated. ¡°We should be able to corral two little girls. Bring two of the cages up close and we¡¯ll make a shoulder to shoulder semi-circle from door edge to door edge,¡± he instructed. Hi girls,¡± Jeffery said. ¡°My name is Jeffery. My friends call me Jeff. What are you your names?¡± Kayla.¡± Kaylie.¡± Identical twins,¡± Jeffery said. ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool. Come on out. This is your new home.¡± What about Daddy,¡± one of the LDs asked. ¡°He¡¯s still asleep.¡± Well, when your dad wakes up we¡¯ll help get him out of the van,¡± Jeffery answered. ¡°He looks like he¡¯s sleeping good. We don¡¯t need to wake him up yet.¡± Daddy says not to talk to strangers,¡± one of the LDs answered. And he¡¯s right. You should not talk to strangers. But we¡¯re not strangers. We¡¯re like you. You¡¯re like us. Except that guy there,¡± he said pointing at Timmy. ¡°He is different. You can smell the difference can¡¯t you?¡± Come on out. We¡¯ll get you something to eat. I bet you¡¯re hungry after such a long ride,¡± Jeffery said. No! You can¡¯t. Mr. Martin¡¯s my boss. He sent me here,¡± Timmy shouted. Make sure you give the kids some good meat. Not any feet. You hear me?¡± Jeffery order. ¡°And save some for Pop. He¡¯ll be starving when he wakes up.¡± Chapter 25 Good evening, Mr. Hobson. It¡¯s late.¡± Yes, sir, Mr. Keaton. I am sorry to bother you at this hour, but Ms. Ruth is missing,¡± Hobson stated. She is not answering her phone?¡± No, sir.¡± I told her not to go anywhere without me,¡± Keaton said. Yes, sir. Ms. Ruth told everyone what you said.¡± And you still let her out?¡± Keaton asked. She did not ask permission, sir.¡± Is Tristan there?¡± Yes, sir. He has been here since early afternoon, after his lunch with his uncle.¡± Joe Klein?¡± Yes, sir.¡± What does the Navy say?¡± They are not answering Mr. Davies¡¯ calls.¡± What does Mr. Davies say?¡± He wants you to find her, sir,¡± Hobson answered. Okay. When was she last seen at the house?¡± I may have been the last to see her, sir. She had spoken to both Phillip and Mr. Martin before he left for his lunch meeting. She came into the pantry and talked about you.¡± She was angry with me for shooting the LDs.¡± Yes, sir. She was.¡± Did she tell you she came over here dressed in mourning for the dead and I didn¡¯t notice?¡± Yes, sir,¡± Hobson answered. Any friends she may be with?¡± I have called them. They are not many.¡± I knew you had, but I had to ask,¡± Keaton stated. Yes, sir.¡± Okay, let me see what I can do,¡± Keaton answered. Thank you, sir. I will let Mr. Davies know,¡± Hobson said. Yes I do, Alicia. Ruth Davies is missing.¡± Kidnapped?¡± I assume so,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°She disappeared from the house and no one saw her leave. The government is not interested, at this point, in finding her.¡± Shit,¡± Escobar said quietly. Yes,¡± Keaton agreed. Where do we start?¡± Calling the cavalry only gets you me.¡± I bet that¡¯ll be enough,¡± Keaton said, and he ended the call. Keaton had on a fresh suit. He pushed on the rotating door and entered Alice¡¯s. There was one man waiting with menus in his hands. Just one, sir?¡± he asked. Is Paul still here?¡± Keaton asked. Paul will be right with you, sir.¡± Thank you.¡± Very early morning, Paul. Coffee is all I need.¡± Yes, sir.¡± Paul poured the coffee and picked up the menu. I need to talk with the cook.¡± Sir?¡± I need to talk with the cook. Especially if it¡¯s the cook with the nephew we talked about the other day. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s nothing to do with this place.¡± Of course, sir. That would be Juanita. She is working. She works almost as often as I.¡± She is not as wealthy then?¡± Smaller family,¡± Paul laughed. ¡°Please follow me, sir. Jefe up at the bar is busy with the drinkers, friends. He will not notice us peons.¡± Juanita, this is my friend Keaton. He needs some advice,¡± Paul announced as he and Keaton walked up to the cook. Where do you get your choice cut?¡± Keaton asked. We get our beef from lots of places.¡± The other choice cut,¡± Keaton said. ¡°Your nephew is a Harlequin, an LD.¡± We don¡¯t serve that kind of meat,¡± Juanita answered. This isn¡¯t about him and it¡¯s not about you. It¡¯s not about this place. Someone is missing and I need a starting place.¡± Mr. Keaton has eaten here for years, Juanita,¡± Paul added. No one will know we talked,¡± Keaton stated. Because Paul brought you back here,¡± Juanita said adding some salt to the eggs. ¡°Places change. They move often. We are using a place in the Grove right now.