Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:34:42 -0800 (PST)
From: E Walk <cane_lane_candy@yahoo.com>
Subject: Pinochle Chapter 22

Pinochle
By E Walk
(Copyrighted by the author)
Edited by Will B.

Chapter 22 - Watch Out For the Sneaky Ones!

This is Beau.

Becca and I drove back to the hotel.  We stopped at the reception desk to
see if there were any messages.  While we were there, Becca wrote Ben and
Grant a note to tell them that we would meet them in the coffee shop at
7:00 so we could plan the day.

When we opened the door to our suite, we saw the message light on the phone
blinking.  Becca put the phone on speaker, "Hi Beau and Becca, Mick here.
I think it is a good thing that you are leaving Ithaca tomorrow.  By
Thursday or Friday, the entire city will probably be in a state of
confusion.  As usual, you two have poured gasoline on some smoldering
embers. Talk to you later."

The second message started, "Becca and Beau, this is Bill; thanks for the
fax number.  The reports will be forwarded overnight to that number.  I am
attaching a summary of the findings so far.  You might want to read these
before you have anymore dealings with that weasel Petrillo.  More later."

Becca looked at me, "Beau, call the guys' room and tell them we have gone
to bed and remind them that we will meet them for breakfast at seven just
in case they don't pick up the message we left at the desk."

I smiled at Becca, "Yes, boss."

This is Ben.

The twelve of us teenagers who Mrs. Dolan had sent for pizza had a great
time at Gambino's.  We had a little room to ourselves at the back of the
restaurant.  We demolished three large pizzas.

I paid the bill and left a sizeable to tip.  We started to leave and Adam
Cochran asked, "Ben and Grant, could Allan and I visit with you after we
drop the ladies off?

Grant answered for us, "We'll be in room 219 of the Statler in probably
thirty minutes.  Better yet, why don't we meet you in the hotel lobby so
there won't be any confusion?"

Grant and I dropped Maria and Inga at their dorm, and made plans to meet
them at the union about 8:00 since they had class at 9:00.  We had just sat
down in the lobby of the Statler when Adam and Allan arrived.  We stood and
greeted them and moved to a table in the corner so we could visit without
bothering anyone.  Grant took the initiative, "Adam and Allan, we were
surprised when you wanted to meet with us.  How can we help you?"

Both guys seemed a little hesitant, but Allan finally started, "Please
forgive us for being so blunt, but what is going on with you and Sammy?  He
was a different person than he has been for the past six months.  He has
seemed like he was in cocoon.  He even had that devilish look in his eyes
again.  Why was he be spending the afternoon with you?"

Grant and I looked at each other and it was like our thought waves collided
in mid air.  Grant nodded to me so I answered, "Adam and Allan, your father
asked us to visit with Sammy because of a certain issue that Sammy raised
with your parents.  He thought maybe we could be of some assistance to
Sammy."

Adam and Allan were getting a little hot because they started to get a
little red in the face.  Adam questioned, "What issue?  Why didn't Dad come
to us?"

I answered without thinking, "Because we are gay and are together."

Grant looked at me and sent me a signal, and I looked over my shoulder.  A
gentleman was standing there and he had obviously been trying to listen to
our conversation.  Both Grant and I stood, and Grant went on the offensive.
"Why were you eavesdropping to our conversation?  Are you one of
Mr. Petrillo's flunkies?"

The man was belligerent, "I am the house detective and I was trying to
determine what four queer college students were doing sitting in our lobby.
I was just making sure that you didn't do anything inappropriate."


I was so angry, "For your information, we should have you arrested for
invasion of privacy without due cause, as well as for slander.  Grant and I
are paying guests of this hotel and these two gentlemen are visiting with
us.  We were just having a nice friendly discussion, which you so rudely
disrupted.  Now, I suggest you go sit on your dunce's stool and be a good
boy."

