© 2024 Duleigh Lawrence-Townshend. All rights reserved. The author asserts the right to be identified as the author of this story for all portions. All characters are original. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. This story or any part thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review or commentary.

All Aboard Andi's Dream

Chapter 18

Jarecki For Mayor

"Rosetti! Visitor!"

"If it's my mom, I'm not here," groaned Frank as he got up off his bed.

"Unless your dad liked the boys, he's not your mother," said the guard. "Hands." Frank stuck his hands through the opening in the bars that cut him off from the free world, and the guard put the heavy handcuffs on his wrists. Even though he was being chained up, Frank had a huge smile; he had plans to make things severely interesting. "You're in a good mood Rosetti, what happen, did you find a kitten to choke this morning?"

"That's one way of putting it. I have a lot of work to do outside and I finally found somebody who will do it for me."

"Oh? You have a business fucking up people's entire day back in Denver?"

"Something like that," said Frank as he stepped out of his cell and the guards put the ankle cuffs on him and latched his wrists to the waist belt they put on him.

"Let's go, people are waiting," said the guard, and they headed off to the visitation center. Walking with all that iron restricting your movement is difficult, and the guards kept up a brisk pace. Frank learned the hard way that if you don't keep up with the guards, you go back to your cell and the chance to speak with a visitor is missed.

They plopped Frank in a steel chair in front of a shaded window and eventually the screen went up. The moron that Frank called Junior sat anxiously on the other side of the glass. Things were looking up. Frank was expecting Judge Atherton to make his life more miserable that it already was, but he hasn't seen her in weeks. "How is your investment plan, Junior?"

Junior didn't look happy. "Well, we have your cousin on board. Your friend, Mister Mayor, was a big help, but your cousin's family doesn't want to invest the way we suggest."

Frank nodded. Clearly, they kidnapped Paul and Mayor Windecker helped. The little punk was a ham. He probably loved every minute of it. He probably fucked up everything so badly with his stupid "loving and caring mayor" act that the cops were out of their mind with him. But Andi wasn't coming up with the ransom demand. "Did she say that the investment figures were too far off?"

"No, they won't discuss the plan at all," said Junior.

Frank almost leaped in the air and cheered. He 'advised' Junior to request the published personal value of Paul, $157 million, knowing that the FBI would consider a ransom demand that matches that value to be a crank call. "That's a shame, but look, his wife is a mercenary bitch. She's got his money now. What does she need him for?"

"She's too busy running for office," groaned Junior.

"Look, if she keeps that up, I suggest you just cut my cousin out of the deal and drop him and concentrate on her," said Frank. "I'm sure if you brought her daughters on board she'd comply very quickly."

"Junior" stared at Frank in shock. Frank suggested Junior kill his captive, then go back and kidnap or kill two little girls. "I think that cutting your cousin out of the deal will be enough."

"Oh no, Mister Linwood, this is a great deal. It's a sound investment strategy. You just follow my suggestions and there won't be a problem."

"Junior" almost shit his pants when Rosetti used his name. Actually, his nickname was Ollie or Trey. Oliver Linwood III. Ollie's dad, Oliver Linwood II, had a very successful import business that he decided to sell one day. He also had a mildly successful automobile dealership that he decided to sell as well. The import-export business was the money maker.

Linwood imported young women and boys that could be sold domestically or exported to southwest Asia, where slavery was illegal, but there was no enforcement. North Korea and Eritrea have the highest rates of slavery on earth, but they don't have money. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Russia, and China - that's where the money is overseas. Here in the USA, the big money was Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Four million slaves were freed in 1865, in 1870 there were no slaves in the US, but nobody is paying attention now. Right now, there's over a million slaves in the US and the number is mushrooming. In the US, much of the slave trade is in sex workers but kids that don't take to prostitution become sweat shop labor, which is growing in the US. Meanwhile overseas, slaves are forced to work in many industries. Chances are that the electronic device or the t-shirt or blouse you bought on-line was made whole or in part by a slave. Mining cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements by child slave labor for e-vehicle batteries is exploding in China and Africa, and nobody cares. The Linwoods could bring in the sex workers and sell them for a profit and export the run-aways and illegals and sell them for a profit, and nobody cares!

The really easy money was the other import business, fentanyl and synthetic opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine. These were the drugs of choice for Americans. Who cares if accidental opioid overdose is the leading cause of death for people ages 18 to 45? There are always more eager and willing customers where that stiff came from, and the money is good.

Oliver Linwood II made enough money to start a profitable investment scheme that looked and smelled legitimate enough, just like a modern-day Joseph Kennedy. Over the years, he made a fortune, and he planned to retire in Portugal. It was time to get out of that racket, but that idiot Adrien Lannon, the GM at the dealership and the heir apparent to the slave and drug trade, wanted to go for one more big haul before Linwood Motors became Jarecki of Portsmouth. But the shipment came over a week late.

Because Jarecki was so hung up on hands-on managing his new investment and not letting the Linwood employees run the show, the shit hit the fan and the whole bunch of them got locked up and Paul got a lot of free publicity. Enough free publicity to make Jarecki of Portsmouth the #1 Ferrari dealer in the tri-state area in a week.

"I can't bring anyone else into this. I just wanted your cousin to join our portfolio," said Oliver Linwood III.

"I'm not asking for any extra money to add an investor to the plan. The original finder's fee will be appropriate."

"Finder's fee?" asked Oliver

"It's a common thing. It provides me with a stipend, and it secures our trust," said Frank with a shit-eating grin. "I think twenty percent would be reasonable."

"Twenty percent? For a finders' fee?"

"Ok, tell you what," said Frank with a snake-like grin. "Add my cousin's brother to the deal and we'll make it five percent."

"Time," said the guard, and the screen closed, ending the conversation.

Oliver stared at the screen in horror. He knew exactly what Frank was implying when he said that the 'finder's fee' secures their trust... it keeps his mouth closed. If Oliver Linwood III wasn't so bent on revenge himself, he would have recognized that Frank was after the same thing, and like Oliver, he didn't really care about the money. If the end result was Paul Jarecki being nullified, that's all that mattered.

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While Frank returned to a chilly jail cell to gloat over the possible erasure of the Jarecki name for at least a generation, Veronica and Josh returned to Springville from a week in Erie, PA, with Veronica's dad. They drove through the snow-covered streets to Veronica's house, two blocks away from Paul and Andi's home. There seemed to be a huge crowd of people over at the big Victorian. There were cars parked all along Howard Avenue and up Second Street alongside the Jarecki's home. "Must be a party," said Veronica.

"Maybe survivors from Paul's New Year's Eve party still haven't gone home," said Josh.

"If I didn't know Paul, I'd say that was funny," said Veronica. "Let's unpack and call Pastor John." They parked Veronica's Navigator in the street and climbed over the snow pile left by the street snowplow that blocked the driveway. Entering the chilly house, Veronica turned up the thermostat and said, "I'll get started on the driveway if you want to look at the basement and decide what to do."

"No, ma'am!" insisted Josh. "I'm a southern man born and raised on the Saint Mary's river. I grew up in the shadow of a live oak covered with Spanish moss, and was raised on grits and barbeque. We learnt that when there's snow to be shoveled, it's the man's job."

"Oh, you shoveled a lot of snow living seventy-five yards from Florida?" asked Veronica.

"Well... no. But that's what we learnt. Now seein' as they ain't no cans of Miller Lite sitting around for me to verify their fluid level or capacity, I'll go shovel. Besides, it's your house, it's your dad, you know what you want and what he needs for an in-law suite. Make your plans, then we'll go get Pastor John to fix that and the other thing."

"You're so sweet," Veronica cooed, and she took her fiancé in her arms and they kissed gently.

"Besides, I love playing with your snow blower," grinned Josh as he squeezed her luscious ass, then grabbed a heavy parka, fur lined mad bomber hat, scarf, and heavy mittens and headed outside through the back door. Veronica shook her head and smiled. He's definitely a man. He loves anything that has moving parts and makes noise, which includes Veronica. He'll do all their laundry because he enjoys experimenting with the different settings on the washer and drier. He loves the snow blower and the lawn mower, and when he moved in, he brought a forty-year-old Kirby vacuum cleaner with him, and it does an amazing job.

Somehow, he ended up as a member of Doctor Kocis' pit crew for her racing 1969 Chevy Nova. Well, that's now Didomissio Racing Inc. They got an old hard frame 1972 Ford Gran Torino GT from a junk yard and stripped it down to bare bones and were turning that into a pure drag racer so Lucy could drive her Nova on the street. Veronica smiled at how Paul and Gus were turning Lucy into a 'gear head', or maybe they were letting her inner gear head out. Her daily driver changed from a staid Ford Fusion to a lively 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, thanks to excellent salesmanship on Paul's part, and seeing Andi in her Porsche 911 and Lucy in her Fiat Spider. Lucy, Andi, and Macy were planning sports car cruises through the southern tier next spring while Paul and John watch the kids...

"Honey? I want a sports car too," called Veronica, but Paul was already outside clearing the driveway of snow that had frozen to nearly rock-hard consistency. She unpacked and hung his stunning uniform in a special bag. She's going to have to get that professionally cleaned and ready for the wedding, which she also needs to plan. He wore that uniform when he proposed to her, and down in Erie PA they got dressed up and posed for pictures for her dad, Mike.

She hauled a load of laundry down to the basement and put it in the machine, then sketched what she wanted on a pad of paper. The back of her house was on a hill, so the basement opened up at ground level. There should be no problem with emergency exits. She didn't want her dad walking up and down stairs, but the way her house was designed; the rooms were all three or four steps above or below each other. It was raucous and confusing, but that's how they did it back in 1899 when her house was built.

If they could move the washer and drier, add a bathroom with a walk-in shower next to it. Reading room, kitchenette, bedroom, patio... dad should love it. That's when she noticed that the roar of the snow blower ended and from outside, she heard his Jeep Gladiator cough to life. Not for the first time Josh swore that he was going to put a block heater on his Gladiator, and as usual, Veronica heard his oath from inside the house. His Gladiator was hard to start when the temperature was below 0°F and on top of that, it's been sitting in an icy garage for a week.

She saw her Lincoln slide past the dining-room window as Josh parked it in the garage, then came the repeated "Chunk! Scrape! Chunk! Scrape!" of snow being shoveled off the wooden steps by hand. Veronica put a load of laundry in the washer and went upstairs and began inspecting the pantry, freezer, and fridge and put a shopping list together. As she put a menu together for the next few days, Josh stuck his head in the front door and said, "Honey, y'all better get a coat and boots on. Something's going on over at Paul's house, an' I don't think it's good."

"What do you mean?" Veronica asked.

"Come look," he said. Veronica stepped outside and looked over at Jarecki's house. There were several cars parked on both sides of Howard Ave. A couple of people still stood on the front sidewalk, and a couple stood at the gate in the fence on Second Street. "Look at the sign in front of the Adams' house."

Their neighbors Bill and Cindy Adams were among the first to put a 'Jarecki for Mayor' sign in front of their house when Josh announced his candidacy. The purple sign was amended with a bright red bumper sticker at an eye-catching jaunty angle with Andi's name. The sign was now saying, 'Andi Jarecki for mayor.'

"Those people in front of Paul's house... they're cops."

Veronica squinted and found out two things, one that Josh was right, and two, she probably needs glasses. She ducked back in the house and came back out with a scarf and mittens and said, "let's go see what's going on." They walked through the snow that crunched and squeaked under their feet and noticed that it was Yi that was cleaning the ice at the ice rink. They called out to her, but she didn't respond. "Must have her ear buds in."

Josh said, "Spending the holidays with the screaming twins and Danny is not conducive to 20/20 hearing."

"Twenty-twenty hearing?" Veronica was still laughing over that when they turned up Jarecki's driveway.

"Hold up," said a man who was standing in the driveway. He held his hand up, blocking the way.

"Buddy, you better have a good reason to be sticking your hand in my face, or I'll break it off and give it back to you when I'm done."

"Listen, funny man..." The man was about to pull his gun, which would have insured Josh's ire.

"DAVIS!" shouted a woman. Josh and Veronica looked and saw it was Julissa Tanaka. She was coming out of Andi's house. "Detective Davis, where's your badge? And why didn't you display it?"

"I uh... I..."

"If you want to go back to uniform, I can arrange it," snapped Julisa. "Badge first!" She looked at Josh and said, "Sorry. First day in plain clothes. They forget the badge isn't out there to see."

"Badge?" asked Veronica.

"Yeah, you know, this thing," and Julissa flashed her gold shield. "Follow me." She led them back toward the garage, ignoring the questions about her badge, and when they got next to the formal dining room where there were no windows to see them, she turned and said, "Paul has been abducted."

"What? When did this happen?"

"Last Wednesday. After they got back from their dinner downtown."

Josh put his arm around Veronica and pulled her close. The entire world was upside down! Their frumpy old barmaid is wearing a senior detective's badge and claiming that Paul was kidnapped. "What happened?"

"After they got back, Paul and Andi dropped John and Macy off at home and came here. Paul walked Andi into the house, then went back outside to park the van in the garage. A vehicle pulled into the driveway behind him. He turned to find out what that person wanted when three people came out from next to the garage and grabbed Paul. At some point, somebody shot the dog, and they drove off with Paul."

"So now somebody is running around putting Andi's name on Paul's election lawn signs? That's horrible!" gasped Veronica.

"Who would do something like that?"

"Andi, Macy and me," said Julissa. "With Paul missing, Samael Windecker was the only one left in the race. John announced to the church that he was going to run for mayor..."

"He can't do that," said Josh. Veronica looked at him in shock and Josh said, "I pay attention in church. Remember that marathon sermon about the new bylaws?"

"That wasn't a sermon, that was a congregational meeting," said Veronica.

"If it comes out of a pastor, it's a sermon," insisted Josh. "So, Andi stood up and said, 'you're not going to run, I'm doing it.' Right?"

"Pretty much," said Julissa. "She's inside practicing a speech for tomorrow."

Julissa led them into the house and they found Andi with a music stand reading a speech to her six-year-old twin daughters who were sitting on the love seat with Danny and Katarina on their laps. Cholly sat at their feet, playing with two of the biggest puppies Josh has ever seen. Wonka was curled up on a dog bed behind Andi. Wonka saw Josh and his tail started thumping the bed and he whined pitifully.

"Momma! Wonka's crying again," said Sandy, interrupting Andi's flow.

"He needs a pain pill," said her twin sister, Madeline. "I'll go get it."

"You're holding the baby, remember?" said Macy. Andi's tall, elegant sister-in-law.

"Oh yeah," shrugged the little blond. "She's sleeping. I forget."

"Wonka doesn't need a pill, right, boy? He just needs a buddy." Josh sat down on the floor next to Wonka and the chocolate lab rested his head contentedly on Josh's lap while Veronica hugged a trembling Andi. Veronica was easily a foot and a half taller than Andi's diminutive four foot eight and Macy was even taller. While the two former fashion models hugged Andy, Josh told the twins, "A couple of years ago, I was there when Wonka sniffed his first porcupine. That was a tough week, wasn't it, boy?" Wonka's tail thumped in agreement.

"What kind of speech is this?" asked Veronica.

"A press conference," sighed Andi.

"Who's coming?"

"We got a 'maybe' from WNED," grimaced Macy.

"What about WKBW? WIVB? WGRZ? Any radio? WBEN? WGR? WHLD?"

Andi and Macy frowned and shook their heads. "That bastard is going to win," whimpered Andi.

"Even after he broke in here," moaned Macy.

"He what?" demanded Josh from down on the floor by the fireplace.

"The night they took Paul; we had a houseful of cops and he forced his way in here and offered his condolences to Andi. He started calling her 'widow Jarecki', which set Andi off. Meanwhile, his top park pig was up in the attic going through Paul's office."

Veronica whirled on Julissa, who said, "Don't look at me. I was at the bar making sandwiches. They didn't call me back until the next morning."

"Wait! Somebody just waltzed into a house where a kidnapping was being investigated by the Town of Concord and the FBI?"

"And the Erie County Sheriffs and the State Police," said Julissa. "Everyone who was assigned to watch the back door was suspended without pay.

Josh looked up at Julissa and said, "I thought you were suspended indefinitely."

"That means only until they need you."

Veronica turned back to Andi and said, "Hire me."

"For what?" asked a confused Andi.

"Media relations."

"Huh?"

"You're hired," said Macy and she dug several quarters out of her purse.

"A dollar fifty," said Veronica, looking at the coins that Macy handed her. "Here, I don't want anyone accusing me of price gauging." She handed back a quarter to Macy.

"Gouging, not gauging."

"I didn't work on that woman's campaign. You can tell by the way she's not president." Veronica took out her phone and made a call. "Don? Veronica. Thank you so much for the airtime you gave me for the Adoption Star agency. How would you like a juicy plum served up on a silver platter?"

The familiar voice on the other end said, "How juicy?"

"Springville is having an emergency election to find a successor for Mayor Horton. As head of the village board. Samael Windecker has been filling in since Chester Horton had a heart attack and quit. In the seven months since taking office, he's turned the park police into his private gestapo and ransacked the village budget. Last week, the top contender for the race, Doctor Paul Jarecki, was kidnapped. While the police were investigating the incident, the Mayor and one of his policemen forced their way into Doctor Jarecki's house and ransacked his office and tried to make off with a list of donors and the doctor's personal laptop."

"I heard rumors about this. Can you verify any of it?"

"I'm standing right next to Detective Tanaka of the Town of Concord PD, who witnessed the whole thing," said Veronica.

"This is the first verified report that I've heard."

"Here's the sugar coating. Doctor Jarecki's wife is running in his stead and has 24-hour protection from the Town of Concord PD protecting her from Windecker. She is holding a press conference tomorrow."

"Can you get us an exclusive?"

"Get me your calendar..." she whispered. Macy handed Veronica a desk calendar with about six appointments on it, mostly for the twins. She studied the calendar a bit and said, "She's booked up all weekend, but I'm sure you can follow her around and get some B-roll. How about noon Monday, a live stream for Noon Buffalo?"

"You're on! I'll get Sophia Morello to cover it."

"See you tomorrow at the press conference. It will be at the Springville Village Hall briefing room."

"See you then, angel."

"Who was that?" asked Macy.

"Don Pesola," said Veronica as she dialed another number.

"Sandy Beach?"

"He's only Sandy Beach on the radio. He's Don Pesola when he's Station Manager at WIVB."

And so it went. Veronica made six calls, three to the three TV station managers of the three big stations in Buffalo, one to the local politics editor of the Buffalo Evening News, one to the top afternoon radio talker in Buffalo and one to a hot shot podcaster. The podcaster was a hot car fanatic and when he found out that Paul and Andi own Jarecki Motors, he begged for an interview in front of that beautiful Mustang in the front window.

"We're full up for a week and a half," said Macy as she and Veronica went over Andi's calendar.

