Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 11:36:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Orrin Rush <orrinrush@yahoo.com>
Subject: Lifeguard chapter 60.
Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are
offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go
somewhere else.
Copyright c 2001 by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved.
Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed
electronically or in any other manner without the express,
written consent of the author.
This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters
to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not
intended. They are all products of the author's imagination.
--------------------------------------------------------------
THE LIFEGUARD
Chapter 60
I was a total zombie when we got home. The jet lag didn't
seem to affect Eric, but it sure did me, and I wasn't in any
rush to get back to work and waited for our monthly meeting
to learn what was going on.
The main focus was Tina's wedding. Even though it was a few
weeks away, taking care of all the details had reached a
frenzied pitch. Of course, I wanted to know everything.
About the only thing I was worried about was Georgia. Tina
had made a trip to Indianapolis to talk to her, and reported
that she'd calmed down a lot and had promised to "behave".
That sounded good and all, but I didn't trust her. She was
capable of anything.
When Eric and I talked about her later, we agreed that it'd
be best if I stayed as far away from Georgia as possible.
"Dammit," Eric said, "this is going to be Tina's big day and
I'm not going to allow Georgia to mess it up, even if I go to
jail for kidnapping."
"God, I hope it doesn't come to that," I told him.
"Maybe we could slip her some Prozac," he giggled, "or,
here's an idea: Get some of her friends to kind of control
her if she gets out of hand, have either Annie or Tina talk
to them."
"That might work," I agreed. "Let's look at the core of the
problem. Me. Georgia hasn't been able to accept any
responsibility for our marriage falling apart. It's all my
fault, I'm the dirty sonofabitch, and then I turn out gay,
which she considers the ultimate insult.
"The problem is that she won't move beyond that, build a new
life, have fun, accomplish something. No, all she does is
sit and feel sorry for herself, making herself and everybody
around her miserable."
"Maybe since the focus is on Tina and not you, she'll act
differently," he said.
"I hope you're right, but you've seen Georgia in action! We'll
work it out, though," I told him.
- - - - -
Late Friday afternoon, Dan called and asked me to join him
for Happy Hour. Eric was NOT invited, so that meant that Dan
had something serious to talk about.
Eric was a bit miffed when I told him, but I explained that
Dan had been there for me, and I'd sure as hell be there when
he needed somebody to talk to.
The bar had a patio where the tables were far enough apart
that we could talk without fifty people hearing every word.
Also not dark and smoky.
Dan was one of my oldest and closest friends. Nothing we had
discussed over the last 25 years had ever gone beyond the two
of us, so when he asked "How was Egypt," I felt free to
discuss some of the spicier things we'd done.
These were the preliminaries, the warmup to whatever Dan
really wanted to talk about. Finally, we got down to the
nitty gritty.
"I'm in love," he announced, "and I'm scared shitless."
"Why?"
"He's so young and so fucking gorgeous, and I'm just an old
fart who doesn't have anything to offer," he said sadly.
"That's crap and you know it," I told him. "You have a LOT
to offer, so get off that shit. Now tell me about this guy,
from the beginning."
"He came in to pick up a ticket. I make it a point to never
hit on customers, but this guy was so incredibly hot I
couldn't help but stare, and drool. A week later, he came in
again, and I was able to control myself and we talked a little
and ended up next door for a drink.
"Another week, another ticket, and this time we had dinner
together and ended up at my house. That was last night."
"Well, did you get laid?" I asked.
"Could've, but didn't," he said. "For some reason, I wanted
to keep that for a special occasion. Thankfully, he agreed.
But, now I'm a nervous wreck wondering if I scared him off."
"Remember," I told him, "Eric and I played games for a couple
of months. It was definitely worth the wait! Remember too,
a lot of guys like a little romance, not just a slam-bam
thank you Sam. What do you know about this guy?"
"Other than the fact that he's gorgeous and sure knows how to
kiss, he's smart, funny and just fun to be around. Oh, and
by the way, he's one of yours."
"One of my what?" I asked, not understanding.
"He works for you, he tells me. His name's Neil King," he
added with a grin.
"Ohmygawd! Gotta hand it to you, old buddy, you've got
excellent taste!" I told him, chuckling.
"You know him?"
"Eric and I hired him ourselves," I told him. "I don't know
anything about his personal life, except that he's openly gay,
but we're expecting him to be a star performer at work."
"He's new, then?"
