Can You Catch My Heart

Can You Catch My Heart

Book One Buckets Of Blessings

Chapter Ten

By

Retta Michaels

Disclaimer: If your laws do not allow you to read this story, then don't. All the rest of you people who read it, if you think it's true, boy, have I investment opportunities for you!

Notes From Retta:

The chapter is going to have a lot of emotional and psychological issues in it.

There are subject matters in the upcoming chapters (10, 11, & 12) which are rather graphic. The sexual abusive situations Lance experienced are real. Even though they might seem fictional because of the cruelty involved, they actually happened. I'll tell you now so you don't think I'm an author with a demented mind. For me to work through what happened to me, I had to put them on paper.

And no, the violent incidents in this story are fictional even though I wish some were true. You'll see which I'm referring, so please read and enjoy.

Chapter 10:

Joan patted my hand and said, "Hon, why don't you take us to Steak N Shake with you. I hate to think what our hill is going to be like, so if it's ok with Mark and the boys, we'll stay at the funeral home."

Mark said, "Hon, I'm fine with it, what about you boys?"

Jake said, "I don't care. I'm supposed to get a phone call in the morning, but I've got my cell phone with me, so I'm fine wherever I am."

Mark said, "I'm fine. Where we going to sleep?"

Downstairs in the basement, we've got three full size roll away beds. My office has one the sofa in my office is another, the sofa in the apartment makes out and then, Gregg and Heather have the bed. We'll have enough.

"You plan on having a bunking party?" Ty laughed

"Did I mention the government auction?" I laughed

Joan laughed and said, "Mark, did he tell you the deals he got there?"

"Yes dear, we need to get the site addresses so we can go."

"Ok, just email me for the address and I'll get you the link."

As we drove through town, not a creature seemed to be stirring, not even a cop car. When we pulled up at Steak N Shake, I said, "Drive through or Walk In?"

"Let's go in" Gregg said. "They'll be happy to see a customer the way it looks."

We all piled out and the snow was piled up against the door. No one had been in to eat in a while it looked, but it was open. What was interesting, was there wasn't any one at the counter."

Joan said, "Anyone here?"

"There has to be, maybe they're taking a break. We'll figure out what we want and then I'll give a whistle."

Ty stood in front of me and leaned against me. He said, "You want to share fries?"

"If we get two bunches, I'm starving."

"You ate four times today!"

"Yeah, I must be preggers."

He laughed and Heather started laughing. She said, "Ty, you'll learn he could eat a horse and still go out for a cheeseburger. He must have a hollow leg."

"Nope, I checked." he said.

"Which one?"Gregg asked

Ty started laughing and said, "All of them...ok?"

We started laughing and I said, "I'm going to have that biggest burger there with cheese and the cheese fries and top it off with that chili. Other than that, I'm having a shake."

Ty said, "I'm having cheese fries, chili, and a regular burger."

Everyone came up with what they wanted and I said, "Ok, get ready of the whistle."

I let loose with a whistle and still no one was coming. "Well guys, ready to cook? I'll cook, and we'll leave the money on the counter. They're supposed to be open 24 hours."

I went around the counter and went towards the back I saw an office and two people making out. I knocked on the door and they both jumped. "Hey, when you got some time, wash your hands and come wait on customers."

"What are you doing back here?"

"I could ask the same thing, because you're getting paid to work.."

"Well if you want to have a problem, you can leave"

"If I leave, I'll be sitting in the parking lot calling the owner and insist on him getting in here to cook my food. I bet he will because he'll be told my next phone call is to the health department for his employees not wanting to wash their hands. So, get up and get an order."

"Dude, I can't?"

"Why the hell not?"

"The person who's in here doesn't want you to know who it is?"

"IF I know them, they'll have an ass chewing coming just the same. Now, what's the issue?"

"I'll wait on you and then cook the food."

"Ok, wash your hands first."

"Ok"

He began washing his hands. I stood by him and said, "Listen, it's not my concern what you do. Hell, I would have probably done the same thing. Who thought you'd have customers in the middle of a blizzard, but that's when we got hungry. I'll over look it if you will."

He smiled and said, "No problem."

"Why's your partner got an issue?"

He looked at me and said, "If you must know, it's a guy."

"Well, then what the hell's the problem? I don't care what you do as long as you wash your hands. Get him on out here. Three of us are gay out front."

"How many's out there?"

"Nine"

"Just a minute"

"Jeremy, get on out here and wash your hands, there's a bunch of them."

Jeremy came out and looked embarrassed. I didn't recognize him.

"As far as those people are concerned up there, you two were taking a nap. All I'm thankful for was you two weren't laying back here dead. That wouldn't have been good."

I walked back up and said, "Guys, we'll have food in a minute."

"What were they doing?"

"Taking a nap. I don't blame them really."

Ty gave me a look and then Jeremy came forward wiping his hands. He gave a nervous smile and his focus rested on Ty and then stayed on little Mark. I could tell Jeremy was in lust.

I thought to myself, "Start giving the order, or we'll be here all night" So, that's what I did.

Jeremy began taking the order and then, everyone else gave theirs. I threw out the plastic and paid. I said, "We'll be back here sitting. Give us a yell when it's done."

We went back and sat. Ty said, "You just got one off, but I didn't believe it."

"That's the story and I'm sticking to it."

"He wasn't rubbing sleep out of his eyes."

"Must be a light sleeper."

"Must be something....."

Little Mark sat across from us and said, "That's Jeremy Patterson and the other guy is Chance Brewer. They were on my baseball team."

Ty said, "Did they get many home runs?"

Little Mark looked at him and smiled. "Why?"

Ty looked at me and said, "...They must've been .....asleep back there...or something."

Little Mark started laughing and said, "They looked too nervous to sleep."

I chuckled and said, "Guys, they washed their hands. That's all I asked."

Ty said, "Good thing."

Little Mark said, "So, you think?"

I interrupted before Ty could say a thing. "Yeah, the cheese fries are good."

Ty said, "Ok,"

Little Mark said, " Really?"

I gave him a look like drop it and he said, "Well......" In a preacher lady imitation.

"We'll talk later."

Ty chuckled and said, "I bet they don't. They'll probably go back there and finish their....nap."

Little Mark started laughing again. He leaned closer and said, "When I go up there, Jeremy is getting my phone number. If I had known that......man."

"You like him?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well, ask for a Takhoma sak. "

"I would, but they might be together."

"Or, they might be just taking a nap" said Ty.

"Ty, drop it."

He looked at me and said, "I would, but....."

"But what?

"Ok..."

Little Mark said, "Tell him."

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing."

"Tyson, bathroom."

He looked at me and I said, "Come on, let's go."

He gave me a look and I said, "Come on"

We went to the bathroom and I said, "Ok, what's going on."

"Chance was my first, but it wasn't by choice."

"What do you mean?"

"He found out about me and he told me if I didn't do things with him, he'd spread it all over school."

"What?"

"Yeah, Mark knows what happened, so I made it a point of trying to tell him there might be something more going on back there than voluntary sex."

"Oh man. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I hate the guy and he knows it. After I did what I did with him, I went to Mark and told him. Then, together we went to Chance and told him that if he spread anything, we'd put the word out that Chance wanted it. So, Chance agreed to back off."

"So, do you think Jeremy was voluntarily doing it?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I don't know what to do. A huge part of me wants to beat the hell out of him and another part of me wants to ask Jeremy if it was voluntary and if it wasn't, then go back and beat the hell out of him. Either way, you get the point of what I want to do to the guy."

"Yeah, so, let's let little Mark give Jeremy the phone number and hope he calls."

"Well, I know Jeremy likes little Mark, that look he got from him was way too long."

"Good, because I know Mark likes him."

"Good, maybe they'll strike something up."

When we went in there, I walked past Jeremy and said, "Hey, do you have any fresh coffee?"

"No, but I can make some up."

"If you do, I'll buy a cup."

"Ok"

I took a look at the price and laid the amount in cash down on the counter. I figured if I laid out the trap, he'd come over to the table.

When I got over to the tables, I said, "Does anyone else want any coffee?"

Mitch said he'd take some and Joan said she'd have some. I went back up to the counter and said, "I'll need two more over there, you might bring some cream and sugar too."

He nodded and I went back over to the table. When I sat down, I said, "The trap is set, so if you want that boy to have your number, you better get prepared."

Mark looked at me and smiled. "I shouldn't."

"Why not, does someone have your ownership papers?"

"No."

"Then, what's holding you back except gravity. He's coming over here. Here's my business card, put it on the back of that and hand it to the guy. Now, when he comes over here, you ask to speak to him privately and see if he's single or if he's with someone. If he's single, then give him that card. If he says he's with someone, then let me know. Ok?"

"What are you going to do?"

"If he's with someone, then so be it. If he's not, then old Chance and I are going to have a talk."

He nodded and Ty said, "Don't do anything."

"Ty, if he's continuing what he did with you, then he needs to be taught a lesson so it doesn't take his butt to prison. He might think flipping burgers is fun, but he won't when that's the only job he can get when he gets out."

We sat there and soon enough, Jeremy brought out the three cups of coffee. He handed me mine and said, "Where do the others go?"

"That man there in the gray suit and the woman in the yellow dress suit."

Jeremy smiled at me and somehow, I think he new I was gay by referring to Joan's outfit as a dress suit.

When he was done, I said, "Jeremy, I need some sugar twin here, do you have some?"

"Sure, I'll be right back."

I gave Mark a look and said, "You gonna do it?"

"He didn't stick around long enough."

"Ok, how about if I ask him to park it next to you?"

"That might get him in trouble with Chance if they're together."

"Hold up, you mean to tell me he can't sit next to someone because a customer asked him too? What sort of relationships are you involving yourself?"

Mark looked at me shocked and I said, "In my job Mark, I see men and women naked, the second Ty tells me I can't, is the day I tell Ty he needs to grow the fuck up. Now, if that's what you're in, then grow up and lose the "you can't" stuff with a man. The second you give up your independence is the moment you should have had your head examined. Don't ever let a man tell you what to do."

Ty said, "Why, you just did."

"And, if he listened, he'll use the advice."

Joan came over and said, "Lance, regarding tomorrow, do you think it's going to snow too much?"

"I don't know, your guess is as good as mine."

She looked at me and said, "Would you come outside with me?"

"Sure"

We went outside and she said, "I heard what you said and I don't know how to say thank you more. I tried to tell him the same thing and he thought I was being intrusive. Do you know that boy he was seeing wanted him to stay there with him and not come home to be with family when they needed him?"

"No, I wasn't aware of it, that's stupid."

"Yeah, the guy doesn't have the balls enough to come get to know us but thought he was man enough to tell Mark he couldn't come home. I told Mark if he wasn't on that plane, the next one landing would be mine to come get him so he better be on it."

"Why does he think he has to be subservient to a man?"

"I don't know. He sure didn't learn that at home. We share the responsibilities and we communicate. He knows that, but someplace he's come up with that thought."

"Well, what we're doing in there is Mark likes the kid working behind the counter. To be honest, I went back there and caught them making out. Then, I found out the cook made Ty do things for him in school by threatening him. Ty's virginity was given up by sexual abuse."

"Oh my."

"Yeah, I want to go back there so bad and snap that kid's neck you don't even begin to know how bad."

"I understand. Why didn't Ty say something?"

"He did. He told Mark and he and Mark went and told the guy that if the guy spread rumors around school, then they'd spread the rumor it was him that was forcing kids to do things."

"So, Mark knew?"

"Yeah, the guy did it to Ty and then told Ty if he didn't do it again, he'd tell everyone Ty was gay. So, Ty asked Mark what he should do and Mark helped him out."

"That's rape?"

"Yeah, but in our state, there's a fine line when force and coercion are different. So, it's sexual abuse. Stupid law huh."

"Yeah, no wonder you're upset."

"Yeah, so now we're trying to find out if that kid Jeremy is being forced to do things."

"Oh.....what are you going to do if he is?"

"I'll tell you. I'll go back there and give that kid a lesson he won't forget. He'll find out what it feels like."

"No, that will possibly cost you your license. What we'll do is we'll tell Jeremy to get his coat and that he's coming with us. Then, we'll report him to management."

"That doesn't do anything but get Chance fired. He needs to know he's got the law to answer to.....hold up a moment, let me see if Ben's available"

"He might be, but I'll tell you there's no way he'll come out in weather like this."

"We didn't tell him what kind of steak, or when it would be. We're at Steak N Shake, so if he wants it, he better get here."

"Ooh you're sly" she giggled. "Give him a call and tell him the laughter in the background is mine. Now, let's get back in there."

"Ok"

We went back in and Mark had Jeremy sitting at the table. The three were talking animatedly. When I got over there, I sat down and said thanks for the sugar twin. Jeremy was laughing away and I said, "Ty, what's the answer to that question I asked a moment ago?"

He looked at me and said, "I think it's what I knew in high school."

"Ok, then one moment, I'll make a phone call."

"Who are you calling?"

"Ben"

"huh?"

"Ben"

"Ben who?"

"remember the phone call in the Escalade and his position?"

Ty looked at me and then I saw a light turn on. But, when it did, he looked at me like he was wondering what I was thinking.

"Remember how I told him I owed him a steak dinner?"

"Yeah"

"Where are we at?"

"Steak n.....Oh! You Dog! That's good."

"So, I didn't tell him when I'd give him that steak dinner nor did I say where it'd be. So, if he wants a steak dinner, I'll buy."

"That's terrible."

"Well, you know I'll have Ben do some convincing while he's here "

"Yeah, he'd probably do some good."

"well, it's either that, or Ben will be used for his other position. I really don't care."

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Ben's number. It rang three times and he answered. "This better be good."

'Oh it is. How the hell are you?"

"Who the hell is this?"

"Lance."

"Lance, are you drunk? Do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, it's time for that steak dinner I owe you."

At one am in the morning!"

"Yeah, I didn't say when it'd be, nor where it would be held. So, Joan and I will buy if you'll come."

"Where the hell you at? There's no steak places open this time of night?"

"Oh yeah there is. It's open 24 hours."

"Bullshit. The closest truck stops a half hour's drive"

"No, this is in town. I believe it's called Steak n Shake. I guess you can get a shake there too."

He started laughing and said, "I'll get a shake alright. It's called my left hand meeting my right hand around your neck. Now let an old man get some sleep."

"Oh bull, you're not old and besides I need a favor."

"Can't it wait?"

"Not really. That's why I'm calling. You're the only person that can do this the way it needs done."

"What the hell?"

"I can't tell you but did they give you a book of charges you could file on someone?"

"Yeah."

"Bring that too."

"What!"

"I'll tell you when the vic isn't sitting directly across from me."

"Oh. I'll be there."

"Thanks"

"You better buy me a three quarter pound with cheese fries and shake. Have it ready and I'll be there."

"Ok Joan said to tell you the giggling in the background is her. She thinks this is the best steak she's ever bought someone."

"Tell her you're buying because I know she can afford the real thing. Come to think of it, you can too. Now."

"Well, old habits die hard. Are you getting dressed or are you gracing us with the bunny pajamas."

"What!"

Joan started laughing and said, "Tell him I've voted for the pajamas."

Joan says she's voted for the pajamas."

"Like hell. You tell that woman she's too young to see the pajamas I wear."

"Oh, ok, I didn't know they made birthday suits in that size."

He started laughing and said, "Kid, I'm on my way there now. You better start making snow balls because the war will be on."

I rang off and she turned looking at me and said, "No pajamas huh?"

"No, he said we're too young to see the pajamas he wears. Nearest I can figure he's got one of the first edition birthday suits."

"Oh no! The kind that the elastic went out around the waist?"

"Yeah, But I thought they recalled those for defects!"

"He's got those alright!"

We laughed and she said, "Oh man, He'll never forgive us."

"Well, with the hours we keep, how else were we going to get him that steak!"

"You know we'll never hear the end of this. From now on, he'll offer us a steak dinner and then be sure to tell everyone how cheap we are."

We laughed and she said, "He's on his way?"

"Yeah, He's happy to do it for us."

"Good"

Gregg came over and said, "Are we ready to leave yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Ok, so we're to sit here all night?"

"Gregg, All I can say is we're waiting on someone to get here."

"Who? In case you haven't noticed, it's a blizzard outside."

"Ty, excuse us for a moment. Gregg, follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to the bathroom because when you hear why we're staying, you're going to shit."

"Ok, but I might be asleep."

"I'd be willing to bet you come awake for this one."

When we stepped into the bathroom, he said, "What's up?"

"Did you recognize the guys working here?"

"I don't know they're names but Ty used to hang around the one in the kitchen."

"Do you know why Ty stopped hanging around him?"

"No"

"If I told you he found out Ty was gay and blackmailed him to do things for him sexually, would that keep you awake?"

"WHAT!"

"Yeah, the guy got Ty's virginity by making Ty give him head. He told Ty he'd tell it around that he's gay if he didn't do it."

"Oh that son of a bitch!"

"Yeah, so, guess what? When we got here tonight, the kid Jeremy that I've been keeping out front was being made to give the guy head in the office back there. So, we're staying here until I can get help here because if I go back there, they guy's neck is gonna get snapped."

"It might if you don't go back there because I'll do it."

"No, we're letting someone that will turn his head to some things come in and speak with him."

"Who's that?"

"Remember me talking with Joan about the guy that's investigating things for me?"

"Yeah, but you didn't say who he was."

"Well, he's got a badge and he's like the only guy in our county that can arrest the Sheriff. He can arrest people without being the police. So, he's coming in."

"Oh, now I get it"

"Yeah, put the fear of God in him and then that guy is learning a lesson. Arrest him or get him fired and he's not learned a thing except he's pissed off and that's likely not going to get him to stop doing this to people."

"So, we're waiting on this guy to get here and have a talk with him. Then, what are we going to do with his co-worker."

"Well, what I think is that kid in there is going to suddenly find himself with a better job."

"So, he rides out of here with us?"

"Yeah. Otherwise, the other has to leave. My thought is it's better to explain it away that he got a better job than the other got arrested."

"Ok, so I'll tell Heather sex is off tonight."

"Like you've missed out ten times today."

"We have!"

"Try getting some and then getting interrupted four times by the phone ringing to go get a dead person. Then, when you've got time, and want to get laid, Heather comes down all bright and cheerful because she's got some and we're ready to blow balls."

"Ooh...bad timing huh."

"Timing! Shit, it's been that way for us most of the time! The other day, guess who shows up when I'm chasing him around the house naked!"

"Oh man, sorry."

"That one was ok, but every time since then, someone or something has interrupted. I'm about to lock us in someplace and not answer doors telephones or nothing until I get some. Then, I come in here and even the Steak N Shake guy is getting some."

