

The Haunted Hideout

By

### Doris Hale Sanders

Copyrighted 2006

By

Double DD Enterprises, Publisher

2638 Tar Springs Rd.

Cloverport, KY 40111

Smashwords Edition

ISBN #: 9781301063444

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any means now known or hereafter devised without the written permission of the above-named author & publisher is forbidden.

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

"The Haunted Hideout" is the second book in a trilogy of the Wroe Family Ghost Stories. The first e-book in the trilogy was "The Ghostly Hideaway" and was published January 17, 2013. The third book, "The Phantoms' Refuge," should be available in the next few weeks.

Cast of Characters

Ed Wroe – A cabinet-maker with a family who lives in a haunted house and an employee who is a candidate for murder.

Penny Wroe – A 41 year-old mother of three who isn't sure if she's sick, pregnant, or going through menopause

Andy & Candy Wroe – Ed and Penny's six-year-old twins who find their very own ghost, Shadowhawk.

Crissy Wroe O'Reilly – discovers she is expecting Penny and Ed's first grand child.-Also witnesses a murder.

Johnny Wroe – Works with father-in-law, Ed, and about to celebrate the first anniversary of his marriage to Chrissy.

Lydia Thorne – Johnny's grandmother.-Can life really start at 81 or is the end near?

Raymon Mendez – former drug smuggler and being sought by gang members because he quit.

Pablo Alvarez – He wants to do the right thing but it could cost him everything.

Jorge Laquidera – Jorge is his name; heroin is his game; and if he lets one get by with quitting, they might all quit.

Bernie Tavelerio – detective extraordinaire and determined to get his man.-He hates drug runners and crooked cops and has to deal with both.

Wilhelmina Foster – Aunt Winnie finds her long-lost family and then discovers she has the ability to communicate with her niece's resident ghosts.

Lester Finkley- Sheriff of Webb County, Texas.-He started out "looking the other way" then discovered he was in somebody's way.

Colton Keenan– What do you do when you realize your boss is crooked and you have no idea who you can trust?

### Chapter One

Good & Bad News

It was her one-year anniversary.-Chrissy had become Mrs. Johnny O'Reilly one year ago today—Valentine's Day.- The life of the attractive nineteen-year-old brunette had changed dramatically, not that she had been seriously underprivileged.-Her father, Ed Wroe, made a good living as a cabinet-maker and her mother, Penny, had been a beautician back in Fairmont, North Carolina.-Now that her twin siblings had started to kindergarten at the Ohio County Elementary School, her mother was thinking of going back to running a beauty parlor.-She had been exploring commercial spots in Fordsville, Kentucky, where she could set up shop.-She hadn't found anything yet but she was still looking.-No, Chrissy hadn't felt deprived, but she had a lot of advantages with Johnny that she had never expected to have at home.-The trailer where they were living now was quite nice, but Johnny O'Reilly had wanted a real house for them to live in.-So, soon they would be moving into their new home with three thousand five hundred square feet of floor space, four bedrooms, a library/office, utility room, walk-in pantry, dining room, four bathrooms, walk-in closets all over the house—well, Chrissy still couldn't believe it.-It wasn't fancy but quite utilitarian, spacious but still homey.-Now they would need to add another room but Johnny didn't know it, yet.-She'd tell him tonight as an anniversary surprise.

Chrissy's gift to Johnny for their First Anniversary would be a ribbon tied around her tummy with a bow in front up near her navel.-She had checked three times to be sure; but the little testers she bought at the drug store all three said "pregnant" when she did the test.-Actually, she had bought four but she was sure enough after three so she figured she would take the other one back to the drug store.-She was so happy her hazel eyes were fairly shining and she was sure Johnny would be thrilled, too.-She would have to wait to tell him until they went to bed, though.-She could almost see the dimples deepen and the sexy way his blue eyes would light up when she told him.-She wondered if the baby would inherit his fiery red hair and freckles.-She rather hoped so; she thought they were sexy, too.-She knew Ramon Mendez would be there for supper and it would probably be late when he retired to the bedroom at the far end of the trailer to sleep.

Ramon had come to her father looking for work while she and Johnny had been on their honeymoon in Ireland almost a year ago.-He had seemed to be willing to work hard and he appeared almost desperate for employment.-His clean-shaven appearance, the neat haircut and respectful demeanor had impressed Ed and Ed had really needed the help, so he had hired Ramon.-At that point, Ed had been busy remodeling the west side of his own house to close up the secret passage way that had been built on that side.-He was leveling the floor, putting in closets and book cases where the secret passage had been and installing recessed windows with window seats in each of the two bedrooms and a supplies storage cabinet in the bathroom all on the second floor.-It surely did look good and Ramon had been invited to occupy a room on the third floor while he was working there at Ed and Penny's.

The four turrets that towered upward above the level of the roof top let the house look more like a castle than the plantation house the rest of it resembled.-Two of the towers stood up from the second story level and the other two were attached at the third story level.-They stood like sentinels keeping watch over the house that local historians said had been built in the early seventeen hundreds.- The Wroe family had discovered almost from the moment they arrived that it was haunted.

The Wroes hardly even noticed any more, though, when the ghosts acted up; but Ramon seemed to be a rather nervous individual anyway and one night after the door slamming and nocturnal crying went on most of the night, Ramon said he just couldn't stay there any longer. The Wroe family could certainly remember when the ghostly activities had bothered them a lot, too.-In fact, they had called the house they had found accidentally when they were lost in the rain, their "Ghostly Hideaway." Ramon offered to stay in the barn or Ed's woodworking shop or just about anywhere in order to keep his job but he refused to sleep in the house even one more night.-By that time Johnny and Chrissy were back from Ireland so they told Ramon he could stay with them.-He slept at the opposite end of the trailer so he didn't bother them much at all; and it was the only decent thing for them to have done.-The nights were still usually pretty cold in March and last year it had seemed even colder than usual.

It had taken several months to complete the renovations on Ed and Penny's house; but Chrissy's mom and dad were quite pleased with the improvements.-By that time Johnny had the blueprint drawn up for his and Chrissy's new house and they immediately began work on that.-They hadn't been able to work straight through on either of the homes because when Ed and Johnny got a job to do with their cabinet-making business, they had to take time out to do those jobs.-They always found jobs that Ramon could do on Johnny or Ed's place because Ramon didn't seem to want to be out in public at all.-So things were going rather slowly but surely.

Chrissy was already totally in love with the house design.-But they would have to make room for the nursery.-It couldn't be very small either.-There was always the possibility that Chrissy could have twins as her mother had.-Andy and Candy were delightful if slightly boisterous and Chrissy didn't know if she could handle raising twins like them or not.-But if that's what the good Lord gave her, she'd do her best.-Maybe she would only have hers one at a time.-The nursery, though, would need to be large enough to accommodate a multiple birth anyway.

After Ramon had gone to his room that evening, Chrissy and Johnny prepared to retire as well.-Chrissy, as she had planned, went into the bathroom and tied a green strip of ribbon around her middle with a bow in front and wearing nothing else, she paraded into their bedroom.-With a sexy leer on his face, Johnny asked if that would be his anniversary present.

"Yes," Chrissy answered, "but I'm not sure you understand what it represents.-If you'll notice, the bow isn't down here," she moved the bow several inches lower, "but up here."-She moved it back up to the region of her navel.

Johnny wasn't getting the picture at all, at all, to use his Irish brogue.-"I think I like it better where it was before."-He still looked a little puzzled.

Chrissy clasped her hands together and mimed the back and forth motion of rocking an infant.-Finally Johnny got it.

"We're having a baby?-We're pregnant?-Oh, Chrissy, are you sure, Honey?-A baby?-I can't believe it.-We're going to have a baby!-That _is_ a surprise and a half.-That might be almost as good as the other ribbon placement."-He leered at her again and she slapped at him playfully.-"That doesn't have to come with a choice does it—one or the other?-Because, well,—"-The bow was mashed very flat very quickly.

They had been married a year already but they were still very much in love.-Chrissy had known almost from the first time she had seen Johnny swinging across the yard and whistling a lively Irish tune that she would fall in love with him.-She loved his dimples and his red hair and freckles; she loved his Irish brogue and well, she was just plain crazy about him.-He had thought she was the cutest thing he had ever seen the first time he saw her, too.-He had noticed her and her family when they first came to the big old house for refuge when they ran out of gas on the back roads near there.-Now, the two families were firmly intertwined with mutual love and respect.-

Ramon had been almost envious of them and their close-knit family.-His own family was back in Nueva Laredo, Mexico, and though they loved each other dearly, they had never had the carefree closeness that the Wroes and O'Reillys had.-Sometimes his father could find work and other times his family went hungry.-That had been why Ramon had gone across the border, got his green card and looked for work in Texas.-He had found part-time employment at a car wash, but it had gone out of business; then as a dishwasher in a small restaurant but that hadn't lasted either.-He had met another countryman, Pablo Alvarez, at a pool hall he frequented and they had become fast friends.-One day, after they had spent the last several days unsuccessfully looking for work, Pablo told him his sister thought she could get them a job making a lot of money with a friend of her husband's.-

They knew it sounded too good to be true and Ramon had been suspicious from the beginning but he had needed desperately to be able to send some money to his family, so he and Pablo had signed on.-It took only a short while for both of them to realize the illegal nature of their activities as well as the danger involved but the boss had let them know in no uncertain terms that trying to back out could be extremely detrimental to their health.

About a week later, though, Ramon had hopped a freight car and headed east.-He had no specific destination in mind—he just wanted to be as far away from the drug smuggling ring as possible.-He had tried to talk Pablo into going with him, but he had elected to stay.-He had first thought to lose himself in a big city, maybe Louisville, but had decided he might be less visible in a rural setting.-He had finally ended up at the Wroe Place and found fulltime work with Ed.-He liked his job and the people and he didn't have to worry where he would be sleeping every night.

*-- *-- *--

Other people were also thinking about where Ramon might be sleeping. As a matter of fact, Jorge Laquidera was most intent on finding Ramon.-He was standing in the large sitting room of a luxurious suite in Laredo, Texas, pointing at a map of Kentucky.-He indicated the area around Hartford and Fordsville with his pointer.

"That bastard has to be around here somewhere.-His green card says he is employed somewhere in Ohio County and I want him found.-I must have assurances that he will not inform on any of us concerning the lucrative business we have been conducting between here and Nueva Laredo in Old Mexico.-I want him found and immediately, like yesterday," he reiterated.-He spoke in his native tongue so that he would be understood clearly by his employees most of whom were Mexican.-The ones who were not Mexican had lived near the border long enough for Spanish to be second nature to them.

One of his employees spoke up.-"He didn't really know much about the operation, Boss.-I don't think he would say anything that would get any of us in trouble, anyway."-Pablo Alvarez was afraid of what might happen to Ramon if he should be found.-He knew that Ramon had gotten involved almost by accident, anyway, and mainly because of Pablo's insistence.-Pablo had played up the easy money part of the job instead of what the job actually was.-When Ramon found out that they were smuggling drugs out of Mexico into Texas, he wanted out right away.-Jorge, though, told him that if he left the operation, he would be extremely sorry.-At first, Pablo had thought he was referring to all the easy money he would be losing out on.-Now Pablo wasn't too sure.

"He knows too much to be allowed to have the chance to shoot his mouth off and nobody can say for sure that he wouldn't talk.-I want to be able to convince him that it would be quite unhealthy to let his tongue get too loose."

Pablo said nothing more but he had about decided it was time for him to get out, too, before he got in any deeper.-The money was good, but he and the other men were taking all the risks and Jorge was getting richer and richer because of their efforts.-The heroin they smuggled across the border was worth billions of dollars in United States currency and while Pablo's take was fairly handsome in pesos, it didn't go far on this side of the border.

Jorge was talking again.-"We'll be on a charter jet in the morning; all ten of us.-We'll put down in St. Louis and catch a commuter plane from there to the airport at Owensboro.-I want the nine of you to go into the area I've indicated here and look for work.-You'll have better access to information if you can interact with other laborers in the area.-You can ask discreetly if there are other Mexican workers in that part of the county.-

"Gabbert, you take Matthews and Perez and see what you can find out around Dundee.- Rojas, you and Sanchez and Mendoza check around Hartford.-Garcia, you take Alvarez and Norton and check things out around Fordsville.-I'll set up a command post at the Executive Inn Rivermont there in Owensboro and I want reports from each of the groups on a daily basis or at least every other day.-Are there any questions?"-There seemed to be none, so he dismissed them with a wave of his hand and a reminder.-"I'll see all of you at oh-eight-hundred hours tomorrow morning."

When Alvarez and his buddies got to Fordsville and started asking around about jobs for Mexicans in the area, Frank Tinsley happened to be in town and since he needed help in the log woods, he was glad to put all three of them to work.-Alvarez asked if there were other Mexicans working in the area and Frank said he didn't know of any.-Frank did deliver lumber for the work on the O'Reilly house but each time anyone came around Ramon managed to be elsewhere—working hard—but elsewhere.-He didn't seem to want to be in sight when strangers came around.-It still surprised Ed and Johnny that he never went to town.-If he needed something from there he would send by one of the other men to get it and when he needed to cash his check, he asked Johnny to do it and get the money order to send almost all of it home to his folks.-So, actually, very few people did know that Ramon was in the area.