"We stole him from Shell a couple of months ago. He'll be
here for a few months, then permanently stationed in Houston
running the Plastic factory that we're building."
"He told me that," he said. "That's a part I don't like.
Him in Houston and me here."
"If things work out," I told him, "don't do the long-distance
thing. It doesn't work out. Remember Tommy?"
"I certainly do! That asshole! If Neil and I do get
something going, I guess we can work something out."
"Does he know that you and I are old buddies?" I asked.
"No."
"Don't say anything," I suggested. "It might be a good idea
to keep us out of the picture."
"Any particular reason?"
"Just less pressure on him. No conflicts about pleasing his
boss or pleasing YOU."
"That's probably a good idea," he said.
"Most importantly, though," I told him, "is that you get over
any feelings of unworthiness. NOW! If I can handle a young
stud, you sure as hell can too."
"Yeah, you seem to be handling it OK," he grinned. "You only
look about 20 years younger and I've never seen you doing so
many things all at once. It looks to me like you guys'll
take over the world any minute!"
"Eric does that to me. I've never felt this way, or this
happy."
"He's the best thing that ever happened to you."
"I want a promise from you," I warned him. "I want to know
everything that happens with you and Neil. Call me."
When Eric confronted me with a "Well?" I was ready.
"Can't a couple of old farts get together and feel sorry for
themselves?" I asked.
"No," he said with a grin, "not unless I'm there. What're
you feeling sorry about?"
"It's not me, it's Dan. He's fallen for a young stud, hard,
and is going through the usual doubts and insecurities. He
just needed a Pep Talk. He'll be OK."
"I need to talk to Dan about that Scholarship Program," he
said, changing the subject. "George thinks it'd be a great
idea and has already done a lot of work on it."
"About all you have to do is find the ones who really need
help, then weed out the deadbeats," I told him.
- - - - -
Officially, Rick and Tina hadn't yet accepted my offer of the
house. I knew otherwise, but they hadn't formally accepted.
The two of them surprised me, wandering casually into my
office. I think Rick still had some misgivings, but he put on
a brave face. "We're here to accept your unbelievably
generous offer," he told me, Tina grinning from ear to ear.
"We've picked out a lot, and I've been working on the plans.
It isn't going to be too big."
"I'm glad, guys," I told them. "This is something I wanted
to do. But Rick, why build small? You need lots of room for
all those grandchildren you guys're going to have. It'll
also be a 'demo' for your Architectural talent. Build big!
I can afford it."
"It's tempting," Rick said.
"Go for it! Before we go any further, though, there's another
surprise for you."
I grabbed the phone and called Eric, telling him that Rick
and Tina were in my office. He agreed to come right over.
After telling him that they'd accepted, he came straight to
the point. "Now you have a house," he observed with a grin,
"now you need a few things to put in it and around it. How
about finding the best Decorator you can and the best
Landscape Architect you can, unless you do that work too,
Rick, and put 'em to work. That's my wedding gift to you
guys."
Tina jumped up and gave Eric a big hug and a kiss on the
cheek. "Hope you're ready to spend a LOT of money," she
giggled. "I have expensive tastes!"
"Good. Let's see if we can't outspend your Dad," he told her.
Rick was sitting there looking stunned. First, I'd hit him
with a bigger house then Eric's gift was too much for the
poor guy. "I'm overwhelmed," he said. "Never in my life
have a seen such generosity. Thank you both more than I can
tell you."
"We did it because we WANTED to," Eric assured him.
"Any chance of getting the decorator that 'did' your
apartment in New York?" Tina asked Eric.
"If you want, and if you think you can control him," he
said. "Brucie's pretty headstrong and can be a real wildman."
The fire in Tina's eyes gave me no doubt that Brucie would
toe the line.
- - - - -
Every one of our top people was on hand for our second
Monthly Meeting. It quickly became a quick report on progress
or anything new going on. Everything was going along
smoothly in all segments of the business, and new projects,
like Plastics were progressing on schedule. The meeting
didn't take long.
Then it was Bill's turn. "First of all," he said, "I want to
congratulate all of you on continuing these meetings outside
this room. We may be different companies, but we're all
under one ownership, Dave, Eric, Annie and Tina. By learning
what's going on in our other companies, we can all benefit.
"Metalco, in particular, has a problem. It's an ongoing
one and if we all work together, we can solve it. Even with
our investment in the new Plastics facility, our cash is
getting out of control. We NEED to find some good
acquisitions.