"Why don't you call him in here and I'll keep bus outside. That'd be kinky."

"Just about the time I did, then Ben would be here and then I'd be blue again. Just promise me we'll get a chance to get us some time before the week's end. Or, I'll start keeping everyone else awake and none will be getting some until I do."

"Oh man...we'll get you laid."

"No, it's your brother's turn."

"Oh man, I so didn't want to hear that."

"Don't you take turns?"

"Dude, I'm a guy. It's always the same!"

"Oh man, you don't know what you're missing. You gotta let her have a go at it."

"You gotta be shitting me!"

"Yeah I am, but the look on your face was priceless."

"Asshole!"

We went outside and he went up to Heather and said, "Lance says we're supposed to take turns having sex with each other."

"What?"

"Yeah, he says it was his turn last and the next time is Ty's. So, he asked me when it was my time and yours. I tried to tell him it was always the same, but he said you should get a turn."

She said, "LANCE!"

"Yes dear."

"How am I supposed to take my turn?"

"I thought you knew!"

"Knew what!"

"Oh man, I can't teach a girl how to have sex. I'm gay! Ask someone else."

Joan and Mark said, "We're not getting in this one."

Mitch said, "No, not me, I told Gregg the bird and the bees, but I never told him nothing like that. I've never taken a turn in my life."

She was cracking up and said, "Gregg, over here on the table now."

He said, "Not here!"

"Well then you don't get your turn." She through her hand on her hip and sat down. "Lance, anytime you tell him something like that again, you're going to have to demonstrate it with me. SO there!"

"Ok sis. I thought you two played librarian the other night and he checked out naughty and nasty. Didn't he read them!"

Everyone really got to laughing and even Jeremy was laughing.

"I told him to read me a bedtime story but we never made it past the porridge."

"Oh man, I don't want to hear this."

Just then, Ben came in and I told Jeremy. "Quick get that man a ¾ lb cheeseburger with cheese fries and whatever shake he wants. I'm paying."

Ben came over and plopped down on the seat next to Mark showering everyone with snow. "The next time I get woke up at one am to go get a steak dinner, it better be a real steak in a real restaurant and it better not be snowing."

"Ok Ben. It was all Joan's idea."

"Mine!"

"Yeah, you know how she gets. If she doesn't get her milkshake by 2 am, we're all in trouble. So, blizzard or not, we get drug out."

Joan got up and came over. I'll have you know I had coffee. You had the shake."

"Oh....well that was because I was starving. Let me go talk to Ben while he's waiting on his sandwich."

Ben and I went across the restaurant and I said, "The reason we're here is because we decided to go out and eat. Then, when we get here I catch the cook catching head from the counter guy. Ty and Mark over there went to school with them and Ty used to be friends with the cook until the guy found out Ty was gay and started making Ty do things for fear of the guy running around school telling everyone Ty's gay. So, fast forward, I catch them doing it in here and the guy up front said the cook's coercing him to do sexual favors for him."

"Oh, so you called me and woke me up"

"Yeah, you have a badge and you can arrest people, but you can also kind of give someone a warning ticket to shape up or you'll send the ticket on to the prosecutor to press charges. Right?"

"Yeah, but the way I feel is they guy needs to go ahead and be arrested. If he's done it before and he's done it again, I'm sure there's a whole line of guys in between he's done this to."

"Yeah, and the only way I could think to stop him was to pull the same shit on him, but that'd cost my my license."

"Yeah, I understand. I'd love to slap the little punk around myself. So, what I'll do is I'll wait until he cooks my steak and then I'll let you pay for it and then, I'll pull him over and talk with him. What do you want me to do after that?"

"Tell him his boy toy isn't going to stay and he needs to find an excusable reason for the guy to leave and go home. Then, tell him each and every time he sees anyone he has forced to have sex, he better not be thinking about anything with them until he returns the favors to everyone."

Ben looked at me and said, "That could be rough for me to say."

"I'll say it, but his eyes will be bugging out of his head when I do it because he'll be getting shaken baby syndrome."

"Ok, that wouldn't be good."

"I'll sit over here and I'll talk. I've got a few things I need to say to him in regards to Ty. I'll let him know what he's done to Ty psychologically, and let him think about what he'll have done to him psychologically in prison."

"I think you're hiring the wrong one for the funeral home if you want my opinion. What you're doing is drawing in the one that's been abused but leaving the abuser out there and hoping he'll give his word and change. To be honest, that's not going to happen. He'll say what you want him to say while you're here, then when you're gone, he'll be on the next vic. My advice is to hire him and leave the other be while you work on him."

"That's not going to do me any good because Ty was a victim. I'll tell you now that if I ever come in and Ty's swinging on his dick, I'll kill him and there won't be a thought about it."

"No, that wouldn't be good either. But we really need him watched closer."

"One second." I paused, "Mitch, could you come here for a moment?."

"Sure. What's going on?"

"Mitch, I'd like for you to meet Ben. Ben's the county Coroner."

Mitch gave a start and said, "What's going on?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with, but I need to ask you a blind favor. When we're a safe distance away, I'll give you the particulars, but I don't want to do it here."

"Ok, what do you need?"

"Well, first of all, what's the lowest paying job you have with the distributorship?"

"I don't know. They all pay pretty decent. I'd say we probably have one for ten an hour, but I doubt if there's one that low."

"Oh. Well, could you create one that's like a little over nine an hour and then have a graduating pay scale?"

"Sure, but that's not a usual request."

"Well, what I've got is someone that I don't want making a lot of money to start and I don't want him eating beans either. What I want is for him to think it looks inviting enough to jump ship and come over, but I want him to be close enough to watch regularly."

"That would be in the office. What we have there are the secretarial and the various management positions."

"No, that won't do. All I can see is trouble being borrowed there. What about an assistant to the shop foreman out there. That guy looked pretty decent."

"Yeah, We know he'll be here, but I don't know if he'll need help."

"Well, you're the boss. Tell him he needs an assistant that he can dog out and keep an eye on."

"So, you want me to hire someone so he can be dogged out?"

"Well, I don''t want his job being fun. The whole goal is he can work somewhere so he can have an eye kept on him."

"Ok, care to elaborate."

"Well, we have someone that if you heard the circumstances you'd be screaming for the person to be sent to prison. Ben here is usually level headed and he doesn't even want to speak with the person. He wants to arrest him and throw his sorry ass in jail. In some circumstances, jail doesn't help someone. All it does is makes that person more careful not to get caught. This person has multiple victims, and his last was at his employment. What we need is him kept an eye on, to learn a lesson and for him to still have a life."

"What did he do?"

"Mitch, this is a super gray area."

Ben looked over and said, "Just tell him. You're asking the man to employ him and he needs to know what he's buying."

"Ok, in the law, there's rape and there's sexual assault, and sexual abuse. What the difference is is the amount of force and the type of force. I could come over throw you down on the ground and it'd be rape. Or, I could come over and said, "Mitch, I know you want me. I'm going out and tell everyone you're gay and then your business will be ruined and your life will really suck if you don't get together with me. The moment that you and I do something sexually, that's sexual abuse. The force is different. It's not direct physical, but mental and emotional. Then, there's sexual assault where I come over and I grab your dick, or fondle you, or caress you in a way that is sexual without sex. One of these is what the person did and he's done it several times. What he needs is an eye kept on him so he doesn't get it off and he needs someone that can come by regularly and say, "Things still going good?" But to listen if they're not."

"Ok, I'm getting you now."

"Yeah, and I'm going to tell you now you're not going to like who one of his victims is, but I can't have you being judge, jury, and executioner on this."

"Oh....kay.... so why do you want this person around me?"

"There's no place else to put him."

"Oh my God....what did he do to Ty?"

"Mitch.......If I can stay sane and attempt to help him, then you can too. Gregg wanted to snap the dude's neck, so that's why I can't have him in the office. He'd be seen regularly there, but the moment you asked Gregg if they guy was doing ok, Gregg wouldn't give a biased answer. I need you to know that a biased answer will send this guy to prison because your chance is his last option."

"Ok, I'm trusting you here, but Ty's not going to like it."

"Ty's not at the beer distributorship daily and isn't out in the back. Even if he's out there, he won't be seeing the guy all the time."

"Ok, so you want him where he's around all guys and learns appropriate behavior in the workplace?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, Now, since this just came up, I'd say its one of the two guys working here. Is it the one over there sitting at the table?"

"No, that's the latest victim. When I went back there, the cook was involved in sexual activity with that kid. The kid says it was a situation similar to Ty's where blackmail was used."

"So you're telling me the guy extorted sex by blackmailing Ty."

"Yeah, it happened and when the guy attempted to try it again, Ty went to Mark Jr and got him to go with him to tell the guy the blackmail wouldn't work. It ended Ty's friendship with the guy."

"I sure hear that, but how does Ty feel about this plan?"

"I haven't asked him. He knows I'm up to something but he also knows I want to snap the guy's neck. If I dared go back there and do what the guy does to other people, then I'd lose my license and it'd cure the guy. BUT, I imagine mine would be rape because I'd lay my hands on him."

"And I'm to trust you in all this?"

"Trust me, or we fuck the kid's world up. Now, we can do that, and all we're going to have in about three years is someone coming out of prison pissed off at us and this family. How much damage can one person do that's pissed off out there where you work? Because I can tell you how much damage he can do to my business with just his mouth and telling it around what's true between he and Ty."

"Oh"

"Yeah, truth has a double edged sword quality. He's not lying because Ty did it. But, he's not telling the whole truth. Now, just imagine if he starts going out and telling people who are saying good things about the funeral home that Ty sucked his dick. No, I won't like it and the guy will probably be speaking through wires, but he's telling the truth. So, do we put him in jail and piss him off? Or, do we put him under our eye and let him know we know and there's not going to be another victim? One, his payment to society is over in three years, and the other, his payment to society and us is for as long as he works there."

"Ooh, now I see what you're getting at. He's making more money there, so he thinks it's a step up when it's really a step into the trap. He's not making as much money as he would in a normal position, so when he gets a promotion, it's not costing me a dime but is giving him what I would have given him had he came in off the streets. Then, daily or so I go out and just remind him he needs to be decent by asking him a question and if I get any bad reports, his option B kicks in. That's smart."

"Yeah, so will you do it?"

"Yeah, but you're going to explain to the the boys what I just did. They're not going to like it one bit."

"I know, but I think they'll understand."

"So, what are you doing about the victim? It seems like the other kid is getting the best end of this?"

"No, because that kid over there is going to come to work for Ty and I. Ty and he can identify with the same things and the kid can be more accessible to the family because something just tells me, that's your nephews new lover. Both like each other and the way they look at each other tells me they really would be good together."

"Oh good. Joanie will be happy."

"Yeah, now, would you do me another really huge favor?"

"Yeah, Would you tell Ty to drive you all back to the funeral home and bring me a blanket and pillow. It's going to be a long night."

"What are you doing?"

"That kid and the other one need to be talked with and then, I'm not letting them out of my site until their shift is over. Both can then give notice and quit, but neither one is going to get a chance to do anything again here."

"Ok"

"Ben, would you stick around for a bit and see how I do this?"

"Sure, I'm watching how you do this. It's amazing because what you do is like those demolition contractors do that do those big implosions. You go around and put everyone in their place doing their jobs and when you get the go ahead, you detonate and it looks like you did something miraculous. All you did was let people work."

"Yeah, and that's the secret. Give people reasons to do things and they'll do them. I can't explain it because I don't hide anything I do, but the way it goes is I tell everyone their parts and they do them and when the end result happens, even they are impressed. What I'm doing is I'm going to talk to that kid over there first and tell him my reasons for not wanting him to work here any longer and offer him a job at the funeral home. He'll make more money and he'll be happy because he'll have little Mark as a lover. Little Mark will be happy because he's got a real fucked up idea of what a relationship consists of and he'll have someone that won't play into that."

"What's little Mark's idea of a relationship."

"The rough cut of it is emotional slavery. I can't love you unless I'm your servant and you dictate to me how to run my life sort of shit."

"Oh man, and that just leads to abuse."

"Yeah, So putting them together will put two that aren't type A's. They'll give each other room and build it the way it should."

"Do you think it will work?"

"Yeah, I do, but if it doesn't, it was a better chance than what they had apart."

He nodded and said, "You do this continually, don't you?"

"It seems that way. The players change, but almost every funeral has things that need to be done and people that need help. It's amazing how many people there are out there that don't know how to get a scope on their lives. I help those that want help and those that don't see the others getting better and then they want help themselves. The ones that don't need any help in the first place don't tend to stick around. Mark and Joan over there don't need one moment of help. Jake there didn't need anyone to gently guide and nurture him. All it took was about forty five minutes of conversation. Little Mark, his help isn't direct. It's from afar. Gregg, he needed a strong role model and someone who would wake him up. Ty. Ty's someone that loves me and needs to be loved. For him, I swam in an ocean of shit and we're all still wading into shore. Tomorrow is the day it all comes home."

"You love it."

"That a question or the answer because yeah, I do. I'll bitch about it, but it's amazing work. What's neat is Ty's learning what it takes beside me and he's now doing it himself. I'm excited for him because he realizes it's not all fun clean work dressed in suits. The other night, out there at that semi, I'll tell you that scared the shit out of him, but you know what? After a shower, he was back out to the hospital getting that pickup with me, so it didn't scare him off."

"That was a mess over there. I still smell blood."

"Peroxide. Take it and sniff it up your nose. It will get it out of your sinuses, plus it will keep you from getting a sinus infection and stop one if it's there."

"Just snort it?"

"Yeah. I use it for that and my ears and swish it around in my mouth. In my shower, it's right next to the liquid soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Ty saw me doing it after that wreck and asked me what I was doing. Just as soon as he heard all the reasons I do it, he was too. He was amazed at how much gunk came out.. I bet you will be too."

"I'll have to try it. That's something I never knew all these years and Lord knows how long I've felt like my eyes have been feeling like they're going to bulge out from all the pressure behind them."

"Yeah, now, my advice is to keep a paper towel near you at your desk because when you first start, you're going to have a lot of release. Once that's gone, you're going t be amazed how much your sense of smell has improved. You know older people say they lose the sense of smell and taste, but most of it is the sense of smell due to clogged sinuses."

"How do you know this?"

"A lady I once delivered newspapers to in a nursing home was a person that I would stop and visit as sort of a break on that paper route. She was an old nurse and she'd tell me what various manufacturers would do with the things we look at today as general staples were new. Peroxide used in the manner for what I told you is what it was intended to be. It cleansed wounds and it was meant to be a preventative instead of just cleansing wounds as it is now. If you use it as the preventative, it will clean your morgue table and all your utensils and help you in your body too."

"I knew some of it, but I didn't know other parts."

"Well, what I do is I clean down with a foaming bottle of peroxide and then follow up with rubbing alcohol that has Glade air freshener in it. Then, my embalming room doesn't smell like a hospital, but is as clean as one."

"You've got a nice set up over there.. When I saw it, I knew you were serious about your job. Some of these places, I'm afraid to go in because they have wooden cabinets in their room. It looks like someone's kitchen, and you just know those cabinets have never been sprayed down and cleaned.. Then there's that place over there on the avenue that when I saw what that guy had, if I was an inspector, I would have shut him down." .

"Yeah, but you know he would be grandfathered in even if it wasn't his own equipment. That home was here in the civil war and who can stop him from using equipment that old?"

"Well it should be against the law."

"You know the laws don't tell us how old the equipment we use can be. So, if working with an enamel bucket with a hose sticking out of it keeps that man happy, then I can't knock him. What bugged me was how dusty, dirty, and unorganized the place was. He came over here and saw mine and nicknamed me the doctor because of all my medical cabinetry. He even got told it came from military surplus. I thought he was making fun of how everything looked like a military hospital until I went over there. Did you realize the man had a phone book laying on top of the body!"

"Yeah, the guy's a little out there, but where it counts, he's got the people's business. He's an institution in this town, so the ones that swear by him all look at you and think "how dare you" when you came into compete against him."

"I'm not competing against him, I'm competing against everyone. The way I look at it, I came in offering but one thing different and that was the size of the chapel. Since then, I've found people are blown away by my attentiveness. I figured everyone would give that, but I guess they don't."

"Not by a long shot. The "bucket man" as I call him, basicly takes tells them, there's the casket and here's the service. They get their choice of gunmetal or white and that's it. His funeral card has a picture of his funeral home on it and the type is always the same inside. The way I see it, it's a bucket funeral. All you can throw in for seventy nine ninety nine."

"I guess it's less confusing for him to do it that way, but I do know I'm getting customers from him because I'm offering them options. The one that I took from him last week came over because she wanted the handles on her casket in ornate and he told her it wasn't happening with him. Four dollars in his order book is what cost him her business and now she's out there telling everyone who will listen how beautiful the home is."

"It is that. Man, when I walked in and saw that chandelier, I knew it was going to be a treat. I still don't know how you got the walls curved in there."

"When we do the new one up in Quincy, I'll show you. It's not real hard."

"You say that, but I'd beg to differ."

"No, seriously. A sixteen penny nail in the middle and a garden hose with a hole in the middle and at each end. Heather marked at one end while I marked at the other end. The way we got it to be oval is we moved the nail ten feet and mark again. Then, I went in with a tube of lipstick and marked on the floor with it matching the lines and then pressed the plywood down on it so it would be cut. That made the form for the top and the bottom and all that's in between is sixteen foot two by's. What we did was we left out two bys where the insets are and put the dry wall up. If you look close in the middle, you can see where the seam is on the drywall, but it's decent."

"You tell it like it's easy, but how long did it take you?"

"An afternoon of work. Heather helped, but if you must know, not a lot. She gets dust on her and it's over for her. Well, let me go get this guy and tell them it's ok to go. Did you bring your cuffs?"

"Yeah, then do you want to do the honors or me?"

"I will. It's false restraint if you do it."

"Ok"

"I went over to the table and told everyone it would be ok to go. I told Ty to bring me a blanket and a pillow back as I was staying there. He said, "Where you are, I will be."

"Your mom's funeral is tomorrow and I need you to man the phones. Sometime this afternoon, you've got to go over to those people's house and make an appearance. If you don't, they won't think you've helped them a bit."

"Ok, but we're getting the kid's this afternoon."

"Yeah, and with no school, we can get them sooner, but there's no time. So, what we'll do is we'll keep it scheduled for when we have it."

"Ok, I'll go get that, but I'm bringing two back."

"Ok, but you'll need more sleep than me."

"I don't know how you do it."

"I eat and I take vitamins when I need it. When I sleep, I sleep and allow the system to shut down and then pull it back up. It gets rested and it gets what it needs until the next time it needs to be down longer. Fortunately, I got a lot of rest the other night, so I can go like this."