With his dark, wavy hair, almost black, flashing eyes and smooth olive skin, he was a very attractive Latino man.-He certainly had no physical reason to stay out of sight.-Ed and Johnny had wondered if he might be hiding from someone, but as long as he did a good job for them, they definitely wouldn't pry into his personal business.-His references had indicated that he was honest and dependable and they certainly knew he was capable so they were not concerned.-If this was his hideout, that was alright with them.-Ed and Penny had proclaimed this their ghostly hideaway and he supposed it could be Ramon's haunted hideout.-Ramon seemed contented, if a little jumpy sometimes.

*-- *-- *--

"Hey, Mom.-Are you coming over this way today?"-Chrissy was so excited she could hardly stand it.-And, if anything Johnny was even more keyed up than she was.-"I've some good news to tell you if you're coming over."

"I'm always up for good news, Honey.-How about if I come over right after lunch?-It's almost eleven, now.-Will that be alright?"-Penny figured it was something new about the house.-Penny was extremely proud of her daughter—and the twins, too, of course.-She adjusted the eyeglasses on her slightly pugged nose and tiredly tossed her dark brown hair back and tucked it behind one ear.-She definitely didn't look her age of forty-one.-She hadn't been sure if she could get back the figure she had been rather proud of after the twins were born or not.-But her one hundred fifteen pounds looked fine on her five feet four frame.-Actually, she had gained four or five pounds lately and she had just been too tired to do the exercises she normally did to get rid of the extra pounds.-But if her daughter had what Chrissy thought was good news, then Penny would find the energy to go see what it was.-She and Johnny kept changing little things about the house plans here and there that they thought they'd like better.-Penny surmised that this news would foretell another such change.

"That's fine, Mom.-I'll see you right after lunch."

A few minutes after one o'clock, Penny came in, huffing and puffing.-"I think I must be getting old.-I don't seem to have any stamina at all.-I'm sure I'm going through menopause.-I miss a few periods and then have a few.-This time I've missed two in a row and I'm hoping I just don't have any more at all.-I think it's about that time."

"I've missed two periods, too, Mom, but I don't think I can blame it on menopause."-Penny huffed and puffed a little more and then sat down.-But when she plopped down in the chair, she acted as though she had sat on a tack.

"What are you saying, Chrissy?" she asked sharply jumping right back to her feet.

"I'm pregnant, Mom.-I'm going to have a baby.-Johnny and I are going to be parents.-Can you believe it?-I'm pregnant!"

Penny crumpled back down in the chair.-"Now I know why I feel as though I'm getting old.-I'm going to be a grandmother.-Oh, Chrissy, my baby is going to have a baby."-And then they were both crying and hugging.-Hormones were running rampant.

"What's wrong, Chrissy, Mom?-Has something happened?-Did somebody die?-Why are you crying?"-Johnny was truly worried.

"Oh, these are happy tears, Honey.-I just told Mom about the baby."

Then his frown turned into proud smiles.-"Oh, yeah.-I should have known.-Isn't it great?"

"I guess you think it's funny; you making me a grandmother."-Penny was laughing through her tears.

"I think it's fantastic."-Johnny was deliriously happy no matter how many grandmothers he made.-

"Here's a thought for you, Smarty Pants.-Twins run in the family.-She could have twins or even triplets."

Johnny realized Penny was right and that was a sobering thought.- "But," he decided, "I'm still happy even if it's quintuplets."

"You might need to add a little more onto the house, now.-Had you thought of that?"

"Oh, yeah.-We're already changing things so the nursery can be right next to our bedroom.-We're just gonna have to find another place for the library."

"This evening, we're going up to Grandmother Lydia's and tell her the good news, too."

"I know she'll be so pleased.-Have you let any of the folks in Ireland know about it yet?-Would it be alright if I call the California Wroes and the folks in North Carolina or did you want to do that yourself?"

"If you want to, Mama, it's fine with us.-We haven't told anyone else, yet.-We felt it was only fair for the family here to know first."

"My baby's gonna have a baby.-Oh, this is so exciting!-Oh, does Ed know yet?"

"Yes, I told him when I saw you come in here because I knew Chrissy would be telling you.-He's happy about it, too."

That evening after supper Johnny and Chrissy walked up the hill to Lydia's.-They found her sitting on the back stoop, looking very pale.

"Grandmother, what's wrong?-Are you alright?-You look awfully pale."-They were both quite genuinely concerned.-Lydia would be eighty-two in September so any problem could be or become serious at that age.-She had looked frail for several years.-She was becoming more and more stooped and her white hair was getting much thinner on top.-Her tiny frame looked like it could just dry up and blow away.-These days she usually had a smile on her face to go with her rosy complexion but right now, her face was looking pale and her efforts at a smile were not very successful.

"I'm feeling better now.-I just had some sort of silly spell.-Can you help me into the house, please?-It's getting pretty cool out here.-It's warm for the time of year but I'd been sitting there long enough to get kinda chilled."

"Are you sure you're alright?-Maybe we'd better take you to the doctor.-Do you hurt anywhere, Grandmother?"-Chrissy was rubbing her hands up and down Lydia's arms to try to warm her up.-When that didn't seem to help much, she reached for an afghan on the back of the couch and put it around her.

"I think I'll be okay in a few minutes, Johnny.-Don't look so worried, dear.-I'll be just fine."-Lydia began to hold her chest and was sweating profusely.-

"Chrissy, please call Dr. Foster and tell him to meet us at the emergency room at the hospital.-I'll get her coats.

"Sure, Johnny."-Chrissy dialed the phone number for Dr. Foster.-He answered almost immediately.-"Hello, Dr. Foster.-This is Chrissy O'Reilly.-Lydia Thorne is my grandmother and she is complaining of chest pains and is sweating.-We're leaving here almost immediately to take her to the emergency room.-Would you please meet us at the hospital?-We're very much concerned that she may be having a heart attack............................All right, thank you."

Johnny went out to warm up the car while Chrissy helped Lydia get her coats on. Lydia still insisted that they were "making a mountain out of a mole hill" but she didn't put up very much resistance.-Chrissy grabbed the afghan they had put around her earlier and a couple of cushions from the couch and Johnny helped make her as comfortable as possible in the back seat.-She also thought to pick up Lydia's purse which would have all her medical and insurance information in it.

"Dr. Foster said to drive carefully but to get her there as soon as possible," Chrissy told Johnny in a whisper.-

When they got to the hospital they went in through the emergency room doors in the wheel chair that Chrissy had hurried in to get.-Johnny stayed with his grandmother while Chrissy took all the information to the receptionist.-As he promised, Dr. Foster was there waiting for them.-The nurses went to work immediately hooking her up to the EKG machine and setting up other tests.

When Chrissy finished getting Lydia checked in, she went to find Johnny and see what was happening.-It was almost a half hour later when Dr. Foster came back and told them Lydia had had a fairly serious heart attack.-He wanted to admit her to the hospital for a few days so they could keep an eye on her.

"This may be all the problems she'll have or it could progress into something even more serious.-Right now she's stable and the pain and other symptoms are subsiding.-The next thirty-six hours will be crucial.-If she has no more symptoms during that time period, then we won't need to worry over much.-But until then she will need constant monitoring.-I'm going to put her in the Coronary Care Unit where she will be seen to continuously.-You two should go on home and if there's any change, we'll notify you immediately.-You wouldn't be able to stay with her anyway even if you remained here.-I want her completely quiet."

"You're absolutely sure the nurses will call us if she needs us or anything?"

"Positively sure.-I'll be sure to leave those instructions."-Dr. Foster went to make the arrangements for her admission to the hospital.

Johnny and Chrissy hated the idea of leaving the hospital when Lydia was so seriously ill but the doctor insisted that it would do no good for them to sit out in the waiting room all night so they reluctantly agreed to go on home.-When Johnny and Chrissy got back to Lydia's they turned the furnace to a point where the house would stay warm enough so that the plumbing wouldn't freeze.-Then Johnny did the feeding and milking.-They locked up Lydia's house and then went on back to the trailer.-The next thing was letting everyone know that Lydia was in the hospital.

Chrissy called her mother and told her about it and then Johnny called his mother and told her.

"Mom, the doctor said the next thirty-six hours were crucial.-He said they would monitor her very carefully and that if there were no recurring symptoms, she should be alright to come home.-I hated to tell you bad news, Mom.-We had intended to call you tonight with good news but I'm afraid this overshadows it."

"Well, what's the good news?-Maybe it will give us something good to get our minds on instead of just worrying about Mom."

"Well, in about six and a half or seven months, we'll be making you a grandmother.-How about that?"

"Oh, Johnny, I'm so happy for you.-Does Mom know about it, yet?"

"No, we went up there purposely to tell her but she felt so bad when we got there, we just got her to the hospital as soon as we could."

"She'll be happy for you, too.-This will give her more incentive to get better and take care of herself more fully if she knows she's going to be a great-grandmother."

"Well, we'll be sure to tell her as soon as she's able to hear it."

"Okay, Son, we'll be talking pretty often for the next few days.-I'll let the rest of the family here know about it.-Take care.-We love you both.- Bye-bye."

*-- *-- *

Bruce was just getting home from work as Janet hung up the phone and she lost no time making him aware of the problem with her mother.

"I'm just so worried, Bruce.-Mama was out of my life for so many years after we ran off and got married and she couldn't forgive me for loving you.-Now that she has accepted us and everything is good between us again, now she has a heart attack."-Janet just couldn't keep a few tears from dripping down her cheeks.

Bruce understood.-He had come to love Lydia, too, and he hated to know she wasn't well.-"Maybe, we should go back to Kentucky and be with her until she's feeling better.-What do you think, Hon?-I could take a leave of absence from work.-Things are a little slow right now, anyway.-Sean and Marcie would be glad, I think, to keep an eye on Kathleen for us and see that her needs are taken care of.-Shall we do it?"

"Oh, yes, Dear.-That would be just wonderful!-You are so understanding and sweet.-No wonder I fell in love with you nearly a quarter of a century ago."

They began immediately making preparations and arrangements.-The other family members were very upset about Lydia's illness and they supported completely Bruce and Janet's decision to go and be with her.

*-- *-- *

Johnny knew the news would hit all of them especially hard.-His Dad's family had loved his mother, Janet, ever since she had come to Ireland as Bruce's wife and they had all just fallen in love with Grandmother Lydia when they came in from Ireland for his and Chrissy's wedding.-There had been twenty-two of them who came all the way from County Galway to wish them happiness and Grandmother had welcomed all of them into her home.-Considering that Lydia had been estranged from her own daughter for more than twenty-three years and had become cold and bitter toward everybody; that was a miracle in itself.-When Chrissy and her mother, Penny, befriended her, Lydia had thawed out completely and had even made a trip to Ireland to visit with her daughter, Johnny's mother, and her family.-When one realized that before that Lydia hadn't even been to the local grocery store for almost ten years; that was miracle number two.-It seemed such a shame that it would be this point in time that she would become ill and not be able to do the things that she now wanted to do.-

Neither Chrissy nor Johnny had slept very well that night and the first thing when they awoke, they called the hospital.

"Mrs. Thorne experienced some chest pain during the night but nothing severe.-She is being fed through her veins.-The doctor felt she would get more nourishment that way and she didn't have any appetite."

"If we came to the hospital, would we be able to visit with her?-Is she conscious and everything?" Johnny wanted to know.

"Yes, she's awake.-She's on some pain medication that keeps her a little groggy but we could let you visit with her for about ten minutes at a time once an hour and one at a time.-I would warn you, though, that she has a lot of wires and monitors, I.V.s, etc. attached."

"Okay, then. We'll see you before too long."-Then Johnny turned to Chrissy.-"Honey, I've got to go up and do the feeding and milking.-As soon as I get back, we'll get things ready and go."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.-Chrissy's dad was on the front doorstep. "Well, hello, Ed.-You're up and out early."-Ed came up the steps and stepped inside.-It was too cool to stand with the door open.-When he took off his cap, Chrissy could see his receding hair line.-She could remember a few years earlier when his dark brown hair had been full and wavy.-He had refused to change the way he combed it to hide some of the balding spots, though.-Ed had declared that he was an old man and he might as well look as old as he was.-He was only forty, but Chrissy didn't feel that either of her parents was "old."-Ed was still athletically built and there wasn't an ounce of fat on his nearly six foot frame.-His one hundred sixty pounds was all lean muscle.

"I just finished feeding and milking up at Lydia's.-I knew you would want to go see her and I thought I'd get that out of the way for you.-Have you heard from her this morning?"

"That was so nice of you, Pop, and we are anxious to get over there to the hospital.-The nurse said she did have some pain during the night.-She's in the Coronary Care Unit and we can only visit once an hour, one at a time and only for ten minutes at a time."