"I know, we could have worse problems, and this one,
hopefully, will never go away. Our aim is to put that money
to work, not let it sit idly. We need your help and
suggestions. There are no limits to the industry or size of
the targets. Tell us your ideas." He waved to me to go next.
"Along that line," I said, "our market is just about entirely
domestic. There's a whole world out there that we're very
capable of competing in. Lundborg Rush is taking a hard look
at World Markets, but everyone else should be, too,
particularly consumer products. I think we'll be very
surprised at what we learn, and I'm asking all of you to take
a hard look at these markets. Don't ignore the smaller, less
developed countries, either. Do what you can by next month's
meeting. Market research is cheap and we need to know what
our competitors are doing."
There were quite a few questions about the acquisitions which
Bill answered, and several for me on market research. After
the meeting, I talked to Bill and Jeff about including some
of their division leaders at our next meeting because they
were closest to the consumer market.
- - - - -
Georgia announced her plans. She'd be arriving a couple of
days before the wedding and departing the day after.
According to Tina, she totally ignored all the preparations,
rather uncharacteristic, I thought.
It wasn't as chaotic as I expected. Tina was organized and
brought her talent for delegation home. Mary and Jacques
were kept busy but with a minimum of fuss. Eric and I
watched.
Every day or so, Tina would let us know who'd accepted
invitations and who'd declined. It looked to me like just
about everybody would be there, and she'd sent out more than
600 invitations. Wedding presents were arriving too. A big
table was set up in the family room to display them, then a
second table. Tina logged every gift in herself when she and
Rick opened them. I glanced at the loot, but planned to take
a closer look while they were on their honeymoon. Hell yes,
I'm a nosy old fart and I wanted to know who sent what.
The ceremony would be held at Rick's family's church
downtown, thankfully a big one, then the reception on the
back 40, including dinner. Sarah would arrive soon to
supervise the final touches.
Hans would also be there for the festivities, and would be
staying a while after.
The kids were going to the Caribbean on their honeymoon,
using our plane for transportation but had made all other
arrangements themselves.
One thing I wondered about was a pre-nuptial agreement. Tina
was already worth a lot of money and would be coming into a
lot more. It's a touchy subject and I avoided it as long as
possible. Actually, Tina brought the subject up. I listened.
"Rick was the one who wanted it," she told me. "I didn't.
You know, I'm in love and can't ever see anything going
wrong, but Rick made me face reality. Things can change, and
he wanted both of us to feel secure that should anything
happen, there wouldn't be a big knock-down, drag-out battle.
"Rick's doing rather well himself, so we both have a lot at
stake. We had a pre-nup drawn up and both signed it a long
time ago, so nobody has anything to worry about."
"It isn't very romantic," I agreed, "but in your position,
it's a necessity."
"I guess so. I just wanted you to know that it's all been
taken care of."
- - - - -
One night after work, we met John the Columnist for a drink.
He hadn't pestered me about the promise I'd made him, but I
intended to keep my word.
Eric agreed, but also felt that we should establish ground
rules.
"And, what are the two sexiest men in town up to these days?"
was his opening comment. "Haven't seen you for quite some
time."
"We've been on our long-delayed honeymoon," Eric told him.
"Three weeks in Egypt."
John wanted to know all the gory details, but Eric gave him a
highly edited version.
"I wanted to talk to you about Tina's wedding," I told him.
"Are you still going to give me the story?" he asked.
"It's all yours, cameras and everything," I told him "with a
few restrictions."
"And, what can't I do?" he asked.
"This is Tina and Rick's day, concentrate on them. No
pictures of either Eric or me, and there may be some other
guests who don't want their pictures in the paper."
"And, who could possibly NOT want their picture in the paper
other than you two recluses?"
"I can think of a few," I told him. "Just get their
permission, if you would."
He told us that he planned to work with the paper's "Society
Editor" on the story, but would write it himself and had been
promised prominent placement. He considered the story news,
not gossip.
- - - - -
Sarah arrived and everything went into high gear.
Then Hans. The place was filling up fast.
The wedding was on Saturday, the dreaded arrival of Georgia
was on Thursday. Annie got us all together to work out a
plan of action.
Annie would pick her up at the airport, take her to her
hotel, and get a "reading" on her disposition. Tina would
take her to dinner that night, Rick's friends were having a
bachelor's party for him.
Friday night was the Rehearsal and dinner, and Saturday
afternoon was the wedding.