"When, because it sure hasn't been since we've been together."

"Friday night."

"Five days ago isn't the other night. You need to shut it down."

"Ok, how about tonight?"

"Ok, but that's still twenty hours away."

"I'll take naps and so will you. Now go so everyone else can get some rest."

They left and Jeremy looked at me like he was feeling really helpless. I said, "Did Ty talk with you?"

"Yeah, but I know this isn't going to go good for me."

"It will, you go back into the office while we do this."

"Ok"

"Chance, could you come out here for a moment bud?"

"Yeah, what do you need?"

"This guy over here would like to speak with you."

"Who's he?"

Ben stood up and flashed his badge, "Chance Brewer, you're under arrest."

"What for?"

"For sexual abuse in the third degree and sexual abuse in the second degree and as we investigate, we'll see how many other counts we can get."

"What are you talking about?"

"You have the right to remain silent....."

I went back to speak with Jeremy. When I went into the office, I said, "Jeremy, do you know how to cook here? No, but it's not hard. I know where everything is. Why? You want something else?"

"No, if he doesn't cooperate out there he will go to jail and he will face the charges. Now, what I want you to think about is coming to work for me and Ty. As you know, we're gay and we run the funeral home. What we need is someone that can work detailing the cars help keeping the place maintained. Ty will need an assistant, and he can show you what needs done. I'll tell you right now, Ty's not a part of the bargain. But, I'll also tell you little Mark likes you and I think you'd be good for him. Either way, what it pays is ten bucks an hour to start and you'll have a vehicle to drive and benefits. Is that ok?"

"yeah"

"We'll also need to get you measured for suits. I'll pay for them and I'll have them cleaned, but if you quit working, they're yours. The London fog jacket though, I keep. I can use that for other people that greet."

"Wow, is it hard work?"

"Do I look like I work hard?"

"No"

"Then you'll be doing everything I do but embalming. Whatever you don't feel comfortable with, is what you'll do."

"Kewl. I won't see a lot of gross stuff will I?"

"I doubt it. That's not going to be a part of your job."

"Ok"

"Here's my card. I will need you to come and fill out some papers, but you've already got the job. Now, I've got to go out here and deal with Chance."

I went back up front and Ben had Chance sat with handcuffs behind him. He said, "That police car coming?"

"They said it would be a while....the weather and all. The other guy's ok, he told me some more."

I turned to look at Chance and said, "So, I hear you get off on blackmailing people. I hear you get off on getting your dick sucked when you have something over on someone. I hear you did the to Ty and you did the same to Jeremy. How many other people have there been?"

"I ain't talkin' to you."

"Ooh bad answer. You can talk to me or I'll talk to a lot of other people. There's your boss. There's your parents. There's your team mates. There's your school. And, there's the press. Since you've been arrested for two, I can go on television and tell everyone else that might've been assaulted by you what your name is and what you did and then have them all come forward. What I'll tell you now Chance is one more person comes forward and that's three separate incidents. When that happens, that's going to change a whole lot of things. First of all, all those charges instantly move up to first degree. That carries a life in prison penalty. Then, each additional charge adds twenty years onto that life. You're what? Nineteen? Let me tell you life in our state right now is fifty years. Of that, you'll have to serve thirty seven. So, you'll be fifty six when you get out. For each person, that gets you twenty added on, that's another twelve for each twenty you'll have to do. One is sixty eight. Two is eighty. Now, take a look at that and tell me how long it's going to take in there before you who likes getting his dick sucked is sucking dick and getting fucked up the ass because I'll tell you now, with you being young and good looking, some old dude is going to tag that ass regularly."

"I can get a lawyer."

"Then, by all means do. Are you aware how much they cost? For this, he's going to charge you ten grand just to speak to you. When it goes up to the third charge and these all go first degree, he's going to bump that to thirty grand. For each count, he's going to rip you a new one of fifteen. And, guess what? He'll expect that up front and each new count stops his progress until you pay up for the next. So, you got sixty grand laying around? Or, do you feel lucky with a public defender? If you ask me, that was expensive fucking head."

"My mom and dad will pay."

"Your mom and dad are going to look at you and say, "You want me to put my house up so you can get some head? Fuck you kid." If they're smart, they'll cut their losses and deny they even know your ass.. So save me some time and tell me how many victims you really have."

He looked at me and I could tell what I was saying was really working into his skull.

"Hold that thought, "I'm going to go call and see what the fuck's taking them so long and see how emotionally damaged this one in here is."

I went into the back and said, "Jeremy, what I want you to do is go out there and tell him what you feel with as much anger as you feel. He's handcuffed and I want him to know what it felt like to be used like that. How many times did this happen and how many other people do you know he did this to?"

"For me, it happened so many times I can't even tell you. At least once or twice a day for the last two years. I do know he did it with four other guys during this time. He'd tell me their names and compare me giving him head to what they did."

"I'll need their names because if he doesn't start talking, he'll wish he did. Now, what I need to tell you is I'm trying to work this out for the best for you and for him. What he needs is a job where someone can watch him all day long and him not pull any shit. This isn't the place for it. Mitch Truman out there has the beer distributorship and he's got an opening that is under his shop foreman that the guy will tell him even when he can piss and how long it will take him to piss. The guy's decent, but he won't take any shit. What we're doing is we're building an investigation so that if Chance doesn't take that deal, he goes to prison and with that many victims, he's most likely going to be an old old man before he gets out. So, let's go in here and scare the hell out of him."

"Ok"

I went in leading Jeremy and said,. "Jeremy says he wants to say some things to you. He's afraid the language he wants to use won't be allowed in court. What Ben and I are going to do is go outside so we're not witness to if he wants to slap your sorry ass off that chair."

"I'm handcuffed to it."

"Oh damn, so I guess if you start to fall it will snap your wrists. Well, accidents happen. Try staying up on the chair. Come on Ben."

We went outside and he said, "Jesus. You got the bad cop routine down, don't you."

"The problem is if he keeps it up, he's fucked himself. He's got four more victims that Jeremy knows about."

"Let me arrest this piece of shit and get him put away."

"No, because this just turned it up a notch. It's bad because now the kid will have to spend the rest of his life in prison over bullshit."

"It's not your place to care. Let them prosecute and get the scourge away from humanity."

"Ben, let me try this and if I turn to you and say I'm done, then I am done. But until then, ride with me on this. Ok?"

"IF another customer comes in, I'm going to have to take him to jail."

"OK, but I'll have enough advanced notice here to get him to the back."

"Don't do anything illegal."

"I'm not. Right now, I'm trying to save that idiot from himself."

"I know, but he's sure not acting like he wants to go the route he should."

"He's getting there. I can see it's working on him. Now, he's hearing from Jeremy what really has been on Jeremy's mind. When Ty gets back, he's going to hear from Ty. I have to be in there when Ty says something because I taught Ty death blows."

"What the hell man!"

"He said he needed them for self defense. Little did I know this jackass was the one that had him insecure."

"Well tell Ty he has to stay ten feet back because I sure don't want to arrest a victim here for murder."

"You won't. I'll broadside him and have him shoved away before he reaches that kid. Well, the yelling's died down, let's go back in."

When we went in, Jeremy was sitting and crying. I went over and hugged him and said, "It's going to be better now. Thanks for helping me help you. With four more victims, that makes six. He's away for the rest of his life now. Come in here and wipe your eyes."

Jeremy went to the bathroom and I said, "Four more victims. That's life in prison. That's a hundred and five thousand to a lawyer before he'll represent you. That's a hell of a lot for your parents to pay without a refund when you get sent up. Is their house worth that because if it isn't, a bondsman won't touch you if it's been put up for a lawyer. So, you wanna talk?"

"Ain't nothing to say."

"Well, think about it some more because I'm going to think about this. Ben here wants me to see if you're willing to cut a deal, but I don't know. He says you going to prison isn't the best fucking option. I'll tell you now, those people in there will fucking go insane on your ass when they find out you were stupid enough to be put away for the rest of your life over something that would have cost you twenty five bucks at a truck stop. You're the shit legends are made of and you know how the police are going to look at me knowing I got someone put away for life and I'm not even a cop!"

"You're not?"

"No, I'm a funeral director, but he's the Coroner and he can indeed arrest you and he can indeed have you prosecuted without doing the investigation first. It's interesting because if I had called a cop, he would have said, "Oh, let me investigate it and get back with you on that." Then, someplace in the investigation, you would have been notified and had a chance to run to fucking Mexico or Canada. With this way, he can arrest you and hold you until we get the investigation done. A whole lot better because we get your sorry ass off the streets."

Ben said, "Son. This job isn't for you. I've got a friend that will hire you and it will probably give you a raise if you take that job. It's day shift work, so you won't be alone in a restaurant all night and getting yourself into trouble. Your supervisor will ride your ass, but he won't suck your dick. If I can talk to this guy over there and tell him to back off, will you do it?"

"He won't. He knows I'm guilty."

"Hell right you're guilty because Ty doesn't lie! And do you know what else you dumb fuck! I'm Ty's lover and he trusted you. Since then, I've had to work with him in order for him to trust me. I've had to teach him self defense so he will even feel secure around people. You think about that because it's his father that's being kind enough to offer the job. That man believes in you without knowing your case. He stepped in because Ty's brother wants to kill you. Yeah, Gregg, and I think you know he could do it."

"Lance, calm down. Let me talk to him and see if he'll take the job. Let me work with him on some conditions for employment. Because even I'm not going to agree for this guy to be let go and not have anyone to answer to. If we don't, then he'll be back out and getting head from someone else. I don't think it's that. To be honest, I think he's gay and he thinks he has to have control over someone in order to do that. Then, he can walk away and blame it on the other person being gay and being a pussy. But to me, whether you're pitching or you're catching, it's all baseball. So, I don't buy that shit if he thinks he's not gay. Having sexual relations with six men and comparing them to each other says he did feel something and it's more than a mouth."

Ben stopped and then turned to Chance. "Chance, if I can do this, it means you're not going to jail for life, but it does mean you've got to do some things to assure me you're not going to keep doing this. Are you will to agree to this?"

"I don't know man, him not being a fucking cop. How am I supposed to believe you're not pulling my chain."

"Son, are you willing to gamble your freedom because I'll tell you now I am what I say I am. See this badge. That badge there says I can run an investigation without the police being involved. I can pronounce you dead and I can have your ass buried without your family even knowing you're gone. The police won't know and I'll be fully within my job title to do so. They give me that badge because years ago, someone decided the Sheriff needed to have someone run an investigation ran on him and to kill him if necessary. So, they appointed the Coroner. Since then, the law states I have the power of the Sheriff without the pay and without the deputies. I can deputize someone and run an investigation with him. In this book are our state laws. See that statute there? That's the one you violated. See the penalty? They don't give that book to everyone. That's the Coroner's copy. See that law right there? It says I can arrest you. See that one there? I can arrest the Sheriff and if so needed in pursuant to apprehension shoot to kill, maim, or defacilitate that individual. Back in the old days, that meant death when someone was defacilitated. It mean your intestines were cut out. Not a pleasant way to go, but someone had to do it and that's not why I do this job. So son, when you think I'm not real, I am and don't gamble your future that I won't arrest your ass. Believe me, I want you behind bars so badly I can't stand it. To me, there's no hope for you. But, that one over there wants you to have a future."

"Why's he care?"

"I care because I didn't come into this restaurant tonight to fuck up someone's life. But, when Ty tells me he gave his virginity to you because you blackmailed him, I'm not going to stand back and say, "Nice hon" and not want to fuck up your day. Then, you sit there and throw fucking attitude when his dad is trying to help you and they've got a funeral to bury Ty's mom and his wife, I want to just take you out."

"Ok, What's the deal?"

"The deal is I'm going to go home and Lance is going to stay here and see that neither of you kill the other until you get off your shift. Then, you are going to leave your items here that are theirs because you go home and you quit your job."

"I stepped in. On Saturday, you are going to go out there and you're going to put in your application. You will already have the job, but it's a formality. You'll see a bunch of guys there and they'll all be putting in applications too. All of you are hired. We're firing the old bunch and installing the guys you are included with in."

"Now, they'll be applying for all sorts of jobs and you area all getting them. YOU are only to apply for the job as shop foreman's assistant. Mitch created that job for you, and no one else. It pays nine bucks an hour, you get benefits, and you'll have a new Dodge truck that is going to be assigned to you as your vehicle to drive to and from work and to use how you see fit. They're brand new and they're completely loaded. I'm not sure what was decided about sunrooves, but I think they did it."

Ben said, "Can I come to work there?"

"You could and I know he'd hire you but you'd end up running the place."

"I'm not that bad."

"No, that's how much you're liked. Ty was in the truck the day we spoke and he knows you helped get him over twenty five million from those policies. I'm sure the way he and Gregg are now, Gregg was told who you are."

"Gregg doing better now?"

"Yeah, he and Heather are together and he's being a perfect gentleman and he's got his shit together. Were you aware the crime you were holding against him was Mary Lou's son's fault?"

"Oh really? Why'd the kid cover for him?"

"His mom was fucking the guy and he knew if he told you anything his mom would hold it against him. "

"I was on the verge of arresting him for manslaughter but I knew he never had keys to the business out there. Someone had to let him in and I suspected it was mom."

"No, the guy provided it and I imagine Gregg took it to the football game."

"Let me think on that about pressing charges against him. He's not employed any longer and any press releases would say he was summarily dismissed but provided it while employed there. That would make it look like Mitch fired him for that."

I turned to Chance. "Chance, I want you to report to this guy like he's a parole officer. You're not on parole, but you may as well be because if you screw up, he'll arrest you and take you down. What Mitch has said he will do is he will employ you and put you on the pay scale for bonuses. It's nine an hour and then, it's a raise every three months. Don't ask for a raise because you won't get one. If you need money, come to me and I'll get it to you, but you better have a good reason. Buying a car's not going to cut it with me because a truck's provided. Mitch will pay for your college if that's what you want. A college is directly across the road out there, and you can go there and be back in time to be back to work."

He smiled and said, "I couldn't afford college."

"Then come see me and I'll help you earn it. I'll need someone up in Quincy to mind the morgue and it's not a bad job. You can sit there and get paid to study."

"I don't think so."

"Why not. It's babysitting dead people. You don't even have to feed them snacks."

Ben started chuckling and said, "Oh man..." shaking his head.

"What's included with the job up there."

"Well, here's what it is. It's a walk in cooler that holds ninety six caskets. You never have to open one and you don't have to see a dead person at all. All you have to do is be there and answer the phone in case the government calls and says they're bringing in a plane. IF a plane is called and I'm not there, or I can't make it, then take the truck that's up there and use it. All you have to do is go to the airport and receive a casket or more. Then when you come back, you put the casket in the cooler and you put the paperwork away where I can file it. For getting a body, you'll get five hundred extra a week. The pay for that job is eight bucks an hour. However, you do have to be there and you can not have people there. IF you miss a phone call, it's your ass because you've most likely cost me that contract. Without bodies, there's no job. And, don't get head from them."

He gave me a look and said, "Fuck you man."

"Sorry, but that's Ty's job. Step up if you think you're better than him and I'll whip your ass."

Ben said, "Lance, apologize about that remark."

I looked at him and at Chance. "Chance I apologize, but the second I walk in and find you skull fucking someone, I'll be calling him and asking him to get paperwork ready to dispose of a body because your's will be occupying a casket. Got me?"

"I don't need the job, I've got one."

"Good, because here's condition number two. Each friend you have has to be ran my me and Ben."

"Why?"

"Because Jeremy said you've did this four other times while you've been doing him. If you're grooming people to suck your dick, that's going to stop. Don't like that condition? Fuck you go to jail because you're not going to create another victim under my nose. However, if you're dating someone and it's a healthy relationship, then let us know and we'll provide counseling for you so it is a good harmonious fit into your life."

He looked at me and said, "How long do I have to do this?"

"Until we decide you're healthy enough to make decisions based upon meeting your needs and not your sexual fantasies."

"What if I say no."

"Go to jail. Have your needs met there. You won't be getting out for a long time, so wear hot pants and eye shadow. Fuck until you need a bucket behind you, See if I care. It's your life to fuck up and you've done a nice job of it. Now, let's see if you can make a go of it with guidelines."

"I don't think so."

"Ok Ben, arrest him for the other four and I'll go get the names from Jeremy. You can take him to the station can't you."

"Yeah"

Jeremy came over and said, "What's going on?"

"He never took the deal. I need the other four names."

"Hold on one second."

He went over and said, "Chance. Ty is on his way back. I'm planning on testifying. I know Ty will too. That's two. Once the others know we're testifying, they'll come forward. I know one's out of the closet, so he will. That's three. That gets you that thirty years automatically. What are you being so stupid for?"

"If I'm not arrested, then you ain't got shit to hold over me."

"Bullshit little dude. I've got this hanging over you. Now, if you want to run the gauntlet, then go to jail because they'll have shit hanging over you too. Apparently, you think we're joking. Your options just ran out."

"Hold up a minute."

"No, you hold up a minute. You think you run this fucking show. You don't.. Your days of controlling people are over. You are now at our mercy and that's going to hang over your head...like it, or not. I'm trying to give you some slack but you want to act like a bitch because your feelings got hurt. You know what? Bubba's not going to give a shit about your feelings or that ass when he's breaking it off in there so far it's ramming your forehead against a wall. He'll call you names only your sick ass could like because you apparently want to go see him."

"I'll take the deal and I'll take the job with you. I'm going to need a place to live because once I switch jobs and my uncle finds out he's no longer employed out there, He's going to make me quit and I can't."

"No you can't. So, if you need a place to stay, I'll front you a place. I'm not sure where yet because you're not staying under my roof. And, the apartment at the funeral home is occupied. We'll get you a place. When you going to come out to your family."

"What?"

"Come out about the job?"

"Oh, I was thinking about being gay. I can come out about the job, but about being gay, my dad would kill me."

"No he won't. The second he lifted a finger, he'd have to face me and that'd be his nightmare."

"Dude, he'd snap you like a twig."

"Which three forms of martial arts does he know and I'll see if I know him."

"He doesn't."

"Then, he can't touch me. I'll assure you that."

Ben said, "Kid, the other night, I saw this man do three flips and get to a body that was falling on Ty faster than someone could blink. He did that in ankle deep mud and blood. That was in less than a second."

"Where was that? That wasn't at that morgue was it?"

"No, it was at a semi accident where a guy got crushed to death. He stuck to the truck and when they pulled it up, the body stuck to it and Ty had ahold of it's hands. When Ty didn't let go of the hands, it started to fall on him. Ty jumped back, but I got to the body before it could land on him. He crawled to get away from it and I caught it."

