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Post by gipsy on Jun 13, 2022 8:24:10 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on Jun 13, 2022 17:49:56 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 13, 2022 22:31:19 GMT -6
Chapter 61
The check in his pocket felt odd to Gene, so he stopped by a branch of his bank and deposited it. He still had to find something for Jaelyn’s Christmas present. There was a jewelry store a half-block down the street so Gene went in. Looking through the display cases, he was approached by a salesperson.
“Can I help you sir?”
Gene’s eyes were locked on a necklace with two gold swans. “I think I’ve found what I was looking for. Could I see that necklace? The one with the swans.”
The salesperson took the necklace out of the glass case and spread it out on a black felt display mat.
“This is 24 karat gold.”
“I’ll take it.” Gene said.
“Shall I wrap it in gift wrap?”
“Please.”
The salesperson got out a box that would allow the necklace to be nicely displayed and wrapped the box. Gene paid the bill and walked out with a lighter heart. They had gone out every weekend since their first date and Gene was more enamored with her than ever.
“Gosh! I just can’t think of anything to give Gene for Christmas!” Jaelyn whined.
What about a vest, he wears a coat to the studio and takes it off. A vest would be warm enough and he wouldn’t necessarily have to take it off. Check Amazon. You still have time to get it shipped.”
“That would work, and a set of Cross pens.”
Jaelyn went online and ordered everything. With her Prime account, her purchases would arrive in three days.
Diane said for us to bring the desserts. What are you going to make?”
Jaelyn grinned. “An offshoot of the Trifle. I use Ladyfingers tied up with string and fill it with the Trifle mixture. I’ll garnish it with Holly leaves instead of mint. What about you?”
“Earl said he likes pecan pie so I’ll make that and an apple pie.”
Kacie checked for orders on the website and they began to fill those.
Hank had been tracking the movements of the big tom since early spring. They were having plenty of guests for Christmas dinner so he wanted this big boy. He almost had it down to the time of day when the gang of turkeys would pass his chosen blind site. He watched for three days in a row and they arrived at about the same time, 15 minutes +/-, each day. Two days before Christmas, he would get his turkey.
Diane had worked the leather for days until it was soft as flannel. She had ordered various Christmas themed appliques to sew on the tunic she was making for Maddie. Maddie was in the next room with Xena playing with her toys. Suddenly, Diane noticed it was quiet in the next room. She quickly got up and saw Xena stretched out on the floor dozing with
Maddie snuggled under Xena’s left shoulder, also asleep. Bleary-eyed, Diane took her phone out of her smock and took several pictures. Hank had remembered they had a #10 can of freeze-dried celery. They didn’t use celery all that much so Hank repackaged the celery in pint mylar bags, otherwise, it would go bad before they had a chance to use the whole can. Diane used celery in her dressing. In the morning, he would be in place at the hide site before BMNT, well before the turkeys came off their roosts. He had checked his bow and had shot a few arrows to make sure his aim was true. He had his camo coveralls laid out and the vest he’d wear under them. He’d filled a Camelbak and was ready to leave in the morning.
Hank was cleaning up what little mess he had made when Diane came in with a giggling Maddie, Xena trailing behind.
“I want you to see something.” Diane said.
Hank grinned as he scrolled through the pictures Diane had taken of Maddie and Xena.
“Isn’t she so cute?”
“You can certainly see she trusts Xena, using her for a pillow.”
Hank waited in the hide as the light began showing through the trees. He was sitting on a Hot Seat Hunting Cushion that didn’t heat his butt up one iota, but did provide insulation between his body and the hard ground. As it got lighter, Hank checked his watch. He was coming into the 30 minute window when the turkeys normally arrived. He took one of the arrows out of his quiver and held it loosely in this left hand. He heard a couple of hens yelping about ten minutes into the window. It was another five minutes before he saw the gang paralleling the game trail. Hank slowly nocked the arrow and waited. He saw the big tom he was waiting on and waited. He was up and the arrow flying before any of the other turkeys saw him. The big tom lay on the ground, the wings moving slightly. Hank walked down, unscrewed the broadhead and pulled the arrow out. Tying the legs with two loops of #550 cord, he slid the loops over his shoulders and went to the hide to pick up the seat. He got back to the house, plucked and gutted the turkey then using a propane torch, singed the pen feathers off. After washing the turkey off, He place the carcass into a cooler and iced it down until it was time to brine it.
“Is it going to be big enough to feed everyone?” Diane asked
“Honey, that’s a 25 pound turkey, I think it will be big enough.”
“Which brings about a problem. I can’t cook the turkey and everything else that needs to go into the oven.”
“I’ll cook the turkey down in the cabin. Any other problems?”
“No, I can handle everything else. I’ll make the dressing the night before. You weren’t planning on going out Christmas Eve, were you?”
“No, I’d rather stay here and help you.”
The next morning, Hank took the turkey out of the cooler and prepared his brine. He used buttermilk and his secret mix of spices in his brine recipe. Opening the brine bag in a plastic bin he’d purchased at Walmart, he set the turkey down in the bag, breast down, and poured the brine in. Removing as much air as he could, he twisted the neck of the bag and tied it in a knot. He drained the ice and water in the cooler and placed the brining bag in, covering it with more ice.
They had to keep Maddie in her playpen or all the tree ornaments would be shattered on the floor, or the tree pulled over. She wasn’t very happy about that. She had learned to stand and balance herself, moving down the couch until its end. Maddie had worked it out that if she held on to Xena’s back, she could go just about anywhere. They would let her do that, but only when they could watch her like a hawk.