The only times Eric and I would be in contact with her were
the Rehearsal and the Wedding itself. Now, If Georgia would
just cooperate, there wouldn't be any problems.
Sarah, sitting in on the planning session, had only one
comment. "Don't ignore her," she said. "Everybody likes
attention."
Thursday arrived and Annie went to the airport, not the least
bit happy about having to do it. When she got home, she
plopped down in the den with a dazed look on her face.
"I didn't think she could do anything that would surprise
me," Annie said, "but I just got blown away."
"What'd she do now?" Tina asked.
"She brought her boyfriend," Annie deadpanned.
"I didn't even know she had one," Tina said. "What's he
like?"
"Not a pretty sight," Annie answered. "He's a skinny, and I
mean REALLY skinny wannabe cowboy. Wears those tight, cheap
'Western' clothes that make him look even skinnier, and to
top it all off, he's a Bible thumper. Can't say a complete
sentence without at least one 'Jesus Christ our Lord' or
something like that. Mom said he's a Country Singer."
"Oh shit, why us?" Tina snorted. "How's Mom's humor?"
"She's like a giggly schoolgirl with a crush," Annie said.
"I don't think she's going to be the problem, Joe Bobby is.
By the way, forget going to dinner with them tonight, they're
'goin out to stomp' on their own."
Fucking wonderful! I thought to myself. Now we had a Bible
thumping redneck who was probably a homophobe on our hands.
Tina didn't deserve this! But then, Georgia never thought of
anybody but herself. Not much we could do, unfortunately.
The tension started building. Now, we had two unknowns who
might be capable of most anything. I just hoped that the
stress didn't get to Tina, in particular.
Eric and I discussed the situation. He was determined that
there wouldn't be any disruptions and offered to "take out"
Joe Bobby himself if he tried anything. We agreed to wait
and see how Joe Bobby behaved at the Rehearsal, and if things
looked bad, put a security detail on him for the wedding.
- - - - -
We all assembled at the church for the run-through. It was
quite a crowd - all the ushers and bridesmaids along with
their escorts, and Rick's parents who I got to meet for the
first time. They were delightful, friendly people. Georgia
and Joe Bobby made a late, noisy entrance.
The Minister took charge. After getting everyone's
attention, the first order of business was getting the
families seated. Rick's mother would be led in and seated
with his father on their side of the aisle. Next would be
Eric on our side, then finally, Georgia and Joe Bobby, also
seated in the front pew on our side.
Georgia went ballistic. "I'm not sitting on the same pew
with that queer-ass motherfucker," she screamed, Joe Billy
nodding in agreement.
Tina stood up and walked toward her. "Then, Mom, you can sit
anywhere you like. Dad and Eric ARE sitting in the front
row. Case closed!"
"But I deserve to sit in the front row, I'm the mother of the
bride," Georgia wailed.
"In name only," Tina spat back.
"Can't we work out a compromise?" the Minister asked.
"I don't care what you work out," Tina told him, "but Dad and
Eric sit in the front row. That's final."
"Now just a minute," Joe Billy got into the act. "You Godless
faggots can't push this sweet little lady around like that!"
The minister had had enough. He gathered Georgia under one
arm and Joe Billy under the other and hustled them to the
other end of the church. A heated discussion followed.
"We'd better get a detail on them for tomorrow," I told Eric
quietly. "If either of those assholes start spouting about
'queers', THEY may need protection."
The Minister worked out a compromise. They would sit on the
front pew, but at the opposite end from Eric and Me.
The rest of the rehearsal went without any further problems.
The dinner following was another matter. We had a private
room at the restaurant. Tina and Annie saw to it that Eric
and I were seated at a different table than "them", but that
didn't work.
The Minister said Grace, and when he finished, Joe Bobby said
in a loud voice "I can't see how those Godless abominable
faggots can sit here and accept Grace in the presence of all
of us Godfearing Christians."
Not quite as loudly, one of Rick's ushers who I knew, and
knew was straight as an arrow, responded. "I don't know what
your problem is, buddy, but none of us want to hear your
comments. Shut up, please."
This only goaded Joe Billy on. He launched into a tirade on
"queers" that got totally out of control.
The Minister glanced over at me with a look of disgust. I
didn't know what to do and just shrugged my shoulders. He
rose and walked over to where Joe Billy was seated. "Sir,"
he said, "I believe that you're injecting an issue into this
occasion that has no place here. I ask that you drop it."
"What? You a queer lover?" he asked, then wanted to argue
scripture.