¡± She gave Keaton the address. She lifted the pan and slid the eggs out onto a plate. Thank you, Chef.¡± Thank you, Juanita.¡± You didn¡¯t hear anything from me.¡± Of course,¡± Keaton answered. He turned to Paul and said, ¡°Can you have Rafie pick me up right now?¡± Yes, sir,¡± Paul answered. ¡°He needs the money.¡± Great. Thanks. I¡¯m going to go sit down and drink that coffee and call the cavalry.¡± You will need help,¡± Paul said as they both moved toward the kitchen door. Juanita added some bacon and fried potatoes to the eggs on the plate. Paul, order up.¡± Nothing, Alicia. But nothing good happens after midnight. It is after midnight.¡± Damn near dawn,¡± Escobar answered. I¡¯ve got an address for a chop shop in the Grove. I am heading there in a couple of minutes. Do you want to meet me there?¡± Hell, yes,¡± Escobar stated. ¡°But like I said, it¡¯ll just be me.¡± I think that will be enough, Alicia.¡± Keaton gave the address to Escobar and drank more of his coffee. Chapters 26-30 Chapter 26 We¡¯re hungry, Daddy,¡± the two small LDs said in unison to the big one. Give the girls something to eat! They¡¯re starving,¡± the big LD demanded. Bunch of crap if you ask me?¡± one of the LDs said. Not asking you, Jim,¡± Doug responded. ¡°You all go get the girl and bring her out here. Let¡¯s get this over with. And don¡¯t bite her!¡± he ordered. Have to talk louder than that to get past the snoring,¡± Jim said. Several of the LDs laughed. Time to get up Miss.¡± Jeffery answered. Is there enough of you?¡± Ruth asked. I hope so Miss,¡± Jeffery answered. ¡°If you¡¯ll come outside with us, please.¡± Please,¡± Jim mocked again. Jim, you need to shut up. No need to be mean to anyone,¡± Jeffery said. She¡¯s just another LA, Jeff. Let¡¯s get it over with,¡± Jim replied. She¡¯s got feet, Doug,¡± Jeffery answered. ¡°She¡¯s not running off anywhere. Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Doug answered. ¡°You¡¯re going in there with them.¡± Doug, you don¡¯t have to talk like that,¡± Jeffery said. It is what it is,¡± Doug stated. Whatever,¡± Ruth said. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Guys, get the door for the lady,¡± Doug ordered. ¡°And don¡¯t let those three out.¡± My name is Ruth. What is yours?¡± she asked her cage mates. Jerome, Jerome Teague, ma¡¯am. These are my daughters Kayla and Kaylie.¡± Nice to meet you Mr. Teague, girls,¡± Ruth said. ¡°What are we doing here?¡± I don¡¯t know, ma¡¯am,¡± Jerome answered. ¡°We were living out past Throckmorton, my wife and three daughters. We were attacked one night. They killed us. My wife Kay and oldest daughter Kate didn¡¯t come back. Then some cowboys in helicopters herded us up. Kidnapped us. Brought us here.¡± Daddy, I¡¯m hungry,¡± one of the little LDs said. Me too, Daddy. Awfully hungry,¡± the other stated. She smells good,¡± the first added. You girls behave,¡± Jerome said. ¡°That¡¯s no way to talk around a nice woman.¡± But Daddy,¡± the second one whined. Let the girls go. The lady¡¯s tough,¡± Doug said. Can¡¯t do that mister. Orders are orders. You need to let them go,¡± Doug ordered. Maybe that,¡± Doug answered. ¡°But it is gonna happen.¡± He reached behind his back, up under his shirt and pulled a .45 automatic out from his waistband. ¡°If I have to blow your head off to set ¡¯em free, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡± He stepped close to the cage and pointed the pistol at Jerome¡¯s head. No,¡± Ruth shouted. Chapter 27 We are about five minutes out, Mr. Keaton,¡± Rafie said. ¡°You should call her now.¡± We are exiting Hawn right now,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Where are you?¡± I¡¯m standing just off the property. Eyes on it. Waiting for you.¡± Damn,¡± Rafie stated. Tell your driver to not talk so loud when he gets here. Everyone will hear him,¡± Escobar said. She added, ¡°This is close to home.¡± Right. Hang tight,¡± Keaton replied. He ended the call and put his phone away. ¡°You heard that, didn¡¯t you?¡± he asked Rafie. Yes, sir. Your partner has good ears. I ain¡¯t that loud,¡± Rafie replied. I¡¯m just saying...¡± Keaton grabbed the hand hold as Rafie made a hard left at speed through a big intersection. I got it, Mr. Keaton,¡± Rafie said. ¡°Another left up ahead and you¡¯re there.