Christmas morning, Hank was up early starting a fire in the cook stove in the cabin and placed the 17” skillet inside. Taking the turkey out of the cooler, he emptied the brine out of the bag and took the turkey into the house. Hank laid out paper towels on the counter and place the turkey on them. After patting the turkey with more paper towels, he ran his fingers under the skin covering the breast, separating the skin from the meat. He then used a herb butter to cover the turkey, first under the skin, the covered every inch of the turkey with it. Stopping where he was at, he went to check on the stove in the cabin. It was at 450 degrees, right where it needed to be. Taking the hot skillet into the house, he immediately placed the turkey in the hot pan and inserted a probe thermometer in to the thickest part of the breast, tied the legs together with twine and tucked the wingtips so they wouldn’t burn. Hank took the turkey out to the cabin and placed it in the oven, raking down the coals so the heat would drop. He added another thermometer probe to monitor the oven temperature. Carrying the wireless monitors back to the house and set the alarm temperature on the turkey probe to 140 degrees. The alarm for the oven was set for 275 degrees. Just as he finished cleaning the kitchen, he heard Diane and Maddie going into the Great Room.
“Oh look Maddie! Santa Claus came!”
Maddie squealed and clapped her hands. Diane sat her down and place one of her gifts in front of her and helped her tear the paper off. Paper went flying everywhere as an excited Maddie got her fists full. As soon as Maddie saw what the present was, she pushed it to the side and waited for the next one. Hank took pictures as she went through her presents. They didn’t get her that many, maybe next year she’d get more but she would soon forget about these. Finally, she’d gone through all of them and Hank began cleaning up the mess and Diane took Maddie and sat her in her high chair to feed her some cereal. Hank bagged the trash and took it out to the incinerator burning bag and all.
Jaelyn stopped by Kacie’s on her way to Diane’s. They were going over at 10:00 to help Diane finish cooking.
“Jaelyn! That’s a beautiful necklace!
Jaelyn unconsciously touched the pendant. “Gene gave it to me last night.”
“Maybe it was a parapraxis, a Freudian slip.” Kacie said. “You do know swans mate for life, don’t you?
Jaelyn blushed, fingered the pendant and stared out the window.
“Did Earl come over last night?” Jaelyn asked.
“Yes, he gave me this beautiful birthstone bracelet.” Kacie said, holding out her wrist out.
“It’s beautiful! We need to get going. I need to keep my dessert cold.”
“Okay, help me with the pies.”
When they arrived at the Tyson's, Hank helped them bring the desserts in. The pies went on the sideboard and Jaelyn’s dessert went into the fridge.
The women worked in the kitchen and Hank kept the fire going for the turkey. Once the internal temperature of the turkey reached 140 degrees, he added more small pieces of wood to the firebox to bring the oven temperature up to 425 degrees, giving the turkey a nice brown skin. After the turkey reached 165 degrees, internally, Hank took the skillet out of the oven and placed it on a large turkey platter. Then he wrapped the turkey and platter in aluminum foil and took the skillet into the house. There, he turned the skillet over to Diane to make the gravy. Hank told Jaelyn to hold the door open for him while he brought the turkey in.
“I have NEVER heard of roasting a turkey in a skillet!” Kacie said.
“It’s a Hank thing. The Gourmet Woodsman.”
Earl and the nanny, Susan, came with the kids and Gene showed up right after. They sat down to eat promptly at 2:00.
The men complimented the women on the delicious dinner and Earl raved about the gravy. Everyone had to take a walk after the dinner though, Diane taking them on a tour of the greenhouse with the men more interested in the greenhouse heating system. Around 6:00 PM, Diane made a fresh pot of coffee and poured milk for the kids. Dessert was dished out and everyone knew they would sleep well that night.
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Post by gipsy on Jun 14, 2022 6:13:01 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by imahic on Jun 14, 2022 6:59:04 GMT -6
Thank you.
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Jun 15, 2022 8:29:33 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 15, 2022 13:15:17 GMT -6
Chapter 62
Hank knew he was going to have to work off what he’d eaten the last couple of days so he brought out the wood splitter and went to work. He first added a half cord of wood to the firewood rack on the side porch and shifted some of the wood around so he would be able to put the newer wood in the back. Then he stopped. He sat on a block of wood and thought his idea through. He had a lot of rough-cut lumber he had cut with the Alaska mill and started cutting up the boards and 2x4s. He built what amounted to a pallet that held a ½ cord with corner posts and bracing. This way he could stack the wood higher and not have to band it. He ended up making eight of them and filled them with split wood. This would save the effort of taking the wood off the pile, load it into a trailer, haul it to the porch and restack it in the wood rack on the side porch. With his pallets, he could pick up a pallet with the tractor forks, carry it to the porch and set it down. Hank spent the rest of the day building pallets. He could start splitting wood tomorrow.
Home invasions had been heard of in the news on national TV for quite some time, but they were usually in urban areas. It was something that most people in rural southwest Missouri normally didn’t keep foremost in their minds, except for Kacie. When she realized the potential value of her grandfather’s collection, she talked to Jaelyn and developed a plan in case they were faced with the situation. When they were working she carried her grandfather’s Walther PPK in a hip holster all the time. They worked mostly out of the big building so they began calling it “The Shop.” They had sold enough things and had shifted things around into categories and now had a good working space. They could be seen going into the same building every day.