The Minister stopped him cold. "I'm not going to argue with
you, either drop it or leave."
Two of the ushers had stood to await his decision. When Joe
Billy started in again, they walked over and literally drug
the skinny little fucker out of his chair and headed for the
door.
The Minister wasn't finished. "Please understand one thing,
Sir, this type of outburst will not be tolerated in my Church
tomorrow. You will be swiftly removed if you try anything."
Joe Billy was propelled to the door, Georgia following,
screaming obscenities at all of us.
When he was again seated, the Minister spoke again, this time
to the whole room. "What you just saw was an example of what
Christianity is NOT. Shall we have a moment of silence, then
celebrate this happy occasion the way it should be
celebrated?"
- - - - -
When we got home, it was a Council of War. Everybody was
furious. The girls ran Hans and Rick off for their own good,
not wanting them to know what we might do.
"That bitch!" Annie roared. "How could she do this to us,
bringing that pathetic 'thing' with her when she knew damned
well he'd raise hell?"
"She can spread enough grief by herself without any help,"
Tina added.
"I'll kill 'em both if they try anything tomorrow," Eric
promised.
I let them all rant for a while, then I suggested that we
calm down and look at preventive measures. In my opinion,
they wouldn't do anything at the church, the reception,
however, would be harder to control. I had some ideas, which
I presented.
They were drastic, but everybody listened attentively. When
I was finished, they all agreed that my plan would work. Most
important to me was seeing Tina's spirits lift visibly.
"You're taking a big chance," Eric said, "but I'm with you
every step of the way."
- - - - -
Thankfully, Tina had not chosen formal wear for the guys. A
dark suit was all that was needed. While we were dressing,
Eric was laughing. "You're devious, you know," he giggled.
"The big question is whether we can pull it off and not get
into serious trouble."
"If anybody can, Bob can."
Sarah rode to the church with us, still a little apprehensive
about what Georgia and the hick would pull. We reassured her
as much as possible without telling her what we had planned.
Hans met us on the front steps and went in with Sarah.
They'd be seated in the second pew, right behind us. Eric
had to wait to be seated, and I, of course, would bring Tina
down the aisle.
With all the other excitement, I hadn't given any thought to
that. No biggie, I thought, just walk like we'd rehearsed,
one of the proudest moments of my life.
The big moment was approaching. Rick's parents were led in,
followed by Eric, then Georgia and the hick, dressed in the
tackiest suit I'd ever seen. The rest of the "cast" got into
position, the flower girl, the ring bearer and all the
bridesmaids. Annie as Maid of Honor looked beautiful.
Tina was a vision. I'm certainly no fashion expert, but her
dress was spectacular. High necked, sleeveless and form
fitting, not one of those great bigass skirts. Simple,
nothing but elegant.
The procession started. Finally, "Here comes the Bride"
started on the organ. "Ready?" I asked. She looked up and
nodded with a grin on her face. I lifted her veil and gave
her a kiss on the cheek, put it back and tucked her arm into
mine.
That was one LONG goddam aisle! We reached the altar and I
said my "I do" when asked who gave this... then sat down next
to Eric.
Georgia and the hick were huddled at the other end of the
pew, looking like they didn't really belong there. At least
they were quiet.
I glanced around the church. The whole apse was filled with
white Lilacs and Peonies with tall tapers symmetrically
placed among them. A beautiful setting.
The ceremony covered the basics, no long speeches by the
Minister and was quickly over. I liked that.
We filed out, Georgia and the hick, too. Waiting on the
church steps for the bride and groom, Joe Bobby cranked up
again, muttering about the "Godless in our midst" until
somebody told him to "shut up". Eric elbowed me and grinned.
When Tina and Rick emerged, we pelted them with birdseed.
Got to be environmentally correct, you know, can't have birds
exploding all over the place!
Rick and Tina climbed into the limo and took off for home and
the reception. We found our car and followed.
"I heard that awful man on the church steps," Sarah said. "I
dread to think of what he'll do in the receiving line."
"Don't worry," Eric told her. "If he gets out of line, we'll
take care of him." His confidence buoyed her. I just hoped
that the split-second timing would go off as planned.
When we got home, the receiving line was forming. I lined up
with the rest and Sarah was the first one through. Georgia
and the hick didn't show up and we didn't wait for them. A
half hour or so later, Eric came over and, grinning from ear
to ear, said two words. "Mission accomplished." I saw him
give the same information to Annie and Tina. Now we could
all relax.
