B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America) (18 page)

David felt somewhat nauseous and figured it was time he had something to eat. He finished his written statement for the police report and saw the last of the police and security officers to the door. He then securely locked the front door, engaged the security alarm, and headed for the kitchen to scramble some eggs. He would spend the rest of the day relaxing in Leo’s big easy chair in front of the large screen TV.

After breakfast David felt better having something in his stomach and willed himself to tidy up the house. Afterwards he decided he would not be such an easy target again, and went to the master bedroom and retrieved Sarah’s pistol and placed it in the top dresser drawer next to his bed in the guest bedroom. He reluctantly removed and loaded two more pistols, placing one in the drawer of the built-in office desk in the oversized kitchen, and the other under the seat cushion of the couch in the living room.

He remembered Bart, and began searching the house for the family fur ball. Finally, after painfully searching most of the house, he located Bart hiding under the master bedroom king sized bed. “Well, I know for sure you’re not an attack cat!” he said. Eventually, he coaxed the animal out with a small dish of CatSip.

David was just about ready to relax in front of the TV when he remembered telling the thugs to check with Natasha, their office manager, and immediately felt compelled to call and warn her. He called the real estate office number and asked to speak to the manager. After being on hold for less than a minute a pleasant female picked up the line. “This is Natasha, office manager and acting broker, how can I assist you?”

He cleared his throat and identified himself. He explained what had happened and warned her to be extremely cautious and aware of her surroundings, and not to be alone anywhere. He suggested that she call the security agency and have them patrol by the office as well. He was sure that Leo and Sarah would not mind, and that her safety would trump any additional cost.

Natasha thanked him for the warning and concern, but reminded him that the office was good-sized and usually had about twenty realtors coming and going throughout the day. She said that she would consider calling the security agency, because the night before they did have some vandalism, as a rock had been thrown through the front door. Nothing was missing, though, and she figured it had just been some bored teenagers with nothing better to do with their time. She had already been in contact with the insurance agency and had repairmen fixing the door as she spoke to him. David sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and asked her to be extra careful anyway. She assured him she would be, and said that if she saw or heard anything suspicious she would notify the proper authorities. She thanked him again for the call and his concern and assured him she would be fine.

David had done his best to warn Natasha, but felt like Sarah must have felt trying to warn him, as it seemed to fall on somewhat deaf ears. David looked down at the cat that was now rubbing up against his pant legs. “Why didn’t you warn me last night?” The cat wandered over to the easy chair by the front windows and jumped up to the window ledge so he could look outside. David stared at the cat. “Did you try to warn me last night? Is that why you wanted in?” Bart ignored him.

David went to the kitchen and poured a glass of milk, took his pain pills, and eased down in Leo’s big easy chair to watch some TV.

Minutes after leaving Miami, Chris was out like a light. He had been awake all day and finally gave in to sleep. Traykie was flirting with all the flight attendants. Little did he know that it was their job to be friendly to the passengers and help make their flight more enjoyable. He thought, as usual, that all women just adored him. One young flight attendant did; however, seem more enthusiastic than the rest as she proceeded to bring him treats, a second 7-Up, a pillow, a blanket, and headphones, and even helped him figure out what time it was in Namibia.

Sarah pretended to be sleeping while listening to “Coming to America” by Neil Diamond on her headphones. She was actually amused, watching her son pour on his charm. The young attendant was fresh-looking and very attractive with a cute smile and deep dimples. She appeared well-balanced and graceful as her slender figure glided down the aisles. Sarah approved of her son’s taste in women.

A couple of the older, more mature flight attendants began teasing the younger woman, as they too noticed Traykie’s persistent come-on lines and the cute jokes he told the younger woman whenever she was near his vicinity. Prior to changing flights in Rio, Traykie actually exchanged phone numbers with the now noticeably blushing young lady. Once in the sky again, they had dinner, kidded Traykie a bit, and then relaxed to watch Lord of the Rings-Return of the King. Within a few more hours they would be landing in Pretoria, South Africa.

Leo reached Denver earlier than anticipated and knew that Doug wouldn’t be home from work yet, so he opted to spend the afternoon enjoying the Denver Museum of Natural History. Afterwards, he stopped at a gas station in Aurora near the Eastgate Mall, filled his car, and called his friend from a convenience store pay phone. He did not want to risk using his cell phone again. Doug was now home as it was well after dark. He tried to ask questions, but Leo cut him short, saying that he would be there in five minutes. Leo asked him if he had room in his garage for another vehicle. Although Doug thought Leo was being a bit ridiculous he reluctantly agreed to move his truck out of the garage and leave the door open so Leo could drive right inside.

Ervin parked his rented van in the guest parking lot in the center of the cul-de-sac, where a few other family vehicles were parked. He felt confident that the tan van would blend in with the others. He had already checked in with some of the other operatives in Denver and borrowed some surveillance equipment. His prize possession was the new high-power night, vision zoom lenses. He strapped the device on his head and felt more powerful than ever. He could now clearly see out into the dark world surrounding his van without being detected.

He looked around him in amazement. Although the outside had turned a greenish color, it was fantastic. He enjoyed the feeling of being a predator. He watched a cat jump up on a limb of a small tree, totally unaware it was observed. Ervin brought up his hand and formed a play gun with his fingers. He pointed his hand at the cat while watching it through the night vision scope and said, “Bang! Gotcha!”