"Is Mama feeling okay this morning, Dad?-She had been feeling nauseous for several days, she said.-I hope she's not getting sick."

"She is still running to the bathroom every so often being sick at her stomach.-I told her if I didn't know better, I'd think she was pregnant."-They all chuckled.-"But she insists she's just fine.-When you get back from the hospital, please let us hear from your Grandmother, Johnny, or sooner if there's any change.-We'll take care of the milk this morning, too.-If you need any of it, we'll get it to you later"

"Thanks a lot, Dad.-We love you and give Mama our love, too."

When they got to the hospital a little while later, they had to wait before they could see Lydia.-They had taken her to get more tests, a CT scan and an x-ray.-By the time they had finished all that and got her back to her room, she was extremely tired; but she was awake enough to know who they were and to seem genuinely glad to see them.

"I'm doing fine, Kids," she told them.-"I told you not to worry."-They must have thought she was a little better; they told them both they could go back and see her instead of making them go one at a time.-"I'll be out of here in no time and ready to do my work again."-Her smile was a little tentative but it was there.

"You have to feel better Grandmother."-Chrissy looked at Johnny and he nodded and smiled.- "In seven or eight months we may need a baby sitter and we knew we could depend on you, Great-Grandma."-They hadn't decided exactly when they would tell her but they wanted to do it together and since they were both there, they thought that particular time was as good as any.-They didn't think it would over-excite her but it might give her something positive to focus on rather than just being concerned about her own health.-Chrissy was beaming and Johnny looked as proud as if he were the only expectant father in the country.

"Oh, you're kidding," Lydia exclaimed and her face had more vivacity than they would have believed possible.-"That's wonderful.-You said seven or eight months?"

"I haven't been to the doctor yet but I've missed two periods and the home pregnancy test was positive.-I'll be seeing the obstetrician a little later; then we'll have a better idea."

"Oh, I'm so happy for the two of you.-There's no greater joy than to bring a new life into the world.-Of course, it's a big responsibility and you'll make mistakes; but I know you'll do a great job as parents."

The nurses came in then and told them their patient needed to rest a while and they told Lydia they would see her again later.-Then they went to find Dr. Foster.

"We're hoping you can give us a prognosis on Grandmother Lydia Thorne, Dr. Foster.-We need to call her daughter, my mother, in Ireland and let her know what's going on."

"Well, she did have a moderately severe heart attack, Johnny.-I think she's going to be alright this time.-But she's going to need some pretty intensive care for a while.-I could recommend a good nursing home or convalescent home or we could keep her here in the hospital in the extended care wing.-Or if there's a family member who could stay with her, she would probably be better satisfied at home.-Of course, her state of mind is a definite factor in this kind of situation so this is something you'll have to decide.-She'll be here in the hospital for at least another four or five days depending on how fast she recuperates; so you have some time before you have to make a decision."

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Foster.-We'll get back to you.-The one who needs to make the final decision on this would be my mother; so we'll talk with her and let you know in a few days."

When he called his mother, Janet told Johnny that she and Bruce had already decided to come back to be with her mother at least until she was out of danger.

"Bruce has already taken a leave of absence from his job and we're scheduled to leave here day after tomorrow and be there on Saturday.-We've arranged for a rental car so you won't need to meet us at the airport or anything.-We'll come straight to the hospital and then on to the house when we've seen Mom.-So we'll see you this weekend.-You don't think she's in any imminent danger do you?-We might be able to get a little earlier flight if you think it's advisable."

"Dr. Foster assured us he thought she would get over this attack alright.-I got the feeling that she was going to need supervision as much to keep her from overdoing as anything else."

"Okay, then.-You all be careful and we'll see you Saturday."

The next day when they went to see Lydia, she had been moved into a regular room but near the nurses' station so they could keep a close eye on her for a while longer.

"I've got a question for you two.- I realize it was probably a dream; but did you all tell me that you were expecting a baby?-I feel sure it was a dream but it seemed so real.-Oh-oh, that embarrassed look on your face, Johnny; and yours, Chrissy, you're positively radiant!-You are pregnant!-I _didn't_ dream it.-Oh, my; oh, my.-I'm going to get to be a great-grandmother.-Oh, my.-Let's see, do we want a boy or a girl?-Do you have names picked out?-Well, don't just stand there.-Say something!"

"I think we sort of want a girl and we've pretty well settled on Lydia Lea Marie if it is a girl.-But if it's a boy we'll love it just as much and we're thinking maybe Thomas Allen.-Would you like those, Grandmother?"

"Oh, that's so sweet.-Of course, those names would be special.-I'm not sure how each of the names is connected to the family, though."

"Well, 'Lydia' is, of course, after you. 'Lea' is for Johnny's mom and 'Marie' is mine and my mom's middle name."-Chrissy explained.-Then Johnny continued.

"'Thomas' would be after Grandaddy Thorne and 'A-l-a-n' or 'A-l-l-e-n' is mine, Dad's and Pop's middle name.-We haven't decided yet which way to spell it but it would still be after all three of us."

"Oh, that's just too lovely," Lydia insisted.-

"It's time for you to go down for physical therapy, Mrs. Thorne."-A nurse was signaling the end of their current visit.

"We'll see you again later in the day, then, Grandmother."

"We love you."

"I love you, too.-Hurry back."

Chrissy checked her watch.-"It's almost time for the doctor's appointment, anyway, Honey.-His office is just down the street."-Dr. Jennings was the obstetrician they had decided to see.-Chrissy was a little nervous but she did want the doctor's opinion on how far along she was.

After Dr. Jennings finished his examination, he confirmed the home pregnancy test diagnosis.-"Yes, I'd say you're definitely pregnant and I'm thinking you might be a little farther along than you thought.-I'm of the opinion that you're closer to three months rather than only two.-I'm setting your due date as about August twelfth.-I want to see you again in a month and we should be more certain by that time."

After they were outside, Chrissy whispered to Johnny, "Wouldn't that be one special birthday present if the baby was born on August twelfth on my birthday?"

"Oh, I knew that date sounded familiar, but I hadn't figured out why.-That is your birthday, isn't it?-That sure would be extraordinary."

* * *

It was Saturday almost before they turned around twice but Johnny and Chrissy made sure they were at the hospital before time for Bruce and Janet to get there.-Their plane was due in about noon and Johnny and Chrissy were at the hospital by eleven.-They hadn't told Lydia that her daughter and son-in-law from Ireland were coming.-They were concerned that she would worry and she didn't need that.-They talked to her doctor and asked if they should make any preparations for their appearance at the hospital and if he thought that the surprise could be harmful to Lydia.

"I think she will be fine for it to be a surprise and I agree if she knew it very far in advance, she probably would worry and think she was being a big problem, etc.-I think their visit will be very good for her."-And he was right.

"Grandmother, there're some people outside to see you, if you feel up to a visit."

"Sure, I'll be glad to see anybody who cares to come by a few minutes."

"Well, what if it's more than a few minutes, Mama?"-Janet came in followed by Bruce.-Janet looked good for forty-six.-She was a little plump but her blue eyes seemed always to be shining and Bruce loved her full, curvy figure.-The first time Chrissy had met Janet, her first thought had been, _Well, there's no more need to wonder where Johnny got his dimples.--_

"Oh, my mind or my eyes or my senses or something must be playing tricks on me.-Is it really you, Janet Lea?-And Bruce, you came, too?-Oh, my!-This is the most wonderful surprise!"-Lydia looked accusingly and amusedly at Johnny and Chrissy.-"You knew about this, didn't you?-I should have you horse-whipped—both of you!-Oh, come here and give your poor old Mama a hug and kiss.-I'm so glad to see you!"

"Now, if that's not a hoot and a half.-You she wants to hug and kiss and I'm to be horse-whipped—all because of the same visit."-Johnny pouted good-naturedly.

Dr. Jennings came in a few minutes later and spoke to Lydia's daughter about her condition.-"Since she has someone to stay with her, I think we can parole Mrs. Thorne into your custody probably on Monday if there are no symptomatic recurrences.-Would that suit you, Mrs. Thorne?"

"Today would suit me better, but I'll settle for Monday if I must.-But—but how long can you stay, Bruce?"

"As long as we need to, Mom.-We are officially on vacation until we decide to go back."-Bruce was being charming.-He had the Irish good looks with his auburn hair and Janet said he could charm a bird out of a tree if he put his mind to it.-Janet didn't think he looked a day older at forty-nine than he had at twenty-one when she first fell head over heels in love with him and his Irish brogue.-

"See, I told you it might be more than a few minutes, Mama."-Janet hadn't stopped worrying entirely but she was a lot less concerned since she'd seen her mother.

"Oh, that's so wonderful, Baby Girl.-I love you both!-Oh, and I love you two, too, before Johnny starts pouting again."-Everyone laughed along with Lydia.-Her chuckle was a little weak but it was there.-And it was good to hear.

*-- *-- *-

Jorge Laquidera was getting quite impatient.-It had been almost three weeks since he had sent out the nine men to try to locate Ramon and they still hadn't found a trace of him.-If they didn't find him by the end of the week, he would take some more drastic measures.-He wasn't sure just what, but he wanted results not today; not even yesterday; but last week.-If his men found out that they could just up and quit whenever they wanted to, he'd soon have nobody working for him any more.- _His boss_ wouldn't like that either.-And making _him unhappy_ was not an option.-Carl Forrester would soon be telling him if he couldn't do his job, _he would find someone who could.-_ His boss had sent one of his men, Faron Whitehead, up to check on things so he knew he was getting impatient, also.-Whitehead was traveling in style, too.-He had driven up to Owensboro from Houston in a long, black Lincoln Town Car.-It almost looked like a limousine as long as it was.

Gabbert had called the day before and said they had made numerous inquiries in and around Dundee; but neither he nor Matthews nor Perez had even a hint that Mendez was anywhere in the area.-Likewise, Rojas, Sanchez and Mendoza had nothing positive to report from the Hartford area.-Garcia reported that he and Norton had checked all around Fordsville and they seemed to be the only Mexican workers around anywhere.

"You didn't mention Alvarez.-What did he report?"

"Well, Boss, it's like this.-He worked with us for about a week or ten days for a man named Frank Tinsley in the logwoods.-And we haven't seen him since.-We've been kinda looking for him, too, but he seems to have disappeared, also."-Garcia hated to inform on Alvarez but he knew he would catch the brunt of the boss' anger if he didn't report it.-He had already waited longer than he should have to tell Laquidera about Alvarez' absence.

"Listen to me!-I want both of them found.-We'll have to make examples of both of them.-They know too much; if we don't find them and shut them up, we could all end up in jail.-Find them!-Now!-You hear me?"

Garcia was sure glad he had reported on the phone instead of in person.-Even from thirty miles away, he could almost see how angry Laquidera was and how red his face was.-The boss sure didn't like to be crossed.-

"I guess we're going to have to ask some more pointed questions, Norton," he told his buddy after he hung up the phone.-"The boss is even angrier that Alvarez is missing than he is about Mendez, I think.-Come on, we've got another load of lumber to take over to where that guy, O'Reilly, is building his new house.-Then we'll need to think of other ways to look for both of them."-Garcia would have been even more concerned if he could have seen the hotel room after Jorge had finished having his temper tantrum.-He had put his booted foot through the glass-topped coffee table.-He had thrown both end table lamps against the wall and a pretty mantel clock and a beautiful vase full of roses lay in pieces on the floor.-His stream of curse words ranged from Spanish to English and back to Spanish.

Faron Whitehead sat unconcernedly as Laquidera vented his anger.-He had seen fits before and he recognized that a lot of the display was for his benefit so he could report back to Forrester that he had shown "power and leadership."-He also recognized that Laquidera was in enough control of his faculties to avoid causing any harm to Whitehead.-So he had sat quietly until the demonstration was finished.

"I hope you're not expecting the boss to pay for your destruction here," he said evenly.-"And, I certainly hope you can manage to accomplish more with your men than you have here toward solving the problem."

Jorge realized he may have overdone it a bit and he assured Whitehead that the damages would be taken care of without any cost to the drug lords.

Back in Fordsville, Norton had been thinking.

"You know, I think I know why Alvarez cut out," Norton said.-"He asked me one time what I thought the boss would do when he found Mendez."

"What did you tell him?"-Garcia had wondered too.

"I told him I'd be surprised if Jorge didn't kill him.-He seemed surprised and upset and the next day was the last time I saw him."

"Well, there's no doubt now what he intends to do.-Laquidera told me he would have to make examples of both of them.-He said if they talked, we'd all go to jail so we couldn't afford to take that chance."

"The heroin smuggling business is fairly profitable but sometimes I'd be just as happy working at something that paid less if it was safer."

"I wouldn't say that in many places nor very loudly, if I were you, Norton."

*-- *-- *--

When Johnny went to the mailbox that morning, there was an envelope addressed in a strange hand and there was no return address at all.-He slit open the envelope only to find another envelope inside that one.-On the outside of the second envelope was a message.-"If Ramon Mendez is still there, please give him this letter and please give it to no one else.-Urgent."