¡± Rafie braked hard, slowing the car down. He made the turn and then let the Camry idle down as it drifted along the street. Rafie killed the car lights and pointed off to his right to a car parked in a deep shadow next to a warehouse. A figure moved beside the car. That¡¯s her,¡± Keaton said. ¡°Pull in to her left. Are the interior lights going to come on when I open this door?¡± No, sir. They¡¯re off.¡± Good. Escobar and I will move up to the building. You keep your motor running. If anything happens, get the hell out of here. Don¡¯t wait for me. Don¡¯t call the police. I don¡¯t want you caught up in this. Do you hear me?¡± Yes, sir. Roger that,¡± Rafie answered. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to say that.¡± He stopped the car and Escobar moved up and opened Keaton¡¯s door. Do what I said,¡± Keaton ordered over his shoulder as he got out of the car. Yes, sir.¡± Yes,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°This isn¡¯t my first rodeo, Alicia.¡± I don¡¯t want it to be your last either,¡± Escobar said. ¡°When we get inside, follow my lead. We are not trying to kill everyone.¡± Yes, boss,¡± Keaton grinned. ¡°Lead on.¡± The door opens from the left,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll take that side. You open the door and I¡¯ll go in, crossing to the right. You go to the left. Okay?¡± If it¡¯s locked?¡± I guess we knock,¡± Escobar answered. She moved away from the shadow of the trees and out against the sheet metaled wall, Keaton following. Dallas Police!¡± Escobar shouted as she and Keaton continued to move away from the door and each other putting the group into a crossfire. Keaton. Get the girl out. You guys hit the deck! On your stomachs! Hands behind your heads!¡± Escobar shouted as she closed the space between her and the cage. Doug, the cowboy guy had them,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°Hurry, these girls are hungry.¡± What about the girls?¡± she asked. What about them?¡± Keaton answered. They¡¯re starving and they just lost their dad.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. What for?¡± Escobar answered. She has a soft heart.¡± Whatever. She needs to be out of here before I call it in.¡± Right,¡± Keaton answered. He looked to the back of the building. Ruth was running towards him with a plate full of meat. I¡¯ll give it them,¡± he told Ruth when she got close. No you won¡¯t,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you with them. You can call Phillip and have him come pick us up.¡± That¡¯s fine. The girls are coming with me. Will that be okay with Rafael?¡± He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Keaton said. He got his phone out and called Rafie. ¡°He¡¯ll be at the door in a minute, Ruth.¡± What the hell?¡± Escobar shouted. I wasn¡¯t sure about this one either,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°I am now. You can tell your bosses we both shot him when he fired his weapon. These guys won¡¯t dispute it, will you?¡± You can claim the head shot,¡± Keaton told Escobar. ¡°They won¡¯t autopsy this thing. Now let¡¯s ask these guys where they¡¯ve been getting their meat.¡± Chapter 28 Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Rafie answered. Is this your house?¡± Kayla asked. It¡¯s big,¡± Kaylie added. Well, it¡¯s my family¡¯s house. I¡¯ve lived here my whole life,¡± Ruth explained. Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Rafie grinned. It is a big house,¡± Ruth continued talking with the Twins. ¡°We have lots of extra bedrooms. So I want you to stay here with me for as long as you like. You each can have your own rooms even.¡± Super,¡± Kaylie almost shouted. Will Daddy be coming?¡± Kayla asked. No, honey. Your dad won¡¯t be able to join us,¡± Ruth stated. She reached up and smoothed Kayla¡¯s hair with her hand. ¡°But we¡¯ll talk about him a lot. Maybe all the time. Will that be okay?¡± Rafael, the horn again please,¡± Ruth instructed. Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Rafie answered. He depressed the button on the steering wheel and held it several seconds before releasing it. He waited a couple of seconds then depressed the button again. Ms. Ruth. Ladies,¡± Hobson said. I hope we didn¡¯t wake you Mr. Hobson,¡± Ruth laughed. This is Kaylie and Kayla. They are going to stay with us for a while.