"WHAT?" squeaked Andi, and she fought her way between Macy and Veronica to look at her calendar. "I can't do that! That's too much!"

Macy whirled on her diminutive sister-in-law and said, "How many pre-med classes have you lectured in front of?"

"I-I-I but... they were students! They didn't know anything."

"And the press knows even less," said Veronica. "Believe me, I know them."

"But this... a live interview with Don Bowerly? He's the top talk show on the Niagara Frontier."

"How do you know that?" said Veronica.

"He says so."

"Do you believe everything you hear on the air?" asked Macy.

"Don't worry about Don Bowerly. He's a pussycat. He's going to get all weepy over your story. Just be honest with him. He can spot a phony a mile away," said Veronica. "If you lie to him, he'll figure it out and be all over you."

"What's Mayor Windecker going to do?" said Andi in a total panic.

As Andi panicked over the sudden flush of media engagements. Cholly scooped up a sleepy Newfoundland puppy and carried it over to Josh. Jolie was the largest, heaviest thing he's ever lifted in his short, pain filled life, but Cholly made the trip from the love seat to Josh, grunting under the burden of a puppy that seemed to enjoy being so big. He lay Jolie in Josh's lap next to the contented snoozing Wonka, then went back for the other puppy, Chiot.

Andi practiced over and over with Macy and Veronica, and her attempts seemed to get worse and worse. Yi stepped into the parlor. The house looked so sad and empty, with the beautiful Christmas decorations gone. "There's got to be something I can do," said Yi to nobody in particular.

*Comfort food. It always works for me.*

*Something warm and savory from North Dakota, perfect! Thank you dear,* was Yi's silent reply.

They practiced Andi's speech long past the point where the twins abandoned the babysitting job and went upstairs while Grandma Heather and Grandpa Howard took over babysitting and listening to Andi's press conference. When she was comfortable with her speech, she was subjected to questions from the press. Veronica and Macy drew up questions on slips of paper and gave them to Harold and Heather to ask. Veronica turned to give some to Josh but she could only say, "Awww..." and she sniffed.

"What?" Andi asked and turned. Josh was leaning back against the wall, completely asleep. He had a peacefully sleeping Wonka's head on his lap and two huge Newfoundland puppies curled up on his lap. One was asleep and one was sleepily licking Wonka's cheek. Josh had his arm around a snoozing Cholly, who leaned against Josh with a sleepy smile.

When Andi finally got back on her podium, they began firing questions at her. Most she did pretty well at answering, others she stumbled. "Is it true that your first husband used you as a prostitute?" asked Macy.

Andi looked shocked, then said, "The problem isn't about my past. We have problems today in Springville that need to be addressed. Take the park police, for example..." but Veronica flagged her down.

"No, that will work on policy questions. I know I said, don't answer the dumb question, answer the smart question that wasn't asked, but in this case brutal honesty is needed or it will look like you're hiding something."

"I am hiding something," said Andi.

"We know what you're hiding, but you have to answer these questions honestly," said Veronica. "You don't have to answer completely, but you do have to answer honestly. Let's try it again." Veronica pointed at Macy.

"Is it true that your first husband used you as a prostitute?" asked Macy.

Andi thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, it's true. I was bound and blindfolded and couldn't escape. After therapy and the love of a good, honest man, I'm now running for mayor. My ex-husband is now running to keep his virtue in Upstate Penitentiary."

Macy and Veronica laughed so hard they couldn't ask another question. "Too much?" asked Andi.

"Way too much," said Veronica between chortles.

About an hour later, John decided to call it a day after a long day of building cabinets. Gus was due back any day, and John wanted to show that he was capable of producing large amounts of quality work in a short period. The cabinet hulls were all complete, the doors, drawers, and shelves were ready. It was time for staining, which he was going to start tomorrow.

He stepped outside and locked up the building. He heard a loud crack, which to John sounded like a dry branch snapped in the woods behind him. He looked back at the woods, then got in his car, started it up. As it warmed up, he brushed the snow off the hood and scraped the windshield. As he worked, he heard another branch breaking in the woods behind him. He shrugged it off and got in his car and left. He never noticed the two bullet holes in Gus's workshop wall.

As he drove home, his phone rang. He was listening to a sermon on his ear buds when Yi called him. "Yes ma'am, can I help you?"

"The girls are still working, the FBI is still waiting, and you're eating with us tonight, Rocky."

"You think this shiner makes me look like Stallone?" asked John.

"I was thinking Graziano."

"Thank you dearest," groaned John.

"Your car is unsafe at any speed. I just thought you might like to know," said Yi.

"Thank you again, my dear. I suppose it doesn't matter how fast I drive it then."

"I like how you think, Mister Preacher man. See you in a few minutes."

He was driving an old relic he found and got for a bargain price, a 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza convertible. It had a four-speed transmission and sometimes finding reverse was a long process, but first through fourth shifted perfectly. It needed tires, and he had to put a few bricks in the trunk to give it some traction when steering on snow-covered roads. (The trunk is in the front of a Corvair.) The heater didn't work well, and it was an AM only radio, but he put in his ear buds and listened to pod casts while he drove.

Macy was excited about John getting the Corvair. The body was in good shape; the roof was brand new (replaced 4 years ago) and it ran like a charm. They now had a "sports car" that could fit the whole family, even though the Corvair was like riding around in a refrigerator. The standard warm air off the air-cooled engine wasn't enough, it needed a replacement gas powered heater. With this rare set of wheels, he could join the Springville Cruisers and bring Cholly, Katarina, and Chiot along with him for the ride.

At Paul and Andi's house, Yi turned around and saw Josh sitting at the table with Katarina in his arms. He had just changed the tiny girl's diaper and was now bottle feeding her. Who would have guessed that the big burly redneck was a 'baby whisperer'? He could calm any fussy baby down in a matter of minutes, which sometimes was hard to do with Danny. The little guy always seemed to know when something was wrong. Josh guessed it was because of Andi's heartbreak over Paul's kidnapping.

Cholly stumbled into the kitchen, staggering under the tremendous weight of Chiot, the black Newfoundland puppy. As for Chiot, he didn't mind being carried around and occasionally dropped by an exhausted Cholly. The drop wasn't very far from a two-year-old's arms. The little guy sagged to the floor and sat on the kitchen floor with Chiot on his lap, and he started chattering. It sounded like a combination of baby talk and a foreign language.

"What? You need to talk American or Korean to get anything in this kitchen," said Yi as she moved back and forth setting out dishes and silverware, then called into the library, "Julie! Are you staying for dinner?"

"No!" replied Detective Julissa Tanaka. "Thank you, however. I've got to pull the evening shift over at the bar."

"Send Ayato down for dinner. He hasn't been by in ages," said Yi.

"Will do honey," and with a goodbye hug and a pat on the head for a chattering Cholly, Julissa headed off to her first job. Even though she had been reinstated to detective, Julissa considered that her second job. She was still co-owner and pulled her shifts at Worzil's Bar & Grille. She and her husband bought the place years ago and if she were honest, she preferred slinging beer to busting up beer parties over at Zoar Valley Park. Ever since she was returned to active duty, Worzil's became known as the "Substation." Off-duty police and firemen from multiple jurisdictions were once again hanging out at Worzils. The conversations were no longer about inter-jurisdiction rivalries. They were about Paul Jarecki and Mayor Samael Windecker.

She tugged on her cloth overcoat and trudged the two blocks to Main Street and Howard Avenue and stepped into the bar. It wasn't real crowded, but she could tell who in the crowd were cops, because they turned to her in expectation of news about Paul's kidnapping. "Nothing yet. There was a call earlier, but the guy got nervous and hung up."

She hung up her coat and stepped behind the bar. "You go have dinner at the Jarecki's, you were invited."

"By who?"

"The only other Asian in Springville," said Julissa.

"I don't know," said Ayato sadly. "I see the look in Andi's eyes, and I just can't. It's like her heart was torn out... I can't think of that house without Paul..."

"Then here, go bother the regulars," and she handed Ayato a large bucket with a plastic lid. It was covered with "Andi Jarecki for Mayor" bumper stickers, and there was a slit in the top for cash donations. Ayato was good. He could wring a cash donation out of the perennially penniless bar flies like Stash Dombrowski.

"Help us dump that criminal from office!" Ayato called out as he walked through the bar with the bucket. He even got donations from a couple of guys that were Park Patrolmen.

"He's turning us into Nazi thugs," said one of the park cops.

"We just joined up to spend time in the park with the kids... picnics, ice cream socials, Chiavetta's, ya know?" said the other. "What's going on there isn't right."

"Do me a favor," said Ayato. "Discuss what's going on there in detail between each other. It's good to get that off your chest, ya know?"

"Why?" asked one of the park cops.

"It would be a shame if somebody overheard all the dirt and gave that information to the new mayor, who would be forced to clean the bums out of the place and put the park patrol back in the parks," said Ayato with a grin.

"Yeah, it would be a shame, wouldn't it?" grinned one of the park policemen. Ayato's hearing was legendary. It's said that if a squirrel squeaked in the woods, Ayato could hear the acorns in his cheeks rattling. The two park patrolmen waited for Ayato to settle in, way over behind the bar, and get a pencil and pad of paper before they started talking. And Ayato heard every word of the conversation.

Meanwhile, Cholly was still babbling as Chiot happily pinned Cholly's legs to the floor by laying on him. "Listen, kid, I don't understand babble. Ya got to talk American in this kitchen," said Yi.

"I think he's hungry," said Josh. "Either hungry or thirsty."

"How can you tell?"

"He's saying affamé or assoiffé. That means thirsty and hungry, but I can't tell the difference the way he speaks."

"Do you want juice, kid?"

"Juice kid!" cried Cholly.

"Juice, juice, juice. It's like your mama never fed you anything but milk and Cheerios," said Yi as she washed out a sippy cup for Cholly and filled the cup with orange juice.

"Juice, juice, juice!" cried Cholly in excitement.

"We think that's all she had," said Josh. "That's all that was in her apartment." He didn't mention the box that was found under his mom's bed.

Cholly began drinking the juice, and attracted by the smell of Florida oranges, Chiot began licking Cholly's face, causing the giggling two-year-old to fall over backwards. "That's why I ordered a spill proof cup from Amazon," said Yi. The child has to suck on the mouthpiece for the cup to dispense the juice.

Josh was watching Cholly wrestle around with Chiot, the little boy giggling, the big puppy yapping happily. As they tussled, John stepped into the kitchen. "Poppa!" shrieked Cholly happily, and he dashed to John, who scooped him up. "Comment va mon gars préféré?" (How is my little boy?)

Cholly began chattering in a rapid fire combination of French, English, and baby talk. The only word they caught were "Poppa" and "Chiot." He wriggled his way out of John's arms and ran off shouting "Mama!" with Chiot happily chasing him. "I guess he's ok," said John as he took Katarina from Josh's arms. "How's my little squirt?" He said tickling Katarina's chin. She responded by falling asleep.

"That's quite a shiner you got, pastor," said Josh. "How did you get it? Did your latest sermon touch a nerve?"

"No, I invited a park policeman to leave Amelia and Dexter alone and they hit me."

"What?" Josh was astonished that someone would hit John. "Who was it?"

"I'm not saying. I know you. You'll go looking for him."

"Hunting for him is what will happen. Who was it?"

"Josh," said John in a warning tone.

"It's ok, Pastor John," said Josh. "I'll give him a full five-minute head start."

"NO."

"Fine then. I'll find out through the process of elimination." Josh got up and started pacing. "I'm tired of these thugs treating this village like 1939 Poland. And you know that Gus is going to be on my side of this."

"Please, just let it be," ordered John.

"Were they still looking for that cash box?"

John looked up from his sleeping daughter's angelic face. "Cash box?"

"Paul found a cash box in a little secret compartment under Séraphine Lévesque's bed."

"Where is it?"

"I don't know. Paul took one look inside and closed it and he hid it somewhere. Only Gus knows where it is."

"Get to the table!" ordered Yi and the conversation ended there. The dining room table was set up for everyone, including the two FBI agents who were in the library all day waiting for a call. "In honor of your anticipated victory, I made a special dinner for you Madam Mayor."

Andi looked at the food spread out for them on the table. It was a perfect feast, bowls of knoephla, a steaming hot German potato soup with dumplings, tater tot hot dish, lefse (a Norwegian potato tortilla), green beans with vinegar, and for dessert - cookie salad! It was like sitting down to dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Olson's house in Bismark, North Dakota. The twins started chanting, "Hot DISH! Hot DISH! Hot DISH!" This was clearly one of their favorite meals.

"Girls! Stop banging your forks on the table!" scolded Andi. It's hard to scold them when she wanted to join in the chant with them. It's her favorite meal too, and always has been. Ground beef covered with a layer of tater tots, drenched in cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom) and sprinkled with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, then baked until the tops of the tater tots were crispy and the cheese melted down between them. Perfect for a cold winter evening.

"I got coaching on making the knoephla from Grandpa Knute," said Yi. She was with them in Bismark almost a year ago and she struck up a friendship with Andi's Grandfather Knute. The kind old man let her in on all his cooking secrets so the twins would have a "proper culinary upbringing."

Andi dug in with relish. She hadn't eaten or slept properly since Paul was taken from her and only knitting and concentrating on the campaign kept her alive. The knoephla was perfect. The lefse was good. She and her mom and a bunch of ladies from the church made tons of lefse during the holidays and dozens of the potato tortillas were in the freezer. Green beans with vinegar, onion, and bacon bits went with everything, and the cookie salad was perfection. Who knew that canned fruit salad, crushed Fudge Stripe cookies and Cool Whip could be so good?

After dinner, everyone agreed that the simple, heartwarming foods of the northern prairies were exactly what the soul needed on a frigid winter day. After dinner, there was a knock at the door. Andi got up and ushered in Sammy Wynn, a friend from church and a crack lawyer. He was welcomed by Macy and John and introduced to Veronica and Josh. "Mister Wynn is my current legal advisor," said Andi.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Adrianna?" asked Sammy as he opened his briefcase and took out several documents. He always called Andi by her full name because he thought it was so pretty.

"Yes, we all talked about it, and we need this."

"Ok, here we go," said Sammy. He placed a stack of papers in front of Andi and she signed, dated, and initialed where little post-it arrows showed her where to sign, date, and initial. When she was done, Sammy gave it to John and Macy, who signed, dated, and initialed where needed.

"What is all that?" asked Andi's mom, Heather.

"This is an agreement that if anything happens to Paul and me, John and Macy get the homes, boats, businesses, farm and children," said Andi.

"NO!" demanded Heather. "NO! I'm not losing Daniel and you too!"

"It's too late mom, I've already registered to run for mayor. This was Paul's dream, to clean up the political mess in Springville. When he comes back, we'll do it together, but first I have to take office."

"What if they come for you too?" demanded Heather. "The night they took Paul, this house was full of cops and they walked right past those damn fools! They were digging around in the attic. They could have killed us all!"

"Mom, you and dad just bought a house here in Springville. You're losing money on your investment because of those idiots. I'm not going to let my mom and dad go broke because of them."

"We're not going to go broke," said Harold, trying to sound reassuring, but Heather ran upstairs to her room.

"Go help mom," said Andi. "It gets worse from here onward."

"Are you sure of what you're doing?"

"I can't sit on the couch and knit," said Andi. "It helps, but it's time for more." As Harold got up to reassure Heather that Andi and the kids were going to be ok, Sammy put another pile of papers in front of Andi.

"Ok, this is the business agreement," said Sammy. "Are you sure this is exactly what you want to do?"

"Yes. It's a family business, and it's going to stay that way," Andi insisted firmly. "We can break this deal when Paul is ready to return to work, right?"

"Correct. This is only binding until Paul says it isn't."

"Perfect," said Andi, and she signed the papers.

"You know," said Macy as she signed her copies. "Jarecki Motors is now a 100% woman-controlled business."

Andi's eyes perked up when Macy said that. "Let's get Danica Patrick, Shirley Muldowney, Courtney Force, and Janet Guthrie... let's get hot women to sell hot cars..."

"Shirley and Janet are both in their eighties," said John.

"Hell, yeah!" cried Josh. "Janet's my girl! She kicked Dale Ernhart's ass in '79 at Bristol."

"The redneck likes it," said Andi. "Get them on the payroll."

"We can start with a town hall meeting, a panel discussion," said Veronica. "I can get it set up. We'll film it in the front showroom."

"Hang on," said Macy. "I haven't signed the agreement yet... ok. There. Now we can dream... but we have to sit down with Min and make sure everything runs smooth." Min Zhong Sun was the COO of Jarecki Motors, and they hadn't talked to her yet.

"Good," said Sammy as he reviewed the paperwork. "Adriana Jarecki and Marie-Claude Solange Jarecki are now co-CEOs of Jarecki Motors LLC..."

"Until Paul returns," said Andi.

"Right, until Paul returns," said Sammy as he notarized the documents.

"What is this?" asked John as Sammy handed him a form.

"It's my last request," said Andi. "If things go bad, I want to be buried in your church yard next to Cecil and Katarina."

John signed it then said, "I need to..." he couldn't finish the sentence. He got up, grabbed his coat off the coat hooks, and left.

Macy looked broken-hearted. She wanted to follow him, but she knew when he needed time to himself. Veronica looked at Josh and said, "Honey?"

"Yepper," said Josh with a sigh and got up, grabbed his coat and followed John into the frigid night.

"Thank you so much," said Andi to Sammy as he packed up, then she fled the room.

"Is she ok?" asked a startled Sammy Wynn.

"No," said Veronica. "But this had to be done."

Macy dashed after her and found Andi curled up in a reclining chair next to the table where the FBI was waiting for the phone call that was sure to come.

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"John, please, get in," said Josh as he drove along slowly.

"I need to pray."

"Pray in here where it's warm. I'll keep the sacrilege to a minimum... please?"

"Josh, please..."

"John, don't make me come out there after you. I'll wash your face in the snow."

John turned and said, "you'd do that to your pastor?"

"What... that makes you special or something? Come on, I have work for you. It will keep your brain busy." John climbed into Josh's Jeep Gladiator and sat staring at the dashboard. "Seat belts," said Josh. John fastened his seat belt and Josh headed out of town.

Ten minutes later, they pulled into the driveway at Josh's cabin and Josh shut down the jeep. "Come on, we have to walk." He unlocked the cabin and reached inside and turned on the porch light, then handed John a pair of snowshoes. "It's a bit of a walk."

"Where are we going?" groaned John.

"I'm going to show you my idea. Put your snowshoes on. I'm not going to carry you."

John put on the snowshoes, and Josh gave him a flashlight, and they headed out into the woods. "I think the pond is frozen hard enough to walk across, but I haven't checked the ice depth and I don't want to risk it." He led John down the main path, past the big cabin they fixed last year. "My boss has seven kids and they all fit in this cabin perfectly. The heat exchanger we put in the fireplace makes it toasty warm in there."