The man raised his fist as if to punch me.  Grant grabbed it and twisted it
behind the man's back so hard that he was grimacing.  A well-dressed
gentleman came from behind the desk, "Gentlemen, what seems to be the
problem?"

Allan spoke up, "Sir, we were just sitting here getting acquainted and this
man was eavesdropping on our conversation.  We were not drinking or smoking
and we certainly were not being loud.  Grant and Ben thought it would be
better to sit here and visit rather than go to their room so people could
conjure up all sorts of evil thoughts."

I added, "Grant brought up the interesting possibility that this gentleman
might be a mole for Mr. Petrillo.  Otherwise, why would he be so interested
in the four of us."


The gentleman looked at the guy who had tried to hit me and said,
"Mr. Gaglione, your employment here has been terminated.  You will leave
the premises now, or I will call the local police and have them remove you
bodily."

The culprit snarled, "Wait till Giulio gets wind of what you have done.
You are really stupid dude; the Chief of Police is one of Giulio's best
buddies.  You will be driven out of town in a cattle car."

Mr. Gaglione left, but he kicked two chairs over on the way to the front
door.  I sure was glad that there weren't any ladies around as he opened
the door to exit.  The words that came out of his mouth were some of the
most vulgar words that I had ever heard.  The five of us were standing and
sitting there with frozen looks of amazement.

The stranger introduced himself, "I'm Dick Campbell, I'm the night manager.
I apologize for this incident.  May I offer you anything to drink from the
bar?"

Grant spoke for the four of us, "Mr. Campbell, thank you for your offer,
but we are all still teenagers and you could get in trouble if we accepted
your offer.  Perhaps, you might have someone bring us some hot herbal tea
that will help us relax after this encounter.  I hope you don't mind if we
sit here and visit for a few more minutes?"

Mr. Campbell left and Allan started, "Wow, I'll say this for you two.  You
sure do have some interesting friends.  But Adam and I have something that
we probably need to share with you since you have been so open with us.  We
have been having enjoying each others' bodies since we were 15 and 16.  We
have always shared a bedroom, and we still do even though we live in a
fraternity house at Purdue.  We date and enjoy being with ladies very much.
I guess we could be best described as bisexual.  I am sure that our
relationship will change when and if one of us meets the right person."

A young man arrived with some hot tea and put it on the table.  Allan
pulled out his wallet to pay the waiter, but the young man reminded us that
the drinks were on the house.

After the young man left, Adam took over, "Grant and Ben, we had no idea
that Sammy was confused about his sexuality.  We have always kept what we
did together in the bedroom and never told anyone about it.  I guess we
should have been sharing our thoughts with Sammy.  I can't believe he had
the balls to openly tell our parents that he thought he was gay.  I can
just see that throwing them for loop."

When we finished our tea, I stood, "Guys, it was fun talking to you, but I
am sure that my parents have plans for us bright and early in the morning.
We are meeting Maria and Inga at 8:00 for a sweet roll before they have to
go to class.  Please, would the both of you visit with Sammy, so he doesn't
feel like he is on a deserted island?  After spending the entire afternoon
with him today, I think he is a wonderful person. He reminds me of my
brother, Brian, who is so straight that you could use him as a battering
ram to break down the door of a castle.  Please don't let Sammy get hurt."

The Cochran guys left and we stopped at the desk to see if there were any
messages.  I handed the note from my parents to Grant, "So much for
sleeping late.  We had better get ready for bed."

Grant and I finally were lying in bed, just holding each other.  After a
goodnight kiss, Grant snuggled back against me.  The next thing I knew, the
phone was ringing.  At first I thought it was my parents, but it was the
automated wakeup call that we had arranged for.  I lay back down beside
Grant and he started to push back against me, "Ben, please make love to
me."

How could I resist such an offer?  We maneuvered so we could see each
others face and I slowly made my way into the opening that he had offered
me.  I don't know what he was doing but it was like he was vibrating around
my penis while I massaged his.  He erupted and it was like it started a
chain reaction and I fill him as best as I could.