The receiving line moved right along. It was great to see
everyone, even a large group of family from Northern
California.
The line disbanded and it was time to "mingle". I found
Eric, curious about what'd happened. "Went like clockwork,"
he said. That's all I wanted to know. From there, we made
the rounds. I saw Dan and Neil sitting together and steered
clear of them. My Uncle John and the rest of the family were
all at one table, and we stopped and talked with them for a
few minutes. I was really pleased that they'd shown up, now,
maybe, relations with them would thaw a little.
This was by far the largest group we'd had on the back 40,
and it handled it nicely. The round tables weren't crowded
together and nobody was perched on the edge of the cliff. As
it darkened, torches were lit and with the massed candles in
every centerpiece, there was plenty of light.
Dinner was served. The toasts were many and hilarious.
Tina threw her boquet - directly to Annie, and after changing
they were off to the airport. Not long after, the jet, flying
as low as permissable, passed overhead dipping it's wings.
The party was over and soon everyone was gone. It had gone
without a hitch.
Walking back to the house, Sarah confronted us. "What did
you do with Georgia?" she asked. "I know she didn't go
quietly!"
"You'll hear all about it in a minute," I told her.
Bob and Jacques were waiting for us in the den. I introduced
Sarah and told Bob that he could give his full report in
front of her, she was family.
Jacques discreetly closed the doors and joined all of us.
"When they drove up," Bob started, "they were diverted into
the house. Jacques brought them in and insisted that they
both have a drink while they waited for the receiving line to
get organized. They both threw back their drinks and five
minutes later they were both asleep. Our men carried them
out through the garage and took them back to their hotel.
"Some of our other men were waiting at the basement service
entrance with wheel chairs. They were wheeled in, up the
service elevator to their rooms, and using their keys, taken
into their room and carefully deposited on their bed.
"Their car is parked in the hotel garage in its usual place,
and there isn't any trace whatsoever of our ever having been
there. They should be waking up in two or three hours."
Sarah sat there in shock. "You love your daughter an awful
lot, don't you?" she said to me.
"This was HER day, and nothing was going to mess it up," I
told her. "I did what I had to do."
"Will they remember anything?" she asked.
"I understand that the drugs we used cause some rather vivid
dreams," Bob said. "I don't know if they'll remember them or
not."
"What could happen? To you?" She asked me.
"I could probably go to jail for kidnapping, false
imprisonment and a whole bunch of other things," I said, "IF
they can prove anything. It'll be my word against theirs,
and Georgia already has had some run-ins with our local
police, so her credibility isn't that great."
"There won't be any trace of the drug in their systems by
morning, and it won't leave any after-effects," Bob said.
"I don't think anything will come of it."
"Well, it worked, anyway," Eric said. "The kids had their
day, and that's what counts."
- - - - -
We were all sitting around the breakfast table the next
morning when Jacques announced that a Police Detective wanted
to talk to me. Eric and I followed him into the den where
the detective was waiting.
"I'm really sorry to disturb you, Mr. Rush," he said, "but
your ex-wife and her 'companion' have sworn out a complaint
against you... some pretty serious charges."
"What have I done now?" I asked with a smile.
"They're accusing you of drugging and kidnapping them. Did
you?"
"That's preposterous!" I said. "Should I have an attorney
present?"
"These are pretty serious charges..." he said.
"I'll call Dad," Eric said and jumped up.
Karl was there in about fifteen minutes.
"What's going on?" he wanted to know when he walked in.
I started to say something but he shushed me. "I'd like to
hear it from the Officer, Dave."
The story was repeated. Karl busted out laughing. "So this
woman and her 'companion' go to a wedding, get lost on their
way to the reception, and dream up this story to get Dave in
hot water. I don't think so. What evidence do you have?"
"Just what they put in the complaint," he answered.
"Listen Officer," Karl said gently, "I understand that you
have to investigate these things, but this is so ridiculous
that no court is going to listen to you. Has the D.A. seen
this yet?"
"I don't think so," he said.
"Please ask him to call me tomorrow," Karl said, handing the
officer one of his cards. He was dismissed. Jacques showed
him out.
We waited silently until we heard the door close. "I
wouldn't blame you if you DID do it, Dave, Eric told me what
happened at the rehearsal. Now don't say a word! I have to
assume that you didn't do it if I'm going to represent you."
"Why, would I ever do a dastardly thing like that?" I asked
him with a big grin.