"I don't do roofs anymore," said John, as he looked at the big snow covered roof on the big cabin. It was originally built to hold an entire scout troop with a kitchen on one end and a bedroom on the other end. Two picnic tables set end to end and seven bunk beds filled the main room with room to spare. The fireplace is twice as wide as a normal fireplace, so thirty-two inch long logs will fit in it.

"That was a lot of work," said John. They had to replace the roof and the floor.

"I helped you with your cabin," said Josh. "I'll pay you for this one." He led John down a path that was hard to see between the trees, but they eventually came up to a small cabin. "I don't know what this one was for. It's even smaller than my cabin."

"Grounds keeper's cabin?" asked John.

"There are no grounds keepers at a scout camp," said Josh. His property used to be a scout camp with several log cabins and many areas for tent camping. "I'm thinking the upper ranking scouts... what do they call them... order of the eagle?"

"Order of the Arrow," chuckled John as they entered the cabin and their flashlight beams landed on a large arrow carved into a log.

"I want to make this a fishing cabin. We're right on the pond." He opened the other exterior door, and they were on a wooden porch facing the pond. The pond at the moment was a large flat snow covered area. The only clue it was a large pond was the bank on the far side of it. "I want to put a roof on this porch, like on my cabin over there," and he pointed his flashlight across the pond to his cabin. "I want a dock right here. I think there used to be one. You can see the pilings."

"It's smaller than your other cabins," said John. "This is probably a three-day job, but why do you want to pour your money into a little cabin like this?"

Josh stared at the pond for a long time, then said, "I asked Veronica's dad to come live with us. I want his last days to be perfect. I want to hand him the keys to this cabin and a fishing pole. Picture it, waking up, stepping out the door and your rowboat and a lake full of fish are waiting for you." Josh's words drifted off as he stared at his cabin across the pond. "What right do I have to any of this?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" asked John.

"Ant is paying me a shit ton of money and keeps threatening to raise my pay. I'm just doing a job I'm good at." He stared at the porch and the snowflakes that were accumulating on his boots, and he slowly continued. "In my life, I've had two men I could call friends. One died in my arms; the other one is gone. It should have been me, I have nothing to leave behind... If it wasn't for Veronica, I wouldn't have anything... hell, I wouldn't be alive right now. She's going to get tired of telling me not to kill myself one of these days. But with Paul... we'd watch a hockey game, not even talk, and by the third period everything was ok. We'd go fishing down on Cattaraugus Creek for a little while and all would be right with the world."

"I'm sorry Josh, I didn't realize," said John as he tried to comfort the guy everyone called 'Redneck.'

However, Josh whirled on John. "Never walk off on a grieving woman like you did to Andi! I shoulda knocked your punk ass down. She wants to honor your parents' memories, and rest with them because we know that's where you're going to set Paul to rest... but you just walk away. Yeah, you're hurting, but you're not alone! That little woman needs an apology. She needs to know she's not going to be excluded because she was used as a whore! She's been living in hell and we need to gather 'round her, not walk off!"

"Did you bring me out here just to chew me out?" demanded John.

"No, I'm multi-tasking. I want to know what you think of the cabin."

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"You're sure you're ready?" asked Veronica.

"Not even close," said Andi.

"Perfect," said Macy. "Now give me the baby and let's do this."

They were at the Springville Community center where a couple of weeks ago Paul announced he was running. One end of the big empty room was set up with a lectern to stand behind and a milk crate for Andi to stand atop. Andi reluctantly turned Danny over to Macy and peaked out from behind the curtain. She almost screamed when she saw what was out there. Reporters from the Buffalo News, and from the suburban papers, like the Amherst Bee, the Orchard Park Bee, the Cheektowaga Bee and other papers from the "Bee Group." There were other papers, including the Springville Press, Concord Tribune, the Gowanda Times, and Free the Frontier, a libertarian publication. But they were behind the cameras of WKBW, WIVB, WUTV, and WNYO. Andi didn't realize that WUTV and WNYO had news divisions, but they were there. American and Canadian radio stations were there too: WGR, CFLZ, WBEN, CFRU, WPHD, CKOC, WYSL, CKGL, WGRQ, and WNED, the "public" radio station.

This was bigger than anything that Andi or Macy ever dreamed, but the wife of the man that was kidnapped running for the seat he wanted was big news. "Andi, sweetie," whispered Macy. "If some jerk asks you if you did it, try to remain calm."

"If I did it? Did what?" but it was too late, it was time to start.

"Ok, honey," said Macy. "This is just like lecturing a bunch of freshmen. They don't know squat, but they think they know it all. Go take them to school." Macy was a professor in Montreal for years. She knew stubborn students.

"Yes, Mrs. Professor Jarecki," said Andi, who taught several classes at university herself. She gave Danny a kiss for luck and turned to meet the fate she chose.

Taking a deep breath, Andi stepped out to the lectern and stepped up on the upside down milk crate so she could see over the microphones and the cameras could get a good view of her. The news crews didn't seem to notice Andi and continued to chatter amongst themselves. Andi stood there alone and terrified, waiting for them to notice her. Eventually, she became angry. Macy was right! They were as bad as the children she lectured in Pre-Med three times a week!

Eventually, one by one, the members of the press grew quiet, but side conversations continued. "It's ok, talk among yourselves," she said. She was on familiar footing now. Eventually, the room was silent except for the whirring of the video equipment.

"I am Doctor Adrianna Jarecki and I have officially filed with the secretary of Erie County and the Springville village clerk as a candidate for the office of mayor of Springville," said Andi. "I am a mother and a doctor and I know the needs of the people in my village and their children. I'm also a businesswoman and I know the local businesses and will work to improve the climate of business in the village for the local businesses. I know their concerns and, as a resident, I know the concerns of the residents of Springville. I am a board certified pulmonologist and happy to live in an area where clean, fresh air and water are abundant but I am concerned with issues like water, sewage, snow removal, security, these are all quality-of-life issues that need to be addressed."

These were the same words Paul said while she stood by his side two weeks ago. Now he's gone, and she's saying them alone. She hoped that the press noticed. "I moved to Springville a year ago, quite by accident, and I fell in love with the village, the people, and the mayor, Chet Horton. We met at the Memorial Day wreath laying; he was such a wonderful man. I want to restore the wonderful traditions that he stood for. I intend to work for the people, not for the interests of companies outside of Springville..."

Before she could continue, the hands went up. That's a shame, because much of her prepared statements would answer any question they may have. "Yes?" and she pointed to a man in the front row.

"You're a mother of three, a doctor, and a CEO of a large chain of car dealerships. Do you have time for being mayor?"

"Mayor Windecker is only in his office one day a week and look what he did to this village, skyrocketing taxes, bands of roughians dressed as cops, parking on main street is gone because of a sudden loss of snow removal... all in one day a week. Imagine how much I could fix if I showed up three times a week! Yes?" and she pointed at a woman in the front row.

"You've never held political office before. Why should people vote for you?"

"I've held positions in the AMA and staff positions at several prestigious hospitals. Local politics is not for professional politicians who know how to hide their dealings. Mister Windecker has been in village politics for over twenty years and look at what he did in eight months when he was finally handed executive power. It's time we look at term limits and get some local people on the village board and in the village offices... it's time for fresh ideas and an open exchange on the village board. Yes?"

"Are you doing this because it was your husband's dream to become mayor?"

"No, it was OUR dream. We love Springville and Paul always wanted to restore the village to the grace and beauty it had in years gone by. Where is the Christmas Parade? Where is the sledding hill on the south end of town for the kids? The only thing reminiscent of Springville's beautiful past is Howard Avenue park, where my husband and our family maintain the ice rink and perform at the gazebo and even paint lines on the softball diamond. What happened to the funds for village parks? Anyone?... yes." She pointed at a man who looked familiar. She probably saw him on TV.

"Mayor Windecker is portraying his term as mayor as a financially successful term."

"If you call a thirty-five percent increase in property taxes and a sixty percent decrease in village services, including cutting school funding successful, then yes. However, most people would consider that an abject failure and I'm one of them. More tax money coming in, less going out in the way of services? On my first day of office, I will conduct an audit of every penny spent, especially the money he spent on the illegal Village Park Police... yes, your question?"

"You called the Village Park Police illegal. What do you mean by that?"

"Policing the village of Springville is the duty of the Town of Concord police department. The Springville Park Patrol was there to monitor activities in the park, only. They enforce leash laws, and ensure trash is collected by picnickers. That sort of thing. Mayor Windecker expanded the boundaries of the village parks to cover the entire village, then he armed the park police with night sticks, tasers, and firearms. The park police is out of control and will be abolished on day one of my term as mayor and the administrator, Dick Harvey, will be investigated for corroborating crimes committed by the park cops... yes, your question?"

"You mean Park Policemen, right?"

"No, park cops. By legal definition, a policeman has been trained at an accredited police academy, and generally has a degree in law enforcement. No park cop meets that criteria... do you have a question?"

"You said the village cops were out of control. What do you mean?"

"Before my husband Paul decided to run for office, he was chatting with several fellow businessmen on Main Street in Springville. A park cop didn't like that and told my husband to watch his step. Later that evening, park cop Michael Brown came to our house and pistol whipped Paul while he was holding a baby! Then he dragged Paul off with no charges. This is called Illegal Seizure, and he's awaiting trial for that."

The room roared; reporters waved their hands, demanding to be called on. Andi pointed to someone who appeared to be sane, and he said, "Tom Ridge, Buffalo Beast..." Andi groaned inwardly. The Buffalo Beast was a decent paper until founder Matt Taibbi grew a conscience and left. It's been run by nutcases as an 'alternate news source' ever since. "That couldn't possibly have happened."

"These people are here to ask questions, Mister Ridge, and that is not a question, but I will address it," said Andi, slipping into angry doctor mode. "Mayor Windecker sent Michael Brown to drag Paul into his office by any means. My husband was busy and tried to offer another time that he could meet with the mayor, but Michael Brown wanted to take him in immediately, so he pulled his firearm on my husband, who was holding our one month old son Danny. When my husband refused to get up, he hit Paul in the head with his pistol. Paul almost dropped the baby. The whole incident was captured on video and is available on YouTube and Rumble. Could somebody give Doubting Thomas the website for that? Next question."

"Is that an individual occurrence? Or is that part of a pattern of malfeasance?"

"It's clearly a part of a pattern," said Andi. "On the twenty-ninth of December while legitimate police were at my house investigating my husband's kidnapping, Mayor Windecker forced his way into my house and caused such a disturbance that he had to be arrested for interfering with the police. At the same time, a park cop named Dennis Emerson broke into our house, crept into Paul's office and attempted to leave our home with Paul's laptop containing business information and was carrying a printed list of donors to his campaign. He was armed with a 44 caliber pistol. Neither he nor Michael Brown was licensed to carry a weapon in New York State. You in the back, do you have a question, Mister Mayor? Oh, and did you ever find out who took your Jeep?"

Andi had spotted Mayor Windecker lurking in the rear of the crowd, and her question shocked him. But he recovered and whirled on her and said, "It's clear that you don't like my police force..."

"Three members of your squad beat up an unarmed pastor who was visiting a member of his church just this week. They are not a police force. They are a uniformed band of roving thugs. There's nothing to like about them. What's your question, Mister Mayor?"

"Are you implicating me in the disappearance of your second husband?"

"That's up to the district attorney."

"How do we know he didn't just leave you like your first husband did?"

A gasp went through the room. Macy and Veronica were sure that Andi was going to panic, but Andi was in "Doctor Mode," and the thought processes do not get interrupted by mere feelings. "My first husband was scum who beat and abused me and is now doing time at upstate for attempted murder and attempted vehicular manslaughter. Paul is an upstanding man who left behind a brand new son, numerous properties, and a huge business and a service dog he goes nowhere without. Do the math. Next question? No, Sammy, you've had two questions. Let's hear from the press. Anyone else?" Andi knew quite well that Mayor Windecker hates being called Sammy.

"What about the Springville Cruisers?" asked the unofficial leader of the Cruisers, Brother Shane from WYSL. "Are they as much a problem as Mayor Windecker claims they are?"

"The Springville Cruisers are a group of middle age automobile enthusiasts who, during the summer months, gather one evening a week, and cruise from the Howard avenue park to Zoar Valley park then out to the 279 Café where they overindulge on cheeseburgers and malted milkshakes. If there's any law the cruisers broke, it's holding up traffic. I am a member of the cruisers. I'm the chick in the 1967 Porsche 911 and I have yet to get it out of second gear when riding with the cruisers. Last year, the cruisers raised over ten thousand dollars for the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital children's care unit. Are there any more questions?"

There were more questions, and Andi handled them masterfully. She was now able to say, "We covered that" when a question about Frank came up. Questions like, will the fourth of July parade return to Springville? (Yes and we will put up prize money for competing drum corps and color guards) Will the village toboggan run re-open (Yes and we'll finally open up that warming shed that's been sitting idle all winter.) Will the village put all the Christmas lights up next year? (Yes and I want to expand that and challenge other villages to beat our displays. Maybe a traveling trophy?) What about camping and hiking? Will the village open more parks? (I want to encourage private parks, picnic groves and private campgrounds. Instead of spending money, let's encourage our people to make some money.)

She ended with a very upscale "It's going to be a new day dawning in Springville!" She disappeared behind the curtain, shuddering and shaking but feeling good about the press conference.

"Was it as bad as you expected?" asked Veronica.

"Yes, it was horrible, but you taught me how to deal with it. Where did you learn that kind of stuff?" asked Andi.

"Miss America, preparing for the question period."

Just then, her phone began to vibrate, and she looked at it. The caller ID on her phone said, 'The Judge.' Andi realized that she never told Nicoletta Atherton that Paul was kidnapped, and she did that for a very special reason. "Judge Atherton," said Andi when she clicked the green button on her phone. Andi knew she was in trouble.

"I just saw your press conference... it was brilliant. You handled them masterfully, but darling... what were you talking about? What happened to Paul?"

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The twins were having a difficult time with Paul being gone, their puppy Jolie helped a lot, and so did having Wonka back, but Andi and Yi hoped that a day in school would help normalize the horror the girls felt. But it didn't work. All the way to school, the girls cried and said that there were bad men waiting for them. "There's no bad men here," said Yi. "There's a sketchy janitor, but everyone is very nice here."

The twins felt some relief from the days of sadness at home and they ran off to be with their classmates, and this was the best day of the school week, Show and Tell day! Yi watched them disappear into the maelstrom of the school day, and she told Mrs. Sotheby, their second-grade teacher, about the trauma they've been surviving. "We'll take good care of them," said Mrs. Sotheby.

The twins did ok in their academic classes, 3rd Grade Mathematics (which they were starting to call baby math) and 2nd grade reading (which provided their most stringent academic challenge) kept their minds busy.

The problem started when they moved to kindergarten in the afternoon. For show and tell, Sandy pulled a rag covered in dried blood out of her backpack. It was a rag that Kenny Johnson used to staunch the flow of blood from Wonka's gunshot wound. "A bad guy came to our house and Wonka barked at him... so HE KILLED WONKA!" she shrieked, holding the large rag over her head. "He was a good dog!" she shouted in anger, shaking the rag in her rage.

All the kids knew Wonka. He had been to class twice. Sandy showed him off as Poppa's service dog, and Madeline showed him off as a Ball Catching Hound. Both times, Wonka was adored by Mrs. Zimmerman's kindergarten class. "Kenny used this to keep the blood inside of Wonka!" Sandy shouted as she waved the bloody rag around.

"They killed your dog?" a shocked Mrs. Zimmerman asked.

"He's better now, but he just sleeps a lot," said a tearful Sandy, who returned to her seat, dragging the bloody rag behind her.

When it was Madeline's turn, she stood in front of the classroom holding a piece of paper covered with jagged crayon lines of red, yellow, and orange. "Someone took my papa away. Mom and Sandy and me are sad." She held her picture up and said, "This is hell. The guy who took my papa is going to..."

"Thank you Madeline," said Mrs. Zimmerman.

"But I was going to show them how he was going to burn in hell!" she said and held up a paper doll of a fanged ogre that she cut out. "He's going to burn in hell forever!"

"That's fine Madeline."

"He took my papa!" she wailed at the top of her lungs and stood in front of the class, crying her little eyes out. Mrs. Zimmerman had seen all forms of reactions from six-year-olds before, but never one as profound and as startling as Madeline's tears of anguish. She crouched in front of the weeping Madeline when Sandy started.

"He shot my dog!" wept Sandy, and she wept just as bitterly and loudly as Madeline while sitting at her little table near the back of the room.

Mrs. Zimmerman was stunned. The poor teacher was trapped between the weeping girls. Then Madeline shocked her to her core. "He's coming after us!" shrieked Madeline, and Sandy rushed to her side. They clung together, weeping. Mrs. Zimmerman was caught in a maelstrom of tears as all the kindergarteners began crying along with Madeline and Sandy.

Yi had just finished up a bit of shopping at the Bell's IGA and was chatting with Martha Lane at the deli counter about the tone of the village. According to Martha, not very many people in Springville knew Paul was abducted, but Martha knew. Of course, Martha knew. Martha knew everything that happened in Springville. "They're all going to know soon," said Yi. "Andi is running for mayor now and she's started her media blitz."

Just then, Yi's phone rang. "It's the school. I have to take this." She raised the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Miss Carlson, this is Francine at Zoar Academy. The twins are having an awful day and we think they need some time..."

"I understand. I'm on my way." Yi could hear the twins crying in the background. "Sorry Martha. Duty calls." The school wasn't far, and soon Yi pulled up to the Zoar Academy to pick up the twins. She went into the office and she could hear them still crying.

"We've seen Show and Tell set off some emotional outbursts," said Francine, "but the twins..." She raised her hands in frustration and continued as she led Yi to the back office, where the twins were waiting in terror. "For show and tell, Madeline showed them a drawing of hell and said that she was going to burn a man there. But that was nothing compared to Sandy. She brought a paint covered rag and said it was blood and someone shot her dog. Now they're saying that a bad guy is coming to the school to get them. Honestly, I don't understand those girls."

Yi ignored Francine's yammering. She crouched down in front of Sandy and said, "Sandy, give me the bandage." Slowly, the sad little blond pulled a blood-soaked rag out of her backpack. "Francine, do you have a trash bag?" When the vice principal reached for the rag, Yi said, "This is a bio-hazard. This is canine blood."

"Why in God's name would she bring it to school?" gasped Francine.

"Because somebody kidnapped their father and shot their dog and they're very upset about it."

"They what?"

"I can't see!" Madeline finally wailed.

"Me too! My head hurts!" cried Sandy.

Yi calmly crouched down and tried to calm the weeping girls. She took the glasses off of Madeline and studied the lenses. They were just flat glass. She then studied Sandy's glasses. They were prescription. She put the prescription on Madeline and the flat glass on Sandy and said, "Can you see?" They both nodded the affirmative and Yi said, "Ok, let's go make some cookies for Mayor Mommy."