"That's gross."

"That's death. You ought to see a baby born if you want to talk about gross. We don't get an option to pick when we do either."

"People who commit suicide get to pick when they're going to die."

"No, my first lover blew his head off and lived for four days afterward on life support. There's always the chance of fucking up and not getting the job done. But, I'll tell you now, that option isn't available to you. Got me?"

"Dude, if I wanted to, you couldn't stop me."

"Ben, from now on, this kid's staying with me. It's going to drive him insane because he'll be leg cuffed to me, but from now on, he's my responsibility."

"Ok, I'll go home now. Thanks for the sandwich. I really wish you had let me arrest him."

"Well, he's still got attitude, he might make it to jail yet. What I do know is he just made life tougher on him."

"If you have any problems with that leg cuff, tell the cop to call me. I'll approve it."

"Ok, but I've got three bodies to embalm and to go get bodies in the morning and a funeral tomorrow afternoon. I'm not planning on getting sleep until ten tomorrow night."

Chance said, "Dude, I've got to sleep sometime."

"Yeah, when I do and I'll tell you now, that's one option you didn't want."

Ty pulled in and got out of the truck.

"Sweet truck man."

"Yeah, you'll have plenty of time riding in it. If people didn't think you were a fag, they will now when we're the only two in the truck and you're sitting right next to me."

"Oh man, Let me go."

"No, because you joked about it in a manner that led me to believe it's an option with you. Not happening, no way, so get the shit out of your brain."

Ty walked in and said, "Chance, you trying to take my man? I'll tell you now, you took on too much. He's not going to suck your dick until his is down your throat and I'll tell you now, you're going to definitely think you're property of the telephone company when he plants that pole."

"Ty, he started talking like he's suicidal, so I leg cuffed him to me."

"Oh, that's a fucking shame." Said Ty." Because I could really care less if he died."

"Tell him what you feel Ty."

"Can I show him how I feel?"

"No, no death blows."

"Fuck!"

Ty turned around and did a back kick that landed in Chance's chest. Chance let out a whump and I said, "Ty! There's fucking chair behind him, that can break his spine and I'm leg cuffed to him, so quit it."

"Unfasten the leg cuff because I want the fucker to wish he was dead with all the shit I can throw at him, he'll be in more agony than he's ever felt."

"No, use your words. God gave you a mouth and that's more damaging than a fist. Your words will haunt him until the day he dies. Your fist will be forgot when the bruise heals."

"Ok"

Ty sat down across the table and leaned forward. The look on his face looked like a tiger facing down it's victim and his voice was was cold as steel.

"Chance, you know we were friends and you know I wanted you like there was no tomorrow. The fantasies I had and the feelings I felt for you were fueled by what I wanted and that was you. Then, you found out I was gay and you told me you were going to tell everyone I was gay, I was scared. Then, you said you wanted head and I wanted to please you. Then, afterwards, I thought I was going to be your boyfriend. I was so happy, I went over and told Mark. That's when I got told I'd been used. That's when he told me he would see to it you never went out and told a soul what we did. That's when we went to see you." He paused and then leaned back. "What's funny is the way you turned into a bitch and backed down and said, you weren't my boyfriend. If you had, you would have still had me, but you were spineless and you backed down. All you were for me was a bad piece of history because when Lance asked me if I'd been with anyone, I couldn't say a thing about you. We weren't boyfriends and we weren't anything but a good time had by one. Well guess what? Lance is way more the man than you'll ever fantasize you could have and he loves way more than you'll ever have the depth in that thimble sized heart you possess. Lance get that fucking leg cuff off you and step out of the gutter. The trash is clinging to you."

"Can't do it hon. He needs a friend."

"He sure as shit does that. The friend he had in me is dead. " He paused and then smiled, "If you find yourself swinging off his dick, he dies."

"If he finds himself thinking stupid enough thoughts he can ask," he dies.

"I don't know why you're trying to save him."

"Babe, your brother was a bad case too, but I saved him."

"Gregg had influence from outside him that made him bad. This one does it for sport. It's like he runs around making friends so he can get something on them so he can get them to suck his dick."

Chance said, "What are you crying about, it worked."

Ty reached out and touched him faster than I could catch the fist.

"Say it again! See if I can land that death blow like that."

"Chance, apologize to him, or so help me I'll take this leg cuff off and walk away from you and let him do it. You will not disrespect anyone like that again, you got me?"

"Duth. (Dude) Futh (Fuck) yuth (You)"

"Ty do that trick I did to Gregg the other day and let's see how fast he decides he's going to shape up while I pull this leg cuff off."

Ty reached out and clasp his fingers into Chance's throat. Chance face turned purple and I said, "Now, lighten up the carotid and let him decide if he wants to act as an adult because Gregg says this is when he changed."

"Chance, It's time to grow up. If you don't, then you're about to die. I'll not pull him off you until I get an answer. He's going to alternate occluding your carotid and your jugular until blood vessels start popping in your skull. Right now, you're world is turning black. That's your system trying to go into shock. The problem there is by releasing one and letting you come back and then doing the other, your brain fills with blood and you start to see stars. Those flashes of light are your brain crying out for oxygen. When the flashes of white light look like flash bulbs from a camera, I'll tell you then, your eyesight is about to go. When that does, your vision will be lucky to return and if it does come back you'll have 40% decreased eyesight at the most. Think I give a fuck? I'm telling you so you had the opportunity to make a sound decision. Ty, switch, or you'll give him a stroke."

Ty switched and said, "Dude, I'm done listening to him. From here on out, I'm doing it slow and agonizing. I want you to know you're fucked and I want you to know the power of your life rests in those three fingertips. Man, I feel good to have you where you are. Now, what's your decision?"

"Let me go"

"Wrong answer. Let's give this another minute and then, I'll ask again. It's painful when you're doing without oxygen for that minute isn't it? I'm asking you because I'm not feeling a thing."

"Ty Switch!"

"No"

"Switch!"

"Ok, but next time I wait for ten seconds extra to see if he can stand the pain for that long."

Ty ask him the question.

"Are you ready to play the game the right way?"

"Yeah"

"Ty let go!"

"Ten, Nine Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four Motherfucker, Three Motherfucker, Two Motherfucker, One. Don't ever play another person like you did me."

He let go

"Long Ten seconds"

"He deserved it."

"Go to the kitchen and see Jeremy. He and I have to have our own talk."

"Ok, but leave him alive."

"I will. If barely. They have to have something to prosecute."

I sat down across from Chance and said, "Chance, life just go complicated. You see, by doing those things to you, we just taught those things to you. Now, under the code we live, we have to decide if

you can be trusted with the secret and use it for good, or if you have to be killed and it dies with you. I don't think you can be trusted and I'm certainly not going to see if you're to be trusted with you cuffed to me. I could wake up dead and that'd be no fun. Who'd get to torture you? "

I paused and leaned back. Ty is going to get Jeremy. The reason I wanted everyone gone was so I could tell you how I will kill you. You see, you want to throw attitude, so I've decide I'd throw you some attitude. You get to deal with Ty's attitude. You get to deal with Jeremy's attitude and we're going to get the other four here and we're going to let those attitudes be thrown at you. By the time you're done, I'm willing to bet one of them will kill you. To be honest, I really hope they do. I believe in you, but I don't now. Ben's going to ask what happened to the boy, but he's also going to cover it up. He'll do that because he knows I really did want to let you live and give you a chance, Chance. But, you want to fuck that up. Now, what I'm going to do is I'm going to let your dumb ass think for a moment of three good reasons to give me to allow you to live. Not many, but oh so many. Try to get up and run and you won't make it ten feet. They're cuffed together around that pole. I'm going to make myself a shake."

Ty came in and gave me a hug. "You taking a break?"

"Yeah, you might find out the names of the other four because they might want to see him one last time."

"No, you can't kill him."

"Ty, that's not my decision. He's going to give me three reasons and if they're good for you six, then he can live. If not, then, he dies."

"You've shut down emotionally."

"Yeah."

"Go home."

"Ty, I'm not going to leave a victim in control of a victimizer's fate."

"Amazing that you can say that when you're acting more the victim than me, but all I hear is that Tony didn't do a thing to you that you didn't want. Amazing, but the whole time I was on my knees in front of him, I was doing what I wanted and had fantasized about. You call me a victim and yet, you weren't?"

"Oh man."

"Yeah, so who's running the china shop while the bull's rampaging. You have a man in there making a wish list to live. I don't think he wants to. He alternates between lucid thinking and behavior that gives him pain and that's not normal. Who asks for more pain when they're being tortured?"

"Hon, get him out to the truck. I'll tell Jeremy we're going."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to Quincy to pick up bodies and then, we're going to go home."

There's more than one body?"

"I don't know, but let's hope not."

I went over to Chance and said, "Come on, let's go get in the truck. You're going to have to sit in the middle."

"Why?"

"We're driving to Quincy to pick up a body and then going home."

"Where am I going to stay?"

"I'll ask Ty, but it looks like you'll be staying with us."

"You got a nice house?"

"It's bought. It's paid for. So, it shouldn't matter. One thing though, my brothers are coming home this afternoon. They get the bedrooms upstairs. Ty's having to give up his office I promised him, so you've got to give up a bedroom. They come first."

"Where they been if they're coming home?"

"My parents died six years ago and they've been living in foster care."

"Why if you have a nice home and the funeral home?"

"Until recently, I wasn't financially able. Why take kids out of foster care if I was going to be losing them and everything for bills."

"Things going that bad?"

"No, I just like to live cautiously. Ty inherited shitloads of money, so he paid everything off and we're opening the funeral home in Quincy and building that morgue you'll be working in."

"You mean you offered me a job and don't even have it built?"

"Dude, all it is, is a walk-in cooler like you have in the restaurant except bigger. What we're going to do is order it and it'll come in next week. Then, what we're going to do is find a piece of land and pour a concrete slab on it so that thing has the concrete for the floor. It can't be just any concrete slab, so we have to pour it ourselves."

"Why?"

"That place has to stay 37 degrees Fahrenheit year around, so we're going to put foam insulation under the concrete...about six inches of it. Then, we'll tape the seams and pour the concrete. The weight will squish it and make it settle, but we'll have the base with which to build. Now, what we're doing is we're going to go with a prefab cooler. The walls bolt together and to the concrete. Then, we'll put the roofing panel on. Now, normally, that's all that's required, but I absolutely hate the idea of the sun burning down on that membrane roof and people being able to see the cooler and thinking it's storage for a butcher shop or something. All it takes is one break in and I'm out of business because the government will yank the contract."

Ty got in and said, "Dude, you might be suicidal and all that, but you're not sitting next to him. I'll sit there and you can sit next to the door. I'll tell you now if you throw yourself out of this truck, it's not going to kill your dumb ass. You'll get a fifty mile an hour snowball wedgy and then I'm going to have to feel sorry for you and thaw you out. Now, I promise you one thing and that's a ride back there with the body if your hand goes on anything of mine that shouldn't have you there. So, keep it to yourself and stay in the truck and you'll do fine."

He looked at Ty and said, "Man Ty, you sound like you're pissed all the time now."

"Wouldn't you be pissed off?"

"Ty, I'm sorry. I wanted you just as bad and I picked a lousy way to show it. As soon as I fucked it up, then it seemed that's the only way I could do anything with anyone."

"Chance, why the hell didn't you just take the conversation from "are you gay?" to "do you wan to do something?" he paused and then continued ""The way you did it was you went from are you gay to getting my answer to telling me you were going to tell everyone if I didn't give you head. That's fucked up because we were friends for two years before that."

"I'm sorry Ty."

"Well, that's too late. You can be sorry, but we can't be friends. Who's to say you're not going to find something else out you can use and then try to blackmail me?"

I interrupted, "Because if he even attempts to go there, he'll be arrested and will go to prison."

"No Lance, what I mean is say we get out there like when we're forty or fifty years old and he's been fine and then wham, he's got another tidbit and wants his dick sucked."

"Well Ty, I'm sorry but twenty five years of friendship and he pulls that shit, I'll say, "Damn, it's time to bury a friend because that's fucked up."

"No, what's fucked up is he did it after two years, so whats the difference in years?"

"Well, we're going to have to extend a bit of trust too."

"I don't know if I can."

"You want me to extend trust, but you don't want to?"

"Lance, it's hard. I still can think about being on my knees and smelling the smell. You smell good, but he smelled all sweaty."

"See Chance. You did that to someone that cared about you. He wanted you so fucking bad and you said you wanted him too. Why the hell didn't you just admit your feelings?"

"I was scared."

"You were scared, or scared I would ask you to suck my dick back?."

"I was afraid someone would tell my family I was gay. Now it doesn't matter."

"Yeah it does. You're still going to be living life and you'll be out there in the world. Why doesn't it matter now?"

"Because once I tell my family, I'll be dead to them."

"Chance, if that's all it take to be dead to someone, then fuck them. I'm sorry, but my mom died after I came out of the closet to her about Lance and I. Before she died, she tried to stop me from seeing him and I stood firm. Then, she tried to get me to give her my cell phone and that didn't work. So, she told me to leave and not come back. She then wanted to go to my aunts because my aunt introduced us to try giving them hell and they refused to open the door and be subjected to her drunk ass. That's when she drove over the edge of that cliff."

"Hon, you don't know she drove off. She might have passed out and it was an accident. Don't say it's something that can't be proven."

"Well we know I didn't kill her ass, but I'll tell you it would have been worth it. I just wish you and I had known each other better so when she tried to hit me, I could have blocked it and parked her on her butt."

"No, because the manipulative bitch would have called the police on you then. It's all about control."

"Well, it's over and we're burying her."

Chance sat there and appeared to be thinking."I've got a question."

"Go ahead and ask."

"Your dad's firing everyone and your mom just died. Why's he firing everyone?"

"Mom had the place so screwed up everyone was being complete dicks to each other out there. Dad called to talk to the assistant manager and he proceeded to go off on Dad. As it turned out, mom and the guy had been screwing around and then broke up."

"What's his name?"

"Rick something."

"Rick? How many Rick's are in the front office?"

Ty thought for a moment and said, "There weren't any other Rick's. Rick, and Randy, Mom, the secretaries and the dispatcher were the only ones up there. That dispatcher's name was......oh man, a plain name....Fred...Fred Lattimer?"

"So, Rick was screwing around with your mom." Chance said sounding awestruck.

"Yeah,"

"That's my uncle. He's married."

"A wedding ring doesn't stop an affair. Look at my mom, she was married too."

"No, you're not getting it. My uncle's going to hold it against me because I'm working for you and because I'm gay. Between he and my old man, the two of them will see the rest of the family bugs the hell out of me."

Ty said, "I'll tell you now, everyone got fired out there. Dad's paying unemployment, but no one's getting a dime more than that. Just think about it. All those guys that have been there are losing their retirement."

"Ty, it's hard to feel sorry for someone that's stealing you blind. You're forgetting most of them were taking something. Look what Randy had in his desk...nearly seven hundred thousand dollars and a pistol. Your mom didn't even have that much in hers."

"Uncle Rick always had money from there. He said they made him the banker and he never told them what they really brought in. I think he was taking money from there for a long time."

"He probably was. But there's no way to prove who took what."

"Oh yeah there is. He said he had another set of books in there that looked like something else. He said there were a lot of guys in there all taking things and he wanted to be able to keep track of who was taking what and how much."

I wondered aloud, "So he kept track? Hmmm"

Ty smiled and said, "Those books are going to tell a lot of secrets."

"Yeah and they're going to tell where everything that's been lent out. So, we can prosecute the people that have things and keep the good employees."

"Ty, do you think he kept track because he thought his days were numbered and he wanted to have something on her?"

"Could be. I didn't know him well, so I couldn't tell you."

"Did you know the other guy?"

"No, I hardly went there. The last time I think I was there was probably six or seven years ago. The way I saw it was that if I wasn't wanted there, I sure wasn't going."

"Do you have a key to the place?"

"Yeah, we always had keys to the place, but what we weren't ever given was the code to the keypad. The reason mom wanted us to have the keys was in case it caught fire. Then, it wouldn't matter."

"Do you know the code now?"

"Yeah, dad changed our codes to being our birth date month and date."

"Ok, that's easy for me to remember."

Chance leaned forward and said, "Easy for everyone to remember."

"You remembered my birth date?" asked Ty

"Who couldn't!"

"Gregg" I said.

We continued to chat as we drove, but when we made it to the airport, I saw no one around. When I went into the terminal, the woman there snapped at me, "Who the hell lands airplanes in the middle of a fucking blizzard?"

"Our government and it means enough to me that I'll wait for you to clear the runway. Where's your maintenance crew?"

"At home where he's supposed to be"

"No, where he's supposed to be is out there on that runway. Now what you are going to do is call your terminal manager and tell him he's got a problem that's going to be costing him quite a bit of money."

"I'm not doing that!"

"Do you know your job?"

"Yeah, but I'm not calling him."

"Watch this and learn because this is about to cost you your job."

I pulled out my cellphone and called the terminal manager's home phone number. It rang four times and got picked up. A sleepy male voice answered the phone, "Huh lo"

"Hi, Lance Green here calling to tell you your terminal has no snow removal equipment on the runway and the dead plane on it's way here. Someone's dropped the ball."

"What!"

"Yeah, you've got a receptionist that refused to do her job and call you. Your maintenance isn't here, and you're in bed without a clue. Get up and get down here. I'll wait."

I hung up and her phone rang about two seconds later. "That would be him calling to chew you a new one. Go ahead....I dare you."

She reached out and snatched the phone. The roughest "hello" imaginable came from her lips and Chance started chuckling. She was quiet for a few moments and then said, "But I didn't know!" She was quiet a bit longer and then said, "I did get my service manual and I did read it. No, there's not section 5 in it. It goes to section 4. Believe me, I know that thing like the back of my hand."

I went over and sat down in the buttercup looking white plastic seat someone thought was high fashion in 1976. Ty and Chance came over and Chance said, "The way you're raising hell, I'd say they were in trouble."

"That plane lands when nothing else will. The military puts people on it that are being trained for Air Force One. I've been here nights when it was raining so hard, you would have thought it was flipper out there and a morning it was so slick he came within three feet of that catch fence. That maintenance dude has to be either dead or drunk and both have cost him his job because I bet you that manager is headed in with a phone in his hand calling that man and asking him where the hell he is and why that field isn't plowed."

"What happens if they don't make it for that plane to land."