Johnny took it immediately to Ramon and suggested that he take it into his room and read it since it said it was urgent.-Ramon did as Johnny suggested and the letter said:

Dear Ramon,

\---I hope this finds you well, Son, but we are much worried for you.-Today is the twenty-fifth of February and yesterday a man who did not look like a nice man came here and asked if we know where you are.-Of course, we told him we did not know.-He even tried telling us you had some money coming to you if he was able to find you, but we still told him nothing.-He said you and he had both worked for a man named Jorge something and that he needed to find you very badly.-Son, I do so hope you are not in any trouble but as I said the man who inquired for you did not look trustworthy.-I wanted you to be warned, Ramon.-Be careful and come back to us safely.-We love you,------------------------Mamacita

Tears swam in Ramon's eyes as he finished reading the letter.-If Jorge was asking his parents about him, then Ramon had probably already seen his Mamacita for the last time.-Ramon had hoped that Jorge and the rest of his thugs were looking elsewhere but if he was determined to find him, he probably would.-What was he to do?-The O'Reillys had surely been good to him and he hated to leave them.-However, he had been there close to a year, now, so he had probably stayed in one place too long already.-He knew they needed his help, but he felt the urgency to move on and not stick around until Jorge did find him.-He was still in deep thought as to what he should tell Ed and Johnny when he came back out the door.-He put on his sombrero as he came out and headed across the yard.-When he came in sight of the work area, there they were—two of the gang that worked for Jorge:-Garcia and Norton.-He ducked back inside the shell of the house and picked up a hammer and began to pound nails.-He wasn't sure if they had seen him or not but now he knew they were in the area and they were looking for him; of that he was positive.

He simply didn't know what to do.-If he left there, he had no idea where he could go.-If he stayed, he was not only in danger himself, but he would be endangering the lives of the only people who had ever been really kind to him.-He was convinced, the only course of action left to him was to take off at once and head for points unknown.

*-- *-- *

When the men finished unloading the lumber and left, Ramon went immediately to Johnny and Ed.-"Senors, you have been so good to me and I hate to leave before the job is finished, but the letter was from my Mama and she says I must come home as soon as possible.-If I could please have the wages I have earned, I will leave immediately."

"We'll be truly sorry to see you go, Ramon.-You've been an excellent worker and we've all come to think of you as a friend.-Are you sure you must leave so soon?"

"Yes, I am so extremely sorry; but I must."

"Well, let me check the daily log.-I believe I owe you for thirteen days at sixty dollars a day.-That would be a total of seven hundred eighty dollars.-I don't have but about eighty dollars in cash and the bank is closed.-They close at noon on Thursdays.-I can get it for you the first thing in the morning.-Will that be all right?"

"I would have liked to leave today but maybe in the morning will be soon enough."

-*-- *-- *--

At about that time, Garcia was placing a call to the boss in Owensboro to tell him that they had located Mendez at the O'Reilly place.-They gave him exact directions to the site.-When they hung up, Jorge signaled to the driver of the black Lincoln Town Car.

"They found Mendez.-So, Whitehead, if you want to see first-hand how I deal with traitors, let's get going.-You can drive and I'll do the dirty work.- Then we'll need to get the hell out of there.-We may have to leave dealing with Alvarez until a little later.-Things will be pretty hot for a while and they haven't been able to find him just yet.-But he _will_ be dealt with.-You can take that to the bank."

Jorge took the suitcase from behind the couch and opened it.-The semi-automatic weapon was nestled in the fitted case inside.-He checked the clip and saw that it was fully loaded.-Then he closed the case and headed out the door with it, with Whitehead close behind him.-Laquidera climbed into the passenger side of the big black Lincoln Town Car, Whitehead scooted under the wheel, and they were on their way to Fordsville to deal with Ramon Mendez.

*-- *-- *--

"How will you get to Texas so you can get back across the border?"-Johnny was really concerned about Ramon.-They truly had come to think of him as almost a member of the family.

"I will call a friend of mine in St. Louis and he will come to pick me up."-Of course, Ramon had no intention of going home.-He would be afraid of putting his family in danger and he had no friend in Missouri—or anywhere else for that matter.-If Garcia and Norton did see him, he was putting the Wroes and O'Reillys, the only people he could possibly call 'friends', in grave danger by staying another night; but he would need the money desperately if he had any chance of getting away from Laquidera.

"Well, if I'm going to stay another night, we might as well get some more work done before bedtime."-That had been right after lunch so they had all afternoon to work.

By three o'clock, it was afternoon break time and Chrissy had just taken some sugar cookies out of the oven.-The recipe was one of Grandmother Thorne's from the beautiful cookbook she had fixed for Chrissy as a wedding gift.-They smelled delicious and Chrissy decided Johnny, Ed, Ramon and the other two workers would enjoy one while they were on break.-As she came down the steps from the front door, she noticed a big black car coming up the driveway they had built from her dad's place to their new house site.-The men were sitting in the shade of a big old Beech tree just on the east side of the house and trailer.-The men were unaware of the car coming up the drive from the north until it was almost to the house site and the passengers in the car couldn't see the men until they got almost to the end of the structure.-When they saw the men under the tree, the man on the passenger side stuck an assault rifle out the window and began shooting.-Ramon jumped up and began running, realizing immediately what was happening.-He started to run toward the trees at the other end of the house; but he suddenly realized that while that was his best chance of getting away, it would also put Chrissy in the direct line of fire.

"Chrissy, go back inside.-Quickly.-Quickly," Ramon shouted.-He knew Jorge would not be the least bit bothered about shooting an innocent woman, not even a pregnant woman even though there wasn't enough of a bulge yet for anyone to know she was pregnant.-So Ramon swerved immediately and ran toward the line of trees way up behind the trailer.-The shooting continued and in a moment they all saw Ramon pitch forward and lie perfectly still.-There were two more bursts of fire aimed at the motionless form that had been Ramon Mendez.-The car's driver did a doughnut in the road and headed back out the way they had come.-Miraculously, nobody else was hurt but when Johnny and Ed reached the body, they could easily tell that Ramon was indeed dead.-Chrissy was on her way up there, too, and Johnny ran to her and headed her off wanting to spare her the horror of seeing Ramon's mutilated body which had been cut almost in two by the vicious attack.

Chrissy screamed, "Oh, Johnny, is he alright?-Do I need to call nine-one-one?-What happened?-Why did those men just shoot him down in cold blood?-Tell me he's going to be alright, Johnny!"-Chrissy sat down on the ground and cried.-Incredulously, she was still carrying the tray of cookies.-

"No, Christina, he's dead, Baby.-But he saved your life by running the other direction.-If he had continued toward the trees on the west, there's a thick enough grove there to have given him some protection, but he saw it would put you in danger so he went the other way.-I can't figure why they would just come up here and start shooting at him and they were definitely shooting at him alone.-Ed and I and the others were sitting ducks, if they had chosen to shoot at us or you, either.-I owe Ramon a lot more than two weeks' wages."-Johnny held Chrissy tightly and in another minute Ed was beside them to be sure his daughter was alright.

They went back to the trailer and called the sheriff and he was there in fifteen minutes.-When Johnny told him one of his workers had been murdered, he realized he would need the coroner, too.-Sheriff Lampton called the coroner and when he arrived a few minutes later, they spent a lot of time at the scene.-Then the body was removed and the coroner took it back to Fordsville and eventually on to Hartford for processing there.-

The sheriff took statements from Ed, Johnny and Chrissy.-About all anybody could tell him about the car and its occupants was that the car was long and black and there seemed to be only the two men in it.-Ed did finally remember that the license plates weren't local and that he thought they had a blue star in the background.

"I think it had some red on it, too.-I remember thinking about 'Texas' when I saw it.-Actually, though, I don't know what Texas license plates look like."

"Neither do I, but I'll find out.-I'm thinking this could be a mob hit or something, Johnny, and I don't know much about investigating something like that.-Of course, I'll do my best to find out who did this but we don't have much dealings with the mobs in this little town.-There's this private eye over at Owensboro who would be a lot more likely to figure this out than I would.-If you can afford it, I'd suggest contacting him."

"Well, Sheriff, I owed the man almost a thousand dollars in wages.-We can start with that and see where it gets us.-Will you call him and see if he'll come out and at least talk to me?"

"Sure, Johnny, and I'll help him in every way I can."

### Chapter Two

Finding A Murderer

"Mom, are you gaining weight?"-Chrissy was looking at her mother in a weird way after Penny had just gotten back from one bathroom after becoming nauseous and Chrissy had just vomited in the other one.

"I guess I'm just getting the middle-age spread, Honey.-Women do that at my age, you know.-I'm forty-one now, and it's to be expected.-It's been almost three months, now, since I've had a period.-I'm hoping that whole monthly thing is over this time.-I've been a little irregular for almost a year.-I missed three periods in a row last year about this time.-At first I was scared to death I was pregnant, but it was just menopause."

"Have you thought about that you could be pregnant this time, Mom?-You know it's not impossible at all."

"Oh, don't be silly, Chrissy, I'm going to be a Grandma in August, right?"

"Right.-But you still could be pregnant, too.-Stranger things have happened.-You know what?-I've still got one home pregnancy test left that I didn't use.-Would you want to try it?-Then we'd know for sure."

"I don't mind trying it if it will make you feel better, Chrissy.-Where is it?-I've got to go back to the bathroom, anyway.-I'm getting sick at my stomach again."

"It's in the front of the medicine cabinet over the lavatory."

A few minutes later, Penny came into the living room and her face was several shades whiter than when she had left.

"Oh, that must have been a bad sick spell.-You look really pale."

"I didn't vomit after all.-I'm looking sick, now, because of the pregnancy test."

"Mom, what did it say?"

"It said I was pregnant.-I....I can't believe this.-It's gotta be wrong.-I can't be expecting a baby.-I just can't be.-It absolutely _has_ to be wrong.-What on earth would I do if I am pregnant?-This is unbelievable.-I could have a baby the same age as my grandbaby.-It's just gotta be wrong!"

"If I were you, I'd go see the obstetrician anyway.-If you don't want anyone to know it, yet, until you're absolutely positive, you could call and make an appointment and you could go with me next Thursday when I go back for my checkup."

"Maybe I should.-What's the number; I'll call right now.-I'm going to feel plumb silly when he tells me I'm just going through the change."-She dialed the number Chrissy gave her and then hung up quickly when the receptionist answered.

"Mom, what did you just do?-Are you going to chicken out on me?"

"No, I guess I'll do it.-It's just so scary, at my age.-Okay here goes for sure this time."-She hit re-dial on the phone.-"Hello.-I'd like to make an appointment to see Dr. Jennings and if I could I'd like the appointment for Thursday, March twenty-third and as near two o'clock as possible.-............You have an opening at one thirty?-Okay, I guess that will be alright.-Ah....Penny Wroe.-Yes.-Okay.-Thank you."

"Sounds like you got it fixed up.-I could almost hope you are pregnant and, actually, those tests are usually pretty accurate.-It'll be hard to wait a week to find out for sure.-I gather you don't intend to tell Dad until you've seen the doctor."

"I don't think so.-I also don't know how he'll feel about it, either.-The twins were a surprise coming along after you were almost grown.-I was sure they'd be my last babies.-Whew!-This is something else.-Your Dad and I will be in our mid-fifties when _they're_ grown and now another one?-Oh, my goodness!-I just can't believe this."

"Can't believe what?" That was Johnny just coming in on the tail end of the conversation, again.-At just that moment, the telephone rang and since Johnny was right there by it, he picked up the receiver.-"Hello.-Yes, speaking.-Oh, yes, Mr. Tavalerio.-Alright, Bernie.-Sure, now and that would be fine."-Johnny still lapsed into his Irish brogue when he wasn't concentrating on his speech.-"Okay, I'll tell you how to get here."-It was the detective that the sheriff had told him about so he gave him directions to the house.

"That was Mr. Tavalerio, the detective who will try to find out who killed Ramon.-He'll be here in about an hour.-I came in after a jug of water, and then I'd better get back out there and let Pop know he's coming."-The ladies were glad he had forgotten to ask again what they had been talking about when he came in so unexpectedly.

"Would you like to walk up to Grandmother's, Mom, and see her and Janet?"

"I'm a little tired and shaky right now, Honey.-I think I'll go back over to the house and maybe lie down for a little while.-Tell them, 'Hi' for me, though.-Okay?"

"Sure, Mom.-That's fine.-Take care and don't overdo until we know for sure everything is okay."-After Penny left, Chrissy had a thought.- _I wonder if she's thought about that she could have twins again.-She was teasing me about the possibility and now it could happen to her._

*-- *-- *--

Bernie Tavalerio asked bunches of questions.-

"What time did the shooting occur?"

"About two-thirty in the afternoon on February 28."

"Who was present at that time?"