Instead of agreeing as normal, they huddled around Yi. "He's here!" Sandy whispered harshly.

"I thought their father was running for mayor," said Francine.

Yi gave the vice principal a look that almost shouted, 'try to keep up lady' and said, "Their father was abducted right after Christmas. He's been missing ever since. I know this school isn't prepared for emotional trauma like this, but you could at least acknowledge their pain."

There was a knock at the door and Nancy, the woman at the front desk, poked her head in Francine's office and said, "The men are here to pick up the Jarecki girls."

"Yiiiiii," moaned Madeline. "That's him!"

"What men?" asked Yi.

"They said Mrs. Jarecki sent them."

"He's got a gun!" shouted Sandy. She and Madeline dove under a desk.

"Call the police," said Yi as she began digging in her purse. When Francine just looked at her in confusion, Yi said, "Mrs. Jarecki is downtown giving interviews. She calls ME to collect the girls. No one else." When Francine continued to look at her in confusion, Yi screamed, "CALL THE FUCKING POLICE!"

*KENNY! HELP!*

Kenny Johnson felt Yi's cry for help so intensely it almost knocked him over. "Archie, tell dad I had to go help Yi, something happened!" and he grabbed his coat and dashed out of the family Feed Store.

Yi dug around in her purse and finally found it - the taser that Paul got her months ago for her birthday. "Did you get the cops?" demanded Yi.

"I uhhh..." finally Francine started dialing. "What do I tell them?"

"Tell them that... damn it," and Yi snatched the phone from Francine. "This is Francine Dormond at Zoar Academy. We have multiple armed men in the school. They're attempting to kidnap the Jarecki twins." She handed the phone back to Francine as the men started kicking at her door from the outer office.

"Come on, girls," said Yi as she pried open a window.

*KENNY! We're going to run for it!*

She started to lift Sandy through the window. "I don't have my boots or coat!"

"We'll get them later. We got to go. Run toward the church next door."

"It's the wrong church!" cried Madeline.

"It's not Unka John's church!" said Sandy in agreement.

"You'll like Father Juan, he's nice." Yi had the two girls outside and was half out the window when the door broke open and three guys stepped into Francine's office. The Vice Principal shrieked and tried to tell the police that three men broke into her office. One of the men dove halfway out the window and grabbed Yi by the hood on her jacket.

*KENNY! He's got me!*

*Almost there!*

Emboldened by Kenny's reply, Yi turned and jammed the business end of her Taser under the thug's chin and squeezed the firing buttons. The guy went into convulsions and slumped semi-conscious in the window. Yi scooped up the yammering girls and began running through the snow-covered field to St. Aloysius Church. It seemed to take forever to run across the snow-covered field and as she ran, the snow came down harder. As they reached the halfway point, an old twelve passenger Chevy van shot out of St. Aloysius' parking lot into the field and blocked their path.

The side door flew open and a big, ugly brute with an AK-47 leaned out the door. "Put the girls in here."

"I'm coming with them," said a winded Yi, her mind scrambling with what to do. *What do I do?*

*Do what they say, just stay with the girls. I can see you now.* came Kenny's reply.

"Get in here!" shouted the brute, and he fired a round into the snow next to Yi. The gunshot sounded like an explosion, causing Yi to shriek.

*HE'S SHOOTING AT US!*

Her thoughts hit Kenny like a mental sledgehammer. Right now, all she could think about was complying, keep the girls safe, but do it slowly. Give the cops time to catch up.

"Hey! What are you doing?" shouted Father Juan as he stepped out of the rectory. Father Juan was a short, wrinkled gray-haired Hispanic with an infectious grin and the gift of gab. However, he was also very authoritative. He ran a school for wayward boys in Costa Rica for twenty years. He knows how to handle punks. "Speak to me! What are you doing?"

The fellow with the AK-47 stood in the van's door, leaned over the roof of the van and pulled the trigger once and Father Juan went down. Blood sprayed from the bullet wound as the priest crumpled to the ground.

*He shot Father Juan!*

Yi was quickly descending into a fit of terror. The only thing keeping her rational was Kenny's silent reassurances and the terror of the little girls. She had to be strong for the twins.

*I'm here,* was Kenny's answer. *Be calm, it's almost over.*

His calm tone did nothing to allay her terror, but if she had looked, she would have seen him climbing over an immense pile of snow in the school parking lot. Right behind him were several Town of Concord policemen, two of them decked out in SWAT attire.

Yi and the twins were now in the van, and the twins continued to scream in terror. "Shut them up!" shouted the thug with the AK-47.

"You came here to kidnap two little girls. What the hell did you expect?" demanded Yi. That earned her a slap in the face.

*He dies...* came Kenny's vow and the young feed and grain salesman tried to run in the knee deep snow. Meanwhile, the twins scrambled to the back of the van and hid between the rear seats.

"The cops are here. They're behind us walking across the field," said the driver.

*Go straight toward the woods,* was Kenny's advice. *There's a logging road back there.*

*A road? They'll get away!*

*Trust me*

Yi has learned that when Kenny says Trust Me, to trust him.

"How the hell do we get out of here?" demanded the gunman, and he pointed his rifle at Yi.

She could smell the burnt gun powder, and the barrel looked as big around as her leg. "Go straight that way," said Yi. "There's a logging road back there," she said, pointing at the woods. "It goes straight to Route Thirty-Nine."

"Let's go!" demanded the gunman. The driver hit the gas and his rear wheels began to spin. They finally found traction, and the van started moving away from the cops across the field. They were fishtailing in the snow, and the driver fought to maintain control as they slowly gained speed. But before they got far, the van's front wheels dropped into a ditch and the van slammed to a stop. The nose plunged down into the snow at a forty-five degree angle and the van could not move. Snow covered the windshield so the driver couldn't see what had happened and nothing the driver did made the van move. The engine roared and the rear wheels spun crazily, but they went nowhere.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded the gunman. He leaned over the driver's shoulder to see if the instrument panel held a clue, and that's when Yi struck. She pressed the taser to the back of his head and squeezed the triggers. Since he was touching the driver's neck with his bare hand, she tased both of the assailants with her last shot. The would-be abductors shook and jerked as 50,000 volts shut down their nervous systems. Yi screamed with anger and held the triggers until the taser's battery was exhausted.

The two criminals collapsed and lay in a twitching heap, leaning against the steering wheel, groaning and cursing a name she recognized, but Yi wasn't in the mood to play name games. "Out the back," said Yi.

"He said a bad word," said Sandy.

"He said lots of bad words," said Madeline.

"This isn't the time to expand your vocabulary. Come on." Yi climbed over the rows of seats to the back doors of the van, where the twins appeared from under the seats. One door opened for them and there was Julissa Tanaka, her partner Skip Morris, and Kenny, along with five other cops, two outfitted in their SWAT gear. The SWAT outfitted cops opened the side door and yanked the still twitching mobster out into the snow.

Yi looked at Kenny and burst into tears as he helped her out. "I was so scared," she whimpered. As Kenny wrapped his powerful arms around her, she tried to let the tension and fear out without crying. "What happened?"

"There's a deep ditch there. Everything is all white, so it's hard to see, especially when it's snowing like this. The van hit that ditch and dropped. I hit that ditch every year on my snowmobile."

"Father Juan!" she gasped, and she looked and there were two cops attending to the priest as an emergency vehicle arrived.

"He'll be ok hun," said Julissa. "Let's get you and the babies checked out."

"Who are you calling a baby?" demanded Sandy from a cop's arms.

"We're not babies, we're kids!" roared Madeline. Their anger at Julissa's calling them babies stopped the crying like throwing a light switch.

Yi began trembling and her legs gave out and she sagged to the ground. Kenny scooped her up like she was light as a feather and carried the trembling Asian beauty to the school entrance. "Sorry," she whimpered, and she put her arms around Kenny's neck. "I'm just so scared."

*But you stayed calm and did what must be done and protected my young. You are truly my daughter.*

The voice wasn't Kenny, the voice in her head came to her only in a dream a long time ago when she was learning to trust and love Kenny. "Was that...?" she asked softly.

"Guoxin? Yes," said Kenny softly as they headed back to the school to get the girls' coats.

"Guoxin can help us find Paul!" said Yi.

"I don't know. Paul isn't Han, so Guoxin doesn't care..."

Two policemen carried the little blond girls, and Madeline had that smile on her face. The smile she had whenever she watched Paul kiss her mommy under the missile toast. The little girl traced her cold finger around the designs on the cop's badge and Yi recognized it and began to worry about Madeline crushing on a cop that was thirty years older than her.

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Josh Gravely finished up his shift earlier than usual at Andalon and begged Mr. Friedman to see if he could go home early and Mr. Friedman let him go. Veronica wasn't in the office; she took time off to manage Andi's campaign. She struck a deal with Mr. Friedman, allowing her to do community work like that when needed. Besides, Anthony Friedman was angry that Paul had been abducted, and he wanted it pinned on Samael Windecker, in any way possible.

Ant had met Samael Windecker at a political function in Orchard Park and considered him a dribbling idiot. Then later in the evening Ant had the revelation that Samael Windecker was not a dribbling idiot, but he played one quite well. That made Samael Windecker very dangerous politically. It was far too easy to underestimate someone acting like a dribbling idiot when they do it as good as Samael Windecker.

Josh wanted to talk to John about the upcoming wedding between himself and Veronica. They were so involved in their conversations about the cabin, and Andi, that Josh never brought up their own wedding. They did not know when or how, but Veronica wanted to be married in the woods on Josh's property. More than anything, Josh wanted to talk to John. Josh was a loner. In the USAF he was a team player and he made the kids laugh with his down home humor, but to be honest he had two friends in the Air Force, and one got killed by a shoulder-fired missile over some shithole populated by sheep fucking assholes. That was Josh's last gunship mission, and it was a disaster. He almost "bought the farm" himself on that mission. In Korea, he allowed himself to get close to a fellow that worked for him named Wedge Donovan. He hasn't thought of old Wedge and his sidekick Roxie in years... He wondered how they were doing.

Paul Jarecki was the closest thing Josh had to a buddy, but he was gone and that left a hole in his life that burned. Maybe talking to Paul's little brother was what he needed. He hit the speed dial on his phone. John answered his call immediately. "Hey Josh, what is happening?"

"I got sprung from work early, so I was wondering what you were up to."

"I'm in Gus's wood shop, finishing up a few cabinets," said John.

"Oh, lordy, do I love working with wood... I could watch it all day long. Mind if I come out and distract you for a while? I want to know what you think of the cabin I showed you."

John chuckled and said, "Sure, come on out."

It wasn't like Josh to actually want to hang out with someone other than Veronica. Two years ago, Josh would stroll into Paul's cabin and Paul would serve dinner. They'd eat in near silence, talking only about the stew Paul made and the hunt that produced the meat they were eating. Then they would spend a couple of hours watching the fire burn down in the wood stove while Paul played the guitar, or they would watch a Buffalo Sabres game on TV. Then Josh would head back to his cabin. Maybe a dozen words were exchanged, but that's how their relationship worked until that fateful day when Andi ran into a ditch in a blizzard.

When he was alone, Josh didn't care about anything. He would sit in his cabin and watch the fire burn down in the big fireplace, letting the horrors of his past replay over and over in his head. The fireplace would go out of focus and Josh would find himself in a smoke filled gunship. His crew were all injured, one dead, an immense hole in the plane's side, their load master outside dangling from a safety strap waiting to be dragged to death when they land. It was a horror show that played back over and over, and Josh was almost looking forward to the final episode. It would end with him holding the business end of a.45 caliber Colt M1911 to the roof of his mouth and bringing an end to it.

During the summer, his demons left him alone. He would work himself into utter exhaustion rebuilding the old cabins on his property or cutting firewood. He would collapse on the couch in his cabin and sleep. But in winter, he was alone with his past. His demons would return the minute he was done with work and torture him in his little apartment in Orchard Park or in his cabin in Springville.

A late winter blizzard changed everything. He was trapped in his office with Veronica, and their nearness forced them to be honest about their feelings. The entire world changed, and Josh had to change with it. Now he wanted to grow old with Veronica, and the only way to do that was to kill off his demons. He relied on Dr. Macy Jarecki to talk him in off the ledge on bad days, and Paul Jarecki to keep him off the ledge in the first place. He realized he needed a full time shrink, and he asked Macy to find one that specialized in CRPTSD (Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Josh pulled into Gus's driveway and saw a car with a North Carolina license plate parked in front of Gus's house. It was obviously a rental. That was odd because the house was sealed up and there was no snow on the rented Toyota. There was a sign that said Didomissio Construction and Woodwork that pointed to the Quonset huts further back on the lot. The driveway was plowed, John's sky blue '64 ragtop Corvair parked back by the wood shop so the driveway was obviously plowed by John when he started work, but the footprints from the rental car didn't follow the driveway. They went off into the trees behind Gus's house.

Then his phone rang. It was Kenny Johnson calling him. Kenny was a great kid. Josh would have been proud to fly with him had he enlisted in the Air Force instead of the Army. Josh and Kenny have had long talks about guns, ammo, hunting and shooting, but they were held at the gun and ammo counter at Kenny's feed store, where Josh bought his ammunition. They rarely talked outside of the feed store and never on the phone. "What's up, young man?" asked Josh.

"Three guys just tried to kidnap Paul and Andi's twins from the school," Kenny said. He sounded out of breath and angry. "We stopped them, and the cops have all three."

"Where are you?" Josh asked as he got out of his truck and inspected the footprints around the rental car. It appeared that they got out, clustered around the trunk of the car, then headed off into the brush.

"I'm with Yi and the twins. They're pretty worked up and Andi's folks are freaking out. Now I have to tell Andi."

"I'll tell Andi. You let everyone know at that end that Ol' Josh will tell her. Ok?"

"Thanks pal, it's just a sucky day all around," said Kenny. "Show and tell went to pieces when Sandy brought a bloody rag from Wonka and Madeline drew a picture of hell and told the kids that's where the guys who grabbed her dad were going to burn."

"Oh lord," said Josh. He started to laugh, but something gold in the snow behind the rental car caught his eye. He bent down and picked it up. The gold was the brass of an unfired 9-millimeter round. "I'm going to drop in to Gus's hut and say hi to John. I'll let him know too." He slipped the 9mm round into his pocket.

"Tell him that they shot Father Juan, too."

Josh went ice cold. Now it was serious. Father Juan was to Springville, what the White House was to Washington, DC. Father Juan was a Springville legend, a kind and loving soul. He was the heart of the village. "I'll tell John," said Josh.

"Thanks, guy," Kenny sighed in relief. He clearly didn't want to tell Andi that her babies were nearly kidnapped. "Father Juan is over in Bertrand Chaffee," said Kenny, naming the local hospital. "I'm going to go see him later."

"Hey, those guys that tried to nab the twins, were they in a rental car?"

"Yeah, a rented Toyota, and they stole a van from St. Aloysius. Why?"

"No reason," said Josh. "You just calm everyone down. I suggest ice cream."

"Thanks."

Josh called Veronica next. "Hey darling, what are you guys up to?"

"We're at Jarecki Motors. Andi and Macy are meeting with Min Sun and a few of the managers, then we're going to shoot a few interviews."

"When Andi gets a break, tell her that Yi took the kids home from school. They weren't quite ready to go back."

"Oh?" said Veronica, which to anyone that knows her means "Tell me more." Josh told her about the twins' exhibitions at show and tell. "That's a good hint that they're not ready."

"Let Andi get her interviews done before you tell her. The kids are fine and Yi's filling them up with ice cream."

"Will do, I love you Effi."

"Love you, Ronni."

Josh hung up and sighed. He thanked a God that he recently started to believe existed for that woman, then got back into his Jeep Gladiator and parked it very, very close behind the rental car. The nose of the rental was tight to a huge mound of snow from the driveway being plowed. And now the bed of Josh's Gladiator was inches from the trunk of the rental Toyota. There was no way that the Toyota was going anywhere.

Josh got out and opened the rear door of the truck and folded up the rear seat. The space that normally holds his 30-06 rifle was empty. He forgot to put it back in the truck after cleaning it. It's in the gun locker in his cabin. But the Remington 870 shotgun was there. He loaded three rounds of 00 buck shot into the magazine, then a round of BB shot. He jacked the round of BB shot into the chamber and slid another round of BB shot into the magazine and filled his pockets with 00 Buck. The first two shots will be an invitation to stop, the rest will be 'convincers.'

He took his faithful Colt M1911.45 caliber pistol, the gun he's affectionately named The Hand Cannon, slammed a loaded magazine in and jacked a round in the chamber. It was time to go hunting. He quietly tracked the footprints, and they took a winding route through the brush and juvenile woods to come up behind Gus's workshop. There were three sets of tracks, and it looked like the idiots were wearing running shoes...

He put in one ear bud and tried to call John, but John wasn't answering. He had said he would be staining cabinets. He should have heard the phone ring. Come on John! He urged silently, but John never answered.

Josh came up behind two men. They were crouched down in the trees near the shop and shivering; the third person must be inside the building with John. The men were wearing light weight Gore-Tex, which is good if it was raining, but the temperature was in the teens. It would be a month before it was warm enough to rain. Josh slowly rose to his feet and brought his shotgun up to his shoulder and was about to shout a warning when a huge hand clamped down on his shoulder...

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The Didomissio Honeymoon Cruise started in West Palm Beach, where they boarded Andi's Dream after a train trip from New York City to West Palm Beach, Florida. On the train Lucy learned to love the game of strip chess and got very good at thinking up penalties to subject her new husband to. Every time they start the game, Lucy assures herself that she's going to win, but after the third creative penalty in a row, the game is only a few moves from a tie. They both have the same record: 0 wins, 0 losses, and 3 ties and they both look to extend the tie streak for the rest of their lives.

They boarded Andi's Dream, a beautiful 72-foot sports motor yacht, swimming whenever they could and fished for their dinner and several dinners to come. Gus had forgotten how luxurious the yacht was, the main suite was huge and Paul had told him there's a presidential option that increases the size of the main cabin by 30%. This was bigger than the bedroom he and Tina had in their first apartment in the Allentown section of Buffalo.

On the first evening of their cruise, Gus and Lucy laid out in the cockpit watching the stars circle overhead. Occasionally they'd slip into the water and swim in the warm water of the Atlantic, then make sweet love in the warm weather and the silver moonlight. Salt flavored kisses sealed their love over and over. "Thank you so much for loving me," said Gus. "When I saw you coming down the aisle at Paul and Andi's wedding, our eyes met, and I felt something I hadn't felt in years. You filled an empty hole in my heart. When you walked down the aisle a week ago, I saw the same look in your eye. Did you love me back then?"