Most of the home invasions happened in the evening hours and rightly, it could have been called a daylight robbery, but not to Kacie. The property, including all the outbuildings, were home to her. If you stepped onto her property with ill intentions, to her it was a home invasion.
They were busy boxing some articles to be shipped when they heard the car doors slam. Kacie looked out the window and saw the three men, one carrying a sledge hammer, walking up to the building. She immediately dropped the locking bar on the double doors and yell to Jaelyn, “CALL FOR HELP! WE’RE BEING ROBBED!”
Jaelyn grabbed her phone and hit a speed-dial button and instead of the 911 button, she hit Gene’s.
“Hello?”
“Oh! Gene! Help, we’re being robbed!”
Gene ran to the door and to the house, grabbing up the 870 and his pistol. He tore big ruts in the gravel fish-tailing down the drive and out into the highway. Luckily, there was no traffic. In no time he was careening into Kacie’s drive, slamming to a stop behind a strange car. Three men were at the door of The Shop trying to break through with a sledge hammer. Jumping out of the truck with the shotgun, Gene yelled at them to stop. The man closest to him turned toward him and raised a pistol and fired at Gene, the bullet punching a hole into his windshield. Gene fired a round at the gunman and the sabot slug shed its bore-sleeve and punched through the man just under his rib cage, exiting his body and taking out the man behind him. When the third man welding the sledge hammer saw the other two collapse, he dropped the hammer and raised his hands. Gene moved forward cautiously and told the man to spread-eagle on the ground. Gene kicked the pistol away from the first man and kept the shotgun in position to cover all three.
“JAELYN! KACIE! YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!
They cautiously came out, eyes big as saucers.
“Did you call 911?”
“Yes,” Jaelyn answered shakily. “Just after I called you.”
“Why don’t you two go inside and make a pot of coffee. I’ll stand watch out here.” Gene said.
“What about the two injured men?”
“They’re dead.”
In a few minutes a Sheriff’s Patrol arrived and asked Gene to set the shotgun down. He called for backup and an ambulance, but after checking the two bodies, changed that to a medical examiner.
Within 30 minutes, the place was swarming with Law enforcement vehicles. They got Gene’s statement and talked to the two women separately. Gene was sipping on a cup of coffee when Hank drove up. Hank walked over to Gene and slapped him on the shoulder.
“Kacie called me. You okay?”
“Yeah, sure. They were trying to break through the door when I got here. One of them popped my windshield and I took him out with a slug. Luckily, the same round took out the other man.”
“Good shot! How are Jaelyn and Kacie?”
“They’re fine. A little shaken, but fine.”
Earl walked over to them. “Thanks Gene.”
Gene nodded.
Hank called Diane, appraised her of the situation, and told her, as a precaution, to put Max outside and keep Xena inside. Diane agreed and hung up.
After the prisoner and bodies had been removed and the crime scene investigators were finished, Gene was given permission to wash the blood away. Hank helped Gene carry 5-gallon buckets of water and wash the blood out of the grass. When they were satisfied, they went inside to check on the girls. Jaelyn rushed into Gene’s arms.
“What’s going to happen?” Jaelyn asked.
“Nothing. He shot at me first, I took them out. Self-defense. How are you?”
“I’m fine now. I almost peed my pants at first.” Jaelyn replied.
“Why don’t you close up shop for the rest of the day?”
“No, I’d feel better working than sitting around thinking over what happened.” Jaelyn said.
“Me too.” Kacie agreed. “We’ll keep the bar on the door.”
“Listen, I’m going to go get you a wireless video system. I know where to get one that doesn’t require a contract and will record the video and maintain it for 24 hours. You can have the door barred and you can check the live video before you open the door.”
“You don’t have to do that Gene.”
“Yes I do, for my peace of mind.”
Gene left and Kacie barred the door.
“Let’s finish boxing these items and start working on the milk glass.” Kacie said.
When Hank got home, Max was thumping his tail loudly on the porch. It sounded like some hitting the porch with a piece of hose. Max stayed in his guard position until Hank got out of the truck, then got up to greet Hank. Max ran out to the trees to water them then raced back to follow Hank inside.
“Is everyone all right?” Diane asked, placing the shotgun back in its rack above the kitchen door.
“They’re fine, shaken, but fine. Where’s Maddie?”
“I placed her bassinet in our bedroom for her nap. Xena’s with her. She should wake at any time.”
They then heard Maddie cooing.
“Oops! Speak of the little devil!”
Hank opened the bedroom door and was immediately met by Xena who wagged her tail. Hank picked Maddie up and carried her back out to the kitchen. Diane had a small bottle for her.
“Here, give her a little apple juice.”
Hank went into the Great Room and sat in his chair, holding Maddie as she nursed on the bottle.
“He wants a deal.” Brown’s lawyer said.
“What’s he got that can cover attempted burglary and two murders in the second decree?”
“He’ll give you names and locations of the of the people in the organization that run the narcotics and burglary operations in Barry, McDonald, Newton and Lawrence counties.”
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ydderf2
Member
"I'm from the government and here to help" hahahaha
Posts: 321
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Post by ydderf2 on Jun 15, 2022 14:25:08 GMT -6
Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts. Thanks for the update.
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Post by CountryGuy on Jun 15, 2022 15:32:55 GMT -6
uhh ohh... snitches get stitches... especially if they snitch on govt types...
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Post by bluefox2 on Jun 15, 2022 17:09:36 GMT -6
uhh ohh... snitches get stitches... especially if they snitch on govt types... They don't survive well in prison. There they may well get coffins instead of stitches.