¡± Please show them up to the second floor. They may want to share the double room or they may want to each have their own room,¡± Ruth said with drama. Certainly, Ms. Ruth,¡± Hobson answered. ¡°This way Ladies,¡± he said to the Twins and motioned them forward. I will stop and talk to Chef,¡± Ruth stated. ¡°The girls have some special dietary needs. When I have that arranged I¡¯ll be up to help them settle in.¡± She looked at the Twins. Maybe a hot bath?¡± Yes, Yes,¡± the Twins answered. Together?¡± Kayla asked. Bubble bath?¡± Kaylie followed. Yes, of course. To both questions,¡± Ruth laughed. Yes, ma¡¯am. He is in the study.¡± And Tristan?¡± He is still in his room, ma¡¯am.¡± Thank you, Hobson,¡± Ruth replied. No problem, ma¡¯am. I know where you live,¡± Rafie grinned. Come,¡± Davies answered. Good morning, Ruth,¡± Davies said. Morning, Father.¡± Formal. What did I do?¡± Davies asked. You didn¡¯t send anyone looking for me,¡± Ruth stated. Tristan assured me you were fine,¡± Davies answered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you fine?¡± Yes, Father,¡± Ruth replied. ¡°We have guests in the house. Two little girls I think you will enjoy meeting.¡± It will be nice to hear little voices in the house again.¡± Yes. I need to talk to Chef,¡± Ruth answered and walked out of the study closing the door behind her. Chapter 29 I was helping Mr. Keaton look for a missing client, Detective Wanczyk,¡± Escobar answered. I didn¡¯t know we could moonlight, Escobar.¡± Keaton knew my father, Wanczyk. I got a debt there.¡± Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s paid,¡± Wanczyk said. ¡°Tell it to me again.¡± Mr. Keaton called me a few hours ago and asked me to give him some backup. He was looking for a missing LA client and thought she might be here. I met him outside near the street. We worked our way to the door. When we heard a gunshot we went inside. The guy in the cage was shot, like you see him. The guy over there with the gun in his hand saw us and took a shot at us. Mr. Keaton and I both returned fire. Looks like we both hit him. And it looks like I need to get back out on the range,¡± Escobar stated. Where¡¯s the missing LA?¡± Wanczyk asked. She wasn¡¯t here. Just those guys your men have over there looking guilty of something. So I called you,¡± Escobar answered. Yeah. It looks like a chop shop. It must be new to the area or I would¡¯ve heard about it,¡± Wanczyk answered. Escobar, you and your guy can go. I know where to find you. And I can find him if I need to.¡± Wanczyk spat something onto the concrete floor as he walked away towards the officers holding Jeffery and his crew near the office. Yeah, I saw only one car outside,¡± Wanczyk replied. ¡°Unless that plumbing van is yours.¡± No. My first name is Bill, not Perry. Maybe someone stole it.¡± Yeah, right. Maybe you should report that,¡± Wanczyk answered and turned back towards the office and the waiting men. Will do, Detective,¡± Keaton called after him. Yes,¡± Escobar answered. Wanczyk won¡¯t get anything out of those guys now,¡± Escobar stated. They weren¡¯t going to talk to him anyway,¡± Keaton said. ¡°Their paychecks depend on staying quiet. I wonder who called the news.¡± No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll get a ride,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Go get your paycheck.¡± Screw you,¡± Escobar answered and headed to her car. Yeah. See you later,¡± Keaton said. Escobar started up her car and pulled away. Yes, thank you Mr. Keaton,¡± Hobson answered. ¡°She and her two guests made it home safely. The little ones are taking a bath and Chef is preparing breakfast for them.¡± Great,¡± Keaton said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, who am I working for? Mr. Davies? Ms. Davies? You?¡± Mr. Davies hired you to watch over Ms. Davies. It won¡¯t matter who signs the check. It will not bounce,¡± Hobson answered. Oh, I didn¡¯t mean it that way,¡± Keaton said. ¡°I just wanted to be sure whose orders to follow if they should diverge.¡± Watching over Ms. Ruth is the only order you have, Mr. Keaton. Do that regardless and you will be fine.¡± Thank you for your clarity, Mr. Hobson. I will do everything I can,¡± Keaton answered. Chapter 30 They have one around back, the dumpster,¡± Keaton answered. Hey, Mr. Keaton. That¡¯s not nice.¡± Just true,¡± Keaton responded. ¡°We¡¯re lucky they let us on the gravel.¡± He opened the back door. ¡°Wait for me. I won¡¯t be long.¡± And he stepped out of the car and closed the door. Yes, sir,¡± Rafie answered to no one. Good morning, Mr. Hobson.