When we separated, Grant looked at me, "I didn't ask you to go to the
bathroom in me.  I will probably be leaking all day."

I leaned forward and kissed him, "I was only doing what you requested. Why
don't you take your shower while I pack our bags?  I am positive that Dad
and Mother will have us so busy this morning that we will be checking out
of the hotel early."

It must have been a miracle, because Grant and I were already in the Coffee
Shop when Mother and Dad came in.  As we were eating, we told Dad and
Mother about what had occurred last night.  They were laughing until we
told them what Mr. Gaglione said about the Chief of Police being
Mr. Petrillo's biggest goon.  That caused Dad to scowl.

As we were finishing breakfast, Dad and Mother were outlining what was
going to happen the rest of morning.  They wanted us to go to the lawyer's
office with them which we hadn't really planned on, since we had arranged
to meet Maria and Inga at 8:00 and had to meet with our advisor,
Dr. Witherspoon, at 10:00.  We still didn't know how Dr. Hubbell was going
to get the results of Grant's SAT testing to us.

Oh well, I guess we will just do what we can and meet Dad and Mother at the
hotel as close to eleven as we can.

This is Becca.

 When Ben and Grant left to meet the young ladies, Beau and I went back to
our room.  Beau checked the computer for any last minute updates while I
finished putting the last items in our suitcase.  We stopped at the desk
with Beau carrying his computer over his shoulder and his briefcase.  "We
will be leaving shortly after 11:00.  We would like to settle the bill now,
and we will be picking up the bags as soon as our son and Mr. Garrison get
back from their meetings at the University."

When we arrived at Aunt Kate Dolan's house, she handed us a cup of coffee
and pointed to a stack of faxes that were sitting on the table in the
kitchen.

Mrs. Dolan looked at us, "I haven't read any of the faxes, but you must
have some very energetic people working for you to get this much
information on such short notice."

Beau quickly read through several of the pages and handed them to me.  I in
turn read them and passed them to Mrs. Dolan.  We were interrupted when
Grant and Ben arrived.  Beau put the papers in a briefcase and got us
organized to go to meet Mr. Dolan, the lawyer.  We arrived promptly at
nine. We were pleased that Harley and Gregg were already there and Sally
arrived almost immediately after we did.

Kate's brother-in law must have been an extremely handsome man in his
youth.  He had a full head of silver hair that tended to curl.  His eyes,
which appeared to be almost gray, seemed to sparkle, and he certainly had a
firm handshake.

Beau didn't waste anytime, "Mr. Dolan, we need your help; I have some faxes
that I need to have copied.  Would it be possible for your staff to make
five copies of each page and notarize them while we are visiting.  I will
be leaving a copy with you to read until my wife and I return to Ithaca
next week.  We may not need the information, but I would rather be prepared
than to be ambushed."

Mr. Dolan stood, "My name is Hank, I would appreciate if you would address
me as such."  He called one of his secretaries and told her what we need.

Mr. Dolan looked at the group, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this
visit.  It must be important to Kate, or I don't think you would be here?"

Beau took a deep breath, "Uncle Hank, my son and I are looking to buy your
sister-in-law's house, and Mr. Garrison is thinking about buying the
building on The Commons that Aunt Kate owns.  Sally is our realtor, but I
would like you to make sure that we can purchase these properties without
any legal problems.  Right now, we are more concerned about the property on
The Commons than Mrs. Dolan's house.  It seems that a Mr. Giulio Petrillo
is trying to get his hands on the property on The Commons; I think that you
will realize quickly after you read the faxes and some information which I
have received on my computer, why we can't let that happen."

Beau set up his computer so everyone could read some of the information in
the G.P.  Mr. Dolan stopped the proceedings, "Sally, do you have contracts
written for the two properties?"

Sally looked surprised but answered, "I took the liberty of writing the
contracts this morning just in case.  I used the appraisal values that Bob
Wainwright provided us last night."