"My father-in-law, Ed Wroe, myself, Ramon Mendez, Gary Sarver, and Bart Young.-And Chrissy over at the trailer.-We were sitting under a shade tree out there near the lane drinking water and resting a few minutes."

"Okay.-Who saw the black car first?"

"I guess Chrissy did.-She was at a higher elevation than we were.-The house we were building blocked our view.-I think all of us looked up at about the same time when we heard the engine noise."

"What happened next?"

"The man on the passenger side opened his window, stuck out a gun and began shooting."

They went on to tell the entire story ending with the car driving away and Ramon lying dead.-Tavalerio recorded the session on his tape player/recorder.-He told them he was pretty sure the license plates they described were indeed from Texas.-He also figured from their descriptions that the car was either a Cadillac or a Lincoln Town Car.-When he showed them pictures of both vehicles, they were convinced that it was indeed a black Lincoln.-Bernie immediately called Sheriff Lampton and told him to put out an all points bulletin to be on the look out for a black Lincoln Town Car with Texas license plates probably headed, at this point in time, toward Texas.

Johnny remembered the letter Ramon had received from his mother in Mexico.-They went into Ramon's rooms to check it out.-It was laying on his bed and Bernie picked it up to read it and then discovered it was in Spanish which he couldn't decipher.-He did know that the Spanish word "molestar" meant "trouble." He'd need to find someone who could read it to him.-He went through the remainder of Ramon's things but found nothing else of interest that might help them know what he had been up to prior to working for Johnny and Ed.

Bernie went back to Fordsville to talk things over with the sheriff.-One of the deputies spoke, read and wrote Spanish fluently so he read the letter to the detective and the sheriff and managed to decipher where the letter came from.-It was a little town just across the border from Laredo, Texas known as Nueva Laredo or New Laredo.-Bernie immediately booked a flight to the nearest airstrip to that town.-

Bernie spoke at length with Ramon's family.-Expecting that the Mendez family would speak no English, he had 'borrowed' the Spanish-speaking deputy from Sheriff Lampton and taken him with him as interpreter.-No one had known how to contact them to tell them what had happened to their son.-So, Tavalerio had had to break the bad news of his death.-At first, they were afraid to tell him anything, but after they had talked for a while, they were convinced that this man was genuinely trying to learn who had killed their son and they gave him their complete cooperation.-The only thing they could think of that might help, though was to find a man in or near Laredo, Texas, named Pablo Alvarez.-They had both worked at one time for a man Senor Mendez hadn't liked the looks of.-His name had been Jorge something or other and they were pretty sure his last name was Laquidera or something close to that.

"What kind of work were they doing for this Laquidera or whatever?"

"I'm not sure, Senor, but I'm afraid it was not legal what they were doing.-If you can find Alvarez, you should be getting all kinds of details."

"Yes.-Okay.-Again, I appreciate your talking to me.-I'll let you know what progress we make and, as I said before, my sincerest sympathy for the loss of your son."

Meanwhile, in Fordsville, Pablo Alvarez was becoming truly worried.-Extremely worried, indeed.-His girlfriend, Shera Herndon, came home from getting groceries and told Pablo about the murder of Ramon Mendez.-

"They said it had obviously been an assassination-type murder.-Two guys in a big black car just drove up, shot him several times in the back and then sped away."

"Madre Dios!-They will be after me next.-We must leave here at once."

"But how can we leave without any money, Pablo?-You know how my folks feel about my being with a Mexican and your folks wouldn't like it that you would want an African American.-And where on earth could we go if we had money?"

"Maybe we could get lost up north somewhere and maybe I can steal the money somehow."

"Maybe, somewhere, somehow.-Those are such negative words.-We've got to make a plan; a positive plan."-

"Honey, I love you, Shera, and I don't care who likes it or who doesn't.-Can you get your hands on a gun of some kind?-If I had a gun, I could hold up that convenient store down on Main Street and then get in your car and take off north toward Indianapolis or possibly on over into Illinois and maybe get lost in Chicago.-Just see if you can get us a gun and I'll take it from there.-Maybe you should stay behind and I'll send for you later when I find a place where we'll be safe."

"No, I love you, too, and I want to be with you.-Pablo, where you go, I go.-We'll make it, Baby!"

It was two or three days before Shera could find a gun.-She had made discreet inquiries and when she mentioned it to her sister, Lonnsie, she had said her husband, Nerrill had a nine millimeter that he kept locked up in the glove box in his car.-

That night Pablo and Shera had put their clothes and toiletries and some food and drinks into Shera's blue PT Cruiser and drove over to Nerrill's house.-The night was rainy and miserable but it suited their purpose pretty well.-There should be fewer people out on a night like this, they thought.-They waited until there were no lights on in the house and then Pablo sneaked into the car and with the screw driver he had brought from Shera's house, he pried open the glove box and took out the gun and a whole box of ammunition.-Putting it under his coat, he hurried back to where Shera was waiting in her car and they took off for the Seven Eleven on Main Street.-Once again Shera waited in the car as Pablo made a dash for the convenience store.-

Mindy Thompson was scared within an inch of her life.-She had always hated storms and then when she was thirteen, a tornado had followed on the heels of a particularly obnoxious lightning storm and had actually picked up the almost hysterical girl and set her down again, unharmed, but literally scared almost to death.-She didn't like working the night shift by herself anyway, but she needed the work and at twenty-four everybody expected her to have outgrown all her little-girl fears.-But she hadn't.-She was sticking it out, though, in spite of her chattering teeth and wobbly knees.

Pablo had waited until there didn't seem to be any other customers and he went in with the gun drawn.-He showed the gun to the clerk.-She was already half crazy from the storm.-The lightning was flashing and the thunder was rolling and the rain was pouring and Mindy didn't like any of it.-When Pablo told her to open the cash register, she complied without question.-There looked to be close to five hundred dollars in the cash drawer even though the sign said there was never more than a hundred dollars in the register at one time and Pablo took it all.-He left her lying on the floor, completely unhurt with orders to count to five hundred before she moved.-Mindy promised she wouldn't move a muscle and Pablo hurried out to the car and Shera took off.-They headed for Dundee and from there they planned to go on up to Owensboro on the William H. Natcher Toll Road and cross the Ohio River there into Indiana and head on north to either Indianapolis or Chicago.-

But as Robert Burns put it:-The best laid plans of mice and men aft gang agley.-Their plans definitely ganged agley way out in left field somewhere.-They got lost in the rain much as Ed and Penny and their family did a couple of years earlier and before they could figure out just what went wrong, they were pulling up to the O'Reilly's house site. Neither of them had any idea where they were nor how to get back to where they needed to be.

There were still lights on in the trailer behind the house so they knocked on the door and when Johnny opened it, he saw a young man who was obviously Mexican.-His first thought was that he might be a relative of Ramon's.-At any rate it was too nasty to let them stand out in the rain, so he invited them into the living room.-He was surprised that the young woman was a black girl.-Black and white couples were still fairly rare in the Kentucky backwoods; but you almost never saw a Latino and an African American together.

Pablo spoke up as Chrissy was entering the room.-"My name is Pablo and this is my girlfriend, Shera.-We were headed to Dundee and we somehow got lost in the rain.-Could you please give us directions so we can find our way back out of here?-Por favor."

"We would be most grateful, if you can point us in the right direction. My sister is expecting us and she will be worried big-time if we don't show up soon."

"Of course, we'd be glad to help.-When I first saw you out there in the rain, I thought you might be a relative of Ramon Mendez.-He had been staying with us when he was shot and killed.-We're still trying to find out why he was murdered.-He seemed like such a nice young man."

"He was a nice man and a good amigo.-I'm not a family member but we had worked together for quite a while until recently."-Pablo thought immediately that he probably shouldn't have said that.-But these people seemed genuinely concerned about his death.-

"Do you think I could use your bathroom, Ma'am?"-All this rain coupled with the excitement and then the frustration of getting lost had made Shera need to go badly.

"Of course.-Right this way, Shera.-Did I say your name correctly?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I'm Chrissy.-And I'm learning what it means to need to go a lot.-I'm about four months pregnant."

"I'll bet that is exciting.-Some day I want children, too.-When Pablo and I get settled, that is."

In the living room, the phone was ringing and Johnny reached to answer it.-"Hello.-Yes, Bernie.-You just got back, I guess.-Yes.-What was that last name again?-Yes, Okay.-Alright then.-Thanks for calling.-I'll see you tomorrow.-Bye.

"Now, Pablo.-You said you need directions to Dundee.-Okay.-What did you say your last name is?-Was it 'Alvarez'?"

"I didn't think I said my last name.-But it is 'Alvarez.'"

"Pablo, I think I need your help more than you need mine.-When Ramon was killed I hired a detective to try to find out who killed him.-That was the detective who just called.-He had been down to Nueva Laredo to talk to Ramon's family.-He said they told him to find a young man named Pablo Alvarez and he would know what kind of work Ramon had been doing and who he'd been working for and all that.-They told Bernie that you and Ramon had been good friends.-If that's true, then you might be able to help me find the bastards who killed him."

Ramon thought about that for a few moments and then sadly shook his head.-"I would like to help you, Senor, but that bastardo will be after me, too.-I am already probably a dead man and if I help you, there will be no doubt I will be muerto."-Pablo was trembling pitifully now and Shera became quite troubled when she came back into the room.

"What's wrong, Pablo?-You look like you've seen a ghost."-Then she looked at Johnny.-"What have you done to him?"

"It's okay, Shera.-But he knows that Ramon and I both used to work for Jorge Laquidera.- He wants me to help him identify the boss man; but I just explained that I can't because he would kill me for sure if I did."

"But, Honey, if they could find him and put him in jail, then we'd have nothing to fear from him."

"It's a big operation and they'd never be able to catch them all.-Whoever was left would still come after me.-And if you're with me, they would hurt you, too.-It's just too big a chance to take.-Drug dealers take it personally when someone snitches on them."

Johnny spoke up.-"If we can catch up with most of them, even, the ones who we don't catch are going to be so busy trying to save their own hides they won't have time to worry about you, Pablo.-Let me tell you what we can do.-I'll talk to the sheriff.-Sheriff Lampton is a good friend of mine.-If you put yourself in protective custody, you could help them apprehend the drug dealers.-Then they could put you in the witness protection program; give you new identities and relocate you to a place where they'd have no way to find you.-Would you consider doing that, Pablo?"

"I might except that I just robbed a convenience store in Fordsville.-I'd end up in jail with the same guys I'm trying to get away from.-Then I'd have no protection at all."

"Pablo, will you let me call the sheriff and talk to him about all of it without giving him any names at all and see what kind of deal he could offer?"

"What do you think, Shera?-I don't know what to do."

"I think it sounds like our best chance of staying alive if they will make that kind of deal.-We still have the money we took and we could give it back if they would let us.-I say we go for it."

"Okay, call and see if they will do as you said they might.-But don't tell him we're here.-Tell him you have a name and 'if you can find him' would he make that deal."

Johnny called Sheriff Lampton and outlined the whole situation to him including the robbery.-The sheriff already knew about the robbery but he had absolutely no clues or leads.-The clerk had been too scared to even realize that it had been a Latino who robbed her.-After talking for several minutes, Johnny hung up and told Pablo and Shera that the sheriff had bought the whole deal.

"The sheriff said if you returned the money and helped them locate the guys who killed Mendez, they would totally forget the robbery.-Then after you testified against the killers, they would give you citizenship status and put you both into witness protection with relocation and the whole nine yards.-Will you do this for your friend, Ramon?"

Pablo and Shera looked at each other and nodded.-"Okay, we'll do it.-Call him back and tell him to come and get us—if you will let us stay here until the sheriff comes."

"Absolutely, Pablo.-I know Ramon would be so proud of you.-If I had only known, I might have been able to make the same deal for him and he might still be alive.-Anyway, I'll call the sheriff right now."-- When Johnny hung up, he told them Sheriff Lampton would be there in just a few minutes.--

"What can we do with Shera's car?-We can't take it with us—it would be too easy to spot."

"We'll see what the sheriff thinks when he gets here.-If he doesn't have a good solution, there's a shed up at my grandmother's that we could store it in for a while at least."

It was only about fifteen minutes before the sheriff got there and took them back to his office.-He questioned Pablo for most of the rest of the night and got the names of the people involved in the drug smuggling operation, the location of the main office, a layout of the office, the places where firearms were kept and what type they had and a lot of other good information.-By daybreak, he was ready to start planning the raid to put the heroin ring out of commission for good.-Before there was anyone on the streets, Sheriff Lampton just managed to sneak the two informants into an unmarked car and get them to Owensboro to a safe house where they could stay until they were needed for trial.

Also before daylight, Johnny took the PT Cruiser up to Lydia's old barn they no longer used and pulled it inside and locked the doors.-Johnny and Chrissy were quite pleased that they had been able to help avenge their friend's death but they sure were hopeful that there might be a little less excitement at their place for a while.

Two days later, though, it was time to visit the doctor again and, as planned, Penny took Chrissy for the appointment and had her appointment just before Chrissy's.-Penny hadn't come out yet when they called Chrissy in for her examination.-When they finished with Chrissy, Penny was sitting in the waiting room.