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Post by CountryGuy on Jun 15, 2022 17:13:35 GMT -6
uhh ohh... snitches get stitches... especially if they snitch on govt types... They don't survive well in prison. There they may well get coffins instead of stitches. My meaning as well, especially if it turns out to be county commissioners and the sort.
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Post by gipsy on Jun 15, 2022 17:35:11 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 16, 2022 21:43:11 GMT -6
Chapter 63
Roger Brown was being held in the Delta Regional Unit detention facility under an assumed name while the investigation proceeded. The 18th West Judicial District Drug Task Force took the lead in the investigation which would take almost four months to complete. Undercover agents came in from other parts of the state to cover the surveillance that had to be done.
Gene finished installing the cameras on the four corners of the building.
“Okay Ladies, I’m finished. You have a 17” monitor that is divided into four screens, one for each camera. If you see something unusual in one of the screens, you just touch the screen and it will go full-screen, like this. Tap the screen again and it goes back to four screens. Any questions?”
Jaelyn and Kacie shook their heads.
“Kacie, how good are you with that pistol?”
“I’m decent. I can hit the ring in the center of the target at 15 yards.”
“Okay, good. How about you Jaelyn? Do you shoot a pistol?”
“I’ve got a little 9mm at the house, but all I’ve ever done is shoot tin cans with it.”
“Okay. Bring your pistol into work tomorrow and we’ll do some practice. I’ll come over at 1:00, that way I won’t encroach on most of your day.”
“I don’t have much ammo.” Jaelyn said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring plenty of ammo. I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
“Thanks Gene!” Kacie shouted as Gene went out the door.
“What do we need?” Hank asked.
“Just some pantry things we buy locally and wine, we need a restock on that.”
Well, as soon as we get Maddie ready, we can go.”
Hank loaded Maddie’s stroller and the diaper bag in the truck while Diane placed her in the car seat. Xena paced around the truck whining.
“I’d take Xena with us but I don’t know how she would act if strangers got too near Maddie.” Hank said.
“I know. She’ll get over it.” Diane replied.
Hank checked his weapon, again, before he got in the truck and drove casually into Cassville. They went by the Food Saver first. Diane always looked for bargains she could stock up on. Today, she found real vanilla flavoring and Q-Tips. She got plenty of those two items and they headed to Walmart.
At Walmart, she picked out a gallon jar each of mayonnaise, mustard and catsup. Diane wasn’t hesitant to fill a container. She kept the big jars in the spare refrigerator. When she was pregnant with Maddie, she would buy gallon jars of olives and eat them like popcorn. Diane picked up plenty of canning spices. The trellis containers of cucumbers were forming. Diane wanted to pickle some sweet, hot garlic gherkins.
Hank picked up six and 8 packs of zero sugar sodas and more bananas, apples and celery stalks for Maddie. She loved to gnaw on a cold stick of celery, especially if she had a bowl of strawberry yogurt to dip it in. They completed, or rather Diane completed their purchases and went through the self-checkout.
When they got home Diane sat Maddie in her high chair while they put things away. Maddie started fussing when she saw the stalks of celery so Diane cut a stalk of celery, blended up strawberries and mixed them into plain yogurt. Maddie quieted down, sucking on a yogurt dipped celery stick.
The Task Force had the main players in the cabal identified and most of their henchmen. The planning of the roundup had been ongoing, but times were being worked out. This would be one of the biggest, if not one of the biggest roundups they had ever conducted and secrecy was paramount. They had already identified at least a half-dozen local politicians, a state representative, two lawyers and five law enforcement officials involved in the crime organization. It sickened the members of the Task Force intelligence section to find out members of the law enforcement community were involved but the Tactical Planning Section had something special for those men and women.
Hank scouted the area carefully before he approached the cave entrance. He didn’t want to leave any sign of his approach here and definitely didn’t want wake a hibernating bear. It wasn’t common, but sometimes hunting dogs would wake sleeping bears to anyone or anything with the dogs detriment. Hank pulled the headlamp out of his vest pocket and checked the light. Donning the headlamp, he pulled his 454 and slipped up to the cave entrance. The headlamp swept inside, illuminating the boxes he’d placed there. He moved slowly into the cave and saw no sign anything or anyone had been there. Everything was in its place. The hidden threads he had place around were still intact. Satisfied, he backed out and turned the light off and put it back in his vest. An hour later, his check of the second cave revealed it was secure also. Hank returned to the Gator parked far away, and returned to the house.