Mr. Dolan looked pleased, "People, if Bob did the appraisals then you can
be sure that the properties are worth every penny that he appraised them
for.  He is very fair.  What did he appraise the properties for?"

Aunt Kate looked at Beau and he answered, "The building on The Commons was
appraised at $428,000.00 and the house on Hudson Street has an appraised
value of $212.000.00."

I thought Mr. Dolan's teeth were going to fall out, "Quick Kate, lock the
door.  Don't let these farm boys get away.  Quite frankly, I am amazed.  I
know what Hal and Kate originally paid for the two properties.  If almost
anyone except Bob had made the appraisals, I would have my doubts.  Ladies
and gentlemen, I would recommend that you go ahead and make a temporary
contract contingent on a certified inspection of the properties."

Beau didn't waste anytime, "Ben, go ahead and sign the contract for
Mrs. Dolan's house and your mother will cosign since you are under twenty
one. You and Grant can live in the basement apartment, Inga and Maria could
live in one of the rooms and people would think that you are shacking up.
Harley could use the den as the office to manage any Benson Consulting
business and as the office for the Bed and Breakfast.  We will have to come
up with a catchy name for the establishment.  Gregg, I know this is coming
quick and fast, but I think it would be prudent to make a deposit on the
building on The Commons; but the decision, of course, is yours."

Gregg spoke for the first time, "I really would like to buy the property.
It is like an answer to a dream.  I could have my Toy Shoppe on the first
floor.  I could rent out the two apartments on the second floor and the
renters could use the outside entrance and perhaps Harley and I could live
on the third floor after we get it fixed up.  I am a little hesitant,
because this is happening so fast and who knows what that Petrillo snake
might do."

Kate started to laugh, "Gregg, probably after we meet with Mayor Hawthorne
today, there will be a twenty four hour patrol around the building.  I have
read some of the reports that Beau and Becca's operatives have submitted,
and I have a feeling that maybe Mr. Giulio Petrillo will be slipping out of
town quietly to never return again or perhaps he will escorted to some
facility like Fort Leavenworth or San Quentin."

All eyes were on Gregg, "I still have reservations, but I will sign a
tentative contract."

Ben had been watching the clock, "May Grant and I be excused, please?  We
need to get back to campus so we can meet with our advisor,
Dr. Witherspoon."

That caught Mr. Dolan's attention, "Is that Mr. Don Witherspoon?"

Ben had no idea why he was asked that question, "That is what Grandma Kate
said last night."

Mr. Dolan glared at Kate, "Kate, you had a hand in this didn't you?  Donny
promised me that he would not serve as an adviser to anymore students.  You
know how he is; he gets so attached to them that he treats them like
grandchildren.  Then he expects me to cook for them at least once a week.
We're getting too old for this.  Now he will probably never retire when he
meets these two beautiful young men."

As Grant and Ben were walking toward the door, Grant caught everyone by
surprise, "Grandpa Dolan, we had this conversation with Sammy Cochran
yesterday.  Men are not beautiful.  Sammy decided that Ben and I were
ruggedly handsome specimens of manhood.  We'll be there when we get invited
for dinner."

Grant and Ben walked out the door and some of us were looking a little
embarrassed, but Mrs. Dolan was laughing, "Okay Hank, you'd better warn
your better half that he is about to meet his match.  Wait until you meet
the two beautiful young ladies that these two men have hooked up with.  You
may be cooking every night.  If everything else is finished here, I suggest
we mosey to the building on The Commons, so we can meet Mayor Hawthorne and
whoever."

This is Beau.

Where did I loose control?  Aunt Kate is reminding me more and more of
Grams Tillison.  I guess I should have expected as much, after she attached
herself to the two young couples that first night at dinner.  I think poor
Gregg and Harley are more in shock than the rest of us.