"Okay, Mom, what did they tell you?"-Chrissy asked as soon as they had gotten outside.

Penny rolled her eyes and got a long breath.-"I am pregnant.-The doctor told me he was setting my due date as August twelfth.-Isn't that what he told you?-Good grief, Chrissy!-What if we give birth the same day?-I still can't believe it!-It just can't be happening to me.-I'm too old to go through pregnancy and childbirth again.-I wish I knew how your father will feel about this."-By this time, Penny was crying.-Her hormones were raging and she simply couldn't help it.

Chrissy tried to comfort her mother; though, actually, she thought it would be sort of nice to both be going through the same thing at the same time.-Maybe her mother would feel better about it later.

*-- *-- *

It had been almost two weeks since Pablo and Shera had turned themselves in and Johnny was wondering what was happening in the search for Ramon's killer so he called Sheriff Lampton.

"If you had called fifteen minutes earlier, I would have told you there was no news; but just now Detective Tavalerio came in with Captain Powell from the Laredo Police Department in Texas.-Since Detective Tavalerio is aware of all the aspects of the case, they have sworn him in as a deputy and he's assisting with the case.-They will be talking with Pablo Alvarez in a little while and getting as many facts from him as possible."

"And Pablo and Shera are alright, then?"

"Yes, they're fine.-A little nervous, I think, about having to testify and all, but they're fine.-When Jorge Laquidera is apprehended, I think we will be trying him here for murder and then he will be extradited back to Texas to stand trial there on the heroin smuggling charges.-I'll try to keep you informed of the progress in the case."

"Thanks, sheriff.-I'll appreciate that a lot."

When he hung up the phone, Sheriff Lampton turned to Captain Powell and Detective Tavalerio.-"That was the man who helped us with taking Alvarez into custody.-We'd still be nowhere in this case if he hadn't talked Alvarez into turning himself in."

-"How about if we get everyone on a first name basis.-Using all the titles just takes too much time.-I'm Dan."

"I'll be glad to be 'Bernie' if that's alright with everybody."

"I'm Owen and that will make this investigation a lot easier.-I've sent two deputies in plain clothes and unmarked car to pick up Pablo from the safe house and they should be back any minute.-They'll park in the garage so no one will see Pablo getting out of the car.-Oh, here they are now.-Come in Pablo and sit right here if you will."

"You're absolutely sure I'm not going to get in any more trouble when I tell you all the stuff we do when we work for Jorge?"-Pablo was trying to cover his ass.

"You have my word as a police officer and as a gentleman, Pablo."

"And ours as well.-Your service to us will be of great value and the information you have should help us save countless lives that would be ruined by the heroin that we can keep off our streets and away from our young people.-Besides, we can also hope to apprehend and punish the ones responsible for the murder of your friend, Ramon.-If you're ready, we can begin."

"I'm ready, I guess."-Pablo's hands fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt and moved restlessly to his hair, his ear, his collar.-When he shook hands with Captain Powell, he had noticed his palms were sweaty and his skin was clammy and he swallowed dryly several times.

"Would you like something to drink; some coffee perhaps or a soft drink?" Owen asked.

"Si, por favor; that would help."

When he had taken several sips of the Coke, he indicated he was ready to begin.

"When did you begin working for Laquidera?"

"Three years ago in April.-I don't remember the exact date."

"How were you paid?"-Captain Powell was doing the questioning.

"In cash only—American money."

"Where did you go to get paid?"

"Sometimes we were paid when we delivered the drugs.-Other times, we had to go to the main office on Pueblo Street there in Laredo."

"What was the street number, Pablo?"

"219 Pueblo Street."

"And you received your wages directly from Laquidera?"

"Sometimes.-Other times his second in command, Jose Paschall, gave us our envelopes.-When Jose paid us, the money was almost always short.-When we complained, Jose said he had taken out his 'delivery fee.'-I think Jose was Jorge's cousin or some relation, so we knew talking to Jorge would do no good."

"Can you describe both of these men to us?"

"I would be more able to draw them for you.-If I could have a pencil and unlined paper?"

"Okay."-Owen went into his office and came back with several sheets of typing paper.-Pablo went to work immediately and began to sketch a likeness of a Latino man with black hair, receding hair line, long aquiline nose, dark eyes set close together, a thick, heavy-set neck, bushy eyebrows, a sneering mouth partly covered by a shaggy, unkempt moustache.

"That is amazing art work, Pablo.-When we relocate you, you need to do something special with that extraordinary talent.-I'll e-mail this to the state lab in Frankfort and see if they can match it to someone in our data base."

"You might want to get it to the Austin identi-bank, also.-Since his headquarters is there, we might be more likely to be able to match it there,"-Dan suggested.

Sheriff Lampton went back to his office and e-mailed it to both places as well as the federal boys in Washington.-When he came back, he also had a sketch of Jose Paschall to send on the way.-Jose was a short, skinny man and although he had some Latino features, he also had some of the features attributable to his American mother.-His complexion was fairer with hair a little lighter shade and eyes that Pablo indicated were a bright blue.-There was a jagged scar on his right cheekbone and his nose was crooked from having been broken, Pablo said, in a saloon fight.-His mouth had the same harsh, cruel slant to it that he had drawn for Jorge and Jose's eyes, though blue instead of black, were set close together like Jorge's.-There definitely seemed to be a family resemblance.-

"Okay, Pablo, you have been most helpful and your talent for doing portraits will certainly assist greatly in tracking down these two culprits.-Now, if you will, please write down the names of any others of the gang members you can remember.-We need to put away the whole crew if we can.-Do you know if there was anyone who Laquidera answered to?"

"There was, but I never heard his name.-He was only referred to as "The Boss" in my hearing."

The questioning continued for some time and Pablo drew some sketches of others of the gang and made a drawing of the inside of the office on Pueblo Street complete with the location of Jorge's office and the cache of arms they kept at all times.-He also mapped the three different routes they took when they came in with drugs and explained the methods they used to camouflage the contraband to keep it from being found by the border officials.-It had been a very productive session, indeed.

The next morning they had word from the Austin, Texas computer technology lab that they had matched the sketch drawn by Pablo to one Jorge Laquidera who had served time for assault almost fifteen years prior.-Since he had been released following his completion of a three year sentence, he had kept his nose clean to the extent that they had not been able to get enough evidence to charge him with anything.-Jose, they had found no matches for and assumed he had no criminal record, yet.

* * *

Ed had taken the news of Penny's pregnancy pretty calmly, considering.-He had been a little concerned at Penny's having to go through that again at her age.-And, he knew that mid-life pregnancies were more risky both for mother and baby—or babies.-He was quite aware that Penny could be carrying twins again.-As for Candy and Andy, they seemed to have mixed feelings.-They just might be a little jealous; maybe a bit embarrassed, but, all in all, considerably excited there would be another little one around to play with.

As for Penny, she took turns laughing and crying; but, of course, that was, at least partially, hormones.-Without a doubt, she would love another child with all her heart but she still had some misgivings about her ability to cope with the situation.-She felt, too, that it was incongruous that she would have a child and a grandchild the same age.-Sure, she knew it happened; but somehow it just seemed out of place.-It happened to other people—not Penelope Marie Wroe.

When Penny and Ed went back in two weeks for the ultra-sound, they realized they were almost as excited as they had been when she was pregnant about six years ago with the twins.-Would there be two tiny little lives inside her this time?-The doctor let them both look at the ultra-sound with him and when the image came up on the screen, it appeared to be a normal, healthy little girl; at least they couldn't see a "weenie" as the doctor put it.-The "weenie" had been prominently on display when Chrissy had gotten her ultra-sound a few days earlier.-So Johnny and Chrissy would be having Thomas Allan, "Tommy", for short.

Ed and Penny had talked about names but they decided to wait and see, first of all, how many; and the sex, before they did much name-choosing.

"I'd kind of like to name her after Aunt Lorraine.-After all, they did leave us this house and farm.-I had thought about naming a boy 'Calhoun' and call him 'Cal' but since it seems we'll have another girl, how about calling her 'Lorrie Anne?'"-

"That would be after your mother, Anna Lou, and Aunt Lorraine; and I like 'Lorrie'; that's a cute name.-Little Lorrie, how are you baby girl?" Ed said as he gently patted Penny's already pooching tummy.-Penny dissolved into tears.-No reason, really, except hormones and just because Ed was being so sweet.-

Penny found herself teary-eyed again when she called her Aunt Genny and Uncle Jack to tell them her news.

"I feel like such an idiot.-I called to tell you I would be a grandmother in August and now I'm calling to let you know I'll also be a new mother in August.-I had been so sure I was through with my monthly cycles and here I am pregnant."

"Penny, dear, you act as though you're the first woman who had children as young or younger than her grandchildren.-It happens all the time, honey.-You mustn't feel badly about it.-You're such a terrific mother, the good Lord just decided you needed one more.-It is just one this time, isn't it?"

"Yes, thank goodness!-I know I'm going to love this little one every bit as much as I do the three I already have but.....I don't know.-I just feel so old and I'm going to be a grandmother."-Her voice caught on a small sob but she managed to finish the conversation without breaking down completely.

Penny insisted that Ed should call his father and brother in California and tell them and he finally agreed to do that.-Ed wasn't really what you'd call delighted about the new baby but, like Penny, he knew he would love it dearly when it got here.

Things, it seemed, were slowly getting back to normal.-Johnny talked to the sheriff fairly often and learned that things were looking up in that department as well.-Of course they couldn't give out any details but he could know that the investigation was definitely progressing and plans were being made. The new house was almost done.-There was still a little inside work to be completed.- But, if all continued to go well, they should be living in the new house before the babies were born.-Dr. Jennings was still predicting August twelfth for both of them and both Penny and Chrissy were 'showing.' They had made a trip to Owensboro last week to buy some maternity clothes and some things for the babies.-

Grandmother Lydia was still rather weak and Janet and Bruce had elected to stay on.-In fact, Bruce had made an announcement as he and Janet were getting ready for bed the evening before.

"I've been thinking about it and I've about decided to see if there are any openings with the engineering firms in Owensboro.-I do like living in Kentucky and I feel we're actually needed here.-With the new baby coming, Johnny and Chrissy aren't going to be in a position to watch after Lydia as she needs to be looked after.-So, what would you think about making this a semi-permanent move to Kentucky?"

"Oh, Honey, I think that would be a fantastic idea.-Mom does need us and I think the family back home would understand.-Kathleen will graduate in a few weeks from high school and will be entering college in the fall.-I guess we could give her the choice of coming to live with us and going to school here or staying there."

"Yes, but with Sean married now, I'm thinking he'll prefer staying in Athenry in Ireland to be near Marcie's family.-I remember Grandma Bonnie saying, 'a daughter's a daughter for all of her life; but a son is a son 'til he takes him a wife.'-And I guess it's probably a true statement."

"If you're sure you want to do this, I'm just so pleased, Bruce."-Janet was actually more than pleased; she was relieved.-She had hated the idea of leaving her mother alone now that they were reunited.-It had taken twenty-five years for Lydia to forgive her for running off and getting married without her permission.-Now, as two adults they had formed a bond as mother and daughter and an even deeper rapport as friends.-It was wonderful to have a mother for a friend, too, and Janet felt that it would be really painful to give up that closeness now.

So it was settled; they would stay in Kentucky at least as long as Lydia was alive and needed them.-Lydia was already finding it difficult to climb the stairs, so with her consent, she and Bruce and Johnny had moved her bedroom to the first floor.-There had already been a bedroom on the first floor; but Lydia enjoyed having the furniture she had used for years.-Therefore, they had swapped the bedroom suite on the second floor with the one that had been on the lower level.-That way Lydia had all the things she was accustomed to having around her still close and she didn't need to climb the stairs so often.-They had put up new wallpaper in the downstairs bedroom and painted and fixed it up, put down new carpeting, put up new drapes and bought new comforters for her bed.-It did look nice and Lydia loved it.

Lydia declared she was well enough now to do most of the cooking and that was her contribution.-If, on occasion, Lydia looked a little too tired, Janet would insist on fixing the meals that day.-Janet also took care of the cleaning, the laundry and other household chores.-Of course, Bruce did the feeding, the milking, and took care of the lawn and other outdoor jobs.-Everything was working out well and everybody seemed happy and contented.-If Lydia felt up to it, Janet would take her on her shopping trips and Lydia seemed to enjoy that very much.

Often, in the evenings, the phone would ring and it would be for Lydia.-Janet kept teasing her mom until she found out it was Ed's father, Fred, who was calling.-She would hear her mother almost giggling like a teenager sometimes and she couldn't help wondering what on earth she and Fred were talking about.-But she was happy for her mother and so glad she was feeling enough better to be joking and teasing.