"Ty's been told, but what will happen is that plane will come in and circle until they get it cleared. The whole time, that chain of command is making phone calls telling this manager here what a dumb ass he is. When three hours is up, that plane flies to Sioux City where it drops a load. That man over there gets my bodies and the air port here gets a bill for the fuel charges for that plane and the ten thousand fine. Then, I get a piece of paperwork that will tell me how many bodies I missed and told as a matter of course to come get my check from the manager here plus the thirty grand for the wait time. The manager here will have this one time to screw up and the city will go on notice it will not be tolerated again that plane never landed. The city will go on notice the military will come in and take over the airport and no civilian traffic will occur. When that happens, that contract for American Eagle goes into default and the city bites it on that one. Needless to say, that manager probably will either be fired or receive a very strong disciplinary action over this."

"And all over some dead bodies?" asked Chance

"Chance, what happens when dominoes fall. You see a whole continuous series of actions until the one that doesn't fall happens. Don't it piss you off when that happens?"

"Yeah because all the work I did was for nothing it seemed."

"Well, those dead bodies came from somewhere where there's a war, or some sort of disaster. That body looked American, so we took it. In some countries, that my be a Norwegian or an English personl. All we know was it was Caucasian or had English lettering on the tag in it's clothes, so the US took possession of it. Now, more often than not, someone will claim the body and it will get taken back out of here. Until then, we store it and everyone's happy. Now, what happens when we can't take the body is the system clogs up a little more and Mary Jane Doe over in Shit Kick Kentucky falls off a cliff on federal property. She was on vacation from Break Neck New York and her family figured out three weeks later she's not coming home. They go to the police station where the police want to tell them to wait another 24 hours. In the meanwhile, the system runs out of space and they start kicking out bodies that are the oldest in the system. Mary Jane goes out and I've got her. Now, say we've got the crematorium going and I get the call. Believe me, when I get the call, I'm going to hop to it to get Mary Jane out of the system because I get another when that happens. So, Mary Jane is ashes three hours later. Her family doesn't get to have that funeral because Clyde out here fucked up and didn't get a runway cleared."

Ty and Chance both were hanging on every word and I'll be if Ty didn't say, "Mary Jane Doe, I've seen her paperwork.

I smiled and Chance looked at me and said, "What happens when there's more than one?"

"They're assigned a number. We use that."

"Oh."

"How about if you two go out to the truck. And, Ty, don't take a thing off him."

I turned to Chance and said, "Chance, your leash is mighty short, but let me tell you how this runs. From the moment I picked you up, you've been on the payroll. This wait time is some of the best money you will make. I pass along the money when it happens and divide it up amongst the employees. So, three employees on the morgue side means a little over three grand an hour each on the waiting time."

"What!"

"Yeah, all of us were here this time, but there will be times when I'm not here, or Ty and I aren't here and he'll still get paid even though you're the only one waiting. Don't think it's unfair because really, I didn't have to pass it along."

"I know and that's amazing!"

"Yeah, so use it for what you want."

"Can I put it into an apartment?"

"Yeah, or put it towards a down payment on a house between the jobs and your school, you'll be making enough money."

"Could I buy furniture and put it into storage?"

"Yeah, what we'll do is we'll talk to Mitch. Their garage over there is empty except for his plumbing truck. Any furniture you get, you might be able to put over there. Tell Ty I said to get on ebay and see where there's a refrigerated box truck. Tell him we're going to need either 24 or 26 feet without air brakes and single axle."

"Ok, now what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a truck that you can use for the morgue Also tell him an air lift on the back or Tommy lift would be ideal. You can drive that truck with a Class E license."

"I've already got a Class B so I could drive it with air brakes."

"No, I want it so any one of us can drive it. You might decide you don't like the job."

He looked at me and said, "If you'll not throw as much attitude and deal with me as you are now, I'll stick around. I know what Ty's like normal, but I don't know you."

"We're the same. Most of the time, you'll see me like this until you step out and I have to put a foot off in."

He nodded and said, "Ok, I was beginning to wonder what kind of parent you were going to be to those kids."

"I'll be the best. And if you see me screwing up, feel free to say something. I'm really afraid of doing something wrong, "

He smiled and nodded. "You trust me out there with Ty?"

"You can stay in here and answer all the stupid questions while I go out and sleep!"

"I have no idea what the answers are, so I wouldn't be any good."

"They have no idea what the questions are, so they won't know the answers. Go on out. He'll let me know if you do anything and all I can say then is rest in peace."

"You mean that don't you!"

"Listen up. Life's to short to put up with bullshit day after day. Ty went through a lifetime of hell that I would have put up with for about three days. Mysterious deaths occur every day and all I can say is she died one of them before I met her. It was meant to be."

He looked at me and said, "You?"

"No, didn't know the woman but that doesn't mean it's not happened before. Fuck with my lover again and I'll do it without even asking myself if it makes me happy."

"Don't worry."

"I'm not. Go get some sleep."

He went out of the terminal and I went over to the woman. "When's he going to be here?"

"The answer to that's probably in section five too."

"Just because you didn't get it doesn't mean you're not fired. Once he learns I've been putting up with mouth, he's going to use you to wipe. That man's shitting down both legs right now because his job's history. How secure do you think your's will be?"

"You can go back over there and sit sir and I'll see he's with you the moment he walks in."

"He'll be letting me know when he gets here himself. I'll be willing to bet you that."

"What makes you so important?"

"It's not me. This city and this airport knew the moment they went into the contract the government doesn't fuck with suppliers when it's something that matters. He knows that and the city does too. That man who's not out there in a snow grader knows he's got moments before he's gone because I'm guaranteeing that to be recommended in the report I have to submit to get my ten grand an hour waiting time."

She gave a startled look and I gave a slight nod.

The doors flew open and he came in. "Lance, I'm sorry. He turned to the girl and said, "Who the hell hired you because they're history. You're manual should have included section five. On the front of it states it's the most important contract this place has. It gives this man's name and how he's to be treated. It gives the military titles of those pilots and to you, they're like God's. I'll get you a section five, but Lance all I can say is I'm sorry."

"Where's your maintenance crew?"

"The chief says he's sick. I told him he's fired. He never called in the rest of the crew because the dumb ass thinks the place can't run without him. Guess what? I've driven a grader before and I'm going out in about five minutes. You'll have your plane and you'll have a check cut before you leave. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, but see heads roll and see that receptionist learns some manners."

She gave me a look and he said, "Lance, ride with me on that. I'm sure she didn't know who you were, but from now on, you'll be treated damned nice by her."

"I will or I'll go above your head about it. The lip I've taken should have her history right now."

"I'd do it, but that's not something I'm doing. I promise you the person that hired her is now looking for a job. They dropped the ball, she didn't."

"Ok" I turned to her and said, "Don't let it happen again."

"Would you like some coffee?" she smiled.

"No, but if he's going out in a grader, he probably will."

"For that man to come in tells me how he views the situation. But, for him to have heads rolling over it tells me he's way beyond doing damage control. He's normally a nice man."

"Nice people still have jobs. This one here nets the city enough to keep this airport open. It sure isn't the money they make from the airline. Tell him I'll be out in the Escalade. He can call my cell number to reach me."

She nodded and said, "He has it, or do I need to write it down."

"He has it, but just to be safe, write it down and program it in."

"Ok"

I gave it to her and went out to the truck.

"Did you get an idea how many there were?"

"No, they wouldn't know. All they know and we know until they land and are putting bodies out, is there's a plane. Isn't there a way to know what you'll be receiving?"

"Yeah, I've got three openings and could receive up to three. Other than that, I'm in the dark."

"So you're telling me that when you open the morgue, you'll have ninety six openings and they could ship them all too you at once?"

"Yeah, or they could send them in several flights. What I do know is they filled mine with three flights. I think that's probably what they'll do."

"What happens if one of those flights ever goes down?"

"You'd never hear about it. It's like Air Force One. That plane's the most perfect flying plane ever. No one hears about a bird hitting it, or anything, but you know it happens. So, I'd say they keep it top notch on maintenance."

"What I'm referring to is the bodies."

"Oh, well, it'd be a mess, but those caskets are awesome. The metal is like super thick and it's got eight locks on it besides the standards. When you combine them two together, you get a cylinder that's going to take a huge beating before it breaks apart."

"What do you do with the caskets after you dispose of the bodies?"

"Well, right now, I'm burying them, or taking them to the crematorium in Quincy. They're made of aluminum and I'm sure the guy up there has a heckuvan arrangement with a recycling center."

"Wow, that'd be a lot of aluminum!"

"Yeah, there's a lining in there, but it's nothing really nice. Think of it as it as an interior of a tank versus well....this Escalade."

Ty said, "We found a flower slash morgue truck. It's an old dairy truck."

"Where?"

"Down at St. Louis. You know, if we went over there, everyone could drive a vehicle home tomorrow."

"Ok, Chance, you want to go to St. Louis with us?"

Ty said, "That's going to make it a bit weird isn't it?"

"Why?"

He gave me a look like I was dumb for asking. "Ty, let's see. Gregg started over and everyone's giving him a chance. Are the only people who get to start over in your family? Or, does he get another chance. He's not going to fuck with you, so what's the problem?"

"It's going to be weird."

"Fine, fuck it. It's going to be too weird for me to ride in a car with a bunch of hypocrites. Chance and I will ride in the Escalade and follow. You're letting personal shit get in the way of business and that don't cut it with me."

"I'm not saying me, so get off that horse."

"Then, who so they can catch this fucking attitude because the person that can't show forgiveness is one that I really want to train some attitude towards. Gregg? Because believe me, that boy don't have an ounce of judgment to show towards anyone. I've pulled his ass away from more fires than he can even count, I know Heather won't...she's about her word. If it's little Mark, then he's going to have to learn business and pleasure don't mix. He's going to be a fucking lawyer for chrissake. Should I go on?"

"No, I just think everyone's eyebrows will be raised."

"And, when they see we're about forgiveness and giving that second chance, they'll see we mean what we say....even if it's not convenient."

Chance was sitting over listening to the conversation and said, "Guys, I could stay home."

"Yeah, or you could take a bus, or you could ride with us in that hearse which I'm beginning to think won't roll without you in it."

Ty looked at me and said, "Everything's about making a point with you, isn't it?"

"Let's see, when it's your dad, Mark, Joan, Heather, and I, I'm sure there's a time when I can let down my guards and know I'm among adults that treat people how the hell they want to be treated. Until then, I've got to make a point. It's life's lessons. Your brother knows that now and he knows his bucket's filling. When that day comes, and they have kids, it will be about making the point with the kids. He'll raise them well adjusted and he'll know the value of it. You'll see with my brother's the value of well adjusted kids. Hopefully, who has had them did right by them."

"Yeah, they're so well adjusted you're scared shitless."

"Because I did them wrong! Ty, what is it? Because I'll tell you now, if you're wanting to play the role of victim here, then get the fuck over it. I'll tell you now, you won't see me lay down and say "oh, I can't do shit because I'm a victim." The difference between victim and victory is action. Those that are down there in New Orleans that aren't bitching are rebuilding their lives are victorious over their situation. The one's that are playing victim and the one's with their hands still out. Brad Pitt's gonna build them a house two years afterwards and they're still going to be in a world of shit. The one's that had it right were there tearing out and rebuilding. Think about that because the way you're acting, you're ass would still be in Houston."

"Maybe my part of forgiveness isn't about taking someone in and helping them. Maybe I believe in leaving them the fuck alone."

"Chance, he left your ass alone after you did what you did. How many more victims have you had honestly?"

"Ten"

"Ok, so when you got caught what was your thought sitting there handcuffed to that chair?"

"I was thinking to myself that at least it wasn't someone killing me. I've been afraid of that for a long time."

"So, Ty, ten victims because you lay back and licked your nuts. Ten fucking more people to feel like you felt. Hell yeah I'm blaming because you know how many it would have been with me? NONE. Either his ass would be dead or he'd be forgiven. So, you want to say it's not convenient to help the man out? Why don't you go explain that to the other people? I'm sure you could form a support group and lick each other's nuts. Excuse me, I've got to go back in there. I'm too disappointed in you to sit in this truck. Come on Chance, I don't think you'll get an invitation to his pitty party."

"Don't leave"

"Ty, tell me why I shouldn't."

"Because like him, I guess I need another chance."

"Should I give you the chance when you're being a hypocrite? Because I'll tell you now, I'd just as soon cut the loss than waste time. If you're going to expect forgiveness and then don't give it, don't ask for it from me. You're ass out."

"I'll give him another chance."

"Do it because you want to and think it will make him a better person, not because you think that's what's going to get back in with me. I'll see how fake that shit is the next time you do it. When that time comes, believe me, I'll remember you got that second chance. There won't be a third."

Ty looked at Chance and said, "I'm sorry."

Chance said, "I'm sorry too. I didn't know how to tell you what I felt. I messed everything up."

"Chance, it's going to be hard, but I'll extend that friendship again. There are going to be others in my family that are going to wonder why, but they'll see that's what it takes to get past this. One thing you see is we step off in people's butts around here when they screw up. Lance will break one off in it when he cares about you, but he'll also tell you when he's been wrong. So, when he's wrong, tell him but give him reasons why he's been wrong and you'll see he's human."

"Ok, Why are we going to St. Louis?"

"The reason started to be because we were going to the hotel supply place for Ty's Dad, Aunt, and Uncle. Then, we got another reason for Gregg and Heather to shop. Now, we've got to get two bedrooms of furniture for my brother. You'll be getting furniture too, so we've got another reason."

"Is that place nice?"

"Oh man, you're going to not believe how nice. If you've been in a hotel and thought the furniture was nice, you'll find it there. If you've been in an office some place and thought their furniture was nice, they'll probably have it there too. You've not seen the funeral home, but most of the pieces either came from there or an auction of some sort."

Ty turned to Chance and said, "The apartment he has at the funeral home is really nice. It's so nice people are lined up to use it. Gregg and Heather have it and then after that, my cousin Jake. You'll like it, but I have a feeling, you'll probably see the one's in St. Louis before you see the one at the funeral home."

"Why's that Ty?" I asked.

"Hon, look at where we're sitting. How long's this going to take? Then, when we get back, that place is going to be a madhouse. Nine people all getting breakfast, showered, and ready for a funeral. We'll be rushing too and don't forget, you'll have my mom's body to bring up and we'll have a funeral home to open. My suggestion is we catch a bite to eat on the way and take in something warm to eat. We'll be a real hit because of the time we saved everyone, and they'll be hungry."

"Ok, I was just making sure he wasn't getting excluded for a different reason."

"No, that's not it at all. Him trying to see that apartment when we get back is going to be like trying to see a brick at the brickyard during the five hundred!"

Chance smiled and said, "Do you still dream about going there?"

"Yeah, but not to race, but to see it. It's not that far of a drive."

I leaned forward and said, "See, he knows something that I don't. Am I to get all jealous now?"

"No, but when I mention going to the five hundred, you know how fast everyone's going to jump on that wagon to go? We'll have limos full hon....limos."

"Well, what I was thinking is we could get a shuttle bus and do it up right."

"What do you mean?"

"Heres a little secret you just don't know unless you've been screwed raw and then find out about it from someone that's smart. Those races charge huge money for tickets. Heck, parking is huge money anymore. But, the infield can be gotten for decent price entry and by the vehicle full. What we do is we buy a shuttle bus and we have it set up so we have bleachers mounted to the top with safety rails. Then, we have our own race bus. The plus side of it is we can use the bus for transport of people to the graveyard."

"What do you mean? We'll have the pall bearer car."

"No, here's what you don't think of. Every funeral, you'll see people who are older that don't have a ride getting a ride with someone else. It's a tradition that goes way back to the old days when funerals were held outside directly over the graves. Back then, it included the guests of the funeral lowering the body in and helping to cover the casket. Now, we have graveside services as a matter of tradition. Most older people know it as the original rather than the new. So, in their minds, they're going to go to the real one rather than the new one. So, they hitch a ride or whatever to get out there. What I think is for larger funerals, we should offer rides and for smaller funerals, to allow riders to ride in the pallbearer limo. It's up to you, but that'd be another service the other guys won't offer. The advantage of it is we'd have an added use for the weekend of the race which is going to suck."

"Why?"

"Hon, the way it will probably be is you'll drive over there in the party wagon and I'll stay home. As you see, once every four days, we're on call. Look at the holiday weekend and you'll see we're on call one of those days."

"Oh, can't we pay someone to do the on call?"

"Hon, what do we do when we go pick up a body? We start processing information so we can make that funeral prep a little easier."

Chance said, "You mean you go pick up a body and start asking a bunch of questions?"

Ty shook his head no and said, "That's what I thought, but no, here's what we do. You see this laptop? It goes wherever we go. When we go into a person's house to pick up a body, we have a short list of questions that we have to ask anyways in order to know who we've got. A lot of it, we pull from a person's driver's license, but we also get it from their social security card and from their wallet. You'd be amazed at how much information I can pull from a wallet and put in your obituary."

"So, you just ask general questions and then do a little bit of investigation."

"Yeah, people know you've got a job to do and they let you do it. But, what we do is we take a look for Union Cards, Civic membership cards, and little things like that. What's interesting is something I do and that's a bit of showmanship on behalf of the deceased."

I was interested because I knew Ty had only prepped one funeral, so I was learning something.

"What's that"

"When I look in their wallet, I use everything. Take for instance the clubs you don't use that everyone belongs to that they don't realize. To someone that's had a boring life, heck, I'll have them looking like they were the life of the party."

"You can't lie Ty."

"No, I'm not lying. Give me your billfold because that's where I got the idea."

I got out my billfold and he said, "Give me all your civic organization cards and your club cards."

I separated all the plastic cards I had and then handed them to him. He handed them back and said, "No, hand me the others and I'll show you what the person that doesn't belong to anything has."

He started looking through and started slapping out pieces of plastic. Then, he started putting paper cards out too. He handed them back to me and I took a look at them. One a video club card. Breakfast sandwich club card. I started laughing and he said, "Hon, it's not a lie. You belong to those clubs as does everyone else. I'll use it to put in there. What's good is this...and I'm sure it's not crossed your mind. Say for instance I see a YMCA card where someone has one of those complimentary cards. I can put in there attended the YMCA...what I don't do is put in membership. If I do find a membership card, I put that. What the family can do is they can see the person showed interest in the Y, so when they want to donate something in memory of the person, they have the Y."

"Good, that's a part of healing. I'll use that."

Chance said, "Man, I never thought of that. Look at all the clubs I belong to!"

"Chance, you'll belong to clubs if you're around Lance."

I turned to Chance and said, "Tell me what you want to belong to Chance and I'll get you membership."

He said, "I've not given it much thought."

"Why not?"

"Well, there's always not enough time."

"Chance, that's what people say when they're sitting at home in front of the television set. Here's what you need to do. Start off with three and then, we'll see how that works."