Lucy smiled and rolled her eyes in thought, then rolled him over until she was on top of him. She gave him a sweet kiss, then said, "Yes, but I had never been in love before, so I didn't know what was going on." She leaned down and kissed her husband sweetly. "When we spent Christmas Eve at Andi's house snuggling in the media room watching old movies, I never felt so desired, so secure. I never wanted to move. Your arms felt so good around me."

"So you were already in love with me?"

"I think I was," said Lucy, "but I didn't know how to deal with it. I had never been in love before."

"Never?"

"No. Every guy I liked was just awful to me. For a long time, I thought that it was me, that I was an asshole magnet... but then you came along and blew that theory out of the water. My knight in shining armor."

"Come with me, my queen. Your suite awaits." With that, they retired to the master suite, showered off the sea water and climbed in bed. They were both asleep before they realized it.

The next morning, as Gus and Lucy had a simple breakfast, they put in at Fort Lauderdale's marina. "Leave dishes for Mark, we go on tour!" There, Sunny took Gus and Lucy off the boat to the Bonnet House Museum. "A museum tour?" asked Lucy.

"Yes, John's idea. Restocking galley, filling up the fuel tanks and freshwater tanks, flushing septic tanks, all take time, so instead of sit in shipyard, we come see beautiful," said their Korean guide. She took them to the Bonnet House. The Bonnet House is a historic home turned into a museum in Fort Lauderdale, near to the marina. It was named after the Bonnet Lily, which grows in abundance in the ponds of Florida. It is commonly known as the water lily.

Sunny was quite the tour guide and knew a lot about the plantation style mansion. Gus found that Sunny's Korean accent forced him to concentrate on her lecture as she led them through the courtyard to the main entrance. "Bonett house built by artist Frederic Clay Bartlett, a rich artist. He was a snowbird who only spent a month or two here every year. Most of paintings here are by Frederic Bartlett."

The home was beautifully filled with art and interesting collections of mounted fish and unique seashells. The doorways in the house were painted bright lily yellow. The walls of the house were covered with murals that were also painted by Bartlett. Many of the doors were painted to match the decor.

Gus could have spent the next two days in the museum getting ideas for upcoming projects. He didn't like Fredric's art at all, Bartlett painted in the primitive style which Gus considered amateurish, but he took dozens of pictures of the designs that were used in the rooms. Lucy was enchanted mostly with the exterior, the lush gardens, the fountains, and the coral walkways.

Finally, Sunny announced, "Boat is ready, let's go help."

Back at the Marina, they found Mark was gone. Lucy and Gus found that a young couple had joined them. "Gus, Lucy, this is Travis and Angie Yetto," said Stan as the couple stepped aboard with boxes of groceries that they had purchased while in port. "They are our normal galley crew and a replacement for Yi. Travis is our chef and engineer, and Angie is our chef and fishing guide."

"Too roit mate, if it has fins, I'll catch it, clean it, and cook it," said Angie as they shook hands.

"Australian?" asked Lucy.

Angie scoffed. "Nah mate, I'm a kiwi! New Zealand. Oz is but an island off our western shore."

They were an exciting young couple and quickly set to stocking the galley. "Gus and Lucy have been on this boat before," Stan told the Yettos. "They were with us on our rescue trip."

"Bloody hell, mate! Let me shake your hand," said Angie.

"Talk to her," said Gus, as they shook hands. "Lucy delivered the baby. I just stood up on the bridge and took pictures."

Travis was tall and thin with jet black hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a tightly trimmed black beard. Angie was a Kiwi girl with brunette hair, an hourglass figure, and a New Zealand accent that often confused Gus. They were both chefs and would work together to create exquisite meals that defied description.

Andi's Dream was stocked, fueled, flushed and ready to put to sea. "Would either of you like to drive?" asked Stan. "Miss Andi said it would be ok if you did."

"I would like to give it a try," said Lucy, and Stan offered her the captain's chair.

"Ok, I'll be your pilot and keep an eye out for obstacles and I'll be telling you where to go and how to get there. Ok?"

Lucy looked at all the dials and gauges on the four big video displays and said, "I can't wait."

"Ok, then let's go. Follow me." Stan urged her to get up, and he led her out to the flybridge aft deck where there was a small helm station. A warm breeze blew over them and Stan took off his t-shirt to enjoy the warm, moist air. Not to be outdone, as Stan pointed out the simplified controls on the aft helm, Lucy opened her blouse so she could feel the breeze as well. "You're not worried about providing a show for the folks on shore?" asked Stan.

Lucy held her blouse open to catch the breeze and relished the feel of the air on her exposed nipples. "They'd need a magnifying glass, so I'm not worried," said Lucy.

That caused Stan to laugh. "When we met a year ago, you were so self-conscious about your figure. Looks like Gus taught you to accept what you have."

"He really did. How do we get out of here?"

"I called the harbor master. We have permission to follow that sailing vessel out." And he pointed out a single mast sailboat that was making its way through the marina out to the channel. There was an old, bald guy at the helm and the deck was covered with bikini-clad women.

"Hugh Hefner?" asked Lucy.

"Nah, that guy produces TV commercials and porn videos."

"Figures."

"Ok, everything will be done with the joy sick, forward, port, starboard, aft, and if you twist it, the boat will rotate on its axis. Ready?"

"I am ready," said Lucy.

"Then call out 'cast off all lines.'"

"Cast off all lines."

Gus chuckled and Stan looked at her like she said two plus two equals nine. "Who is going to hear that? You're three stories in the air and sixty feet away from the bow. Sing out like the twins just ran off with your purse."

That is something that Lucy can painfully identify with. When they were three, their favorite toy was her purse. "CAST OFF ALL LINES!!!"

"That will do it every time," chuckled Gus from the couch on the other side of the Rear Deck.

"Ok, keep an eye on them. Wait for Sunny to respond," said Stan.

"All lines clear!" called Sunny.

Lucy gave two toots of the big horn before nudging the joystick to the right and the yacht moved away from the dock she was tied up against and, with a nudge to the left, she stopped. "Ok captain, one little nudge forward," said Stan as he leaned out over the bridge railing to make sure they were clear. She gave the joystick a nudge, and they were moving forward, away from the dock and into the main channel. "Ok, now twist the stick left one nudge." The twist caused the big yacht to rotate on its axis. They were rotating counterclockwise as they drifted toward the center of the channel. He gave expert instructions to get her through the tight S turn she had to take to get her out into the inlet channel. "You did incredible. Let's move to the main helm."

"Oh yes," she said breathlessly.

Gus recognized that smile. He saw her surgeon's hands were rock steady, but the rest of her was fluttering. Her eyes were flashing, her nipples were hard. He knew that look. It was the same look she got whenever her 1969 Nova was fired up and ready to race. Lucy loves the feeling of leashed power with her hands on the leash. Now she's sitting atop two 1,800 horsepower Man diesels and she's got that look in her eye. Gus couldn't wait to see how this turned out.

He followed Lucy and Stan to the main helm and he sat on the couch next to Lucy while Stan leaned over her shoulder and instructed her. They were lined up for the inlet and the tide was coming in. Their momentum from the little puffs from the thrusters wouldn't carry them through the inlet. Stan got on the intercom and announced, "we're heading into the inlet." Then he said to Lucy, "let's put the screws in gear."

That look! Gus saw it every time her Nova lined up in the traps at the drag strip. The lust for power and speed was taking hold in Lucy, but she was a surgeon and a champion racer. She could control her desire to jam the throttles forward and she nudged the throttles a bit, and a rumble filled Andi's Dream. The big powerful boat, propelled by twin 1,800 horsepower Man diesel engines, bit into the current flowing against her in the inlet and pushed the big yacht out into the open ocean with little effort.

"Can I?" asked Lucy, as her hand lightly caressed the throttles.

"Let's get out into the open ocean and see how you can handle navigational direction." He pointed to the compass display on the large display screens in front of her. "Steer heading one, one, zero and increase speed to ten knots."

Lucy turned the helm and watched the numbers change from 88° to 110° or East Southeast. Once heading in the direction she was asked to go, she gently eased the throttles forward, feeling the powerful boat respond. As they purred along the smooth ocean, Stan showed her how to read the four 22 inch data screens in front of her. One was displaying the radar returns, another showing the data from the AIS (Automatic Identification Systems) transponders on all large ships and most pleasure yachts. Stan pointed out commercial shipping and a US Coast Guard cutter not far away. "Over here is the sonar. We're moving too fast for it to work well, but Andi asked that the whale alarm be set at all times. Any time something large is under us, whale, shark, or manatee, it will set off an alarm."

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life, startling Lucy. "Motor Vessel Andi's Dream. This is the Coast Guard cutter Venturous on Marine Channel One Six."

"Channel sixteen is the hailing channel and the emergency channel," said Stan. "When we get a call, we then change to whatever channel they suggest and converse over there." He picked up the microphone and said, "This is the motor yacht, Andi's Dream. Go ahead, Venturous."

"Motor yacht Andi's Dream, please switch to channel twenty one." After changing channel and re-establishing contact, Venturous said, "Please heave-to and prepare to be boarded for safety inspection."

"Roger, Venturous. Stand by." Stan directed Lucy to ease back on the throttles and then to put them in reverse to stop their forward motion. "You always allow the Coast Guard aboard for a safety inspection," said Stan. "If you deny them access, they have a dozen other excuses to board your boat, and none of them are pleasant."

Once stopped, he showed her how to put the boat into station keeping mode where using GPS and the thrusters, the boat will maintain its position as long as the wind or the currents don't get too tough. "I'll stay here at the helm. You go meet the Coast Guard," said Stan.

"Can I bring you anything?" asked Lucy as she headed down the stairs to the Saloon.

"Lunch whenever Travis or Angie gets it ready."

"Aye-aye captain," said Lucy with a smile, and she headed downstairs with Gus. She reached the mezzanine as a Coast Guard RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) pulled up alongside and the boarding party entered through the cockpit gunnel doorway. Sunny was right behind her and when they saw that the leader of the boarding party was a tall, slim, Asian lieutenant, Sunny shrieked in joy.

"BRIAN!" she shouted and dashed across the cockpit and clung to her son. "When did you get in from Bahrain?"

"Yesterday morning. I tried to call, but you had already set out. So they put me on the Venturous and sent me to sea."

"Honeymoon cruise, we were offshore, out of cell range," said Sunny, as Stan heard the commotion and came down to greet his son.

"Lieutenant Carlson!" grinned Stan and gave his son a hearty slap on the back and a handshake before a tight hug. "Stop going into war zones," said Stan.

"Um, mom said the same thing to you and where did you end up?"

"Kuwait," said Stan sheepishly.

"Right. We all find our own path, right?"

Warrant Officer Don Coats stepped on Andi's Dream and looked around. He happily said, "She's as pretty as the day I first came aboard." Then noticing Lucy he cried, "Hello Doc!" and he gave Lucy a big hug.

"Watch it sailor!" laughed Lucy. "I'm taken now."

"No!" gasped WO Coats. "Who's the very lucky guy?"

"That would be me," said Gus as he put a protective arm around Lucy's shoulder and shook the big coastie's hand.

"Hey Lieutenant, did they ever tell you about this boat?" asked Warrant Officer Coats.

"My folks are driving it. What more is there to know?" said Brian.

"These are the folks that did the Garcia rescue. Doctor Lucy here delivered the baby right where you're standing."

"You guys did that?" asked Brian Carlson. Admiration showed on his face.

"We didn't do anything," said Stan. "Sunny and I stood at the helm and watched."

"I just took pictures," said Gus. "The owner of this boat's husband cut the Garcia's daughter Stefanie free from the tangled rigging and brought her to surface and his brother swam her back here for first aid from the boat owner. Meanwhile, Lucy delivered Missus Garcia's baby."

"They named him Luke after me," said Lucy.

"I remember that," said one of the young boarding team members. "We heard over the intercom, 'USCG Venturous, this is MV Andi's Dream. We have all three victims onboard now and they're all ok,' the ship went nuts!"

"Did you ever hear the cause?" asked Gus.

"Yeah, turns out that Mister Garcia worked for Harris Radio over in Melbourne," said WO Coats. "There were some shenanigans with a government contract and he sent a letter to his senator. One week later, his boat catches fire, sinks, and his family almost dies. Fast forward six months and his boss moves into prison for the next twenty years."

"So, natural causes?" asked Gus with a grin.

"Exactly. Happens all the time."

"It was a hell of a second date," said Lucy.

"Travis," called Stan. "Show our visitors the engineering spaces, Angie, show our friends the galley and living spaces."

"Right you are, mate. Follow me, boys!"

The Coast Guard finished their inspection, handed their report to Stan, and Lucy returned to the helm, eager to open up those throttles. "Oh, lieutenant Carlson, next month this boat will be on a cruise to Nisi Arcadia," said Gus. "Your sister and her fiancé will be on board."

"Fiancé?" asked Brian.

"If you'd write more often, you'd know these things!" Sunny almost shouted.

"Mom, you only write in Korean. And I sent you a dozen emails a week!"

"Paper is better!" insisted Sunny. "I can put paper letters in my bible when you die!" Her tone let everyone on Lieutenant Carlson's inspection party know that the cause of death will be an angry mother.

Ignoring his fuming mother, Brian hugged her and said, "Yi finally found a man that can kick her ass?"

His remark got Gus laughing pretty hard. The thought of Kenny raising his hand to Yi was a completely alien thought, but he can get his desires across to Yi a different way. "They have a chemistry. I hope you get to see them in action. Keep an eye out for Andi's Dream next month. Andi and her husband, Paul, will be operating the boat. Yi and Kenny agreed to crew it, a couple from Minnesota and a couple from Springville who know your folks will be on board."

"If you wrote more often, I would have mentioned it," insisted Sunny.

Once they were back aboard the Venturous, Lucy made a mental note to tell Andi that they saw their old friends from the same Coast Guard ship that showed up when they rescued the Garcia family. Just as the Venturous was about to leave, it let loose with a very long blast on its horns and the water cannons started spraying the air in salute to the crew of Andi's Dream.

"Boy, I hope they don't do that every time," said Angie. "That horn is bloody loud."

Upstairs, Stan was giving instructions to Lucy about where he wanted to go. "Ok, let's go over to a bank where I usually find some nice fish," said Stan. "Get her up to about fifteen knots and steer one, two, zero degrees."

Lucy eased the throttles forward as she turned the helm to the right a bit. "One, two, zero degrees and fifteen knots," said Lucy.

Stan noticed she hit the target heading and target speed at the same time. He settled into the seat to Andi's left and said, "Ok, good job. Let's take it up to twenty-five knots for ten minutes."

"Aye-aye, sir!" said Lucy, and she advanced the throttles. The big yacht lifted on the waves and dashed across the surface of the ocean. Lucy's eyes dashed across the four huge information screens, especially the engine status screen. Her eyes began a viewing pattern: screen 1, screen 2, forward, port, starboard, screen 3, screen 4, forward, port, starboard...

Stan noticed that pattern too, like an aircraft pilot watching his instruments. As her ten-minute dash came near an end, Stan said, "Full throttle for two minutes, then slow down to ten knots."

"Yes, sir!" and she smoothly opened the throttles all the way. The twin Man diesels roared as they dashed across the smooth ocean and soon Andi felt a rhythmic slapping against the surface of the water. Finally, play time was over, and she eased the throttles back and settled at ten knots.

"Well done!" said Stan. "Sometimes thirty seven knots is a bit terrifying, but the sea was smooth and you handled it well."

Lucy turned to Gus, who was sitting on the couch next to her. She grinned and caressed the throttles. "I want one!"

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

The next day they landed in Nisi, Arcadia. Lucy relinquished the helm to Stan, who eased the big yacht toward its spot on the pier. As they neared the dock, Lucy and Gus lowered the zodiac dingy into the water and tied it off on the swim platform on the stern, then returning to the bow, they erected the sunshade on the bow, turning the foredeck into a comfortable, shaded meeting spot. Then Sunny, Angie, and Travis got busy. They tied off the ship, connected it to the pier's water supply and electrical supply, then Stan killed the onboard generator and the big diesel engines.

It was tradition that when a yacht lands at Nisi Arcadia, that the mistress of the island, Judge Nicoletta Atherton, comes out to greet them and have a glass of wine and talk. Mostly about Nisi Arcadia and what the island offers, but she uses that time to get to know her guests. Gus and Lucy met Nicoletta a year ago on this island. It was the first time she opened Nisi Arcadia to guests that were not business associates.

During their first visit, John mentioned she could run a B&B type arrangement and somehow the idea caught on, and before they knew it, Andi's Dream was dropping off visitors who would spend several days in one of the Atherton's island cabanas and her husband Donald flew visitors in and out using the air strip on the island. It was slowly earning John a nice retirement income and a college education for his children.

Nicoletta was beautiful, as usual. She wore her thick silver hair down and was wearing a hibiscus print sarong and a string of pearls. Her only other attire was a pair of glasses. Her large, heavy breasts were exposed to the tropical weather at all times on the island and she was tanned to a ravishing gold, and she invited her guests to dress similarly. She liked her guests to feel the refreshing ocean breezes and always encourages her female guests to wear as little as possible. "This is the island of love. You should always be enticing your man."

"Doctor Kocis! So good to see you!" Nicoletta gushed as she stepped onto the foredeck.

As they hugged, Lucy said, "It's now Doctor Didomissio. Unlike my colleague Andi, I plan to go through the paperwork and change my working name."

"Ah, the happy Mister Didomissio. Is the new wife keeping you happy?"

"We've been happy since we first met you."

"You know that's not what I asked," said Nicoletta, almost scolding.

"We've had our problems, but since Christmas Eve, it's been smooth sailing."

"It's like a switch was thrown in my libido," said Lucy. She had many issues in her sex life and all were related to her body image. She actually preferred to watch sex than to actually do it, but she never liked porn.

"Did you try that trick I suggested?" asked Nicoletta.

Lucy was confused but Gus said, "it worked like a charm! I even sent you a thank-you card." The trick was to try mutual masturbation with the lights turned on, then progressing into daylight. Lucy could watch Gus masturbate and she soon joined in with him until it felt comfortable and they could progress from there.

"Sit, darlings, sit. Angie! What did we talk about last week?" scolded the former judge.

"Sorry," mumbled the Kiwi. She pulled off her t-shirt to reveal her c-cup breasts before serving the wine. Gus was surprised to see how shy the outspoken Kiwi was.

"Now August, tell me all about your godsons."

"Danny? What can I say? He's only got one talent, he's cute, and he only does that a few times a day, but he's getting better."

"Who does he take after?"

"He's got his mommy's looks, his daddy's eyes, and his grandfather's lungs. Other than that, he's not taking after anyone right now, but I'm sure the twins will have a big influence on his life once he starts walking." When Gus mentioned 'grandfather's lungs', he was referring to Grandfather Cecil Jarecki, who could shout louder than anyone Gus had ever heard before. He had to shout loudly to be heard in his noisy automobile maintenance shops.