Gene checked the color of the stain on the test block and grunted in satisfaction. He slowly stained the kit with the single stain until he’d covered all the parts needed. It was like doing painting by numbers, except there were no numbers, just a vision in his head. He finished that stain and would let it sit for a few hours in the drying box to remove any moisture before going to the next color. He went over to the counter and looked at the sow and cub black bear carving He had taken the semi-finished piece out of the drying box yesterday and applied a sealer to finish. Leaving the carving in the low-heat drying box overnight, it was ready to display. Gene had started a wildlife series of the mother and young. The bears were his first. The vixen and kit were the second. He next set would be a queen and kitten bobcat. He was finished for today so he cleaned and put away everything and went to the house. Gene went in and started the tomato sauce in a pot. He browned up the Italian sausage and let it cool, then cooked the ground beef. Adding spices to the sauce, he set it to simmer. Taking out the garlic press, he squeezed out garlic into the softened butter and mixed it up to make garlic butter. Jaelyn was coming over for dinner and he wanted everything to be just right. Getting out a pot to boil the spaghetti, he filled it and set it on the stove, but didn’t turn the burner on. Gene looked at the clock and placed a bottle of wine in the refrigerator. It would be chilled just right by the time Jaelyn arrived. He added the meat to the sauce after tasting it again and stirred it well. Hurrying into the bedroom, he took a quick shower and put on a pair of jeans and a pullover V-neck long-sleeve shirt. Returning to the kitchen, he turned the heat on the burner to boil the water, took out the two salads he had bought at Walmart and dumped them out of the plastic bowls they were sold in into his salad bowls, hiding the plastic bowls in the trash can. Getting the baguette, he sliced it and spread the garlic butter on one side of each slice, then sprinkled them lightly with Parmesan cheese. Glasses. He got down two wine glasses and set them on the counter. He got down dishes, set the table, and laid out linen napkins. He got two water glasses, them in place and laid the silverware out. Looking around, he hurried over to the fridge, got the blueberry cheesecake out and loosened the difficult plastic lid they put on those things so he wouldn’t have to fumble with it later. Gene checked the sauce and gave it a stir. Checking the clock, he got the wine out of the refrigerator and opened it. He didn’t let it “breathe,” he’d always thought it was just some hoity-toity B.S. ginned up by some wine schmuck. He’d tried it but could never discern any difference. He placed the wine back in the fridge and drummed his fingers on the counter. When the water started boiling, he added a splash of olive oil and measured out two servings of spaghetti into the water.
At 5:50 there was a knock at the door. He opened it and there stood Jaelyn. He stepped back to let her in but she followed him and kissed him on the cheek.
“I had to take packages to the shipping center and stopped off at home to freshen up.”
“That’s fine. Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Yes, please.”
Jaelyn followed Gene into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar. Gen brought over the wine and glasses and poured a measure into each.
“Did you have a good day?” Gene asked.
“Satisfying. You wouldn’t be interested in a collection of 250 salt and pepper shakers, would you?”
Gene chuckled. “No, that’s a little beyond my interests. Two hundred and fifty?”
“Oh, they aren’t gaudy roadside stand pieces. They really are antiques. They are interesting, but not something I would personally collect.”
“What would you consider collecting then?” Gene asked, draining the spaghetti water.
“Handsome, wood-carving artists, or I should say ‘artist’.”
“Well, I’d proudly be in your collection.” Gene said, lightly kissing her.
“Hmmm, I hope dinner is just as good.” Jaelyn said.
“Hungry?”
“I’m starving! The smell is driving me crazy!”
“Let me toast the garlic bread and we can eat.”
Gene slid the sheet of bread slices into the broiler and it was soon toasted. Jaelyn placed the bread in a basket while Gene dished out the spaghetti and covered it in sauce. Getting the salads and the ranch dressing out of the fridge, they sat down to eat. Gene got back up and got the pitcher of ice water out of the fridge and filled their glasses. “This is delicious!” Jaelyn said.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it. Make sure you save some room. I picked up a blueberry cheesecake.”
“Oh God! I’ve got something special for you.”
Jaelyn cleaned her plate and Gene cut her a slice of the cheesecake. She took one bite and closed her eyes and let out a soft moan.
“Sir, you have outdone yourself.”
“You deserve nothing but the best.” Gene smiled.
They did the dishes together and took their wine into the den. Jaelyn set her wineglass on the end table and pulled Gene to her, giving him a deep kiss.
“We should do this more often.” Gene said.
“How are you at making breakfast?”
“I’m pretty good at bacon, eggs and blueberry pancakes.” Gene grinned.
“I’ve got a bag in the car.”
“Go get it.”
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Post by gipsy on Jun 17, 2022 5:21:51 GMT -6
Hook 2 set. Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on Jun 17, 2022 15:15:47 GMT -6
Thanks!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 17, 2022 19:25:12 GMT -6
Chapter 64
When Kacie woke up she was surprised to see it snowing. The weather report last night on KSPR said nothing about it. She made coffee and called Jaelyn.
Jaelyn was just coming back from the bathroom when her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Jaelyn, don’t bother coming in today. The roads are going to be iffy.”
“Why, what’s going on?”
“Look outside, girl! It’s snowing.”
“Well…I’m just down the road, I can come in.”
“What do you mean?”
“I stayed at Gene’s last night.”
Kacie giggled. “You naughty girl! That’s all right. I checked and we’ve only got a couple of orders and I can handle those. Shipping can wait until the roads are cleared.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
Jaelyn pulled the cover up closer to her neck and snuggled back into Gene’s shoulder.
“I guess the cat is out of the bag, hunh?” Gene asked.
“I don’t care. I’m loving this, and I love you.”
“I love you too, but my bladder is about to burst.”
Gene swung his legs off the bed and pulled on lounging pants. Standing up, he headed for the bathroom. Jaelyn laid there and reminisced about the night before. When she heard the shower go on, she got up and went into the bathroom.
“Is there room for one more in there?”
“Absolutely!”
Max and Xena ran all around the yard kicking up the snow. There was only about six inches on the ground and didn’t look like it was going to accumulate much more. Hank brought in more wood for the stoves and left them to play.
“How does it look out there?” Diane asked.
“Only about six inches. Not enough to get excited about.”
“I’m going to take Maddie out in a while and let her experience it.”