"What!"

"Yeah, three nights a month. I don't care if it's a church, community, or civic, but tell me what three nights you want to give up and I'll get you into some clubs. What you'll find is you're going to be amazed at how much fun you'll have and how much pride you'll have when you go to a meeting and those men are looking at you with respect for taking the first step and getting off your keester. Yeah, a lot of people get lax and say, "But, I don't know what group I want to belong to?", and I'll tell you to go buy a newspaper. In it, you'll see all sorts of groups that are having meetings. If there's a meeting, you can rest assured, there's a membership."

"What do you belong to?"

"Me? Let's see...Lions, Elks, Moose, Legion. Sons of the American Legion, VFW because my Dad was a vet, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, and J C's, Eagle's, Masonic Lodge, Knights of Templar, and Loafers. What am I missing Ty because you've got my cards."

"Birthright, Hospital Auxiliary, and Pound Puppies."

"What's the pound puppies?"

"Pound puppies is an organization that is an offshoot of the Humane Society which is another group I'm a member. What pound puppies is is they are a group that makes calls and donates moneys to get food to the pound and care to the animals. What I do is I give money and Ty knows how that is. Other people like the veterinarians here, donate time. I know of a hardware store operator here who donates collars and tags. Another lady goes in and give heartgard medicine so the puppies don't get heart worms."

"Ok, so it's a club that donates money."

"Yeah, now the Humane Society is three hours a month. What I do is I go out on a Sunday morning and I donate three hours at least once a month spraying kennels out. Other people gag at the smell so it doesn't get done much, but for me, that's what I do."

"So, donating time like that can make you a member?"

"Yeah, some groups have members donate time in lieu of dues. When I was first starting out, I had little money. I told the guy who's the head of it the truth and said, "I don't have money, but I've got time. As my time diminishes, my money will increase." He knew that, so he set me up as a member. The first year, he had a lady that had cancer and needed treatments. I went in and worked her shifts. He paid her like she was still there working and she got to keep her benefits. Personally, I'd like to see an organization that does that for people. You'd be amazed at how many people lose jobs and benefits because they have to take time out for treatments. Having someone step in to fill in for them while they're gone would be a Godsend for them."

"Can we start an organization like that?"

"I don't see why not. What we need to do is get some office space donated. It doesn't really have to be more than an office cubicle and that's it. We're in a position that I know the person that could get us that space."

Ty smiled, "Yeah, Dad."

"That too, but I was thinking about your Aunt Joan out at the hospital. Then, after getting the space, we can go on one of the government auction sites and bid for an office of furniture, phone, fax, computer, desk, and everything else. I'm sure I've got a temporary worker contract someplace we could use as a guideline for the rough draft to take to the lawyer."

"Why you doing that when we can afford to just buy everything."

"Hon, the route you're taking will have you spending twenty grand to equip an office. My route takes about two hundred dollars and is tax deductible for the full worth of the equipment. Your route has you paying full price for that equipment you're donating."

"You mean we can write it off?"

"Yeah, anything we donate to these clubs and organizations is a write off if they're a non-profit."

"So you mean the people can write off the time?"

"I think so. I'm not sure, but I think they can. What I do know is The person that donates the time can write it off and I think the company can write off the donated time too. If they can't then it's not going to be beneficial for the company to even consider wasting their time. What is good is I can contact the press and get all sorts of places noticed for allowing the workers in. But, one thing I want is this guys...if a company does it, I want one of us to be the "Mystery worker" so we're sure they're going to be on the up and up about this. I don't want us sending someone in to work and our worker getting all the shitty jobs in the place when the worker whose place they're subbing is in the front office running a fax machine."

"Yeah, that'd suck" said Chance. "If I was donating time and that happened, I think I'd call and would say "Don't send me there again, that place sucks."

"Yeah, and the next time you had a day opened and it would jive so you could work for that person and no one else could sub for them, then we'd be begging you to reconsider and not know what job we have on paper isn't what is actually getting performed by the volunteers."

"That's smart. Then, the front office people will have worked there and know what it's like."

"Yeah, and what I'd expect is a special t-shirt be allowed for the volunteer. Other workers will see the shirt and know it could be then that was in that position getting the sub work done, so it give the volunteer some niceness in the workplace."

About then is when we saw the grader drive by. He made a motion and said, "It's clear but it's not de-iced. I'll be back out and then it can land."

I looked over and said, "Don't look now, but he's been told to land. He's coming in."

"I told that girl not until after it was de-iced."

"Pray he can stop."

Ty said, "What's going to happen!"

"We've got an airport with no fire personell and no ice remover on a runway were there are already casualties on board. I just pray that guy can not put it into a slide. If he does, it's all over."

"Call 9-1-1!"

"Not until he's crashed. Those guys are good."

We sat there and watched the plane come in. The speed he came in instantly churned a snowstorm in it's wake. The blue lights at the end of the runway seemed to be coming closer and closer to the plane and then, about the time I thought he couldn't pull out, the pilot did a maneuver that put that plane into a one eighty slide. He gave it full throttle and it rolled away from the catch fence."

Ty was yelling, "HOLY SHIT! DID YOU SEE THAT!"

"Yeah hon, as I said, those are the Air Force guys that are in training to fly Air Force One. Now you see what sort of pilots the President has working for him."

"That man was awesome. I've got to shake his hand."

"You can't go near the plane and he won't come out of his seat. What we'll get is told to back in and then, they'll lower the ramp and the casket will be brought down the ramp. What I do is I make it so the casket doesn't leave the ramp, but get's put on it. Now, There's enough room for a second casket on top of the first and See those bars over there? The handles of the casket fold out and those bars catch the casket handles. What we do if there's a third casket is we put it atop and that roof rack becomes a slide. "

"That's legal?"

"Yeah, I can't go over thirty miles an hour, but I don't think it's going to be possible to go faster than that tonight anyway."

The flight personnel flashed their flashlights and I pulled up and backed in. Ty and Chance got out the passenger door and I got out the driver. The guy yelled, "You have some help tonight"

"Yeah, I'm hiring help so you might see either one of them from now on."

He jumped off the side of the ramp and said, "Here's you a form and here's you a form. Fill it out and get it back to me and when I get back to Quantico, I'll get your cards in the mail. If we've got a flight our before then, I'll bring it directly to you. We're a small operation, so all I ask is you stand back and do your job and let me do mine. Whatever you do, don't piss off the pilot, he'll blow your rig across the field."

Ty said, "That's a helluva job flying."

He smiled and said, "That was a helluva job saving our bacon. What you saw there was an accident avoidance maneuver that worked. The little voice in that terminal that told the pilot it was ok to land will probably see federal time over that one. He's already got FBI on their way to pick her up. He's not a really happy camper."

"Well tell him it was beautifully executed because all three of us are fans now."

He chuckled and said, "I'm glad you are because I think several of us on this plane need clean flight suits. Well, it says you've got four. You got four spaces?"

"No, I've got three."

"Did you get my fax today to get John Doe out as we were going to have another for you?"

"No, but I'll get it done as soon as we get in."

"We can get the second atop the one on top, but do you have strapping?"

"I've never done it before. I always brought the other truck for more."

"Well, we can strap that on using body bags as tarps if you've got a few."

"I've got two."

"Well, I've got one, so let's get it done."

"They loaded the first two and the Escalade took it fine. The third made it squat a little but the fourth put it on overload. I was wondering if the front end would be too light to steer.."

He took a look at it and said, "Man, that's a beautiful truck and you're going to really be glad to know if you'd had a Chevy, we couldn't have done it. They've got the same, but the springs on them drag out the rear wheel wells. The Caddy's have the GMC springs and those air bags in the coils made the difference."

I nodded and Ty said, "This paper work says John Doe is on here. Are Mary Jane and John from the same family?"

The guy smiled and I said, "He'll figure it out and when he does, the light will turn on. It's totally off right now."

"It's either that or get me a new light bulb."

"Did you guys get the paperwork filled out?"

"Yeah, I put my address at you and Ty's address is that ok?"

"Yeah, we'll do that and then when you move, you can give it to the guy and he'll get you new cards. Don't ever come up here without your cards. Put them in the sun visor of the Escalades."

Both nodded and Ty held out his hand to the guy and said, "My name's Ty, what's yours?"

The guy smiled and said, "Jim.....Jim Doe"

"Oh.." said Ty looking perplexed. I began laughing and the guy by this time was heehawing. Chance said, "Ty, that one was a true gem. Wait until you figure it out bud."

We got in and I drove back to the terminal. The girl was in there and I said, "Tell him we're in here waiting for our checks."

"He'll be in, he's not real happy right now."

"I wouldn't be either. Just be happy those guys can't leave that plane other wise the pilot would probably be letting you know what he thinks."

Just about this time, the pilot spooled up the engines and pulled away from the terminal. A blast of air hit the terminal and I swore I was going to witness all the windows blow in. Instead, snow piled up in a giant drift that instantly made everything white. I smiled silently because I knew the manager would have to scoop it out, but I'd be willing to bet he'd find he would be hiring more adept people.

Just about then, I got hit on my right shoulder. "Why'd you let me make an ass out of myself!"

"What!"

"I thought that man was related to them! Now, I find out you use those names so no one knows the name of the person."

"Ty, if we knew the name of the individual, don't you think we could find out where they're from and who their next of kin is?!"

"Well, I didn't know! Heck, I went and said, that to that guy and I thought he was just cheerful the way he looked at me. Now, I find out he thinks I'm a complete idiot! "

"Why don't you go over there and tell the pilot he did a great job and to tell Jim the light's on now."

"What's the name of the plane?"

"If you call out for Dead Air One, you'll get it."

"Is that the name of their airlines?"

"Something like that."

Chance took off running as he didn't want to be seen laughing. I stood there and smiled. Ty radioed the plane and told the pilot how good of a job he thought he did and to tell Jim the light's now on."

The pilot held the microphone the whole time he laughed and then answered, "that's a big affirmative!".

"Tell him, he did a nice job of making the terminal into an igloo."

Ty told him and the guy said, "No windows broke, did they?"

"Tell him no, he was far enough away. His point was received."

Ty told him and he said, "Jim says to tell you you're a lucky sob and he knows we're all family. He says you'll understand what he meant. He wants to know which is yours and wants to know what's up with the other?"

"Chance, come here."

"Yeah"

"Jim wants to know if you're available?"

"Yeah, if it's Jim wanting to know."

"Ty, tell him to tell Jim, Chance is available. His number is on the application."

Ty told hm and Jim soon was on the mic saying, "Ty, put him on here."

Chance came over and took the microphone. He spoke into it and told Jim he was there.

Jim said, "Your records state you are working at a restaurant. Did you recently quit? "

"Yeah, about three hours ago. There was no future in it."

"Man, I'm glad you showed up. I hope you liked me because I sure liked you. I work a month on and get a month off. When I'm off, I can be here to see you. If you'd like, I can rent a place locally here."

"We'll talk about that when you call. I'll be home later today."

"Is this your cell phone or a house phone?"

"It's my cell phone, but the house phone number I'm staying at, is under Ty's name. I'm not sure how much longer my cell phone will be on as I've not told my parents."

"You'll keep your number no matter what. If your parents want to take that, they'll be notified by the Government the phone number they're wanting now has clearance for your access. Make them really wonder what you've got going." He chuckled.

"Well, I could talk to you all the way into Sioux, but you guys need to be going there. When we get together there, I'll get you a radio setup so we can talk as I fly"

Chance gave affirmative and said, "Over and Out."

When he stepped away from the radio set, he was all smiles. "Who would have thought I would meet someone at an airport in the middle of a blizzard."

"Yeah, and look at it. It's going to be a healthy relationship."

"Yeah" he said with a dreamy breathless quality to his voice.

Ty chuckled and said, "Chance has it bad."

"Chance will have it bad. I don't know that guy, but I'll tell you now, if he's working on that plane, and in that position, he's got to be bringing home some bacon. I'd say the President knows Jim's gay and has him there."

"How do you know?"

"If you were trying to keep things secret, would you be on a squawk box that went directly into a black box that is classified?"

"No"

"Then, it's not secret and I'd say since the pilot also said "we're all family"."

Ty giggled and said, "Well, I know the pilot's last name isn't Doe!"

"You're right!"

The manager came in and he looked cold. I handed him a mug of coffee and he stared at the windows looking towards the field. He spoke but mostly to himself, "I ought to hand the dumb bitch a teaspoon and tell her to go dig us out She'd probably not know which end to use."

"Jim's not going to get your job over this, but make sure you have a lot of heads rolling. What I would do is have that girl fired by the time the FBI gets here."

"The FBI have been called?"

"Yeah, the pilot did that before he even got stopped."

"I would've too. That was an amazing job out there. Blew one of my blue lights clear across the highway. It stayed lit!"

"You have that much power cable to those?"

"When you get beyond the catch fence, you've got a series of cable and chain stay rows. The goal them is to rip the undercarriage out from under a plane to keep it from careening out over that highway. Whoever designed the system put the lights on cables and made them so they don't attach to the poles they're on. One good strong gust of wind and they go sailing. What he thought would be a good way of not causing a fire on a plane is now my worst problem here."

"Can't you use shear attachments?"

"Nothing to attach them with"

"Dude, here's what you do. Go get some velcro fasteners and some super glue. Then, attach velcro to both with super glue. You'll be amazed at how it will keep that light from blowing away and allow it to shear if enough force is applied."

"Will it work in wind?"

"Yeah, when I was a teenager, I had a Corvette that had a center of a hubcap that wouldn't stay glued in worth anything. So, I put velcro on with super glue and then put it on. No more problems!"

He smiled and said, "I'll have someone on that."

"You might wait until Spring weather but it should stay weather proof."

He smiled and said, "Here's your checks. You wanted three, right?"

"Yeah, I appreciate it."

"Don't worry. I know you were more patient with us than I would have been. But, they're about to see how seriously I take that contract."

"Me too. I'd hate to have to drive to another airport."

"Yeah, the closest one I believe is either in Springfield or St. Louis. Both are way far away. It definitely looks like you guys got a load."

"Yeah, That top one is going to be a bear to get off there. Those things are heavy and my rack doesn't lift that high."

"My advice is to go to a loading dock and take it off and then remove the others."

"Good thinking. I know where there's a loading dock that should be without ice or snow."

He nodded and we drove off.

As we drove, I pulled the checks out and said, "Guys, here's yours and yours. The other part of the retrieval money will come in the monthly check, but each of us got ten thousand for our time."

Ty smiled and said, "A helluva paycheck for time otherwise spent sleeping."

Chance said, "Beats flipping burgers and I met a guy in the process. But, I think I'm going to split mine with Jeremy. Do you think he'd mind?"

Ty looked at me and I said, "Chance, if you mean it, he won't mind. If

you're meaning it as a way of manipulating him, then don't."

"No, to be honest, I really do like Jeremy. I manipulated him, but more and more I was thinking of him as a person I was in a relationship with."

"Then why didn't you sit down and have a talk with him and say, "Hey, I feel this way about you and I'm sorry I've been mistreating you."

"Because I was afraid he'd tell me to get fucked."

"Dude, he could have told you to get fucked a long time ago. He's been thinking you've been stringing him along and just as soon as he saw an opening, he took it. You can't blame him and neither can anyone else. I'm sure you made it that way so the manipulations was even more about him thinking he was deciding it was something he wanted to do."

"Yeah, I had a situation like that where the guy was twenty seven and I was thirteen. I wanted him and he made it so he was always making sure I was doing what I wanted to do. At first, I was the aggressor but then again, he was seeing other people. I think he was hoping I'd find someone my own age, but the way I was seeing it, I had found the person I wanted....him. In my mind, when he was going out and seeing other people, he was screwing around on me because I viewed us as having a relationship. He viewed it as him being the victim and his normal life was without me. What changed for him was he started to fall for me and then came out to his parents. Their rejection is what caused him to commit suicide."

"How could he be with you for all those years and not see himself as being with you?" Asked Ty.

"The same as Chance could be with Jeremy sexually and not think they were together. I'm sure if you asked him what happened between you two, he'd say what you two did was just a thing and not anything emotional. To him, it was a thing. To you, it was something you had in your heart. What's messed up is I bet if you asked him, he didn't think he did anything to violate the friendship."

Ty was outraged and Chance looked like he felt uneasy. "Ty, I'm going to say something that's going to be gross, but think of it this way. Say I see you liked Pop Tarts and then one day, I come over and eat all the centers out of them and leave them in the box. Wouldn't you be upset?"

"Yeah,"

"Ok, what if you saw I ate all your Pop Tarts and then at school, I said, "Man, I hate pop tarts!" You'd front me out."

"Yeah"

"Ok, so what if I didn't say I hated them directly but instead I said, "Oh man, the ONLY thing I will ever eat for breakfast is bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits from Hardee's. What's going through your mind."

"Is this after you ate all the centers out?"

"Yeah."

"I'd take that box of all the rest and I'd plant them in your car and tell everyone that you were a big liar and right now, out in your car was a box of Pop Tarts where you'd ate all the centers out of them."

"Ok, so public humiliation aside, what if I thought you were my boyfriend. Are you still going to front me out to everyone or going to keep it to yourself?"

"I'm fronting you out. No one messes with my Pop tarts!"

"Ok, are you seeing what you just said?"

"Yeah, get your own damned pop tarts!"

"No, can you see me in the situation as Chance and the pop tarts being Chance liking being gay?"

"So, what are you trying to get at?"

"You could have fronted him out and gotten even. Instead, you let him fuck up your pop tarts. I'll tell you now, what Chance did was he sniffed out pop tarts like Yogi Bear does a picnic basket and he made friends with the people so he could get their pop tarts. He was a closeted pop tart lover until Ranger Lance came along and fronted him out. The thing about it is not one person fronted him out and he kept getting pop tarts because everyone was afraid by them saying they liked pop tarts everyone would hate them. That's wrong."

"So you're saying everyone being pissed at him for him liking pop tarts is ok."

"Yeah, he can like pop tarts, but it's the way he went around getting pop tarts. I'm sure if he'd went to you and said, "I like pop tarts and I know you like them, do you want to share?" He'd had you head over heels ready to share them. Instead, he saw you hiding the fact you like them, so therefore he hit the fact he liked them too. Suddenly, the way I see it pop tarts are being bought, and everyone can see crumbs on our chins but no one's admitting we like pop tarts. If it'd been more honest, you'd been together today. But, look at how it was Ty? Even up until we met, you were not wanting to admit you liked pop tarts. It nearly cost us meeting each other. Heck, I was sitting there with pop tart breath, crumbs on my chin, and talking about crunchy icing and you still wouldn't admit it. So, you can't blame him for liking pop tarts. All you can blame him for is the way he got yours which sucks."