He continued to comb the neighborhood with his newfound toy. “Hello! What do we have here?” he muttered to himself as he saw an attractive female through the window of her living room. She had short-cut dark hair and greenish skin. He smiled to himself as he wondered what color her nipples would be if he could see them. She walked out of his view, but in a moment another light came on. She had moved into the bedroom. His mind was racing. Maybe she’d leave the curtains open and undress. He felt the crotch of his pants strain against his growing member. He kept the viewer trained on her window. She was hot, all right. She turned sideways, opened her closet, and started going through her garments. She was probably finding something to change into. He was so intent on watching the woman that he almost missed the faint humming sound of a garage door opening. Movement in his peripheral vision snapped his attention back to his mission. He jerked his head in the direction of Doug’s house and watched the garage door fully open.

He swung his viewer around to see clearly and zoomed in on Doug. The device was amazing. Though he appeared green, Ervin could see all his features. Doug paced back and forth in the garage, moved his garbage cans to the far side of his family sedan, and then he picked up a snow shovel from the floor and tossed it out of the way. It dawned on Ervin that he might be preparing the garage for another vehicle.

Doug climbed in his big Dodge Ram and backed it out into the driveway, then pulled the truck back in on the far side of his boat alongside of the garage. He wore cowboy boots, tight blue jeans, and a loose sweatshirt. He appeared enormous. As he entered his garage he automatically ducked his head as if he were used to having to duck at low doorways. Ervin made a mental note: Doug looked like he would be much easier to handle with a bullet than by fists if it ever came down to it. Was he preparing for a clandestine relationship or perhaps even Leo?

A few minutes later, Leo entered the posh subdivision, driving past free standing townhouses with attached, oversized, two-car garages. He had visited Doug before and knew his way around. He passed the club house, with its accompanying tennis court and swimming pool, and followed the main entrance as it curved slightly to the right.

Most of the homes looked alike. They were all painted brown with a lighter trim. The yards were immaculate, with intricate hedges and small bonsai trees lining the walkways to the front doors of the custom-built homes. Freshly mowed, park-like grass surrounded the houses and stretched out into a large common area where ponds and walkways were plentiful. Doug had told Sarah and Leo on their last visit that he had to pay pretty hefty dues to the homeowners association; however, it was worth it, because the association took care of all the maintenance and upkeep of the grounds, pool, and the exterior paint of all the buildings.

As he turned up the block Doug lived on, he suddenly wondered if his friend had a current live-in girlfriend. He had never thought of that possibility. Leo felt that he really needed his friend’s undivided attention during this current crisis. He was pleased, at least, to see that his friend had the garage open and the outside lights turned on. There appeared to be plenty of room in his garage, so Leo pulled right in. Doug appeared from the other side of his car and quickly shut the garage door as soon as Leo pulled in.

A set of headlights turned into the cul-de-sac. Ervin watched the car from the back of the van, and then ducked as the headlights swept across his location. When they had passed he sat back up. It was a small black sports car, pulling straight into Doug’s garage. Ervin was right: he had been expecting company. He anxiously looked through the night scope, waiting to get a glimpse of the driver. The driver’s door opened but at the same time the garage door began to close. In the next second, Ervin saw a face for just an instant as he stood up out of the low car, just before the garage door sheltered his view. He was absolutely positive it was Leo.

Leo got out of the small sports car and walked over to his buddy, grasped his hand and shook it vigorously.

“Cute car, bro.”

Leo shrugged and slapped Doug affectionately on the back. “I see you are still driving that monster Dodge Ram truck.”

“Yeah. So what?”

“Well, you know what they say about guys driving those huge vehicles…they must be trying to compensate for something!” Leo laughed at his own joke.

“Don’t start, bro. I’m not going to get pulled into one of your little mind games again. You best come on in now, ‘cause you have some major explaining to do.” Doug stepped back and motioned for him to enter the house.

Leo put his hand on his friends shoulder. “Are you alone?”

“Alone? No, man; when I heard you were coming I invited the whole damn base over, and even baked a cake. We have a hundred-man welcoming party inside.”

Leo laughed, “I’m serious, are you alone?”

“Of course I’m alone. Not by choice I might add.”

“No live-in girlfriend at the moment?”

Doug got a sly smile on his face and said, “I’ll tell you about my current girlfriend after you tell me about your predicament.”

“Oh no! She’s not married again, is she? If you don’t have one in your house, you usually have a married one on the line.”

Doug threw his massive head back and gave Leo a long look before he began laughing. “They’re separated, I think.”

“Lord help me. I’ve turned to my best friend for help, but he’s still chasing married women.”

“Give me a break, man; at least I don’t have someone trying to kill me.”

“Yet!”

“What do you mean yet? Is there something I need to know?”

“I’m telling you, buddy, you keep chasing married women, and you’ll have some angry husband after you with a sawed-off shotgun.”

“Me? Nah, let’s go sit down in the kitchen.”

“Could be famous last words, buddy.” Leo followed him inside. Doug offered him some hot cider, which he readily accepted.

“Come sit down and tell me what this flash drive stuff is all about.”

Leo asked, “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“No, tomorrow’s Saturday, why?”

“Cause it will most likely take all night. I guess I have lost track of time and days.”

“Man, are you that deep in shit?”

“Buddy, I don’t know for sure.”

“Where are Sarah and the kids?”

“They’re safe. In fact about now they should be in Pretoria, on their way to my mom’s place.”

“In Africa?”

“Yep!”

“Yep? That’s all? Come on, dude, begin spilling your guts. I already told you I don’t have to work in the morning.”

“I don’t even know where to start?”

“How about at the beginning?”

“First, I’d feel a little better if you pulled your drapes shut, and we moved into the living room. One final thing, do you still have some handguns here?”