*-- *-- *--

In Laredo, Texas, Captain Powers had picked up one of the smugglers that Pablo had believed might be one of the weaker links. He remembered that Jim had said to him that he sometimes wished he had a different job and he felt he might be their best bet at infiltrating the organization and learning their plans.-Jim Norton was squirming in his chair and sweating profusely.-His hair was streaked with gray and several places in his face full of whiskers were completely white.-His almost non-existent chin gave a weak look to his face.-His wide dark eyes seemed to dart from right to left and then back again with alarming speed.-His attitude was both insecure and belligerent and he was constantly balling his hands into fists and then relaxing them as though he didn't know if he wanted to run or to fight.

"What the hell do you want with me?-I ain't done nothin' to be hassled about."

"Jim, now we know that isn't exactly true, don't we?"-The soft spoken chief of police had a great track record for encouraging suspect cooperation.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, man."

"Who are you working for, Jim?"

"I ain't got no job right now."

"Jim, that's not true either, is it?"

"Listen, you either charge me with somethin' or let me the hell out of here."

"If that's the way you want it, the charge is murder, Jim."

"Murder?-Murder?-Now, you just wait a minute!-I may have done some pretty bad things, but I ain't never murdered nobody!"

"Right now, I have enough evidence to get an indictment against you.-My men are going through your apartment and when they've finished, I'm betting I'll have even more evidence against you—maybe even the gun that was used to kill Ramon Mendez.-I saw you riding in the black Lincoln Town Car that has been identified as the vehicle that the shots were fired from when Mendez was murdered."

"Oh, god!-I may have been ridin' in it the other day, but I wasn't ridin' in it the day they killed Ramon.-I knew they was goin' to do it but I didn't have nothin' to do with doin' it."

"Okay.-Just how did you know that he was to be killed?"

"The boss said if we didn't shut him up, we could all end up in jail and he would have to make an example of him for runnin' off and quittin' like he done."

"Running off and quitting what, Jim?"

"Oh, damn!-I've already said too much.-Maybe I'd better get me a lawyer."

"Now, Jim, I can pretend I didn't hear anything about a lawyer if you want me to so I can help you help yourself.-It's up to you, Jim, but I can assure you that a lawyer isn't going to be able to help you as much as I can if you cooperate with us.-As I said, it's up to you, Jim."

"I'm not sure anythin' is gonna help me at this point.-If I talk to you, I'm a dead man.-If Laquidera finds out I've been arrested, I'm still a dead man.-I don't know what the hell to do."-By this time, Norton was shaking and almost at the point of tears.-"If my stupid sister hadn't gone and married Garcia's brother, I'd never have known anythin' about the drug smugglin' shit in the first place."-In fact, he was so upset, he didn't even realize that he was talking about the job and using names.-

"I can try to get you a deal, Jim, if you cooperate with us.-I can see that you didn't actually intend to get into illegal activities and I can see that you are remorseful for what you've done.-If you turn states' evidence and help us put these guys behind bars, I'll do my best to see that you're protected.-But if you want to take your chances with a lawyer, I can't promise you any kind of help at all, Jim.-You've got to make up your mind.-Do you want to work with us in putting these people where they belong or do you want to trust a lawyer to keep you out of jail?-Of course, if you're not in protective custody, there's every probability that you'll wind up like poor Mendez.-What's it going to be, Jim?"

"I won't stand a chance in hell of not bein' bumped off in jail, either.-They can bribe anybody.-All they have to do is find out I've been in the police station and my life is over."

"But, Jim, if you cooperate with us, nobody will have to know you've talked to us at all."-Just then a tall, lean man with sandy brown hair mostly covered with a big sombrero entered the interrogation room.-His deep blue eyes looked quite serious even though his easy smile curved his lips upward.-He offered his hand to Norton and introduced himself.

"Howdy, Jim.-My name is Charles Harrington and I'm with the Drug Enforcement Agency.-The DEA has been trying to catch the drug ring that's been working these parts for almost six years.-What we'd like to propose to you is that you go along with them as though nothing's going on at all different.-You find out when the next shipment is coming across the border and let us know and when we close in on them, we'll pretend like we're arresting you along with them and then after it's all over, you won't be prosecuted for the smuggling operation.-Can you do that, Mr. Norton?"

"I don't know.-I'll be scared to death they'll catch on to what I'm doin' and they'll kill me.-There's not a doubt in the world, they'd shoot me down like a dog without a second's hesitation.-I don't know what to do.-I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.-Damn!"

"You just told Captain Powers that if they find out you've talked to us, they'll kill you anyway.-If you choose not to cooperate, there'll be no way to keep them from finding out.-So, when you come right down to it, what do you have to lose?"

"I guess I don't actually have a choice at all.-I guess I'll go along with you.-But are you just gonna let me walk outta here on my own?-What's to keep me from double-crossing you?"

"Well, now, Jim," Captain Powers explained, "you've already given us a couple of names of people we can pick up and we'd make damn sure they know who gave us the names.-So I don't think you'd want to do that, would you?"

"Okay.-Okay.-I get the point!"

"You'll also want to help us catch as many of them as possible.-Otherwise, whoever isn't caught might figure out who ratted out the rest of them.-Then those still on the loose would have no reservations about going after you."

"Alright, I'll tell you everythin' you want to know.-Everythin' _I_ know, that is."

The rest of the afternoon was spent in getting all the details they possibly could from Jim Norton.-Then they compared Norton and Alvarez's stories and descriptions.-Most everything came out exactly the same so they had good reason to believe they had completely reliable information.-Then, after dark, they took Norton in an unmarked pickup truck to a section of town that he frequented and let him out.-Norton promised them he would get in touch with them as soon as he knew about the next shipment.-When Garcia asked him where he'd been all day, he told them he had been in bed most of the day.-He managed to cough fairly convincingly and sniffle some.-He was badly enough scared that he didn't need to do much faking to make his voice sound hoarse.

Two days later on Thursday, Norton called headquarters from a pay phone and told them the next shipment would be that same night and they would be taking route two, which meant they would be coming across the main bridge from Nueva Laredo, Mexico into the U.S.-He told them that the heroin would be delivered to the main office on Pueblo Street in Laredo, Texas and all the main men were expected to be there.-It would be one of the largest shipments they had ever delivered.-They should arrive at that address around seven in the evening.

DEA Harrington and Captain Powers set up their surveillance teams along the route laid out by both Pablo Alvarez back in Kentucky and by Jim Norton there in Texas.-They had decided to not even try to stop the shipment at the border but to try to seal off all the exits from the office on Pueblo Street and round up everybody there.

"I want every exit sealed air-tight, men.-As soon as the men with the shipment enter the building, I want two men on every door.-Oh, and that includes the exit to the roof.-It would be too easy to escape that way into a helicopter that could be awaiting deployment at a moment's notice.-In fact, check the roof and see to it that one isn't already waiting for the shipment.-Keep as low a profile as possible but I want everybody arrested who's connected to this drug operation."

"You got it, Captain.-We'll have it sewed up so tight a shadow couldn't get through."

"The caravan should be arriving in approximately fourteen minutes and there should be five vehicles in the convoy.-Make sure all the cars are accounted for before you move into place at the exits."-Harrington's radio squawked and he spoke into it briefly before turning back to his men.-"I've just been told that the 'firemen have rescued the cat' which means they have just passed the first checkpoint at the bridge.-Move at once into your assigned places and stay out of sight until the last moment."

Two officers were just below street level in a manhole appearing to work on city utility infrastructure.-Two more ascended to the roof by way of some scaffolding that purported to belong to window washers.-Three others seemed to be operating a street cleaning machine and two more were suspended from a bucket truck with three others out of sight inside the truck.-A garbage truck came down the street appearing to be picking up trash.-None of these activities seemed to be the least bit out of place.-It would look to the casual observer as though everything was "business as usual."

Just as the first of the vehicles that had been described in detail to Harrington by the surveillance teams came into sight, a uniformed man alighted from his florist delivery truck.-He took a huge bouquet of roses from the back of the truck and made his way to the front door of the building where the offices of the smugglers were located.

"Hey, it must be your birthday, Mrs. Blackaby.-Do you know how lucky you are to have a husband who cares enough to send you two dozen yellow roses?"-As the first of the drug runners were entering the building, he was in serious conversation with the receptionist about the flowers which the delivery man kept between him and the three men who headed for the elevator.

"But it isn't my birthday and my husband never sends flowers."

"Then it must be your anniversary.-Yeah, how many years have you been married, Mrs. Blackaby?"

"It isn't my anniversary, either.-Maybe they've been misdirected."-Two more men entered the elevator.

"Well, it says right here on the card, 'Deliver to:-Mrs. Willene Blackaby at the Forrester Building at 219 Pueblo Street.'-That is you, is it not?-They are beautiful flowers, aren't they?"

"Well, of course, they're gorgeous and yellow roses are my favorite but I can't imagine why anyone would be sending them to me."-Two more men headed for the elevator and then a third came hurrying after them.-

"How about opening the card and seeing who sent them?-That couldn't hurt could it?-I don't have any idea where I would find someone else with your name.-Do you?"-While she reluctantly opened the card on the little plastic holder that was stuck in the vase with the flowers, the delivery man (a.k.a. Officer Bolton), watched as four more of the gang headed for the elevator.-That accounted for the fourth car in the cavalcade—one more to go.

"It just says, 'From your secret admirer' but I still don't know who it could be from."-The front door opened for the fifth time and three more men came through it and, like the other eleven, they were carrying heavy looking bags with them.-But suddenly there was a problem.-A big problem.-The first three men who had gone up came out of the elevator and headed for the exit.-Officer Bolton knew the other officers would not have had time to reach the exits to seal them off.- Thinking on his feet, he headed them off before they could reach the door.

"Hey, fellows, I'm trying to deliver these beautiful yellow roses and this lady has the right name but she doesn't seem to think they were meant for her.-Would you look at this card and see if you can help me out?"-As Bolton had hoped, the men had stopped and passed the card from one to the other.

"Hey, Kenneth, what's that gal's name up on the ninth floor?-She had some flowers just like this the other day.-Maybe this is a repeat order and they got the names mixed up."-The job was done and Juan was ready to relax.

"Yeah, but it was her anniversary.-It couldn't be her anniversary again this soon."

Perez spoke up with a half sneer on his face.-"Unless she's like my ex-wife who had three guys drooling after her.-I found out later she was supposedly married to two of us at the same time."- Half a dozen officers in riot gear entered the building and before any of them knew what was happening, the three suspects had been handcuffed and herded into a conference room.-

Willene Blackaby sat in open-mouthed astonishment as she watched the scene before her unfold.-"What in heaven's name is going on?"

"Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Blackaby, I'm an officer, too, and the flowers are yours.-I sent them."

With all the exits covered securely now, almost two dozen agents headed for the elevator and the stairs.-They converged on the third floor and headed toward the back of the building and the drug operation's main office.-Six more men came up on the elevator and went toward the area where Pablo had indicated the arms cache was located and they secured that area.

Then the DEA and Police officers stormed the main office and arrested the other eleven smugglers, Jorge Laquidera, Jose Paschall, Faron Whitehead _and_ Carl Forrester.-Of course, Jim Norton was arrested along with the others.-When they got back to headquarters, though, they separated the men into small groups and segregated Norton from the others.-That way nobody knew who was in which group and no one realized that Norton was no longer among the prisoners.-They questioned Norton again.

"Do you know of any others who weren't on site at the time of the arrest?-Jim, you know it's in your best interest to help us clean house completely, right?"

"There was Ramon Mendez; but I heard he was assassinated back in Kentucky.-And then there was Pablo Alvarez.-The last time I saw him was in Kentucky, too, but I don't know what happened to him.-They may have killed him, too."

"Okay, we'll check those two out.-Thank you, Jim."-Of course they _knew_ what happened to them:-one of them was dead and the other in witness protection.-"You've done a fine job and it is much appreciated.-We'll put you in the witness protection program where you'll be safe from retribution from the gang."

As soon as Tavalerio reported back to Sheriff Lampton that the capture was complete, the Kentucky authorities began extradition proceedings to bring Jorge back to the Commonwealth to stand trial for the murder of Ramon Mendez.-The warrant would, of course, include Faron Whitehead who drove the car from which Ramon had been murdered.-That made Whitehead an accessory before and after the fact.-Ed and Johnny were much relieved that they had all been apprehended and Laquidera and Whitehead would be brought back to Hartford to stand trial.- Sheriff Lampton was hoping to begin the trial by the end of May.-Both Penny and Chrissy would be about six months along by that time so they shouldn't have any problem in testifying.-Penny had seen the big black Lincoln Town Car both as it came through and as it went back by their house.-She had also heard the shots.-Chrissy, of course, had seen the entire thing.-She would have been too far away to actually recognize the shooter but the car had been unique to anything they normally saw in that area.-

Sheriff Lampton assured them they had enough evidence to put Laquidera away for life or he could even receive the death penalty.-That was about six weeks away, though, and there was a lot to do between now and the trial.

Back in Webb County, Texas, the county sheriff's phone rang.-He was sitting leaned back in his chair with his dusty boots plopped carelessly on the top of his desk.