"Now, Here's what I saw up there that told me things are going to be good for Chance. When given someone that came up to him and said, "Hey, I like pop tarts and I'd like to know if you like them to?" He said he did. Now, what I'm going to do is I'm going to get off pop tarts and just say what it is. Ok?"

Ty laughed and said, "Good, my pop tarts were feeling threatened."

Chance chuckled and said, "Guys, I have some questions and need some answers."

Ty laughed and said, "I'll try to answer them by giving you the laptop and telling you websites."

Chance said, "No, what I want to ask is how will I know if I'm in love?"

"Oh wow, that's a tough one. For each person, it's different. For me, I love you because you're a friend. I know we don't know each other that well, but once we get rid of all the garbage in your life, you'll see you've got a lot of good to give people. Now, Ty here, I love him and even before I knew him really well, I knew I loved him."

"From just meeting him in a restaurant?"

"No, after that we talked on the phone and then that was like lubricating the gears in my head to start the machinery up for a relationship instead of just sex. Then, when I got the call to go get his mom's body, I was really dreading the situation. I thought it would all slip away from me. Then, when I went back to his house, I found out he and his mom had battled it out over he and I even planning on dating. That there was enough to say, "Whoa, this one is special and the more I get to know, the more I love him. What's neat is I see his family and each one is so great and each one of them likes me. To me, I love him, but each day, it's like I learn a little bit more and each day, I find out I love him in a different way."

Chance said, "I know what you mean. Ty and I were friends for two years. Until that friendship, I could tell you I never once thought of being together with a guy. Then, sometime in it, I began to feel things towards him. Yeah, he's good looking and sexy as hell, but it was the little things. That's why when I did what I did and said what I did, I really felt like shit. You don't know how bad I wanted to come back and say, "This has been a bad joke and let me take away all that pain. But I didn't have the guts. What's bad is I did it over and over and over and knew it was like a house of cards Then, I met Jeremy at work and we began working the night shift. At first, I expected things to go just like everyone of them except Ty. All the rest of them except Ty, I never cared about. To me, they were all in the blur of life. The memory of Ty kept coming back and haunting me with Jeremy. I'd do things with Jeremy and catch myself. I'd touch Jeremy's hand when we were driving down the street and desperately wanted to hold it, but wouldn't because someone might see. Then, as time went on, I found myself wanting him more and more. And, then on Valentine's Day, I gave him a big chocolate heart and a Hershey's Big Kiss. You don't know how much I wanted that to be a real kiss from me. It was hard because it kept gnawing at me and I kept falling more and more for him."

"Ok, so what really stopped you?"

"I live at home with my family. I know that when I tell them, they're going to all go apeshit bonanza on me."

"So, your family is the only thing that's stopping you?"

"Yeah, you don't know how I'm dreading them finding out."

"Ok, let's switch gears for a moment and let's cross the other bridge."

"What's that?"

"Ok, you know you're going to move over to our house, right?"

"Yeah, OK, so before you go home and tell everyone you're gay, don't you think you'll do good if you go in and get our stuff packed so you can move it out?"

"They won't let me move a thing!"

"No, you didn't hear what I said. Go home. Pack your stuff and have it ready. I guarantee you that if it's packed and ready, it will leave that house."

"How's that?"

"I'm thinking on that. There are several ways, but what I think is telling them you want to move out and you've got someplace to go."

"They'll want to know all about you and then, they'll put a stop to it."

"Why?"

"My dad is a redneck and my uncle will catch wind of who you are and then, they'll not let me go."

"Chance, hold up a second. You are making yourself out to be something you're not here. First of all, you are above the age of eighteen. Unless there's a court order barring you from leaving that house, you are able to move out when you want."

"They won't let me take my stuff!"

"Yes they will, the second they want to keep your stuff, is the second I have Ben in there arresting them. Let them lay a finger on you in that meanwhile, and I'll do what is needed physically to keep them away from you."

"Isn't there any other way we could do this?"

Ty said, "Yeah, there is and Lance isn't thinking of it."

"Ok, what is it Ty?"

"Have Heather go over with him and get the stuff. They'll think she's his girlfriend and they'll think they're putting two and two together and coming up with four. What they're not seeing isn't hurting them, and then, when he's away from there, they'll have opportunity to find out without the holding of his things."

"Ok, let me see if Heather will do it. I can't say if she will, or won't. Basically, what we're doing is using her for protection of him."

"Yeah, but Gregg probably won't go for it."

"Hold up, I'll tell you now the second Gregg steps up and tells her she can't do something without her giving input, she'll knock that boy flying. And, Ty, don't even think you can answer for me without my giving any input into something. I'll gladly speak with you and hear your voiced objections, but if you think I'm a piece of property who will let you speak for me, then run bud because I'll tell you now, that's not even going to be how far I want you away from me."

"No, I didn't say that."

"Then tell me what Gregg has to say about it."

"Gregg's not going to want his girlfriend wanting go over and say she's someone else's girlfriend!"

"What if she doesn't say she's his girlfriend and they just assume that's the case. What if she says, "Ummm, I prefer not to say" Then, she's not lied and she's there to do what she can."

"Well, what I think is if you were facing going over there, I'd have reservations you going and saying you were his boyfriend."

"I would too, but what if I was going over there and I was just there to carry his shit and get out of there."

"Then, that wouldn't be a problem."

"Good, now we've got that little piece of trust out of the way, I think she'd do it."

"Well, we'll ask her and then find a time to do it."

"Guys, it has to be soon."

"Why?"

"Jeremy is going to tell my brother. I just know it."

"No, I don't think he will."

"Be assured, I imagine there probably won't be a "will" to it. I imagine it's already done. I like Jeremy, but he's a game player just as much as I am. He'll tell you something and then turn around and tell my brother something if it gets him a little heads up on my brother."

"So, what are you saying?"

"My brother and Jeremy talk more than he and I do. If you think he's not already spoken to him to be that wake up call in the morning, then you don't know them. That's what Jeremy does. Then, he's Glad's good night tuck in."

"Is Glad gay?"

"I don't know, but I'll tell you Jeremy sure will bust his hump to get to Glad to tell him."

"Call Jeremy's cell phone and let me speak to him."

Ty called Jeremy's cell phone and it was answered within four rings. "Hello!"

"Jeremy, hi, this is Lance."

"Hi Lance."

"Jeremy, Chance is afraid you're going to tell his brother about what happened tonight. What I'd like to do is ask you to hold off on that so we can get his things out of that house without a lot of problems."

"Ummm"

"So, you've already called huh?"

"Ummm yeah, kinda"

"How's it kinda?"

"I left a voice mail."

"Ok, so what did you say?"

"I told him some people came in and confronted him about being gay. He then quit his job and left with them."

"So, you left yourself out of that equation totally."

"Yeah"

"I don't like that Jeremy. I don't like that at all. You're willing to put his business out there without a care for his safety and make yourself look like you're innocent. Might I remind you I saw what went on in that office and might you be reminded what you admitted to everyone else?"

"Yeah"

"So, what are you gaining by doing that?"

"I really like Glad and I wanted him to know I'm available."

"I sincerely hope that's what you get Jeremy because I'll tell you now, I doubt you're going to get anything else. Mark's not going to want someone that does that even to an enemy and I'm not going to want someone to work for me that will do that to anyone. What's to say you'd not go out and divulge business secrets to someone just because you liked that person."

"I wouldn't do that."

"Well, my suggestion is you think about how you could possibly reverse the damage you've done there. We've got to go in and get his stuff and you know how it is in that house. It would have been easy had you kept mum, but now, they're probably over having a shredding session with his property."

"I doubt that. Glad and Chance are really close."

"Well, do what you can to do damage control because I quite frankly am really disappointed about what has happened. Look at where I am and ask yourself if I'd have an employee working for me that does that."

"All I did was call Glad. I call him all the time."

"Well, when Glad calls you, you stress to him that I'd appreciate it if he keeps mum until we can get in there to get Chance's property. IF Glad can't keep his mouth shut, Jeremy, then think about keeping your job there because I don't think I can have someone do that to me. Heck, the way it is, I'll likely have to be rambo and go in and knock a few heads to get his stuff. I certainly hope Glad doesn't step in the way."

"Don't do anything to him!"

"Why Jeremy! You already have him tearing up Chance's stuff?"

"No, he's my boyfriend."

"Oh, so you're giving head to one and boyfriends with the other. How messed up is that? Does Glad know you were planning on seeing Mark? Does he know what you were doing with Chance?"

"No"

"Well, then be sure not to say anything because Mark doesn't need that headache. I'll tell Mark what's really going on and put your business out there like you did Chance. It's certainly going to have to be a lot for me to even consider hiring you now. You have a good day."

I hung up and said, "Well, he left a voice mail and I'm sure you heard the rest."

"So, Glad and Jeremy are lovers."

"He says they are."

"Well, then maybe Glad won't tell anyone. I sure know he's not out of the closet to anyone else, if he's not to me!"

"I hope they don't say anything to your family so we can get your stuff out of there fast."

"Yeah, me too. What I'll do is you can drop me off and I'll go in and speak to Glad and tell him to stay quiet and get my stuff packed. Then, what I can do is get over to the funeral home and get the truck if you don't mind."

"That's fine. Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, as long as Glad's not told everyone. If he has, then I don't know. I'll probably be ok, but I'll probably be out of the house without a thing to call my own."

We were entering town and the snowplows had barely began to move to create one lane open. The benefit of the four wheel and the added weight were a real blessing.

We pulled up in front of Chance's parent's house and it was dark. That was a good sign, but it also told me it was the calm before the storm. Don't ask me how I knew, but I imagined things weren't going to go easily.

He hopped out and I said, "Chance, take my cell number and call. I'll answer all calls until we get you out of there...even if I'm in the middle of his mom's funeral. You matter and know that we'll be there for you."

He nodded and said, "I'll be there before you know it. Thanks guys"

"No problem."

He slammed the door and we drove on. Ty looked at me and said, "That's going to be a real mess."

"Yeah, but we've got to help him Ty. I'd not let you live like that, and I can't let him either."

"Do you think he'll be good with Jim?"

"I don't know. To be honest, until today, I've not said more than three words to those guys on that plane. To me, they had their job to do and I had mine. Today, maybe it was the near crash or the fresh faces, but it seemed those guys were humans instead of robots. Jim really took a quick liking to you both, but as soon as he discovered you and I were together, he went right for Chance."

"Jim was nice. What I think Chance is going to like it Jim's eyes and that sense of adventure. I'll tell you now that is there's an opening up in those skies, Chance will take it and leave everything else behind. He's always wanted to be a pilot and if he can't be, I bet being in on that plane would be a dream for him."

"I've got a question to ask you and you can tell me to mind my own if you want, but what did you think when you heard Chance say he carried a torch for you too?"

"It hurt. It hurt a lot because If he'd said that, we'd be together and I'd helped to protect those secrets. Now, do you want what I'm afraid of?"

"What hon?"

"I'm afraid of Glad telling the family. You don't know how Glad's brain works hon. He's hateful and he's mean. He's got a streak in him that is beyond anything civil. I've dealt with him and I wouldn't play over there because he was that mean."

"What do you mean?"

'Here's an example. For years their tree house used to have a rope from it to Chance's bedroom window. It was on a pulley system so we could put things on it and wheel it over to the tree. The thing is that Chance and I discovered we could hook a box up to it that was made of wood and wheel ourselves across the pulley. Rather than climbing up the ladder, it was fun, so we'd do that."

"One day, Chance was gone and I went over to their house. I was let in and I went up to Chance's bedroom. From there, I climbed into the box and started to wheel myself over. On the other side, Glad was there and he was holding a knife. He said, "You better hurry or I'm going to cut the rope". Now, at first I thought it was a joke, and then he started sawing on the rope. So, I started wheeling as fast as I could. Just about the time I got there, he cut the rope and I fell. Fortunately, I landed on a yew bush they had down underneath, but from that moment, I left and didn't want to go back again. Chance asked me what happened and I told him what Glad had done. He said Glad was always that mean."

"So, you think Glad will do the same to Chance? Let him think he's got a chance and then fuck him up?"

"Yeah, I do as sick as that sounds."

"Well then, what I've got to do is get these bodies loaded off and get over there to get Chance's stuff loaded into that flower truck."

"Why don't you get Heather and take her with you and then take the flower truck. I can get everyone else to help me and get these downstairs to morgue."

"Ok, I really hate this, but I just feel uneasy about it."

"I understand. If we were dealing with anyone else but Glad in this situation, I'd say he'd be ok. Now, all I can hope is everything is a giant paranoid streak."

"Hon, we'll be ok."

"You don't know their dad. Their uncle was an asshole to everyone but he's the nice one of the two. What Glad got, he got from their dad. When you talked about your uncle, that man is the one that I pictured doing those things. I'm sorry, but that's how I felt for the man. The only reason I hung around Chance was because I thought he was so good looking and nice."

"Well, he is good looking but he's got a bigger body than I find appealing."

"He's got a football player's build. You've got a runner's build. The difference is one is like a alligator and you are built like a gazelle."

"I might need that speed over there."

"No, what you need is these words. Foxhole Love Letters"

"What!"

"I tell you to believe what I have to say. That man has love letters written to him from another man on the sort of paper like what we had when we were in the first grade. Not the white paper, but the other kind that's recycled. There were a lot of them and they were on and on about holding each other and kissing and making love in a field. I don't know where, but there were tear stains on those letters and Chance told me if his dad ever found out we'd seen those letters, we'd be dead. It's those letters that I used to tell Chance what I felt for him because I told him I felt like that guy writing them felt for his dad."

"Oh, so that's why they stick in your head so much."

"Yeah, and between you and I, those letters are what will break that man down and make him think about what might have been between them."

"Oh man, I see what you're meaning."

"Yeah, so go get it done and get yourself home. Ok?"

"Yeah, I will. When we get there, I'll get Heather and we'll go."

"Ok, I'm glad because I'll feel better if you have her with you."

"Me too."

When we pulled up to the funeral home, I dropped Ty off and told him to come through and open the side door. He gave me a look and I said, "Hon, I love you, but you're not going to begin to get those off the top if you don't know how to do it."

"Ok"

He went through and the door opened. I backed in the Escalade and hit the switch to shut the door.

He looked at me and I said, "Up there is the lift to get those down. It's super close, but I think we can get it. IF it falls, don't attempt to catch it. With the body, it's going to weigh at least five hundred pounds."

"Ok, so what are we going to do?"

"Get that step stool over there and put those two loops around the handles."

He did it and then I said, "Now, see that D ring connector?"

"Yeah"

"Make that cord there go through the handle and then double it back on itself. Then, fasten that clip to the.....Yeah, there you got it. Ok, do it to the other. Yeah, now you've got it."

He came down and went over to the other side to do those likewise. While he did that, I went to get the cart so it would be in position.

He came down and I said, "Over there hanging on the wall is the control for that winch. The green is up and the red is down. The arrows towards the red means it goes away from the door. The other way means to the door."

He did it and lifted it up. "Now move it over to the cart and then let it down with the red button."

He did and when it was down, I showed him how to put it onto the cart. "See those indentations there? Put those up against the side. Yeah, like that. Those grippers will see the casket doesn't slide off . Now, with that on there exactly like that, it's perfectly balanced and you can wheel that thing around and it's not going to tip or totter. Those wheel locks keep you in business and theres a steer thing for the wheels but I never use it. It'll steer itself if you push it the direction you want to go."

Just then, I felt my cell phone.

"My cell phone's buzzing."

"Hello'

It was a voice and it sounded like it was hoarse and breathless. "Help me"

"I'll be right there. TY' come on!"

GO get Heather and tell her I need her over at their house!"

He nodded and I got in the flower truck and started it. Amazingly, it started first try. I gave her the fuel and no slipping of a wheel, that diesel roared. I flew through red lights and everywhere I drove like a madman, not one cop. How my luck could be so good when I needed one, I'll never know. All I know was I was going through a thirty five mile an hour zone doing sixty and there's always a cop there. Not tonight.

On the way, I called Ben's number and let it ring. He answered and I said, "Ben, I need you at 3309 Briar Hills East."

"What!"

"That's Chance's address. He's supposed to be over there picking up possessions and his family has done something to him."

"Oh man, you didn't let him go in alone did you?"

"Yeah"

"Oh man, I hope my wheels can turn fast enough. His dad is like a rabid motherfucker when he's pissed. I remembered the family name, but he doesn't look anything like his dad. When you get there, go in to kill and I'll support whatever you have to do. Don't wait up for me because I'll have a pistol drawn. That's how I intend to handle the man."

I could here his van door slam and his motor racing. "Thank God this thing was still warm from earlier. This thing is cold natured and I'd had a ten minute start time."

I pulled up in front of their house and now, all the lights were on. No tire prints from the garage and no moved vehicles told me everyone had to be up."

I walked up to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. One well place kick and the frame busted. When I got inside, I heard yelling from the upstairs of the split level. I went up and got to the hallway when I saw the father leaned over a body punching repeatedly. "Get up off him motherfucker!"

"Who are you, his sissy boyfriend come to get yourself some more?"

"No, I'm your worst nightmare motherfucker. Let's just say I'll haunt your ass worse than love letters in a foxhole." As soon as I said it, his demeanor changed and I said, "Step back and let him have his happiness. If you don't move, you will die."

"Oh really. You think you can do something?" I heard a voice behind me. I lashed out with a round house and did a knee bar to take out the legs. As soon as he fell, I threw out a jab and felt bone crunch under my knuckle. In his exhalation, blood frothed and his eyes rolled back."

"Oh, we got a gook fighter huh? Let's see what you got. You get through me and you can have him. He's not worth the effort if you ask me."

I think he was wanting a conversation. I learned those that want conversation, don't want a fight. I'd crossed the line by taking down one and as I saw it, Chance wasn't moving, so in for a penny in for a pound. Someone would die tonight."

The father stepped forward and his stagger told me someone had gotten in some blows to mess up the equilibrium to his inner ear. This would be easier than I thought. The man was seeing about five of me and all I had to do was make him figure out which one he was fighting. Quick accurate blows would have me recoiled before he saw where me hands were located. Another move was about a second away. I did a fast aerial and took out the ceiling light. Glass rained down upon him and I stepped back. He stepped forward faster to get away from the falling glass and his momentum compounded with the oncoming freight train blow put him back on his ass."

"Bobby didn't mean nothing to me. If you think he did, you're fucked up."

"He loved you. You sucked his dick."

I didn't know that..

"Didn't mean a thing to me."