"That's only ten months away," said Nicoletta with a huge smile. "And your other godson?"

"Cholly? Cholly is an amazing little guy. He's a blessing to everyone that meets him. When Cholly was first dropped on Pastor John's lap, John was in a lot of pain from his injuries and Macy was still in a deep postnatal depression. Suddenly, they realized why they were there. John told me, 'I thought somebody should help this poor child. Then I said to myself, I'M somebody! And my life and faith became so much richer.' Macy discovered that the babble he was speaking was French, and he was suddenly her son too. The poor little guy was so abused, he was terrified to take a bath. Macy saw a lot of her early life in that child." Gus took out his phone and showed Nicoletta a picture of Cholly carrying his huge puppy. "He named his dog Chiot."

"That's so cute. He's almost as big as Cholly. It's beautiful," said Nicoletta, a tear of joy collecting in her eye. She was a child's advocate. If you were ever accused of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect and there was credible evidence against you, and if you looked up and saw Judge Nicoletta Atherton presiding over your trial, life as you know it just ended. She would boom, "I AM the millstone around your neck!"

"Andi gave Cholly that Newfoundland puppy and she gave the puppy's sister to the twins and named it Jolie," said Lucy. She too had pictures of the kids and their puppies that Andi had sent her.

They talked for a long time, often teasing Angie for her destruction of every vowel ever used in the English language. Finally, Nicoletta said, "Let's go ashore and find the Yetto family a cabana too." This surprised Angie and Travis because they expected to stay in Andi's Dream throughout the visit.

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Nisi Arcadia! A beautiful island set in the warm turquoise waters of the north Caribbean. It was a good size island with a rise in the center that caught the abundant rain and provided fresh drinking water, there was even a waterfall to splash under, it emptied into a pool of cool fresh water that was so relaxing on a hot day. But the island had beaches all around the circumference. It was covered with lush tropical plants and birds and the vegetation was only interrupted by paths and the Atherton's runway.

Down by the pier, there was a large building that Nicoleta and Steve Atherton called their "Cabana." In reality, it was a single-story mansion divided in half by an open-air tiki bar. On the west side of the tiki bar were Atherton's private residence, to the east side were rental rooms and the main kitchens. Six months out of the year, they rented the rooms out to honeymooners and other guests. The other six months' residency was by personal invitation only. January was one of those months, and Gus and Lucy had a personal invitation.

Gus and Lucy got to enjoy a vacation there last year, but back then they weren't lovers, they were friends with a few benefits, but they were learning to love each other. Now they stayed in the Honeymoon Cabana, a cabana built out over a cove that occasionally hosted dolphins that loved to swim with people. There was no wall on the side of the cabana that faced the cove. It was open to the covered deck, then beyond the covered deck was another deck, a step or two down that wasn't covered. The cabana was hidden behind lush foliage, and even the path leading to the cabana was hidden.

The cove had one small beach you could only get to by swimming across the cove from the cabana. Gus and Lucy spent some of their time every evening on that tiny private beach, watching the waves break on the distant reef, then come rolling gently into their cove. It was so peaceful.

Paul and John advised Gus to try sailing. They were both hooked and hoped Gus would become hooked, too. On their second day on the island, Lucy and Gus spent the morning being taught how to sail a Hunter Legend, then after lunch they took it out by themselves. Armed with a waterproof "cheat sheet" that had crib notes from their sailing class, they sailed a full revolution around Nisi Arcadia with just the main sail to propel them.

"This is living," sighed Lucy as she stretched out on the deck, slathered tanning lotion on herself and relaxed. "No wonder why Andi likes it so much."

Gus started thumping his fist rhythmically on the hull and began to sing an ancient sea shanty in his deep baritone voice.

Soon may the Wellerman come

to bring us sugar and tea and rum.

One day when the tonguing is done

we'll take our leave and go.

As they got to the north end of the island, they were warned that the water was too shallow to get close, so stay far north of the island or the centerboard will be ripped out. Gus thought they were far enough north of the island, but he felt a bit of a tugging at the centerboard, so he turned further north and the tugging stopped.

"Oh," started Lucy as she rolled over to tan that tight, athletic bottom of hers. "That's why Nicoletta put her ladies' beach on the north end of the island. It's so shallow that boats can't get in close to watch."

Gus just laughed and continued thumping on the hull of the sailboat

Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies

Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain;

For we've received orders for to sail for old England

But we hope in a short time to see you again.

On the next orbit of the island, they put up the jib which almost doubled the sail area of their boat. After a few wrong moves, especially when tacking into the wind, they got it right. "Andi was so right about this," crooned Lucy as they sailed around the island. "Why did you take so long to find me?"

"Are you saying that you'd never would have gone sailing unless you met me?" said Gus as they turned into their third orbit around the island.

"Of course not! Who are you talking to here? I was all muscle power, running, biking, and swimming. After I had my accident, I knew I'd never come back." Lucy had a horrific bike accident on Loveland pass and 'rag dolled' down the side of the mountain, breaking bones with every bounce.

"You were in training when we met," said Gus.

"And you were sweet to help, but you knew as well as I did, I wasn't competitive. I'm lucky to finish a five K, let alone a half marathon now. But you showed me that I could still compete in other ways. I love you and I love drag racing... in that order."

Gus laughed as he tacked away from shore to catch a stronger breeze. "And now sail power?"

"Yes! Let's get a sailboat and sail Lake Erie! We can sail to Chicago! Duluth!"

"That would be a lot of fun, but would you do it topless?" asked Gus.

"Sure. What are they going to do?" asked Lucy as she stood up and displayed her lithe nude body to her husband on the little sailboat. "Eject me from Lake Erie?"

"Sit down or lay down girl, you're not wearing a life vest," warned Gus.

"Will this do?" said Lucy, as she eased into the cockpit with boneless sensualism. She crouched between Gus's legs and grabbed the legs of his swimming trunks. "Me thinks you're overdressed, my captain!" she said. "Lift!" Gus raised his butt and Lucy pulled his swim trunks off. "Nice tan lines, captain."

"You should see me in t-shirt weather."

Lucy leaned over and began gently nibbling at his cock, the first cock she ever willingly swallowed. "Let's see which happens first. We reach the dock or you cum in my mouth."

Gus could only groan as Lucy took his cock in her mouth and began suckling on it as he grew hard. It became more difficult to control the boat as Lucy's lips slithered up and down his cock. Thrills coursed through his body as her tongue slid from his balls to the head of his cock.

She teased and taunted him, taking him to the edge of orgasm and back, over and over. "Dear God!" groaned Gus, as the utter pleasure of her mouth had him shaking. She mouthed his swollen balls and lightly stroked his wet cock with a twisting action of her hand. Soon Gus couldn't take it any longer and the next time she wrapped her lips around his cock, he grabbed her head and started moving her mouth up and down his cock. He was worried that she would stop. She might get angry for being used like that, but there was no complaint from Lucy. In fact, Lucy's hands were busy on her own body. Gus moved her mouth up and down his shaft, and her tongue slithered over its full length as her fingertips traced circles around her clit.

"I'm going to cum," he groaned, and Lucy's fingers danced on her clit faster. "I'm going to cum in your mouth!" and she sucked harder, her tongue making more sweet wet friction. "I'M CUMMING!" Gus shouted, and he came explosively, shooting spurt after spurt into Lucy's mouth, and she swallowed every drop he gave her. "Oh, my god... oh my god... oh my god..." muttered Gus over and over.

"That was a big one, wasn't it?" said Lucy with a worried smile, and she drew herself up next to Gus. This was the big test, and she was worried. She really, truly loves sex with Gus and doesn't want it all to end, but she doesn't want to be used as a sex toy. He smiled at her and before she could try to kiss him, he pulled her in for a hot, passionate kiss. Their tongues explored each other, and Lucy melted in his arms as her worries melted away. She knew too many men that would use her mouth, expect her to swallow, and never kiss her again.

"That was wonderful," sighed Gus, and he held her close and kissed her over and over.

She moaned happily and said, "You kiss so good," then she muttered something under her breath and snuggled close.

"I pass what?" asked Gus.

"You don't mind kissing me after you cum in my mouth?" asked Lucy, surprised he heard that. She didn't think Ayato could have heard that.

"Shouldn't I?" asked a confused Gus.

"Some men won't kiss a woman if he cums in her mouth," said Lucy. "It made me feel like trash."

"I love kissing you after a blowjob. Your mouth is so warm, your lips so soft, those are the kisses that I love. If you don't want me cumming in your mouth..."

"No, I like it when you do, as long as you'll kiss me afterwards."

"I always will. Just let me know if you don't want it in your mouth, we can come up with an alternative."

"Like what?" asked Lucy as she snuggled.

"I can cum on your tits..."

For some reason, that thought was so hot for Lucy that she gasped softly and said, "let's try that one next." She looked up at the sails and they were hanging limp. Then she sat up and looked around. "How do we get back to shore?"

Gus looked around. They were sitting idle on a flat, windless sea with Nisi Arcadia far to their stern. "Well, we have emergency food and water below deck, which should last us several days, and we can wait for a breeze."

"Days? I don't want to spend my honeymoon sitting out here for days!"

"Well," said Gus. "I could always fire up the outboard motor... ow! That hurt!"

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Most of the time on the island, Lucy wore only a sarong, a lightweight tropical skirt that was cool and pretty. Two years ago, she would have been terrified of walking around topless in front of a man. Her body was trim and athletic, but her breasts were almost non-existent. She would never even try to wear a bikini top, instead she wore a sports bra, which was unflattering to say the least. It was Gus who convinced her he found her beautiful and her small breasts sexy. And they were a turn-on for him. Their size was truly of no consequence to him. It was the fact that she enjoyed his attention to her breasts and they were so sensitive that he could make her cum with careful attention to them.

There was a beach just for women on a secluded part of the island, and here is where Nicoletta held court. Lucy, Angie, Sunny, and a couple of girls that worked for Nicoletta would gather there, drink wine and wine margaritas, and talk about their men. "Gus says he loves my breasts," said Lucy. "Look at them. What is there to love?"

"I don't understand the question," said Sunny, who was quite busty for a small Korean woman.

"I mean, I got nothing. His first wife, Tina, she had boobs out to next week. I saw her photos; she was like Andi."

"She also die of breast cancer," said Sunny.

"You mean he loves me because I don't have tits, so I won't die on him?"

The women remained silent, but Nicoletta finally said, "Darling, did it ever occur to you that he loves you for who you are, and he loves your breasts because they're attached to the woman he loves?"

"Bloody hell mate!" Angie almost shouted... "The bloody wog is an arse man! That arse of yours is legend! Dinky di!"

"What?" asked a very confused Lucy.

"Dear, have you ever engaged in a little playful spanking?" asked Nicoletta.

"Yeah, but my tits..." Lucy was deep into those wine margaritas. "He can make me cum just touching my tits."

Nicoletta looked at Lucy's rock hard nipples and said, "is that true?"

"Bloody hell, mate," said Angie. "Show me how you do it!"

Before Lucy knew what was going on, she had several pairs of hands pawing at her breasts and ass and occasionally a brush against her hyper excited clit. She almost came from all the touching and grabbing. Laughing and struggling back, she fought off the teasing women, but she was so excited that she almost ran back to their cabana. Gus wasn't in the cabana, but she looked across the cove and there he was, relaxing in the shade of the palm trees. Lucy dove in and swam across the cove with the most powerful strokes she's ever swam with.

Gus was awoken by a dripping wet Lucy climbing over him. "I'm sorry honey, but... I need..."

"Don't apologize," said Gus softly. "If you ask, the answer is always yes." He tugged her close, then cupped her tight butt with his enormous hands as she lowered her pussy to his mouth. Lucy threw her head back and groaned in pleasure as his mouth contacted her pussy. "Oh God," she groaned. She couldn't believe how close to cumming she was. The women had her so worked up with their touching and caressing. They knew what they were doing. They drove her here to Gus's tongue.

He shoved his tongue as deep as he could into her sodden pussy, and she threw her head back and gasped. It was so good! To say their week on Nisi Arcadia was sex drenched was a horrible understatement. She spent last night on her hands and knees on the beach watching the full moon rise on the ocean, with Gus behind her, pounding her pussy to a froth with that enormous cock of his... she realizes now why wolves howl at the moon.

Now Gus began suckling her clit, his tongue lashing it over and over. Every time the tip of his tongue flicked over her clit, she felt a jolt of erotic electricity that pushed her closer and closer to orgasm. "Oh God, yes," she groaned. Lucy wasn't a squealer like Andi. Her voice is too deep for that, but her grunts and growls of ecstasy make Gus happy so let Andi shriek, Lucy makes her man happy just as she is.

That thought almost made her cum. She looked down between her tiny breasts at those soulful brown eyes of his and wondered if their children will have their father's beautiful brown eyes and not their mother's bland gray eyes.

Where did that come from? She's never, ever thought of having kids in her life... but now...

There was no stopping it. Her orgasm was bearing down on her like a freight train. Her breath was coming in tiny gasps and she was getting dizzy. He felt Gus's big warm hands close over her breasts and pinch her hard nipples and that did it. "GUUUUSSSS!" She cried out as a tidal wave of utter pleasure slammed into her. Her body pitched forward as she came hard. Waves of pure pleasure crashed over her and without realizing what happened, she found herself laying on her back and looking up at the swaying palm trees.

"Oh my God, did I need that she sighed as she shuddered through an orgasmic after shock. Other women are surprised when that happens to them. Lucy is reaching the point where she would be surprised if it didn't happen to her. Then she realized that Gus was smiling down at her. "Gimme," she said with a cute grin and she reached for his hard cock. "Do you have any left for me?"

"Lets see what we have," said Gus as Lucy tugged his cock into place and run the enormous head up and down on her wet pussy.

He pushed and entered her slit, and Lucy groaned. It was like she was being spiked to the sand. Her husband was huge! How did she get so lucky? The stretching, spreading sensations caused her to groan and grab his upper arms as tight as she could. "Are you ok?" Gus asked.

"Don't worry about me," she said, and she wrapped her legs around him and urged him deeper and deeper. "Fuck me," she whispered and pulled him down for a kiss. His tongue began fucking her mouth in time with his cock fucking her pussy. It was all so wonderful. Is this the same wonderful feeling that Andi found in Gus's best friend, Paul?

Gus fucked Lucy, delighting in her undulations and cries of passion. Her hot, wet pussy gripped and sucked at his cock as he drove in and out of her, and he knew that he would not last very long. The sensations were too intense as he tried to hold back, but Lucy caught him holding out on her. "Give it to me," she whispered. "Give me a son."

The shock that Lucy would ever say that was too much. They've never discussed children; in fact, they've avoided the conversation. His orgasm hit without warning. Gus spurted into her, cumming hard, and Lucy tightened her lithe body around him, whispering "Cum in me" in his ear and his orgasm continued.

"Oh my God, where did that come from?" said Gus as he tried to recover from an incredibly powerful orgasm. He never compares Tina to Lucy, but he searched his memory for an orgasm that his with that kind of force with Tina.

"Your eyes," Lucy said as they cuddled together and recovered. "I want a baby with eyes like yours."

"Can we do this?" asked Gus. "My daughters are your age. If we have a child, he will be thirty years younger than his sisters."

"I wouldn't know anything about that," said Lucy with a smug grin. "I'm an only child."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Over at the main cabana, Donald Atherton was watching a satellite news feed and there was a story about a woman that was running for mayor in a small village in western New York. "That seems to be going around," said Nicoletta as she entered the cabana.

"How's that?" asked Don.

"Paul Jarecki is running for mayor in his village. I was talking to Andi about that just after Christmas."

"Uh, honey, this story is about a woman running for mayor after her husband disappeared. Isn't that Andi?" He pointed to the tiny blond woman that was being interviewed on the screen.

Nicoletta looked at the screen and watched in a combination of admiration and horror as her friend handled tough questions from the reporters that were there at the press conference. "Who is running Jarecki Motors in your husband's absence?"

"Jarecki Motors is an LLC, and the board is made up of Paul, his brother John, Macy Jarecki, and myself. Macy was the executive assistant to Paul for over a decade, so she knows the job as well as Paul does. We have a Chief Operating Officer that's doing a bang-up job. I'm here to take their input and make decisions on what they give me. Our mission remains to supply top quality cars that our customers want and provide top quality service and maintenance."

"Is this live, dear?" asked a stunned Nicoletta.

"Live-ish, I believe there's a bit of a delay, but she's talking to those people right now."

"I think I need to get to Buffalo as quickly as possible." She went to the DVR and made sure that they were recording the press conference.

"The Cessna is in Jupiter, and it's not scheduled for anything, it just got out of maintenance," said Donald.

"Serious maintenance?"

"No, just an hourly," said Don. By hourly he meant scheduled inspections that occur every 100 flight hours.

She opened her laptop and made a quick check and reserved an Air B&B for a few days as she listened to Andy handle questions. She was doing quite well, Nicoletta thought Andi must have a skilled coach. After the press conference ended, the retired judge waited fifteen minutes, then made a call on her satellite phone. Andi sounded scared when she answered. "Hello Judge Atherton," said Andi.

"I just saw your press conference... it was brilliant. You handled them masterfully, but darling... what were you talking about? What happened to Paul?"

"He's... he's been abducted," her words came slowly as she fought to hold back the tears. "Don't tell Gus. It's their honeymoon."

"Darling, Paul is Gus's best friend. He has a right to know. They're leaving tomorrow anyhow... I will be there by noon tomorrow," said Nicoletta. After a few minutes of reassuring Andi that she never lost a kidnapping victim, Nicoletta and Donald went to their room to pack.

One of the cabana's staff poked her head into the master bedroom and said, "Is there anything you need?"

"Yes, gather the crew of Andi's Dream and our honeymooners in the media room, please? Mister Atherton and I want to speak with them about something very important."

"Yes, mum."

Ten minutes later, a confused Gus and Lucy stepped off a golf cart and were led into a comfortable theater. They were joined by Stan and Sunny, and Travis and Angie. Don Atherton greeted them and said, "Sit, relax." When everyone found a comfortable seat, he said, "Some serious concerns have arisen and I'm having a difficult time finding the proper words. Let me show you." And the big screen lit up with Andi's press conference.

For ten minutes, the cute blond answered questions concerning the village government, and she fielded them quite well. Then a reporter asked, "What happens when your husband is returned?"

"If he's returned right now, I will bow out of the race if he's able to continue and my name will be removed from the ballot. If he can't continue the race or misses election day, he won't appear on the ballot and the people will still decide who the mayor is. If it's me, I will fulfill the duties of the office and when Paul returns, he will be my principal advisor."

"Will you return to the VA?"

"That is our current plan, but if I'm elected mayor, I don't think that will be practical. I will probably open a private practice in Springville."