"Damned right you would! Let me handle it, the whole thing
will be forgotten in a day or two. Just don't talk to
anybody unless I'm there."
Karl had a reserved tee time, so had to run, but promised to
be in touch with us the next day.
- - - - -
Georgia and the hick were supposed to return to Indianapolis
on Sunday. Evidently they didn't.
When Karl called on Monday, he had news. "They've gotten a
shyster lawyer," he said, " and he wants to talk to me
tomorrow. I'm pretty sure this is going to turn into a
shakedown."
"What have they got to go on?" I asked.
"Nothing that I've been able to find out. I want to be
prepared, though, destroy their credibility. I know about
some of Georgia's antics when she was here a year or so ago.
They're all documented, even the mental exam, and I'll get all
those records, but I need some help with that other character.
Can your boys dig up any background there is on him?"
"Hell, I don't even know his last name."
"I've got that for you, even his Social Security Number, from
the complaint."
"Give it all to me, and I'll get them right on it."
Bob went right to work and was back within hours. Joe Billy
had a rap sheet a mile long. His specialty, it appeared was
fleecing rich widows and divorcees. And bigamy. I was sure
Georgia would like to learn all this!
There were several convictions, too, mostly slaps on the
wrist for his fleecing activities, but he'd gotten two longer
terms for bigamy.
I hand delivered this information to Karl on my way home.
"Just as I expected," he said. "This guy is real scum."
"What's going to happen tomorrow?" I asked.
"I'm going to meet with their Attorney and see what he has to
offer. If they offer a settlement, I'll have them write it
up, then I'll present it to you and we'll talk about it.
Then, we'll get serious."
"I'll leave it all in your hands. Just let me know the
minute anything happens."
I discussed developments with Eric. "I see what Dad's
doing," he said. "He's getting them to commit to blackmail,
then'll use it against them and prove that the whole charge
is bogus."
"Will their Attorney allow that?"
"Dad'll 'sweet talk' him," Eric grinned. "It may take a
while, and you may have to get involved, but he'll make it
work."
- - - - -
"OK, here's what they want," Karl said. "Whatever you did to
them has caused them great pain and suffering. You deprived
Georgia of attending her daughter's Wedding Reception which
will cause her great emotional pain for the rest of her life,
and the aftereffects of the drugs you gave them are causing
them extreme physical pain."
He paused for a moment. "However, they are willing to say
that the whole thing was a mistake if you'll fork over ten
million bucks to compensate them for all of this. If you
don't, they're going to file a civil suit asking for more."
"Bullshit!" I said.
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Karl said. "This is as
close to blackmail as it gets."
"What's happening with the Police?" Eric asked.
"I've talked with the D.A., and he's treading very
carefully. Let's face it, Dave, you're a rather important
person and he doesn't want to make any mistakes. He HAS told
me that they haven't found anything that'll hold up in court,
but they're still investigating.
"Truthfully, I don't think they're working very hard, and
just wish that the whole thing would go away. If they don't
prosecute, Georgia and her pal wouldn't stand a chance in
civil court. This isn't like the O.J. case where there was
strong circumstantial evidence. Hell, there isn't any
evidence at all!"
"Then we wait?"
"If I can talk their shyster into presenting an agreement to
settle, it'll be all over. I actually think he's greedy
enough to do it, too. I'm working on that, but I'm also
looking at a preemptive strike. I taped my conversation with
the shyster, and although it isn't admissable, I could take
it to the D.A. I believe that'd kill anything further as far
as they're concerned."
"That'd blow their credibility completely," Eric commented.
"As far as any criminal activity was concerned, yes," Karl
said. "He'll see it as a family squabble and drop it, I'm
pretty damned sure."
"Can Georgia and the hick go ahead with a Civil Suit?" I
asked.
"They could, but I don't think any Judge in his right mind
would hear the case. It'd be a farce, but get you a lot of
bad publicity."
"I'm surprised that Georgia hasn't gone to the press already,"
I said.
"She could at any minute," Karl said. "Well, do you want me
to go to the D.A. with the tape?"
"What do you recommend?"
"I'd say go with it. It should end the whole thing," Karl
answered.
"You have my blessings," I told him.
- - - - -
"I'm going to regret ever doing this," I told Eric. "Georgia
just isn't worth it."
"You did what you had to do. If you're worried about going
to jail, forget it. I've been talking to Dad, and he assures
me that it ain't ever gonna happen."
"Does he know that I actually DID do it?" I asked.