Mr. Dolan looked at us, "I think I had better accompany you to the building
on The Commons. I want to see the fireworks up close and personal."

We drove to a parking garage and parked much too Harley's chagrin.  It was
an easy walk to the building that Gregg had just committed to buying if
everything worked out right.  Bob Wainwright was waiting for us when we
arrived.  Everyone knew each other so there was no need for introductions.

We had just entered the building when Mayor Hawthorne arrived with two well
dressed men and two well dressed women.  After the introductions were
completed, the Mayor suggested, "Perhaps you could show us this building
that has everyone in such a turmoil."

I looked at Gregg, "Mr. Garrison, why don't we take the visitors on a tour?
I'll lead them to the second floor while you and Mr. Gordon take Mayor
Hawthorne to the second floor.  We'll take the rest of the visitors by way
of the stairs.  Becca and Aunt Kate, you might want to stay here in case
Mr. Petrillo decides to visit, which I am sure he will.  Please keep him
occupied until the rest of us finish the tour."

We were completing the tour and Mayor Hawthorne had said nothing, so none
of us knew what she might be thinking.  We were to find out when we were
all on the first floor and sure enough, Mr. Petrillo was there with the
Chief of Police.  The Mayor didn't waste any time.  She looked at the
people assembled and very calmly said, "The condemnation proceedings on
this building are to stop immediately."

I handed Mayor Hawthorne a copy of the faxes that had been certified and
notarized by Mr. Dolan's staff.  She started to read them and turned almost
white.  She looked at her assembled staff and Mr. Petrillo.  "I will take
these faxes back to the office and try to decipher how much wrong has been
done and by whom.  There are a number of high level city employees who will
be applying for unemployment benefits before this is over.  Mr. Petrillo,
it appears to me that you have been stashing away a large cache, so I guess
you won't miss the funds that the FBI has frozen."

My phone rang.  I looked to see who was calling.  "Good morning President
Smith ... The FBI and the state law enforcement people will be arriving at
two. ... Shucks, it would be fun to see the fireworks around here, but we
are scheduled to depart at noon local time.  I am standing here with Mayor
Hawthorne.  Would you like to speak to her?" ... Here she is."

I handed the phone to Mayor Hawthorne.

She was skeptical but started to talk.  "This is Mary Hawthorne. ...  Yes
Mr. President, you think that I should request that the Bensons come and do
a thorough inspection of the city offices? ... I will check with them but
they have already given me enough ammunition to remove half of the persons
who are in the upper levels of the city government. ... Oh you think I
should at least ask them since they will want to make sure their son will
be safe while he goes to school here. ... Mr. President, did you just tell
me that Mr. Petrillo's biggest goon is our Chief of Police. ... Thanks
Mr. President, this is all starting to fall into place now."  Before she
was able to hand the phone back to me, Petrillo and the Chief of Police had
slipped out of the building without anyone noticing, because everyone was
so caught up in the Mayor's conversation.

Mrs. Hawthorne was thinking out loud, "Beau and Becca, you mentioned last
night that you were coming back next week to examine a company in Syracuse.
Could you possibly do a thorough inspection of our city government at the
same time?"

Becca surprised me, "Madam Mayor, we will be glad to do that.  We'll enlist
the help of our two best operatives from our Kansas City office and the
city staff will have no idea what happened to them.  Now if you will excuse
us, we need to get back to the hotel and get our luggage and meet the guys.
Harley, we'll meet you and Gregg at the airport.  Mary, we will let you
know what our plans are for next week, but right now, we need to worry
about our sons.  I'm afraid that Mr. Dolan's partner is probably planning
to abduct them."

I had almost forgotten about Ben and Grant.  I suddenly became concerned.
Should I be?

** If you want to read more of this story and other interesting stories,
you might want to visit www.tickiestories.us. **

Editor's Note:

This chapter really rocks.  The action is swift.  The characters are well
drawn, and the love and respect the major characters have shown to each
other is wonderful. Will B.