Diane spooned some oatmeal into the blender, added a ¼ of a banana and pureed it for Maddie while Hank cooked bacon and sliced bread for toast. When Maddie had finished eating, Hank had the eggs, bacon and toast ready. Diane cut a small strip of toast off for Maddie to gum on while they ate.
“What do you have planned this morning?” Diane asked.
“I was going to replace the mineral blocks but I think I’ll wait until the snow has melted off. You?”
“I’ve nothing really planned. I could work on Maddie’s white leather dress, but that can wait.”
“Just veg out then. I think I’ll drink coffee and browse the sites on the internet.”
“Sounds like a plan. Maybe I can finish my book.”
Hank heard the dogs at the door and got up to let them in, picking up a towel on the way. Max and Xena waited patiently at the door while Hank rubbed their feet and legs down. They came in and took a few bites of their food and waited for the expected dental bone. When they had received them, the two dogs took their treats over next to the stove in the Great Room and lazily chewed them.
Jaelyn placed the bacon in the pan as Gene slid the cookie sheet of biscuits into the oven.
“Will wonders never cease! A man who can make biscuits!”
“We make a pretty good team.” Gene said.
Jaelyn look up at him and smiled. “How do you like your eggs?”
“I’m not fussy. Scrambled is fine.”
Gene got out jars of grape jelly, strawberry preserves and a tub of butter, setting them on the dining table. He got down two plates and Jaelyn scraped the scrambled eggs on them, laid three pieces of bacon on each plate. Gene checked the timer and there were four minutes to go. Jaelyn freshened up their coffee and laid a cloth in the bread basket. She ran the stone from the basket under the faucet and popped it into the microwave to get it hot. It was ready just as the timer for the biscuits dinged. Placing the stone into the basket, Gene followed with the hot biscuits and folded the edges over the bread to keep them hot. They sat down and buttered their biscuits and Gene put strawberry preserves on his.
“What are you working on now?” Jaelyn asked.
“A vixen and kit fox. I just started staining it yesterday. I’ve got at least four day’s work left.”
They finished breakfast and did the dishes. Gene went out on the deck to check around. The clouds were breaking and the sun was shining through.
“This will be gone in a couple of days. The sun is already shining through.”
Max went with Hank when he went to gather eggs. First, he stopped by the furnace and added more wood, did a check pf the greenhouse and then gathered the eggs. Hank tossed some grain out in the run and let the chickens out of the coop. Not much snow got on the run because of the removable cover on top of the wire run. The chickens seemed happy to see the sunshine as they scratched around for the grain on the ground. Hank took the eggs back to the house and put them in cartons.
The Task Force was getting ready to launch simultaneous raids right after the holidays, just as business would pick up again. The burned officers would be briefed at the last minute as fillers for the raids and before they left the meeting would be arrested. Prisoners were shifted around so one single jail could contain all those arrested. The DA was going to ask for bails that many would not be able to raise, certainly not from their busted up gangs. Teams from the IRS were ready to go in and freeze bank accounts. Now, all they had to do was wait.
Kacie adjusted the reflectors and took sample pictures of the jewelry box. After looking at them on her computer, she elected the one she liked best then uploaded the item information and the picture to the website. She tagged and put the box on a shelf and was selecting another item when there was a knock at the door. Her eyes went to the security monitor and saw it was Earl. Kacie raised the security bar on the door and opened it.
“Are you okay?” Earl asked.
“Sure. Just getting a little work done. Want a cup of coffee?”
“If you have some made.”
Kacie poured a cup of coffee and handed it to to Earl.
“How are the roads?” Kacie asked.
“They’re good. The snow is already melting. If you go out in the morning just watch for ice, especially in the shaded areas. Where’s Jaelyn?”
“I told her not to bother coming in. We’ll pick up tomorrow.”
“I uh…saw Jaelyn’s car parked at Gene’s when I drove by.”
“None of my, or your, business.” Kacie said.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
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Post by gipsy on Jun 17, 2022 20:43:45 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 18, 2022 16:24:35 GMT -6
Chapter 65
They waited patiently and two hours after the last targeted man and women went to sleep, they struck. Few shots were fired and all were taken into custody. It was the cleanest sweep the Task Force had ever done. One hundred and twenty five people were held under a myriad of charges. Many of the foot soldiers were illegal immigrants.
Hank drove into town not knowing of what had gone down in the early morning. He was following Kacie’s van that had pulled out in front of him as he neared her place. He kept about a quarter of a mile distance and follow her into Cassville. As he neared the courthouse, there was a crowd on the sidewalks, spilling into the streets. Kacie’s van was stopped by demonstrators, preventing her from moving forward. Hank walked forward to the van and it was Jaelyn and not Kacie driving.
“Stay in the van.” Hank told her.
“ALL RIGHT PEOPLE, CLEAR THE STREETS!” Hank shouted.
A woman with half her hair purple shouted at Hank:
“THESE PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HERE. MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES WERE ARRESTED FOR NO REASON LAST NIGHT. WE DEMAND THAT THEY BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY!
“Was a member of your family arrested?” Hank asked.
“No!”
“Then why are you here?”
“I am an advocate for undocumented workers. They have a right to protest!”
“Lady, what the hell are you talking about? If they don’t have a legal green card, they are already criminals because they broke the laws of this country to get here. I don’t care if they are economic refugees or what. You want to be their advocate? Then go back across the borders with them and teach them how to enter the country legally. They have a right to protest, all right, but on the other side of the border. Undocumented workers my ass! They are illegal aliens and you’re just putting lipstick on a pig if you call them anything else.”