"That's why you cried over the letters. That's why they meant so much to you, you held onto them all those years?"

"He didn't mean a thing to me I tell you."

"Then cry over this motherfucker."

I kicked out and caught him in his chest. He rolled back and a quick jab to his nuts took him into a fetal ball. He moaned and gave some guttural sounds like he was heaving. I looked up the hallway and saw the body rolling over. "Chance, crawl into your bedroom and close the door."

The person looked up at me and I saw it wasn't Chance. It was a woman!"

"Oh my God."

Tears stained her face and she said, "Chance is ok. Kill him and do us all a favor."

The man moaned and said, "Woman, I'll show you who will be killed tonight."

"Oh really! You threaten the woman, and show her cruelty I wouldn't show a dog and all the while, you pine for a man. What a piece of trash."

He sat up and I said, "Thanks for the shirt collar asshole."

I lifted him and pulled him up onto my shoulder blades so his back was upon mine. He was unable to fight out or get a good movement any direction. He could attempt to grab my hair, but with my forearms being in the way, he wasn't going to get much pain on me.

As I carried him to the front door, he cussed and threatened. I leaned forward and he slid up and over my shoulders into the snow. I heard a motor racing up the street and saw my Escalade slide up. Heather came up doing cartwheel flips and Ty wasn't even to the curb yet. I yelled at Ty, "KEEP HIM FACE DOWN IN THE SNOW AND DON"T LET HIM UP FOR ANYTHING!"

"Is he alive?"

"Yeah, but I think you showed Chance the blows earlier that kept him alive. I haven't found him yet, but he definitely has had some of his old man."

"You handled Glad?"

"Glad's either dead or is severely working with a broken jaw and probably neck. The old man was pounding down the mom when I entered and she's in the first bedroom to the left upstairs. Don't kill anything in there and look for Chance, Heather."

"Ok, you been downstairs?"

"Not yet, I don't know where his room is."

Ty said, "It used to be upstairs up the hall on the right. He had a waterbed, so it had to be on the ground floor. He and Glad traded"

"Ok"

Heather entered and said, " I'll drag out the body upstairs. He's alive, but barely. I saw him breathe."

"Ok, there's your revenge hon. I'm going back in."

Ty nodded and I went in. Downstairs, I heard a door get kicked in and a yell, "LANCE!"

I ran and when I got downstairs, I saw Chance in the corner. His eyes were wild and he was shivering. I knew he was in shock and could very easily lash out at anyone he perceived as a threat. "Chance, it's me hon. I'm here. Please believe me I drove as fast as I could. There's no more threats and your mom's ok."

He gave me some eye movement at the mention of his mom. What's strange is in all the conversations, not one mention of the woman was said by Ty, Chance, or anyone. Chance straightened his back like something pained him and I had a split second to realize he was in fear from behind me.

I spun around and his brother came at me with a baseball bat. It glanced off my elbow and veered off to the right. Heather and I definitely needed to have a talk about how this one got back inside, but a sudden alarming thought that Ty was outside."

One overwhelming law of martial arts is to keep your body in movement and to keep yourself as small of a target as you can possibly make yourself. The only time to come out of that stance and elongate yourself is when in movement to do dives, flips, cart wheels, etc. With the ball bat off to the side and both his hands upon it, I broke all laws and did a diving head butt directly into his nuts. He went down and in his pain, he let go of the ball bat.

I came up to give the death blow and behind me I heard, "DON'T!"

"CHANCE, GOD DAMN IT!"

"Don't!"

"Ok, He lives."

I looked down at Glad and said, "Punk, you live, but move and you die."

Chance hobbled over and said, "Glad, you're like me. Why'd you do it?"

Glad smiled and said, "I'm dad's favorite!"

"Guess what punk. Your dad's a fag too."

Chance said, "Glad, Jeremy is yours. I hope you two are happy together."

"Jeremy's always been mine."

"If you think that Glad."

Glad looked at Chance and said, "Have you ever had a boyfriend I didn't have before you?"

I answered for him, "Ty."

Glad looked at me and said, "Ty wasn't his boyfriend!"

"Oh yeah? Then you don't know everything."

Glad looked at Chance and said, "Should have killed him when I had the chance."

Chance looked at me and said, "Glad, meet Ty's lover. He's now got my permission to kill you." As he spoke, spittle and blood splattered. Either his lips were badly bleeding, or he had internal damage."

I stood up and as I stood, I pulled Glad up by his hair. Yes, Pain is paramount when dealing with an opponent."

I drug Glad backwards and saw Chance go on up the steps as I went out onto the front snow covered lawn. Ty was sitting there with the father still face down and I said, "Ty, you letting him breathe?"

"Oh, I forgot!"

"Turn his head and he'll be ok. He's blue so that's a good sign."

"How do you know?"

"If he was white, he'd be dead."

"Oh"

I saw headlights and a yellow revolving light come roaring up and on into the yard. Ben had arrived.

Ty chuckled and said, "That man arrives like he drives. Slow"

"His handicap is driving that van. No traction in snow. He's lucky he made it here. Take your guy over to the ass end of it and throw him in. I'll do the same with Glad as soon as I get a stretcher out to strap him to."

Ben came running up and I said, "They're alive and put your gun away. Upstairs is Chance and the mom. Speak well ahead of entering near Chance. He's in shock."

"Ok The mom doing ok?"

"Yeah, she's ok. She told me to do them all a favor and go ahead and kill her husband."

"Nah, you did it good. What I'll do is file three different counts of every abuse and domestic terrorism law known to God on him."

"What!"

"Yeah, you want to know a loop hole in the terrorism law, read it sometime. In it, they included a clause that if read the way I perceive the vagaries of it, It could either mean domestic terrorism of a woman, child, or person in the same household. What's interesting is is specifically refers to stateside on this clause. Like we were going to fight it here, but ignore it over seas. I'll use the law compounded with the photos of all the victims and statements from witnesses who had to fight the man to get him off the woman, and you'll be amazed at how this will make CNN."

I smiled and said, "Ben, do you sleep?"

"Yeah, when I'm allowed to and I'm not out chasing someone else's crooks."

"You need to get a keyboard and write a book bud."

"Nah, not enough time. The real shit's where it's at. Just call me Quincy."

I laughed and said, "Yeah, you're about that old."

"Asshole, that man was my idol. Tell me one time they've ever had a funeral home crime fighter and I'll show you none. But we've had a lot of them. Look how popular CSI is now. I just wish I had that budget for some of that equipment."

"I'll spot you a quarter mil for what you can get with it."

"Oh man, you don't have a clue."

"Yeah I do. Knock yourself out. And help me get this punk onto a stretcher and strapped on."

"He alive?"

"Yeah, but only because Chance wouldn't let me kill him."

"Oh damn."

"Yeah, then after the kid ran his mouth, even his brother said it was ok to do him."

"Rotten luck isn't it."

"Yeah, but the kid idolizes his dad and thinks he's the favorite. What I'm going to do is get Chance and Ty to have me find that paperwork of the dad's and I'm putting those letters on the kid's chest to read. The fucking kid sold out his brother just to be on dad's good side."

"That's bullshit Let me have him."

Ben had out a foot long blade and I looked at him and said, "Jesus, that thing looks bigger than anything you've ever held in your hand before. Do you know how to use that?"

"Some of us are gifted and some of us have to use what man invented. Believe me, I've got skills."

I chuckled and said, "I've got to go get Chance to see if he's ok. Take these and be sure they don't get out of your truck."

"Wrong vehicle if you want that. They don't put locks inside a Coroner's van for obvious reasons. The one's that are wanting out are alive and the one's that aren't don't need out."

I chuckled and said. "Well, do you strap them on those gurneys?"

"Yeah, state law ya smuck. Didn't they teach ya anything at that fancy school?"

"OH believe me, I learned how to read the "fresh by" date through the bottle."

He laughed and said, "Yeah, tell me another because you aced it."

I was known to let my hair down occasionally."

"Yeah, on those rare occasions!"

"Not in front of Ty. He'll think I never had fun at all."

"If memory serves me right, you said you were waiting on the next one to have fun. Wake up, because he's here."

"Old man, another steak dinner if you keep talking like that."

"Oh no you don't! I've not had the first steak and you don't even try to imply I've had the first. I'll take the first and then I'll allow you to give me another. How's that."

"Ok, but the deal is you've got to eat that steak with French fries and a milk shake otherwise it's not good."

Ty came back out and said, "Heather says the mom's not in good shape. We need to take both Chance and the mom to the hospital."

"Ok, You have everything out of the Escalade?"

"Yeah, but the last two didn't get taken down stairs. Heather came down and I told her. She was yelling at me the whole time about you being bullheaded and not waiting. As slow as she dresses, I nearly had them all in the basement."

"You weren't that far behind me. You beat the old man here thank goodness."

Ben smiled and said, "That's one thing I'll get is a black version of your truck."

"Get it off ebay otherwise you'll have chewed away half your alloted budget."

"Jemeneez kid, you spent that much on that truck!"

"Yeah, every cent was worth it."

"It's a beautiful truck."

"It is that."

"Heather came out half carrying the mom. I said, "Let me get her, you carry Chance."

"No, I got the heavy one last time."

"No, I got the dad."

"The first time, the second time I got him."

"What! Where was Ty?"

"Upstairs checking on Chance. Your boy nearly got you killed."

Ty looked at me embarrassed and said, "I thought he'd lay there."

"You nearly had us killed. You ever do that again...."

Ben smiled and said, "He'll love you and forgive you." He looked at me and said, "Don't fuck up a good thing when you have it. I did that once and I still kick myself like a Missouri Mule."

"Okay old man."

"I'll 'old man' your ass."

"Promises you sexy old geezer because then I'd get your ass in return."

He laughed and said, "You'd have the ride of your young life because I'd buck you until you were dead."

Ty came up and said, "He just doesn't know, does he!"

"He don't but I don't want him fantasizing more than he has already."

"I'm going in to get Chance. You load up his stuff in that bedroom and bring everything he could possibly want. Family Bibles and everything. He's not coming back here."

"His mom will allow it."

"She's not coming back here. She's giving him everything since you didn't kill him."

Ben said, "Tell her on the way to the hospital she's a single woman because he'll not get out of prison."

"She didn't want either of them to make it that far."

Ben gave a surprised look and Ty continued. "Yeah, that sadistic asshole there held his mom back while the man beat up Chance. It was only when she told him Chance wasn't his that the man turned on her and that's when Glad held his mom."

Ben said, "Aiding and abetting and I'm not going to pull back from prosecuting either one. I'm sure I can get conspiracy in there somewhere."

Ben seemed to be raking his mind on what charges could be levied. I walked off and saw Chance coming towards me.

"Tell me where those letters are?"

"They're in the bottom left dresser drawer in their closet. It's under the war stuff."

"Ok, I want those papers."

"Why?"

"Let's just say I want to check something."

"Hmmm?"

"I think I know who your dad's lover was. I want to see the handwriting myself."

"How would you know?"

"The time period is right."

"What do you mean?"

"The paper you mentioned. It wasn't wide lined like a normal first grader's paper was it?"

"No, it was narrow lined like a normal paper."

"Black ink pen with drops of ink."

"Yeah, how'd you know."

"The man was my uncle. Only a sadistic son of a bitch could love another like that."

I went over to Ben and said, "Ben, let that man go and tell him I want to see him in the house. I'm going in and having a talk with him. Then, you'll have a body to take to the morgue."

Ben looked at me and said, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, there's only one way to kill the devil. Take away it's pain."

Chance looked at me and said, "Don't be merciful. He wasn't to us."

"I'm not Chance."

He walked towards the Escalade and got into the back with his mom.

I went in and got into the drawer. Everything was exactly as it was told.

I sat there and read the letters. It's hard to believe my uncle loved someone in the manner he could have loved this man.

I heard glass crunch and looked up. He was standing at the doorway.

"Those aren't yours. Put them back"

"Let me tell you a story about the man that wrote these."

He looked at me and said, "You wouldn't know him."

"I didn't know the man that wrote these letters because this man loved someone. The man that molested me and raped me didn't love a soul. He thought he'd lost someone in a foxhole over in the war.. Why didn't you answer him? It sure would have saved me some pain."

"I couldn't love him."

"I couldn't either. I was getting raped."

He looked at me and I said, "Yeah, the same fucking paper. I'll tell you where those letters got written. Fulton State Mental Institution. The man signed himself in and signed himself out like a boxer dodging in and out of the ropes. He knew the game and it afforded him the check that kept him not having to work. You told him that trick, didn't you."

"I wrote to him and told him he needed help. I told him I couldn't love him. I told him we weren't boys anymore on that farm."

"He used to tell me there was only two ways he could plow a field. He could read a book and let the horse do it's job, or he could look for you at the edge of the field. One would get his ass beat by my grandpa because the line was so crooked, and the other had that row straight as can be. When he'd talk about you, he'd sound almost gentle and then he'd fuck me with brutal thrusts. Why?"

"I couldn't love him the way he loved me."

"Did he love you like that?"

"Yes, he wanted me to do it back. I couldn't."

"If only I had known. I could have. Believe me, I could have." I shook my head."My mom didn't believe me that he did it. But, what's ironic is he'd do it and he'd go write a letter to someone. As soon as Ty told me the kind of paper, I knew. He'd rape me and then, he'd go write you a love letter and you'd never answer."

I stood up and thrust the letter at him. Those wet spots weren't tears on those pages. They were from his hair dripping after the showers he'd take. I'd be left on the floor and he'd come write you. How does that feel that a little boy would give up his security so you'd have some comfort in that fox hole."

"I didn't know."

"You didn't care!. He told you in detail shit in those letters of what you did when you were boys. He told me he never met you until you were thirteen."

"He was right."

"And he'd write stories telling you about what he did to you as a boy. Didn't that make you wonder?"

"I thought he was fantasizing."

"Well, he wasn't. He was acting out and bragging to you. See those fucking black ink marks there. Those are from him taking that ink pen barrel and snorting those drugs. He'd freebase that shit and snort it up his nose. He'd have me hold that barrel. Then, after he'd snort it, he'd slap that ink pen in his palm and those ink dots got spattered out. The thing though is you'll see it smeared and that's because he wrote the words after he spattered the ink. All I saw were empty pages."

The man said, "Can I have those?"

"No. I'm going to take them to your son. He needs to see them."

"Why do you want Chance to see them."

"Chance isn't your son, he's my uncles."

"How do you know?"

"Let me say that I had a cousin that disappeared. He disappeared when my uncle threw him across the room after lifting him from a chair by his head. I thought I knew Chance when I saw him, but my cousin had blonde hair.

What Ty said when he talked about Chance is that Chance changed from being a little boy with blonde hair that was sickly to being a barrel of a guy that had black hair. He said several times he never looked like you. I know he didn't because when all the puzzle pieces fell into place, I recognized Chance.

What's fucked up is you've got another son that idolizes the brutality you displayed. You don't realize it but he wants someone to love him in that way. He found his match and that's in a deceitful motherfucker named Jeremy that played both your kids."

"Glad isn't gay!"

My hand struck out. His face began to change. "Yes......he......is.......and .......so.......were......you, you son of a bitch! It's people like you that live in denial that create people like me that have to learn how to turn on and off their emotions because it hurts too much to live them. Ask me what that's like when I love someone and I wake up wondering if I've killed him in the middle of the night. Yeah, it's fucking scary, but not as bad as you're feeling now. You lay right there and think about seeing him. And then, you tell me if you burned."

I left the room and went outside. When I got outside, Ben stood there and said, "The boy committed suicide in the back of my van."

"What!"

"Yeah, he was strapped to that gurney and had a knife in his front pocket. He cut through his own femoral artery for chrissakes."

"You can't save them all. I'm taking these papers with me. They're mine."

"Ok, you want the bodies?"

"Take 'em to be cremated. I'll pay the bill."

"No, the feds will pick it up when they discover they died while in custody."

"Just take them to be cremated so I can forget."

"You're not going to forget. You're not the type."

"I've never forgotten. That's why I want those pieces of paper."

"What are they?"

"Love letters written to that man in there by my uncle after he got through raping me."

"Oh my God! Are you ok?"

"If someone had asked me that question when I was five, six, and seven years old, I'd probably lied and said I was. I wasn't ok then, and I'm not ok now. I'll be ok some day, but Ty's working through it with me."

"Do you trust yourself with Chance?"

"Yeah, he's my cousin."

Ben gave me a raised eyebrow. I thrust my thumb over my shoulder. "My uncle was his lover. Someplace along the line, my cousin disappeared and it wasn't until I was here that I found out where he went. Chance was lucky. He got to come live here. That man in there knew there was a soul out there more fucked up than he. He couldn't love him."

I walked to the flower truck and placed the papers on my seat. I then went back into the house and began packing Chance's belongings.

Notes:

The incident about the papers is true. That's how it happened. I used it with this story so it would have integrity.

If you are abusing someone such as the abuses here in this chapter. Quit. Seek help and do your time. The solitude while in prison will make you a better person.

Many of us who are gay were abused. If you are lucky enough to have someone who will work through it with you, I'm happy for you. If you're not so lucky, go, get help. Find a support group so someone can listen to your story and nurture you. BUT, don't live the life of a victim. Too many do. Be and advocate and be there for others. Through your actions, you'll claim victory.

"From My Keyboard To Your Heart", Retta

RettaMichaels@Gmail.com Copyright Notice - Copyright (c) 2008 by RettaMichaels The author, RettaMichaels copyrights this story and retains all rights. This work may not be edited, changed, or duplicated in any form, media [ known or unknown ], without the author's expressed permission. All applicable copyright laws apply. RettaMichaels does NOT give editorial consent in order for this to be published. If it is deemed unpublishable in it's context, permission much be granted before publication or changes occur. "From My Keyboard To Your Heart","'Retta","RettaMichaels"."Retta","Rhett", and "Rhette" are all trademarks of RettaVonnMichaels LLC. None of these trademarks may be used, or authorized without consent.

Disclaimer: All individuals depicted are fictional, and any resemblance to real persons, locations, or incidents is purely coincidental--

Here is a list of stories I've written and where to find them:

With Love - Nifty - Beginnings Section Rural Love - DeweyWriter.com Write Me A Love Story - DeweyWriter.com To Love Him - DeweyWriter.com Military Zone - Nifty - Military Section Evan - Nifty - Beginnings Section Jordan - Nifty - Beginnings Section

Can You Catch My Heart

Buckets of Blessings

Chains of Love (Coming Soon!)

Dead Air (Coming Soon!)

Prayers of Thanks (Coming Soon!)

With this Ring (Coming Soon!) Tree Trim Man (Coming Soon!)

All On DeweyWriter.com or Nifty.org