¡± Mr. Keaton. Thank you for calling ahead. Ms. Ruth is waiting for you in the dining room with her two guests.¡± Lay on, Macduff.¡± Yes. This way, sir,¡± Hobson answered motioning Keaton inside. He closed the door and led Keaton back to the dining room where the Twins were seated together eating breakfast. Ruth sat beside them, watching. Mr. Keaton, Ms. Ruth¡± Hobson announced. He left without waiting for a response from Ruth. Good morning, Ruth,¡± Keaton said. ¡°How are you and your wards doing?¡± Good morning and thank you Bill. We are doing well.¡± Great. I wanted to let you know no one mentioned your name to the police. If your name should come up at some point have your lawyers tell the police there must be a mistake and they should check their sources. No one is going to back a LD¡¯s word over yours.¡± You mean over my father¡¯s,¡± Ruth replied. Yes, Ruth.¡± How did you ever find us this morning?¡± Ruth asked. We were just lucky. Since it was Harlequins that tried to get you before, I followed the only Harlequin lead I had and you just happened to be there. I was just trying to find a bigger list of places to search. Just lucky.¡± Very lucky. Girls, this is Mr. Keaton. He and his friend are the reason we are here enjoying breakfast.¡± No problem. Little ones eat a lot,¡± Keaton said. ¡°I was wondering if you would tell me what happened yesterday? How did you get to that chop shop?¡± I thought you might say that. Well, not exactly that,¡± Keaton grinned. ¡°That was nicely put.¡± Thank you,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°But I was wondering if you could help me find out about these two little girls. If they have any family? Anything. All they have revealed is their first names, Kaylie and Kayla.¡± I don¡¯t really want you to find anyone. I am already very attached to them. But I would hate for someone to show up and have a claim to them.¡± No,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°I think that¡¯s all. Except you could send a bill. I want to be sure Rafael gets paid. He was so helpful.¡± Rafie is always so helpful,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°I¡¯ll get my expenses gathered together and send you something this evening. Will that do? Wonderful. And please add in something for finding out about the girls,¡± Ruth stated. ¡°Or should we keep that separate?¡± How convenient,¡± Ruth said. Her right hand moved under the table and she added, ¡°Hobson will show you out.¡± Okay?¡± Keaton answered. I buzzed him from here under the table,¡± Ruth said. ¡°Mrs. Ford knew how to run a household. There is a button under the table for every room in the house.¡± Ruth smiled. Girls, say bye to Mr. Keaton.¡± Bye,¡± they said in unison. Please show Mr. Keaton out,¡± Ruth instructed. Yes. Ms. Ruth,¡± Hobson answered. ¡°This way, sir,¡± he said pointing towards the hall. I am afraid not, Mr. Keaton. But Mr. Martin wishes to speak with you if you have time?¡± I have time,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°All the time in the world.¡± This way them,¡± Hobson said pointing to the left, away from the front door. This is Mr. Martin¡¯s office,¡± Hobson said indicating a door on the ground floor near the rear door. He knocked on the door and opened it for Keaton. Keaton walked in and Hobson closed the door behind him. Great,¡± Tristan laughed. ¡°What happened to Ruth last night? She won¡¯t say a thing to me.¡± She is keeping her council from me also,¡± Keaton answered. And she has those two LDs. Where did they come from?¡± Well,¡± Keaton said, ¡°She did ask me to find an answer to that question.¡± Did she? She brings two waifs home and treats them like princesses.¡± They are cute,¡± Keaton answered. Of course they are,¡± Tristan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just all confusing. Would you be willing to let me know what you find out? For a fee, of course.¡± Of course, Mr. Martin. If Ms. Davies allows me I will relay everything I find out to you.¡± Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to infer anything other than with her permission,¡± Tristan responded. Well, great then,¡± Keaton said standing up from the chair. ¡°Sorry, I need to get home get some rest. It¡¯s been a long night and I am not young anymore.¡± And you, yours,¡± Keaton responded. He opened the door and stepped out into the hall where Hobson waited not far from the door. Which way out of here Mr. Hobson? I need to get home.