The video ended, and the room was silent. Nicoletta stood and said, "I just spoke with Andi. Paul was abducted on December 29th. The kidnapper has been demanding more and more money. They put Paul on the phone but did it when Andi wasn't there. She said that the recording the FBI made sounded like Paul."

"Why didn't she say something?" demanded Gus. He sprang to his feet, shocked like everyone else, but he was also angry.

"She didn't want to interrupt our honeymoon," said Lucy. She clasped Gus's arm and urged him to sit down. "We have to get home. She needs me."

"John needs me," said Gus. "John and Macy are the leaders of our church, but Paul makes it happen... I need to be there in his place." Gus was the vice chairman of the board and a meeting was coming up soon. He shouldn't be away.

"Captain, if we leave within the hour, when can we make port in Jupiter?"

"If the sea remains smooth, by six AM."

"That will put us in Buffalo by ten AM," said Don. "But we may be able to land at the airpark in Springville."

"Markus," said Nicoletta to her head chef. "We will be dining on Andi's Dream tonight. Can you make sure that the meal we planned is packed up and in their galley in twenty minutes?"

"Yes ma'am. Provisions for how many?"

"As we planned, provisions for eight."

"Will do, Ma'am."

For the next thirty minutes, the island became a flurry of activity, people packing their bags and preparing to leave. Stan and Travis went over Andi's Dream, stem to stern, preparing to launch using the pre-launch checklist on the control tablet. Angie stocked the galley and prepared a suite for the Athertons. She didn't know if they'd have a chance to fish in their dash to Jupiter, but Stan speared a huge grouper so they'll have plenty of food for the trip. She quickly fileted the fish and put the big chunks of meat on ice as folks hauled their bags on the boat. The filets were too big for the refrigerator along with Judge Atherton's dinner provisions, so she wrapped the filets and put them in the fish locker under the cockpit floor.

"Everyone aboard?"

Sunny did a quick head count and reported, "Eight souls on board!"

"Cast off lines fore and aft."

Travis and Sunny stepped out onto the dock and Travis ran forward to cast off bow lines. Sunny got the stern lines, and both hopped back aboard and Travis began stowing the fenders. Lucy stood in the middle of the saloon watching Nisi Arcadia fall away and the open ocean come at them. "Don't you want to drive?" asked Gus.

"No, this is a job for professionals. Sunny is driving, and Stan is napping, so he can take over after sunset... just hold me," she sniffed. "I'm an awful sister. I'm never there when Andi needs me most."

"She and Paul wanted us to have this time together, and it's clear she didn't want to deprive us of this wonderful time. Don't say 'you should have told us,' let's thank her for a wonderful honeymoon and say, 'We're here now, tell us what we can do for you.'"

She turned in Gus's arms and allowed herself to cry like she never had before. "She was always there for me," whimpered Lucy. "She nursed me back to health after my fall." She wiped her nose on Gus's shirt. "Frank hated having me in her apartment."

"Her apartment?" asked Gus.

"He didn't have shit. It was her apartment, and somehow she ended up in a slum. It's now controlled by Tren de Aragua. I owe her so much..." and she broke down in heart-rending sobs.

"And you were always there for her. You helped raise the girls; you helped feed them. They were so upset when you were downgraded from Aunt Lucy to Aunty Lucy." But that only made her cry harder. Gus had never seen Lucy cry like that. In fact, only Andi had. It was when Lucy discovered that she would never compete. Her chance for the Olympics was over and gone. On the boat, Lucy lost touch of time and space. All she could think of was poor Andi. When Lucy finally opened her eyes, she found herself in the master suite. Gus had carried her down there and lay next to her.

"It's dark out," said Lucy, looking at the port hold.

"I know. Let's go eat. We haven't had anything since breakfast."

"I don't know if I can eat. I feel so drained," said Lucy, but she allowed Gus to guide her to the saloon where dinner was being set out.

"Except for the lobster bisque, it's all kosher," said Angie.

Lucy sighed and said, "Kosher is a state of the mind and the heart more than the menu. At least that's what my messianic rabbi says." They ate in the saloon after Travis took dinner up to Stan and Sandy. Lobster bisque, chimichurri steak, garden salad, grilled asparagus, and lime sherbet for dessert. Then Gus helped Angie and Travis with dishes, because "It's what Paul would do."

<><><><><>

Lucy woke at 6:15 when Andi's Dream started bucking and bouncing. The tide was running out, and they were headed in the Jupiter Inlet. For a small boat, it would be a challenge to take this run even after sunrise. The Jupiter Inlet is a tough run when the tide is turning, but Andi's Dream was able to cut through the waves and follow her radar through the pitch black pre-dawn morning into the Jupiter Florida area. Once inside the intercostal waterway, the water smoothed out, and they slid past the beautiful Jupiter lighthouse, but the red brick structure was only visible at the base where pedestrian lights illuminated the area, and at the top where the beacon rotated.

The big boat burbled through the waterways, passing beautiful houses where it eased up to the dock at the gorgeous ranch-style house that Paul and John inherited from Cecil and Katarina. There was a rumor that it was once owned by a movie star, but there's no evidence of that. (It would add $50,000 to the resale value if Paul could have found solid evidence of that.) A swimming pool in the backyard was nearing completion and will be a present for Andi and the twins when it's completed. Grottos, waterfalls, a lazy river and beautiful lighting effects. The twins will love it.

She went up to the mezzanine and found Gus talking with Sunny, Stan, Angie, and Travis. "... there's no shame in canceling. If you don't have the people..."

Stan glared at Gus. "I can operate this boat alone. We used to do full cruises with three people: Sunny, Yi, and myself. We'll be good." Then Stan slapped Gus's shoulder. "I understand, but this one is my call. If Paul disagrees, he can come tell me himself."

"Our van is here," said Donald Atherton from the dock.

"Grab your bags and get off my boat," said Stan with a wink. Gus fished a few twenties out of his wallet and extended them to Stan, but Stan said, "We don't take tips from family."

Gus smiled and laid the money on the galley counter. "Then go have breakfast on me and tip your waitress." Then, after some sad goodbyes, he picked up his and Lucy's suitcases and headed to the house with a forlorn Lucy, pulling her carry-on luggage. They were joined by Sunny, who was sure that Yi needed her in Springville.

A nice van from the Marina drove them from Paul and John's house to the Jupiter Airpark not far inland from the marina area where the house sits. "We're taking a Cessna?" asked Gus. "Will it seat five?"

"It seats nine," said Donald. He had been sleeping since they finished dinner because he's going to be piloting the Cessna. He could tell that Gus was expecting a small prop driven Cessna. They arrived at the Air Park and the Cessna turned out to be a Cessna Citation CJ3, a seven passenger turbo jet. Sleek and adorned in the Atherton Air logo, it was elegance on the wing.

Donald and Nicoletta helped Gus load the baggage in the tail compartment, then they climbed aboard. Donald Atherton climbed into the cockpit and began the preflight checklist. Nicoletta was the last person to board. She had the wooden wheel chocks that are placed to keep a plane on the ground from rolling off. She stashed them under the first seat, then walked through the plane, making sure everyone had their seat belt on.

"Are you ok Sunny?" she asked as she gave Sunny a blanket to cuddle under.

"No, Yi needs me!"

"We will be there soon," she said as the engines came to life. "I'm going to go sit with Donald, then when we're in the air, I'll put on some coffee."

The small jet taxied toward the runway, and Nicoletta ducked into the cockpit. Gus watched out the window as the jet picked its way through the dark airport and moved out onto the taxi way. The bump-thump of taxiing soon came to a halt, and the engines began to rev up. They made a shrill scream and Don released the brakes. They started down the runway, gaining speed quickly, and soon they were airborne.

Gus and Lucy were sitting facing each other, like on the Amtrak, and they had a folding table between them. Gus folded out the table and set up their chess board, but Lucy shook her head no. He put the board away, folded down the table and pulled Lucy into his lap and cuddled her, and soon she fell asleep.

Lucy woke up, and they were on the ground, taxing across an airfield. "Are we home yet?" she asked.

"No, but we're close," said Gus. "We're in Coudersport PA."

"Coudersport?" asked Lucy. "Where's that?"

"It's in west central PA. We're stopping for fuel."

"We're out of gas?"

"No, but it's cheaper in Pennsylvania than it is in New York," said Gus. "We have to go in the terminal while they're passing gas..."

"You make it sound so delightful," moaned Lucy as Gus handed her a jacket to put on. They went into the terminal, which had a small coffee shop, so they were able to get coffee and donuts as they waited. It seemed to take forever, but was in reality an hour before they were back in the air. Lucy and Gus were worried about getting a ride from the airport to Springville, but to their surprise, they didn't land at Buffalo International. They landed at Springville Air Park and a van waited for them. As they headed into the village of Springville, Gus said, "Drop me off at home. I want to get my truck and some warmer jackets for us."

"No problem," said the hired driver. Gus and Lucy's home was on the way, so they dropped Gus off at the driveway that led to his house and business behind that.

Gus walked up the driveway and noticed that there was a Toyota Corolla parked in front of his house and Gus's truck was parked behind it, blocking its exit. He noticed movement behind the house and saw that it was Josh, moving quietly through the young woods with a shotgun. Moving as quickly and quietly as he could, Gus followed Josh. He saw the three guys that Josh was following. One went into the shop while the other two stayed outside to guard the exits.

Josh slowly stood up and brought his shotgun up and Gus clapped his hand on Josh's shoulder. "Cover me," then as an afterthought he added, "try not to kill them." Gus patted Josh on the shoulder, then ran quietly to the shop entrance. He walked into his shop and saw a man with a pistol who was searching for something. Gus guessed it was John.

Next to the door was Gus's shalaylee, a gnarled length of oak root with a large knob on the end. It was a natural growth that fascinated Gus, so he sanded, polished, and soaked it in linseed oil, then varnished it glossy. It was the best walking stick he had ever owned, and he even named it. He called it "Billy Baroo," the name that Judge Smails named his putter in the movie Caddy Shack.

Gus picked up Billy Baroo and held it by the bottom. That big knot of Western New York oak became his Louisville Slugger. He even took a few practice swings and the guy never noticed.

Outside, the two fellows watching the side exit saw Gus head for the front door and shouted, "Stop!" which is when Josh stepped forward with the shotgun. He was pointing it down at a 45-degree angle, like a relaxed farmer out hunting quail.

"Drop your weapons!" demanded Josh. "This is private property."

The two thugs suspected that they faced some pansy-ass New Yorker who would be cowed at the sight of two pistols pointed at him. They grinned as they stared at Josh, and they waited a long time for Josh to flinch, but the flinch never came. In his career in the USAF, Josh had much bigger things pointed at him than a nine millimeter 'pop gun.' MUCH bigger.

"Run away," one of the thugs said. "I might let you live."

"You gonna shoot me with that big scary pistol?" asked Josh. In response, the thugs raised their pistols and when they did, the Remington 870 twelve-gauge shotgun barked. It never moved. Josh never raised the barrel. He pulled the trigger and the snow on the ground between Josh and the thugs exploded upwards, and the would-be murderer's lower legs and feet were peppered with BB shot that ricochetted off the frozen cement sidewalk under the snow. They screamed and fell to the ground, grasping their bleeding legs.

Inside, Gus had crept up to the man with the pistol who heard Josh's shot gun roar. He flinched and caught the sight of Gus out of the corner of his eye then his vision was filled with bright flashing stars and his head was filled with a sharp explosion of pain as Billy Baroo connected with the back of his head for an infield double.

Hearing the commotion, John Jarecki stepped out of the spray booth and took off his blue tooth headphones and breath mask. He had been spraying the cabinets with polyurethane and listening to a sermon by John MacArthur. "Oh, hey Gus! Welcome back, what cha up to?"

Gus checked the knob of Billy Baroo for blood and hair. "Just a little woodwork." Josh stepped into the wood shop and laid two pistols on a worktable. "Everything OK?" asked Gus.

Josh sheepishly said, "I guess the ground is frozen, a bit firmer than I thought. I fired a warning shot into the ground and the BBs ricocheted up into the asshole's fucking legs."

"Language!" warned John.

"Sorry, ricocheted up into the asshole's legs."

John sighed. At least Josh tried. He called 911 and started talking to the dispatcher, then asked, "Who is that guy on the floor?" asked John. "And why is he on the floor?"

"He's on the floor because he bumped into Billy Baroo," said Gus. "Who is he is a good question," and Gus dug the unconscious man's wallet out of his back pocket. He dug through the wallet and found that it contained a lot of cash, a credit card with a slightly familiar name, and a driver's license that matched the guy on the ground. "Josh, do hardened criminal types carry their ID card with them at all times?"

Josh realized Gus was kidding around, so he answered, "Yeah, it's a union thing. I never understood it myself." He took his.45 Colt and put it in a drawer under the worktable and covered it with sandpaper. He didn't want to be caught with that and have it confiscated. The USAF may still be looking for it.

"Mystery guest number one is Yelisey Kovalev, from Denver Colorado," said Gus as he looked at the hitman's driver's license. Gears were starting to mesh in his head... Denver... Andi's home... and Frank Rosetti's home... Russian hit men...

"Would you stop picking at his corpse?" asked John. "The cops are on their way and the dispatcher said, 'Another one?'" John glared at Josh, who suddenly looked guilty. "What did she mean by that?" John demanded.

"It means I'm in trouble," said Josh.

"What?" said John and Gus at the same time.

"Do you guys practice that?" asked Josh. "Three guys tried to kidnap the twins at school a little while ago. I told Kenny that I would inform Andi and there would be no need for them to do anything but concentrate on calming the kids down."

"What did you tell Andi?" asked John.

"That the kids had a rough time and Yi took them home from school early... What! Don't look at me like that. It's the truth."

"A lie by omission is still a lie," said Gus.

"Let's not get into a 'he didn't say, she didn't say' argument. I fucked up the whole fucking thing."

"Language!"

Josh sighed. "I fucked up everything... better?"

John didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and Gus saw his dilemma and hugged him. "It's good to have you back, Dago," said John.

"Language!" called Josh.

"So, why was this guy here?" asked John.

"To kill you," said Josh. "If you tried to duck out the side door, there were two guys waiting for you."

They expected John to faint in fear or get angry, but all he said was, "Isn't that odd." He looked at the man laying on the floor and asked, "Is he dead?"

"No, but he will probably want to be when he wakes up," said Gus as the intruder on the floor groaned.

Just then, detectives Charlie Klafka and John Gaulin walked in and Charlie shook his head. "Who shot the two jamokes crawling around in the snow?"

"Thaaaat was me," said Josh and he laid his Remington 870 on the work bench and lined up the four shells he jacked out of the magazine and the empty BB shot hull. "They were pointing those two nine-mills at me and I gave 'em a warning. I shot into the snow and I guess they caught a BB or two."

"More than a BB or two, they're leaving blood trails all over your parking lot as they try to crawl away," said Detective Klafka.

"You purposely fired a round of BB shot into a sidewalk and bounced the pellets up at them," said John Gaulin.

"Purposely? Who knew there's a sidewalk under all that snow?" said Josh innocently in his deepest southern drawl. "Don't that beat all. A fellow would have to be a marksman to hit the sidewalk under the snow at just the perfect angle... not too high to be life threatening, not too low or they'd return fire... he'd have to be a regular Alvin York!" A sharp elbow in the ribs from Gus stopped Josh's ravings.

"Shut up asshole," chuckled the senior Detective Charlie Klafka.

"Language!" called out Josh, John, and Gus.

"Ok, what happened?" demanded Charlie. "And let's keep the superlatives to a minimum, shall we?" One by one they gave their stories as John Gaulin looked around Gus's shop.

"I don't think this was the first attempt on Pastor John's life," said Detective Gaulin. John was a good 20 years younger than his red-headed senior partner.

"What do you mean?" asked Gus.

"Here... and over here," said John as he pointed to holes in the wall. "These are... I'm guessing thirty caliber. Thirty ought six maybe."

Gus looked and sure enough, the first hole was in a direct line with a stack of scrap lumber and there were signs of a bullet hitting that. The other shot hit the office and punched a hole in the chair that Lucy likes to sit in when Gus is on the phone with a customer. If she were there, the bullet would have gone through that beautiful heart of hers. He started to get dizzy, and it was hard to focus on anything. He couldn't catch his breath, and it seemed like everything was a hundred yards away.

"He's going down," said Josh. He caught Gus as the big man's legs gave out and he collapsed. Josh was a big guy too, and he was able to lower Gus gently to the floor. He propped Gus's feet up on a chair and covered him with a heavy parka to keep him warm, propped a stocking cap under his head as a pillow, and checked his respiration and heart rate. His heart rate was fluttery and rapid, but it slowed down to a steady, firm beat and Gus started to come around.

"What was that?" asked Gus as he tried to get up, but Josh kept pushing him down.

"It was shock, and it could have killed you. I've seen it take out a few fellows in my time," said Josh, who flew low and slow over some of the hottest angry villages ever seen on a daily basis. It took guts to fly an AC-130 gunship at any altitude.

"The second ambulance is here," said Detective Gaulin. "They got the two gunmen in the first, and they're heading to Bertrand Chaffee Hospital where the other three are."

"Other three?" asked John.

"Yeah, Yi was pretty vicious with her taser. Ok, we're going to get Crime Scene over here, I'm going to need your putter," said Charlie Klafka as he took Billy Baroo from Gus. "Let's have everyone gather at Jarecki's house for a come-to-Jesus meeting. Sorry Pastor, cop talk."

"Which Jarecki's house?" asked Josh.

"DOCTOR Jarecki's house," said Charlie.

"Which doctor?" asked Josh, who always loved stringing cops on like that. "Doctor Andi, Doctor John, Doctor Macy, Doctor Macy, Doctor Paul...?" He ticked off the doctors on his fingers.

"PAUL and ANDI!" barked the detective, who was now wondering if anyone would complain if he shot Josh.

"You said Doctor Macy twice," said John Gaulin, who was enjoying Josh's taunting of his partner.

"She's got two PhDs."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

When Andi and her entourage (Veronica and Macy) got home, she ran to Yi, who was sitting at the kitchen table with Sunny, Nicoletta, and her mom Heather. Nicoletta was holding both babies, Danny and Katarina. Both infants have reached the point where they're putting on weight and are realizing their surroundings and the people with them.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my babies!" Andi cried as she hugged Yi. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost them too. Are you ok?"

"She's getting there," said Kenny, who was making coffee for the new arrivals. He wasn't the best barista, but he understood Andi's complex espresso machine and made a good Americano.

"I still got the shakes," said Yi as Macy and Andi took their babies from a reluctant Nicoletta and sat down. The babies were hungry, and it was time to nurse them.

"Where's the twins?" asked Andi, as she got settled with Danny.

"The grandpas took them downstairs to shower in the steam shower," said Yi. "They've been screaming and carrying on nonstop for a half hour."

"You can hear them all the way up here," said Nicoletta as the sound of tramping feet came up the basement stairs.