All of a sudden state police moved in and cleared the people into a parking lot on the opposite side of the street from the courthouse, clearing the street. Jaelyn drove on through and Hank was right behind her.
Jaelyn drove to the shipping center and had to wait a while because two of the workers had been caught up in the sweep last night.
Hank drove down to the farm supply store to pick up chicken feed. When he went inside the place was abuzz with the raid that had been conducted in the early morning hours.
“Jim, what the hell happened last night?”
“Hank, one of the biggest things that has happened in Cassville in years. The police came in and arrested a County Commissioner, the Mayor’s nephew, two clerks down at the shipping place and a bunch of Mexicans.”
“They ain’t all Mexicans Jim.” Lloyd said. “Some are those Honduranians that run that Mexican food place on the edge of town.”
“Heard tell they recovered a hell of a lot of stolen stuff and a truck load of drugs.” Jim said.
“Good for them. Hopefully the courts will put them away for a long time.”
“Maybe so.” Lloyd said. “But with these bleedin’ heart judges, don’t bet any money on it.”
“What are you needin’ Hank?”
“I need 300 pounds of chicken feed.”
“LESTER! Load three sacks of chicken feed in Hank’s truck!”
Hank paid for the feed and drove back home, stopping by the shipping place as Jaelyn came out.
“I’ll follow you back out.” Hank shouted.
“Thanks Hank!” Jaelyn said and waved.
Main street and the parking lot the demonstrators were herded into were cleared, apparently word got out that ICE agents were on their way. They made it back to Piney Creek with no problems.
Hank transferred the feed into metal drums he stored the feed in to keep the mice out. Shaking out the burlap bags, he folded and put those in another drum or the mice would chew holes in them. He filled the chicken feeders, added more oyster shells to the shell box and dirt to the dust boxes before heading to the house.
Maddie was standing up and wobblily holding on to Xena as Diane was peeling potatoes in the kitchen.
“Big goings on in town.”
“It’s not just in town but the four corner counties, I listened about it on the radio.” Diane said.
“Good riddance.” Hank said. “They had a demonstration of mostly illegals in front of the court house when I went in, but they’d left when I came back through.”
“I don’t know why people support criminality.” Diane said.
“It’s all some of them know. A lot of them come from corrupt countries teeming with criminals and it is the only way they know how to get ahead. They don’t care what it does to the local people. Kind of like Yankees coming down from New York. They vote and act just like they did back in their old state and expect things to be better.”
Hank picked Maddie up and played with her for a little bit before she fussed to get back down with Xena.
“I was listening to the weather report on the radio coming come. Looks like we’re getting more snow before the weekend. Is there anything we need?” Hank asked.
“Raisins and milk. I want to make some oatmeal raisin cookies. I can’t keep them around between you and Maddie.”
“I don’t eat that many….at a time.” Hank said, grinning.
Diane grinned. “Yeah….Right.”
The next morning Diane called Kacie.
“Kacie, Diane. We’re getting ready to go to the grocery store. It’s supposed to snow later on this week. Is there anything you need?”
“A gallon of milk if you don’t mind. I don’t have anything going out right now.”
“You need bread?” Diane asked.
“No, you’ve got me making my own bread now. Wait! Can you get me ten pounds of flour?”
“Not a problem.” Diane said. We’ll drop them off on the way home.”
“Thanks Di.”
“What was that?” Jaelyn asked.”
“Diane offered to pick up some groceries for me. Were supposed to get a snowstorm this weekend.”
Jaelyn got a devilish grin on her face. “Maybe I should pack a bigger overnight bag.”
Kacie grinned, shook her head and went back to cleaning the antique nut bowl and hammer.
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Post by gipsy on Jun 18, 2022 17:47:03 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by udwe on Jun 18, 2022 19:34:00 GMT -6
Jaelyn got a devilish grin on her face. “Maybe I should pack a bigger overnight bag.” Made me laugh! Thanks!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Jun 20, 2022 6:39:19 GMT -6
Chapter 66
The next morning Hank added another pallet of firewood to the one on the porch after he checked the National Weather Service. States to the west and northwest were getting hit hard by the slow-moving front. To make things worse, moisture was coming up the Mississippi River Valley. Not uncommon, but it would make a mess when it collided with the storm system carrying temperatures that were plummeting into the teens. They could have freezing rain, snow or a combination. Hank was determined to be prepared for anything. He got the snow shovels out of the shop and placed one on the front porch and one at the porte-cochère. Chicken feeders and waterers were checked and filled. When Diane was ready they went into Cassville. She got what ingredients she needed for making the cookies, picked up three gallons of milk and ten pounds of flour. She also stocked up on fruit for all three of them. Hank stopped by the farmer’s market and picked up ten pounds if English Walnuts in the shell. Diane couldn’t believe the price of shelled walnuts in the store.
Hank tossed the nutshells in the stove and took the shelled nut meat into the kitchen where Diane was getting her ingredients together to make the cookies.
“How many cups of chopped nuts are you going to need?”
“uh…two.” Diane replied.
Hank got out the Ulu knife and its chopping block and began chopping the nuts. He measured the chopped nuts with a measuring cup and set them with her other ingredients. After cleaning the cutting board and the Uku knife, Hank put them away. They started hearing rain on the metal roof. Hank walked over to the deck door and looked out beyond the covered deck..
“Rain?” Diane asked.
“Rain and sleet mixed.” Hank replied.