¡± This way, sir,¡± Hobson said pointing the way down the hall. Keaton walked through the lobby, past Alice¡¯s and up the three flights of stairs. In his darkened back-room Keaton took off his shoes and hung his jacket on a chair. He loosened his tie and collar and laid down on the couch. Chapter 31 - END Chapter 31 Climb in.¡± That was the company car. This is mine,¡± Escobar answered. I think I like Rafie¡¯s ride better,¡± Keaton said. I saw that ratty thing,¡± Escobar answered. ¡°Slam that door hard or it won¡¯t catch.¡± Back out to the Grove,¡± Escobar answered. As she got up on the freeway heading east her speed and the noise increased. Wanczyk is an ass but he is a fair cop,¡± Escobar shouted at Keaton. ¡°He called me a little bit ago. The judge let those guys from this morning walk. Wanczyk said a high dollar suit from the LDLU came in representing them. The suit said some mumbo jumbo up at the bench to the judge, the judge nodded and the whole bunch went free. Wanczyk is pissed. He had a good bust there. They also got some prints off that plumber¡¯s van inside the shop. An LA named Tim Taylor. Ever heard of him?¡± Wanczyk said we got no record of the man. And none of the guys had ever heard of him. Wanczyk said the van looked like it had been used to transport LDs.¡± Why¡¯s Wanczyk giving you all this information?¡± Keaton shouted. Cause he wants us to do his dirty work for him. We mess up, he stays clean,¡± Escobar answered. She exited off Hawn and the road noise lessened. Why would they go back to the shop?¡± We didn¡¯t impound anything. They still got all their stuff there. Hell, they¡¯ll probably just reopen the same place since they have suit protection. Cops won¡¯t go close to it now.¡± But you are.¡± I was looking for a good job when I got this one,¡± Escobar said, and she smiled. Talk all you want,¡± Jeffery answered stepping forward. ¡°We don¡¯t have to answer anything. You can¡¯t hold us on anything.¡± Where do you get your meat?¡± Escobar asked loudly. Where did Tim Taylor get the LDs you had this morning?¡± Keaton asked. Escobar looked at him. ¡°Trust me,¡± Keaton answered. You know who the LA was that you had in here this morning,¡± Keaton said. ¡°You got out of jail fast because your bosses didn¡¯t want to give you a chance to muck things up. We were here this morning to keep the LA from getting mucked up,¡± Keaton said. ¡°Now we¡¯re here to ask about Tim¡¯s package. Where did they come from? Call your boss and ask if it¡¯s okay to talk. We can wait.¡± Should I ask him if I can smoke a cigarette?¡± Jeffery asked. Sure. If you want to smoke.¡± Your funny.¡± Thank you,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Call him. Please.¡± Some things you can¡¯t stop Alicia. Some things you have to stop.¡± Keaton motioned with his head towards Jeffery who was walking up close. I painted this van two days ago,¡± Jeffery started. Nice job. I like the fonts,¡± Keaton replied. Thanks, I used to paint signs before the change. People use that stick on plastic crap these days.¡± I put the plumber in Graham so he wouldn¡¯t be out of place a hundred miles either side. That¡¯s all I know and all I was told I could say.¡± So as far west as Haskell then,¡± Keaton stated. Something like that,¡± Jeffery answered. Thanks. You all take care,¡± Keaton said loudly to all the guys. He looked at Escobar and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. That¡¯s all we¡¯re going to get here.¡± He started back to the jeep. It got him to answer,¡± Keaton said. He answered nothing I care about!¡± Don¡¯t break my door,¡± Escobar said. ¡°What was any of that about?¡± Alicia, as long as there are LDs there will be chop shops. And as long as there are chop shops there will be LAs. It¡¯s part of the balance of nature, survival of the fittest. We don¡¯t have to like it, but it is. But those two little LDs are different. They¡¯re game changers. They are smarter and nimbler than normal LDs. We need to find out where they come from and how many others are out there like them. They are what was really being trafficked here.¡± Ruth Davies knows what¡¯s going on, but she won¡¯t talk. Her father probably knows since its his money being spent. That means his assistant knows. And that sign painting guy spoke to ¡®him.¡¯ There is nothing out that way. Throckmorton County is split between two ranches on either side of 380. Haskell is the next county west of that. It¡¯s got more population. I¡¯m betting on one of those two ranches in Throckmorton.