"I'm pretty sure he does, but he won't come right out and say
so - or ask me."
"I want you to know one thing," I told him seriously. "I
don't consider myself above the law. I guess I'm just too
protective and got carried away. The last thing I wanted was
anything to spoil Tina's big day. It could've been handled
differently, a lot messier, but I wouldn't be in this mess."
"It's going to blow over," he assured me again, hugging me.
"I've talked to Bob and nobody saw anything and nothing was
left behind. We're clean. Alex and Ricky ran the
'operation', and they'd lay down their lives for you."
"Were you worried?"
"I was," he admitted, "and I'm still a little nervous. If it
comes down to it, I'm going to share in the blame."
"Don't be ridiculous. I did it, it's my baby!"
Sarah had gone home, nervous about what may happen. I kept
Annie up to date on developments, and Tina, I hoped, was
totally in the dark, enjoying her honeymoon.
- - - - -
Karl came to the office. There weren't many Attorneys who
made house calls. His eyes were sparkling and we waited for
Eric to get to my office before he told us what'd happened.
"The D.A. was really interested in that tape," he said.
"After the stuff that Georgia pulled a little over a year
ago, he thought that this whole thing was unbelievable in the
first place. Now, with the tape that is all but blackmail,
plus Joe Billy's record, it's a dead issue as far as he's
concerned.
"In fact, he's so thoroughly pissed about all the time they've
wasted, he's going to call them on the carpet for making false
accusations, maybe charge THEM with something."
"Is that the end of it?" I asked.
"As far as any prosecution of YOU is concerned. Your men
made the D.A. look pretty good in that bombing case last
year, probably got him re-elected. He remembers."
"How about Georgia and the hick? Can they do anything?"
"They can try, but the smartest thing for them to do is fold
their tent and go home."
"I wouldn't bet on that happening," I told him.
- - - - -
The minute the door closed behind Karl, Eric was all over me.
"You must've been really nervous," I told him.
"Honestly? I was scared shitless."
"I promise you I won't even think about doing anything like
that again. Kinda scared me too."
I walked over to Annie's office to give her the news. She
had been under more strain than I realized, and was as
relieved as Eric.
"Hans wants to talk to you tonight," she said, her eyes
sparkling.
"I was wondering when he'd get around to it," I chuckled.
- - - - -
Hans had already become a member of the family, relaxed and
comfortable around all of us. But, when he approached me
that evening, he was different, serious and obviously tense.
I took him in the den where we could have privacy. "Mr. R,"
he stuttered, "I want to talk to you about Annie."
I nodded, and he continued. "I love her very much, and would
like your permission to make her my Princess."
I wasn't going to let him off easy. "Does that mean you want
to marry her?"
"It certainly does," he smiled.
"You have my blessing," I told him.
He jumped up and grabbed my hand, pumping it. "Oh thank you!"
I didn't stop there, I grabbed him and gave him a hug.
"Welcome to the family, Hans," I told him.
"Annie! Eric! Get in here," I yelled, but knew they were
close, trying to listen. "Jacques, we need Champagne!"
Jacques poured, and I toasted them, then it was Eric's turn.
Everybody was talking at once.
Hans told us how anxious he was for BOTH of us to meet his
family, and how anxious they were to meet us and invited us
to Germany as soon as we could make it.
Annie explained that they planned to wait a few weeks to
announce their engagement, and that they hadn't set a wedding
date yet. She was bubbling. She also discreetly let the ring
she was wearing show.
"Let me see that," Eric said when he noticed it, going over
and taking her hand. "Wow! Now that's what I call a ROCK!"
I went over to look too. It was huge. Old fashioned cut.
Mighty impressive.
"The stone's been in the family for a couple hundred years,"
Hans said. "I thought about having it re-cut, but decided
not to. It has a lot of history."
"I love it just the way it is," Annie gushed, flashing it
around.
We polished off a couple of bottles of Champagne. Hans
didn't know that we were celebrating something else too.
Annie made one comment that acknowledged it, though. "When
Hans and I get married, Mom isn't going to be within a
thousand miles."
- - - - -
Georgia and the hick weren't ready to give up. On my way
into the office the next morning, I was ambushed by a process
server. They weren't greedy or anything, they only wanted
$50 million.
To be continued.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate hearing your comments on the
story, my writing, and anything you would like to offer -
good or not so good. Send me a message at
orrinrush@yahoo.com Plot suggestions particularly appreciated