“Well, We don’t need to go anywhere. We’ll just settle in and stay cozy.”
Hank put on his coat and hat and started out the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To turn the wind generator heater on so it doesn’t ice up.”
Before Hank went to bed, he checked outside and the National Weather Service. Things were going to be nasty in the morning. There was ice covering the back steps and sleet, mixed with snow, falling.
When Hank got up at dawn, the heavily falling snow had already accumulated level with the bottom step. Hank brought in an armload of wood and built the fire up in both stoves. He checked the National Weather Service on the computer and it wasn’t looking good. The system wasn’t moving very fast and was dumping snow from Oklahoma City all the way up to Wichita and east to Republic. There was nothing to do but wait it out.
Hank made a pot of coffee and was sitting in his chair eating Oatmeal Raisin cookies and sipping coffee while watching the news about the storm.
“See, that’s why I can’t keep cookies around here.” Diane said, coming from the bedroom.
“I’ve only had a couple. They’re very good with coffee.” Hank grinned.
“What’s it doing outside?”
“Snowing, for now. But it’s going to mess. Ice covered with snow. I’ll need to dig out my crampons.”
Diane poured a cup of coffee and sat with Hank as he flipped through the local TV stations.
“I think I’ll pull out some meat and cook a pot of beef stew and bake some fresh bread today.”
“I hear Maddie. I’ll go get her dressed.” Hank said.
They stayed inside most of the day. Hank only stepped outside to retrieve wood off the porch to replenish the wood boxes, fill the greenhouse furnace and to collect the eggs. The snow fell all day long, stirred around occasionally by a 10-15 mph wind, snowing over the top of the second porch step. Saturday morning the snow was still falling, so Hank got the tractor out with the blade and bucket and cleared a good path from the front porch to the chicken coop and to the woodshed and greenhouse. Using the bucket, he also moved the snow from where it was drifting up around the porte-cochère.
Diane kept in contact with Kacie to make sure she was all right. Kacie giggled when Diane asked if she’d heard from Jaelyn.
“Oh, she’s been down at Gene’s since the storm arrived.”
It finally quit snowing on Sunday in the early afternoon, and it wasn’t until Monday before the county trucks came through to begin clearing the roads. As soon as it quit snowing, Hank cleared the driveway and from around the buildings. The weather remained bitterly cold so the snow and it’s base layer of ice didn’t get much of a chance to melt. Monday afternoon, Diane boxed up a dozen cookies and she, Hank and Maddie took the Gator down to Gene’s. She called ahead to give them a heads-up so no one was caught with their pants down…literally. Jaelyn had coffee ready and Diane squealed when she saw the sparkle of the new ring on Jaelyn’s hand.
“Congratulations you two.” Hank said, shaking Gene’s hand.
“We couldn’t have the neighbors talking about the old widow sneaking out down to the artist’s house,” Gen said, grinning.
“OLD!” “You just wait!” Jaelyn said.
“When is the wedding?” Diane asked.”
“We’re thinking of just getting s license and going to the courthouse. Will you and Hank stand with us?”
“Of course we will!”
Hank, Diane and Maddie returned home shortly after that. It was still in the 20s and returning to the warm house put Maddie to sleep before she could finish nursing. Even the dogs wanted to stay warm inside, only going outside to relieve themselves.
Things had quieted down around Cassville after the raids. Noticeably absent were many migrant families that were present prior in the year. The established immigrant families were just as happy as everyone else that the criminal elements had been pushed out. They gave hard-working people a bad name.
Hank and Diane came up with a unique wedding gift for Jaelyn and Gene….a one-year family food unit from a place out of Ogdon, Utah. Diane put together a list of spices to add to it. Gene and Jaelyn hadn’t tied the knot yet, she was selling her place and they were tying up some loose ends before they got married. Gene was going to take Jaelyn on a 7-day Caribbean cruise for their honeymoon.
When Hank and Diane took the food down to them, Gene was surprised, and delighted.
“Hank, I’ve been procrastinating about being prepared. I really didn’t know where to start. I was always debating with myself if it was even worth it.”
“Well Gene. You’ve got a new family. This unit has a shelf-life of 25 years so you can use items, and replace them as needed.
“But what if we don’t need them?”
“There is no rule that says just because you are prepared something is going to happen. On the other hand, if you aren’t prepared, crap is surely going to hit the fan. It’s a peace of mind thing. I don’t need to carry my pistol all the time but I’d sure hate to need it and didn’t have it.”
“You’re right. These will do well. I’ve got room in the basement for them.”
Hank and Gene unloaded everything and as they were stacking the last boxes Gene asked, “Hank, what do you know about shelter systems?”
“Mainly what I’ve read online. There are several good pre-fabricated systems you could bury right next to the house and cut a entrance in the basement wall for access. Just pick the one you like the best.”
“If you don’t mind me asking….do you have one?”
Hank was hesitant, but then finally answered.
“Yes Gene, but it was in place before I got the land. Jarvis’ son put it in years ago.”
Gene nodded. “Can I come to you for advice if and when I need it?”
“Sure Gene, anytime.”
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Post by gipsy on Jun 20, 2022 11:17:24 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by paulk on Jun 20, 2022 11:36:48 GMT -6
Haven't written much lately but I really enjoy your stories.
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Post by imahic on Jun 20, 2022 15:25:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. Really enjoying the story
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Post by bluefox2 on Jun 20, 2022 19:42:53 GMT -6
Sounds like Gene is beginning to figure some things out/
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