¡± I don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯re talking about,¡± Escobar said starting up the jeep. Alicia, you need to get out and see the world. At least west Texas,¡± Keaton said. ¡°And give my apologies to Wanczyk for not shooting anyone this time.¡± Chapter 32 Good morning, Mr. Keaton,¡± Hobson answered. Morning,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°I called you because I know Ms. Ruth lost her purse and phone the other night. Do you think I could meet with her sometime today?¡± I would think so, sir. I will ask and call you back,¡± You can just text me,¡± Keaton said. He then asked, ¡°Is Mr. Davies in?¡± No, sir. I am afraid Mr. Davies is not available.¡± Okay, thank you. It was nothing important,¡± Keaton answered. Yes, sir. I will text you after I have talked with Ms. Ruth.¡± Thank you,¡± Keaton said and ended the call. He sat down on the couch and looked out the window for a while. He stood up and went to make coffee. Hello, Phillip. How have you been?¡± And now you have two new ones, right? Those little girls?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But they will be. Ms. Ruth is really attached to them, isn¡¯t she?¡± She never lets them out of her sight,¡± Phillip answered. Well the other night was pretty traumatic for Ms. Ruth. And for those girls. They lost their dad.¡± Yes, sir. I guess.¡± How is Ms. Ruth? You know psychologically speaking?¡± Keaton asked. Well, Phillip, one of the few things you can count on in life is, ¡®The kids will grow up.¡¯¡± Keaton said and laughed. Ms. Ruth will be with you shortly, sir. Do you care for anything to drink?¡± No thank you, I¡¯m good,¡± Keaton answered. He sat down so that he viewed the entire room and watched Hobson exit. Please, sit,¡± she said. They both sat. It¡¯s defiantly ballroom size,¡± Keaton answered. We have never had a dance here. Dad says it is undignified.¡± I would think that depends on how well you dance. The dignity part,¡± Keaton said. A little bit. They and their father were picked up out in Throckmorton County. That¡¯s a couple of hours west of here. Most of it is empty prairie. There are a couple of big ranches out there that breed cattle and have for a hundred years.¡± SBCrown,¡± Ruth said. ¡°We own a share of it.¡± Well, that could be it,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°I can get a car and head out there tomorrow. But maybe it¡¯s that other ranch. You know, since you all own part of this one.¡± Dad liked to keep his risks within the business,¡± Ruth said looking Keaton in the eye. Of course,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Do you want me to go out there?¡± I don¡¯t think that will be necessary. Everything is pretty much answered.¡± Are you planning on keeping the girls here?¡± Keaton asked. Yes,¡± Ruth answered. ¡°They are enjoying it here. And I am enjoying them. Hobson is looking for a tutor.¡± They won¡¯t develop any more than they are.¡± That¡¯s not why your father brought them here,¡± Keaton stated. Father is dead; so what he had planned is now moot,¡± Ruth answered. After our first meeting.¡± The dinner?¡± Not then, but not too long afterwards.¡± How is your father taking the revelation?¡± Keaton asked. I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Ruth replied. She smiled and added, ¡°I shot him in the head yesterday morning after I got home with the Twins. I used the .38 Special he kept in his desk. And as you said, and showed, there is no law against killing the dead.¡± They are in the dark,¡± Ruth said with a laugh. ¡°Father often stayed in his study for days. He still is there.¡± Good. I was afraid you had gotten someone to dispose of the corpse. Hobson and Phillip know. Does Tristan?¡± Keaton asked. ¡°Is the pistol back in the desk?¡± What¡¯s your plan for going forward?¡± I will announce Father¡¯s death and step into the business,¡± Ruth answered. Well, that might work,¡± Keaton replied. ¡°But ¡®THEY¡¯ might view you as a young, inexperienced woman who is in shock from her kidnapping by LDs and the death of her father. That will be a difficult optic to get around.¡± What are you talking about?¡± Ruth asked. ¡°Dad¡¯s businesses are now my businesses.¡± Well, the big money, including your father¡¯s managers and lawyers, and the government may not see it that way. They¡¯ll see a leadership vacuum in your youthful inexperience and cut each other¡¯s throats to take advantage of it and you. I think you need some help to divert all the knives.