"YAAAAAA!" shouted Sandy as she scrambled naked up the basement stairs, her hair wet and stringy. She ran through the kitchen into the library followed by a naked Madeline who was shrieking and laughing and yelling, "Poison boy germs!" They were followed by an equally naked Cholly, who was slowed because he had to help a damp Chiot up the stairs. He dashed after the girls, shouting, "Atom! Atom!" That's how he pronounced Attendre, which means wait.

Eventually Harold and Donald came up the basement stairs and Harold asked, "Did a group of naked kids come through here?"

"It sounds like they're running laps on the balcony upstairs," said Yi as Kenny hugged her from behind.

"They get the zoomies on occasion," Andi told Nicoletta. "They'll slow down, eventually."

"I'm sorry," said Andi to Lucy who sat next to her. "I'm not ignoring you; it's just so much has been going on..."

"We came home. We thought you could use our help," said Lucy.

"Thank you so much for being here. Just knowing we're together again is a big help."

"Anything you want, sweetie, I'm here to help." Lucy watched Andi nurse her baby like she did six years ago with two incredibly tiny preemies. "I should take notes," said Lucy.

"You've seen me do this a thousand times," said Andy. She was surprised how nursing her son relaxed her.

"Gus and I want to try."

The room went silent, then all the women started chattering excitedly, offering Lucy happy advice, and the horrors of the morning faded into the background.

By the time the three youngsters got their shorts and t-shirts on and were seated at the dining room table coloring, Gus, John and Josh entered the house. Josh went directly to Andi and said in his deepest southern drawl, "Ma'am, ah apologize fer not reporting this news to you directly after it happened, but there was an abduction attempt on the twins. Miss Yi was a hero, ma'am, and I'm a bit of a coward for not reporting this to you immediately."

Andi waited a long time, making Josh suffer, then she said, "I already know. An Erie County sheriff told me immediately. It's ok, Josh. I didn't tell Lucy and Gus because they were on their honeymoon. You didn't want me to find out before my biggest press conference of the week."

"And you did that press conference afterwards?" asked Nicoletta. Andi had a press conference outdoors at Springville Winter Park. The park was empty because Mayor Windecker closed it the moment he took office. Andi's main point was that Windecker increased the park police tenfold but closed many of the parks. "You were iron! You did so well!"

"I knew that Yi was with my babies," said Andi. "I can't reward you enough, so you need to come up with ideas," she told Yi.

Shortly, four Town of Concord PD detectives came into the house and Charlie Klafka said, "Can we get everyone together?"

John, Josh, and Kenny got out the folding chairs they use for large gatherings and everyone sat in the library in a semi-circle facing the table where the FBI agents were working. Another man had joined them. When everyone settled down, Charlie introduced the new person. "This is FBI agent Frank Colella. He is the Special Agent in charge of this investigation."

"My husband has been gone for weeks. Why am I just meeting the SAC now?" demanded Andi.

"I am just now taking over this case. The previous agent was not meeting FBI standards and has been fired. He was less than forthwith on details."

"Like what?" demanded Andi.

"Whoever is behind this is hiring Russian mobsters to do his work for him. We currently have eight in custody, three for attempting to kidnap the children, three in custody for multiple attempts on Pastor Jarecki's life and two for a public attempt on Pastor Jarecki's life."

"Me?" said John as Macy clung to him.

"Both Pastor Jarecki's. They tried to shoot Pastor Marie-Claude Solange Dagenais-Jarecki with a rifle as she came out of the news conference in the park today, but were apprehended before they could pull the trigger."

John put a protective arm around Macy but Andi just roared, "YOU apprehended them? You're hitting one for three and you want applause? My friends and family have caught three times as many as you! How could you have possibly missed that with the intelligence gathering apparatus that you have?"

"Missus Jarecki..."

"That's DOCTOR Jarecki to you, if you don't mind. I currently don't have a husband because of your foot dragging, so no, you don't get to call me missus. All I can see is that you found Paul's cell phone and have refused to talk to anyone that calls demanding a ransom! How is that helping Paul?"

"You're right Doctor Jarecki. There's been some horrible mistakes made by the FBI and now I have to clean up the mess we made," said the special agent. "We at the FBI have put the highest priority on this case..."

"Because I'm running for public office," Andi nearly shouted. "If I wasn't, you'd be sitting around with your thumbs up your asses waiting for Paul's body to be found. Am I right?"

"You..." Frank sighed, then sadly nodded. "You're absolutely right. And now I'm here to clean up this mess." There was a shock that went through the room. The FBI admitting they screwed up? Amazing! "I think we have a clear route defined for us now," he said. "Judge Atherton, can you assist us in the next steps we need to take?"

"I'd be delighted," said Nicoletta. Somewhere in New York there was a man who, if he had heard her say that she was delighted, would wet his pants in terror.

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

It was still the holiday season in St. Felix, Georgia... or Florida, depending on which side of the St. Mary's river you were on. In this little corner of Florida north of Jacksonville, Georgia is to the west. The St. Mary's river comes out of the Okefenokee Swamp running from south to north. If you were from Denver or Santa Fe, you'd think it was an awesome river. If you were from around the great lakes, you'd think it was a fair size creek. If you were from either area and you saw the water in the river, you'd recoil in horror. The water is black as ink. In the Okefenokee Swamp, millions of tons of leaves fall in the water from the millions of oak trees, turning the water of the Okefenokee Swamp a black tea that still supports life.

But passing under the St. Felix Bridge, dividing the town of St. Felix in half, the St. Mary's River was still in its youth. As the St. Mary's river meanders patiently north, dividing Georgia and Florida, it collects rainwater runoff and is fed from streams on both sides as it travels north.

Twenty miles north of St. Felix, the St. Mary's River passes Traders Hill, Georgia, and by the time it gets there, it was a river. It's strong, wide, and deep. Still as black as proper iced tea, the St. Mary's proceeds north and makes a hard right turn at Folkston, Georgia and travels on another thirty miles east to the Atlantic ocean. At some point, it stops flowing and starts throbbing with the ocean's tides, the flow of the river reversing direction four times a day.

Phil and Wendy Beaudreau were born and raised in St. Felix, Georgia. Phil served a hitch in the Navy, then joined the Air Force and married Wendy and they were off on a world tour. After a horrible accident leaving Phil disabled, they returned to the town they grew up in, but moved into the Florida side of the river. They were now residents of St. Felix, Florida, four blocks and one bridge from where Wendy grew up as Wendy Gifford in St. Felix, Georgia.

This day, Wendy was excited because her best friend from High School was coming home on vacation with her husband and three kids. As usual, Phil had forgotten it was this weekend and was busy getting the boat ready to take out. Little Noah was standing next to his daddy, handing things up as Phil got the boat ready.

"Honey?" called Wendy to her husband out in the driveway.

"Yes, dear?" called Phil as he came out of the garage with poles and tackle boxes.

"Roxanne and Michael will be here any minute. Could you get cleaned up, please?"

"Yes, dear."

"You forgot they were coming, didn't you?"

"Yes, dear." There was no sense in hiding his forgetfulness... maybe this Michael character will want to go fishing. "Come on buddy," said Phil. "Let's get washed up. We got company coming."

"K, paw," said Noah. The change in plans was not a surprise to Noah. He's known that with his daddy's poor health, plans can change at a moment's notice. Phil led Noah into the house where older sister Katy flitted around getting ready. The Christmas decorations were gone, MLK Day was over, but the holiday season continued. It was getting close to Super Bowl Sunday, which in the deep south is a Holy Day of Obligation. On game day, they were planning to go to the VFW for the game and a barbeque. Ten bucks a head that includes ribs, green beans, grits or 'tater salad, and a cold drink (Beer included) down here that's living high on the hog.

Noah had been running around in the yard without shoes again, so Phil hoisted his boy on the kitchen counter and hung his feet in the sink and, as Phil washed his hands, he washed his son's tiny feet. He loved this boy so much his heart ached every time he thought of how close he came to not having him, or pretty little Katy, or their mama, Wendy. "You know, Noah, your mommy and I lived in places where you can't run around outside in your bare feet in January," said Phil as he washed Noah's toes.

"Why?"

"Because the ground is covered with snow and ice. It's just too cold."

Noah was shocked, but being four-years-old and living in "Florgia" he's never seen ice in its wild natural state. The only snow he has ever seen came in a paper cone and was covered with strawberry syrup. As for ice, it came in cubes of varying sizes depending on your refrigerator, so he responded with the four-year-old's natural response. "Why?"

"It gets cold outside in the winter up north. You know, like on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

"Oh!" Now to Noah, the north looks like a Rankin-Bass version of the north pole, a concept that will take years to change. Then he noticed his dad's struggled breathing. "You ok, paw?"

"I'm fine."

"You're wheezing."

"There's one sure cure for that, right?"

"Fishing!" cried Noah. He knew that a couple of hours relaxing on the water always helps his dad.

"You got it buddy!" laughed Phil as he swung his boy off the kitchen counter. Phil's lung functions were down to 40% due to a chemical spill upwind from him overseas. Even though life can be difficult, he was doing better than the two fellows that got a good whiff of the leaked hydrazine and died.

"Who's coming?" asked Noah.

"An old friend of your momma and mine. Her name is Roxanne, and she was your momma's best buddy in grade school and all of high school."

"Did you date her too?" asked their nine-year-old daughter, Katy.

"No, don't be silly," said Phil.

"Phillip Beaudreau, you're going to hell for telling your children stories like that!" said Wendy as Phil hauled his little boy into the living room. "Yes, your daddy surely did ask Miss Roxanne out. Y'all went to the AMC Cine Eight up in Yulee."

"Uh no, I fibbed. We went to the Galaxy in Kingsland."

"You took my best friend to a drive-in movie theater?" Wendy shrieked. Two children and a year of terror while Phil hovered near death did nothing to destroy Wendy's looks or figure. She had a luscious hour-glass figure, large-breasted, narrow waist and a nice round ass that she's always thought was too big. As far as Phil was concerned, her ass was perfect and her face was even better. Wendy was a perfect example of southern charm and good looks. Her brown hair was still long and full, like she wore it in their school days.

"Yes, we saw Iron Man 2 and Kick-Ass."

"How good of a kisser was she?"

"I don't know, but she was a hell of a goal tender. She blocked every shot I took."

"Wiseass," she said and as they kissed, she slapped his ass.

A van pulled into the driveway and a couple got out, then ducked in the back and released a pair of boys and a small girl from the back seat. Their dear old friend Roxie Dawson, a stunning black woman, came up the drive carrying a two-year-old girl who seemed too scared to be put down. With her was a large white guy, easily six foot four, and their boys were tall lads too. Wendy and Roxie cried out and fell into each other's arms, talking and chattering. It was like the past 20 years had never happened. "So, who did you bring with you?"

"Wendy, Phil, this is the man in my life, Michael Donovon."

"Everyone calls me Wedge," said Michael as he shook hands with Wendy and Phil.

"Mike, this is Wendy, my best friend in High School, but I wasn't her best friend. Phil was always her best friend."

Phil and Wedge shook hands and Phil asked the question that Air Force veterans always ask each other. "What's your AFSC?"

"Two whiskey one, aircraft armament systems," said Wedge, "but I'm a first sergeant in a C-17 unit now. And you?"

"Two alpha six, propulsion systems. I worked block 40 Lawn Darts 'till I bit the big one." Lawn Dart is a disparaging name for the F-16. The F-16 was designed to be a small, lightweight interceptor/dog fighter and evolved to become the most potent aircraft in the US military. Lawn Dart is a title only people who work the 'Viper' are allowed to use.

"How did you get disabled?" asked Wedge.

"I was downwind of a hydrazine leak at Al Karg and lost a lung," said Phil. Anyone who works on the F-16 knows about the hazards of the Emergency Power Unit. The EPU provides electrical power to the plane if the engine shuts down and it uses hydrazine as its fuel. Hydrazine is the same stuff used on Minuteman Missiles for the top stages as a rocket propellant. Everyone on an F-16 flight line knows the hazards of hydrazine. Exposure to small amounts of hydrazine and its derivatives can cause significant soft tissue injury, pulmonary injury, seizures, coma, and death.

"Damn dude!" gasped Wedge. "How are you doing now?"

"VA finally settled me out - chronic unemployable, home bound, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm mostly fine unless I try to do something strenuous. Then Mini Me takes over."

"I cut the lawn!" said Noah. He sits on his dad's lap on the riding mower when they cut the lawn.

They had stepped outside because, being from Coudersport, Pennsylvania, stepping outside in January in a t-shirt for Wedge was a unique chance. "Where are you from originally?" Wedge asked.

"See that house over on the other side of the river? There's a trailer right behind that. Wendy is from just over there about a block away on this side of the river. We caused quite a scandal in high school, a Georgia boy dating a Florida girl, even though we lived four blocks away from each other. I woulda got less shit if I were dating Roxie because she lived over there," and Phil pointed to another house on the Georgia side of the river. "When I got out, the tax structure was better for disabled veterans in Florida than Georgia, so we got this place."

"What's so great about the tax structure for disabled veterans?" asked Wedge.

"There are no taxes. Next question?" Phil said with a grin.

A broad grin spread across Wedge's face. "I think I found us a place to move when we retire."

"If Roxie hasn't changed, you won't have a say in the matter. I'll keep an eye out for a nice house for you."

Just then, Wendy and Roxie stepped out on the porch. "If you guys are going to stand outside and drink beer, why don't you take your boys fishing?" asked Wendy. "You can drop off that stuff with Grandma Noah."

"And I have some shrimp and sausage you can drop off with my aunt," said Roxie, and she handed wedge a cooler with andouille sausage and several dozen fresh caught shrimp they picked up that morning. The shrimp were whole and still had their heads on them. A true southern cook believes that's the only way to cook with shrimp.

"Your aunt?" asked Wedge.

"Phil knows her," said Roxie, and she gave her big man a kiss that threatened to melt him like butter.

Phil turned to Wedge and said, "Ready to go? Noah and I have the boat ready and the truck hooked up."

"Yeah, why not?" said Wedge. "As long as you have that beer she promised." The crew piled into Phil's Toyota Tundra and they headed out to the nearby boat ramp where they could launch the Katy B. That's the name that Wendy gave to Phil's boat.

It wasn't long later when they had the sixteen foot Jon boat, the Katy B. set into the Okefenokee swamp. Wayne and Noah sat in the boat's bow with Phil at the stern and Wedge sitting amidships with his youngest, Patrick. The small 15 horsepower motor fired up, and they were soon purring through the waterways of the Okefenokee. They wove between islands and tufts of swamp grass. "Are there alligators?" asked Wayne.

"Yeah, but it's too cold for them. They're all sleepy," said swamp-wise Noah.

They wove in and out between islands and clusters of slash pines, water-ash, and pond-cypress. Spanish moss hung from branches and swayed in the gentle breezes, and Wedge watched the alien landscape slide past. Would he be happy down here? That was a silly question. As long as he had Roxy, Vanessa and the boys, he'd be happy anywhere. A few years in Clovis, New Mexico proved that. Wedge had pictured in his mind that the Okefenokee would be a forest with a wet floor, but this was mostly open land with water everywhere.

"There were farms and such here in the Okefenokee," said Phil. "There are large enough patches of dry land for that in the swamp. Deeper in, runaway slaves used to hide in the deeper parts of the swamp to the west of us," said Phil.

"When I came down here, I thought there would be an animosity," said Wedge.

"What, because your wife is black?"

"Yeah, mostly. In other places we received looks... if you know what I mean, but not down here."

"You're not in the south son, you're in the deep south," said Phil as he handed Wedge a beer and opened a coke for himself. "We just live in the skin we were born in, and respect each other's right to do the same thing." He took a long drink and wove between a couple of cypress thickets. "Back in the day, if'n I didn't have Wendy, I would have been all over Roxie."

Wedge chuckled. "She said you took her to see Iron Man at the drive-in and were a perfect gentleman."

"She was best friends with Wendy. If I wasn't a perfect gentleman, Wendy would have known before I got home. Roxy wanted to see Iron Man 2 and nobody would go with her." Phil shrugged. "I had my daddy's ol' Pontiac Lemans, so we went. Unfortunately, it didn't rain."

"What do you mean, unfortunately, it didn't rain?" asked Wedge.

"Take your wife to a drive-in theater on a rainy night and snuggle up close to keep her warm," said Phil with a wink.

Soon a ramshackle old shack came into view. It was built so close to the water that the front porch could be used for a dock. Chickens clucked and scratched at the small island around the shack. "Ahoy in the cabin! I come bearing your namesake," called Phil.

"While I'll be! Come to Grandma Noah!"

Wayne looked for the source of the voice, then saw her. Easily the oldest person he's ever seen. An ancient black woman in a rocking chair with a quilt over her legs leaned forward from the shadows of her porch with a laughing cackle. "Grandma Noah!" cried Noah.

"Who's this?" asked Wedge as Phil tied up the stern of the boat at the cypress post next to her front walk.

Then, as Phil tied off the bow and helped the boys out, he said, "This is a dear old friend of the family. Everyone calls her Grandma Noah."

"Why?" asked Wayne.

"Cause I tells 'em to!" said Grandma Noah with a laugh.

"Grandma Noah is the witch in these parts," said Phil as he and Wedge carried a few sacks to Grandma's porch.

"As I live and breathe, Michael Aloysius Donovon," said Grandma Noah. "And this must be Wayne Ethan Donovon and Patrick Robert Donovon," said Grandma Noah as the three little boys gathered around her. When Wedge looked confused, Grandma Noah said, "don't you think I know my own kin?"

"Kin?" asked Wedge.

"Of course, young man. You married my niece." Grandma Noah leaned forward and shook a stunned Wedge's hand.

"Great-great-grand niece," whispered Phil, who was greatly amused by the look of shock on Wedge's face.

"Welcome to the family." Then she turned to Phil and said, "Phillip Beaudreau, you stop your laughing. You had your first moment on this porch too!"

"Yes, ma'am," said Phil, trying to stifle a chuckle. Phil's first meeting with Grandma Noah was full of confusion and fear.

"I'm told I might be a bit of a surprise to first-time visitors," said Grandma Noah to a still stunned Wedge. "It took Mister Beaudreau quite a few visits to become comfortable having a witch in the family."

"Yes ma'am," said Phil. "Not everyone out there knows a swamp witch, but you're mighty handy kin to have. We all fall in love with our grandma. Here's a sack of corn meal, a sack of rice and a bolt of gingham."

"And here are a couple of pounds of fresh shrimp and some sausage," said a still stunned Wedge. He handed her the package Roxie had told him to give to her great aunt.

"Thank you, I have a dress to make for my little Vanessa and I'm going to show these boys how to make jambalaya. Now, I need you two big strong fellows to pick something up for me while I keep an eye on these chirren."

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For those that don't know Phil and Wendy, their story is here, and for the story of Wedge and Roxy, you can find it here.