¡± Joe Klein,¡± Keaton stated. That¡¯s Tristan¡¯s uncle!¡± I know,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°You need someone with experience walking through landmines. Klein has that. He¡¯s a politician. He¡¯ll throw anyone and everyone under the bus to advance his career. You¡¯ll just need to have some small lever to keep him from tossing you under there too.¡± Father hated him. He always said Klein was a Communist.¡± Even better,¡± Keaton answered. Chapter 33 Good afternoon, Rep. Klein. Welcome to Davies House,¡± Hobson said. It¡¯s an honor to be here,¡± Klein stated. Yes, sir. This way please. Ms. Davies is waiting for you.¡± Hobson started off towards the study. I thought I was meeting with Mr. Davies,¡± Klein said following Hobson. Yes, sir.¡± Hobson answered. Representative Klein, Ms. Ruth,¡± Hobson announced and stood aside so that Klein could enter. Whoa!¡± Klein exclaimed stepping into the room. He stopped near the prone form. ¡°Is that Raymond Davies?¡± Yes, that is my father, Representative Klein. Thank you for coming over. Please have a seat there beside Mr. Keaton. He can explain everything better than I,¡± Ruth stated. She sat down. Nice to meet you, Joe. You don¡¯t mind if I call you Joe, do you?¡± Keaton asked. ¡°My name is William Keaton. But please call me Bill. Just step around and have a seat. Mr. Davies can¡¯t bite now.¡± Keaton sat down. Well, as you can see Ms. Davies has a problem,¡± Keaton explained. ¡°Her father was an LD. Had been for a long time. We have witnesses to that. He got a little out of control and she had to protect herself. That¡¯s why he is there on the floor. To answer your second question, no the police have not been called. Ms. Davies is in a vulnerable position here and before the police and lawyers get involved we were hoping to buttress her situation.¡± You want to bribe me to help you fix this,¡± Klein said sweeping his left arm towards Davies¡¯ figure. Not exactly,¡± Keaton answered. ¡°Your nephew Tristan Martin and Mr. Davies had Miss Ruth kidnapped two nights ago. You do know that your nephew is a member of the Harlequin gang, don¡¯t you? It wasn¡¯t the first try. The police are aware of the first try.¡± Were engaged,¡± Ruth corrected. Your nephew told Ms. Davies that he was the leader of the Harlequins. I assume he wasn¡¯t lying about that,¡± Keaton said. He and Mr. Davies hoped to get the US government to lock down the LDs over Ms. Ruth¡¯s kidnapping, expecting the LDs to revolt. At which time Mr. Davies¡¯ would stop producing synthmeat.¡± There would be a war,¡± Klein stated. Yes, sir. That was Tristan and Mr. Davies¡¯ plan. Start a war. Rid the world of a bunch of LDs and LAs. Then start producing synthmeat and settle the entire situation. To their benefit.¡± That¡¯s horrible,¡± Klein said. It¡¯s actually worse,¡± Keaton said. ¡°Davies had business and government friends who were ready to help manage the new arrangement. They are still out there and ready to ¡®manage¡¯ things. They are why Ms. Davies needs your help.¡± What can I do?¡± Klein asked. The government would never let her have that much authority over who controls so much power,¡± Klein stated. ¡°Everyone will want it!¡± That¡¯s why you are her choice for the job, Joe,¡± Keaton said and added a wink. Oh...¡± Klein said letting out a long breath. Then he said, ¡°I¡¯m sure we can figure someway to work this out so that Ms. Davies maintains her personal safety.¡± Great,¡± Keaton added. ¡°I told her you would be the man who could help her.¡± Keaton paused then said, ¡°And she wants Mr. Martin in jail for a very long, long time.¡± I agree with her,¡± Klein stated. ¡°He should be. It looks to me like he and Mr. Davies were trying to pull off some kind domestic terrorist plot. One of those ¡®false flag¡¯ things you hear about. Now, I can¡¯t speak for any House or Senate committee, but it sounds to me like my nephew is in a lot of trouble from a lot of directions. We¡¯re lucky this young lady was brave enough to stop it all by herself.¡± Thank you, Mr. Klein,¡± Ruth said. No, thank you, Ms. Davies. You have done the United States a great service. A service they, we, will never be able to repay.¡± Chapter 34 Alice¡¯s. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° He grinned as he sat the plate down and then refilled the coffee cup. ¡°Does everything look okay?¡± ¡° ¡°