"Hello, Sheriff Lester Finkley speaking."- Recognizing the voice on the other end of the line, he immediately set up straight in his chair and planted both feet firmly on the floor.-"Yes, sir............Yes, sir...........Of course, you pay me quite generously, sir...........But, sir, I only found out this morning about the entire operation...........No, sir.-It was a Laredo Police Department and DEA effort, sir.-I had no part—..........I don't know why my department wasn't notified, sir............I understand the entire smuggling ring was arrested from Carl Forrester on down.............Yes, sir, them, too.............I suppose I should have been aware of the sting, but...............No, sir, you don't have the wrong man on your payroll...............I'll find out as soon as possible, sir............Okay, okay, immediately, sir."

In spite of the overworked air conditioner, Sheriff Lester Finkley was perspiring profusely.-He wiped the almost dripping dampness from his upper lip with his starched and creased uniform shirt.-The sparse strings of hair on his shiny scalp were wet with sweat and his jowls were visibly shaking as he levered his more than ample frame out of the chair and began mumbling to himself.

"I don't know what he expected me to do.-I had no idea they were going after the stupid smuggling ring.-How was I supposed to know about it?-Am I expected to keep track of what goes on in the LPD and the DEA, the ATF and the Texas Rangers and every other damn law enforcement group in Texas?-It's bad enough he expects me to protect the smuggling operation from being hassled by my own men.-Sure, he pays me pretty good, but it isn't always easy, either.-Now he wants me to find out who tipped off the ones who made the bust.-I have no idea _how_ he expects me to do that but I'm expected to do it anyway."-He was still grumbling to himself when he slammed his office door as he was leaving.

Chief Deputy Colton Keenan had come in the back way and had had to hurry to the bathroom.-He was just coming through the bathroom door on his way up front and he stopped to get his holster back on and adjust all the paraphernalia—handcuffs, baton, mace, taser, etc.—that had to be re-attached.-As he was beginning to refasten everything, he heard the phone ring in the sheriff's office.-He didn't know if Sheriff Finkley was in or not, so he was trying to hurry so he could answer, if necessary.-But he heard the sheriff answer, so he relaxed.-Then he heard the sheriff's deferential end of the conversation.-He hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but he was there and he couldn't help hearing.-He had no idea to whom his boss would be talking but there were only about three people he spoke to in that subservient voice: County Judge Hank Belliden, Senator Darrell Kirkland and Governor Dan Anderson.

He had just finished his adjustments to his equipment belt and holster when he heard the remarks the sheriff was making to himself as he prepared to leave.-True, the sheriff was mumbling to himself, but Deputy Keenan had heard enough to be quite concerned about the integrity of the sheriff, his office and whomever he had been talking to on the phone.-His statement about protecting the smuggling ring, reporting the snitches, and all the other stuff had him worried—a lot.-

Deputy Keenan took off his broad-brimmed hat and scratched his sandy fuzz-covered head. His light complexion caused his dark brown eyes to look almost black and the eyeglasses he wore gave him an even more serious look.-His frown caused deep furrows above the almost invisible brown of his brows.-His eyes showed plainly how troubled he was and he wondered what in the hell he should do.-Who could he talk to?-If, indeed, the sheriff was crooked, who could Keenan trust?-Who else might be on the 'payroll' the sheriff had admitted to being on?-He'd have to do some thinking about this.-Of course, the big man that the sheriff answered to didn't _have_ to be one of the three politicians; it could be someone entirely different.-His money, though, would be on one of them.-But which one?-His daddy had always said, "The only politician you can trust is a dead one; and don't bet your life on the dead one being honest."

That evening in his apartment, he spent a large chunk of time trying to reason through everything.-The sheriff didn't really have a "chief deputy" as such.-Maybe he could understand now why Finkley seemed to be sort of a loner.-If he had gotten very chummy with anyone, they might have figured out he was on the take.-A second in command would have possibly been privy to too much information that the sheriff couldn't afford to have revealed.-Damn, he hated a crooked cop!-They gave the decent officers a bad name and ruined the credibility of the entire force.-That, in turn, had an adverse impact on their effectiveness.

But how could he be sure that there weren't others in cahoots with the sheriff?-Other officers who were working with him?-He couldn't just forget it, could he?-He felt he had to do something, but what?-For sure, he would keep his eyes and ears open and see if he could figure anything out.-He sure did wish he had someone he _knew_ was trustworthy that he could talk to but, right now, there was no one, no one at all.

### Chapter Three

The Saga of Shadowhawk

Most of the outside work on Johnny and Chrissy's house had been completed but there was still a little to do to the inside.-A great deal of the work had to do with furnishing and decorating.-They had just about finished with the nursery and had just got all the furniture in it.-There was a crib and a cradle; a bathinette and changing table; a chest to hold the baby's clothes and there were several little outfits already hanging in the closet.

Ed had had a lot of work to do at his own house, too.-When Chrissy married Johnny and moved into their trailer, they had fixed windows in the end of the house where the secret passage had been.-Then they had moved Candy into what had been Chrissy's room.-They had remodeled it and made it a little girl's dream come true with a canopy bed, a child size dresser and chest of drawers and a dressing table with three-way mirrors that would let her be sure she was parting her hair and tying her hair ribbons just right.-On one side of the newly installed window with the window seat built in Ed had fixed a big walk-in closet.-On the other side were wide shelves to hold all Candy's dolls, stuffed animals and toys.--Candy was crazy about it.-

Andy had been content in the room where he and Candy had slept until she got her own room.-Now, however, they were fixing up the room across from Ed & Penny's room where Uncle Cliff and Aunt Lorraine had slept until they both passed away just before Ed & Penny found the place.-It would now be decorated for Andy and since he liked Stargate and SG1, the Sci Fi Series, his room would have curtains, comforter and posters, etc. from that television program.-There were posters of Captain Amanda Carter, Major Jack O'Neil, Teal'c, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and General Hammond, as well as several others.-Andy was as excited as a six-year-old could get.-His new room was almost ready and soon school would be out for the summer.-And his Dad had promised to take him fishing at the creek that ran along the edge of their property.-They called it Sugar Creek but Andy had tasted it and the water didn't taste sweet to him, not in the least.-He didn't mind at all that Candy would be invited to go along, too.-Of course, he would probably have to object a little in order to maintain his masculine image, though.

The room that had been the twins' would now be re-furnished for the new baby they were expecting in August.-It was right next to their parents' bedroom and would be extremely handy for the nursery.-A new door would be cut through from Ed and Penny's room so they would have quick access if the baby needed tending to in the night.-Andy and Candy certainly didn't need any special attention at the ripe old age of six.-Even with all the "ghostly" noises, they seldom complained of feeling insecure or scared.

The one thing they both looked forward to all week was the story hour at the Fordsville Library where Mrs. King would read a chapter or two from a book and then they would talk about it.-Right now they were reading one called "Shadowhawk" and they both liked it a lot.-It told the story of an Indian of the Iraquois Tribe who lived about two hundred years ago.-One night Shadowhawk had ridden away from the tribal grounds on his big stallion, Cougar, and had gone to the local settlement to have a couple of drinks at the saloon.---Shadowhawk was watching some men who were playing poker at one of the saloon's tables.-Suddenly someone came rushing into the saloon shouting that the bank had been robbed. A witness had seen men in a long black overcoats with big black hats and-handkerchiefs over their faces.-Shadowhawk was dressed in brown leggings and a rawhide shirt with fringes but he knew that when anything went wrong around town, they had a tendency to blame the Indians.-It didn't usually matter what kind of alibi an Indian had or whether or not he matched the description of the criminal, they usually blamed it on the Indians and quite often strung them up from the nearest tree without even thinking about a trial.-So he began to edge toward the front where he had left his horse at the hitching rail.-As soon as it seemed that no one was paying attention to him, he slipped out the swinging doors and headed toward Cougar.- He had no sooner loosened the reins and jumped on Cougar's back than someone shouted that the robber was getting away.-Several shots rang out and one of them found its mark.-The bullet had just grazed his arm but it hurt like the devil and kept dripping blood, which would make it quite simple to track him.-As Shadowhawk got close to Sugar Creek, he thought of a good hiding place, so he turned toward the cliffs intending to hide in their shadows.-When he came in sight, however, there was the dim glare of lanterns and men's voices.-He could hear three men talking.

"You can't just leave me here like this simply because my horse broke his leg.- I can ride double with one of you."-

"Riding double would slow us down and we're not going to get caught just because of you.-We got away clean, anyway.-You didn't need to be riding so fast that when your horse stumbled, he would fall and break his leg."

"Look, Lefty, you can hide out for a few days near here and then we'll pick you up when we come back for the gold."

"But where in the hell do you expect me to hide?-There's no place to hide out.-I'd have no food and no way to stay warm without a fire and that would be a dead giveaway."

"Oh, would you stop your griping, Lefty?"

"Yes, he will."-The boss man was tired of listening to him.

There was more shouting and arguing and then Shadowhawk heard the first man pleading for his life.-"No, no, don't shoot."-But a shot rang out and one of the men fell to the ground.-

The one who had shot him motioned for the other one to shove him into the hole where they had evidently buried the gold bars they had stolen from the bank and then they both covered the hole.-One of them got a small axe and made an 'x' mark on an oak tree that stood nearby.-Then he walked to another oak tree on the other side of the hiding place and emblazoned another 'x' on that one.

About that time, they heard the hastily formed posse in the distance and took off.-Shadowhawk didn't think there was any way the sheriff and his posse would believe him if he stayed around.- Since the men were gone, he urged Cougar into the darkest shadows of the cliff until the posse had gotten well past where he was hiding.-Then he headed back for the Indian camp.

The moon was bright and it didn't take long for the posse to realize they were now tracking two shod horses instead of one without shoes.-Suddenly, though, several shots rang out and as one whizzed past the sheriff's ear, they realized they were being ambushed.-Apparently the two men they had been catching up to had decided the posse was after them and began shooting at the sheriff.-

The sheriff and his men took cover and returned fire.-After only about fifteen minutes, the two ambushers were dead.-The posse put the bodies on their horses and started back to town, thinking they had lost the Indian who had robbed the bank completely.-As they doubled back, however, one of the men spotted a big splatter of blood on some rocky terrain and they knew they had once again come upon the trail of the Indian.-They immediately tied the two horses with the bodies on them to some bushes along the way and started back on Shadowhawk's trail, following the blood right to the Indian's camp.

When Shadowhawk reached the campground, the chief, who was also Shadowhawk's father, saw that he had been riding hard and asked what was going on.

"I'm being accused of robbing the bank; but I didn't do it.-The posse will be right behind me.-Don't let them take me back.-They'll hang me if you let them take me.-You know they will."

"Alright.-Go into the woods and hide for now," the Chief told him.

Shadowhawk hid and when the posse had left he went back to see what had happened.-The chief looked at him sadly.

"My son, the sheriff would not believe you were innocent; so I had to tell him that the tribe would punish you.-I told him unless you could prove your innocence, you would be banished from the tribe and could never return."

"But I am innocent.- I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.-You can't punish me for that."

"That was the only way I could think of to save your life.-Go, my son, say a hasty goodbye to your mother, get a few provisions together and leave.-It's your only choice."

Candy had almost cried at the injustice that had been done to poor Shadowhawk.-Andy had been upset, too.-That night, Andy had crept into her room and they had talked far into the night.-Now they were finding it difficult to wait until Thursday again so they could hear what happened next.

*-- *-- *--

"Good morning, Grandmother Lydia," Chrissy had walked up the hill to Johnny's grandmother's house and being almost five months pregnant now, she was doing a little huffing and puffing when she came in from the back porch and sat heavily in a chair by the kitchen table.-She spoke to Johnny's mother, too.-Janet seemed completely content to be back in the home where she grew up.

"Hello, there, Chrissy.-Sure, and it's good to see you.-And how does this fine day suit you, me darling?"-Sometimes Janet fell back into the Irish brogue she had picked up from her nearly twenty-five years of living in County Galway in Ireland.

"I'm fine as a frog hair split three ways," Chrissy replied in her own Kentucky hillbilly twang.-"The walk up here keeps getting a little longer, though, I do believe, every time I walk it.-But I'm sure the exercise is good for me.-And how does Bruce like his new job in Owensboro?"

Johnny's dad had accepted a position with the Johnson Depp and Quisenberry Engineering Firm (JDQ for short).-"He likes it just fine," Janet reported.-"Bruce says they're easy to work with and they're doing a project in two different towns in the general area.-He's helping design a total overhaul of the utility infrastructure for both towns."

"If you ask me, they know a good thing when they see it.-Bruce is a real catch for them and they have sense enough to know it."-Lydia, who hated Bruce with a passion until a little over a year ago, couldn't find enough nice things to say about him at this point.-She realized now that Bruce was the best thing that could have happened to her daughter.-But, oh, how she had resented them both for eloping and getting married in the first place.-And then they had made their home in Ireland and that had definitely caused a real rift.-Then Johnny, their son, her grandson, had come back to Kentucky and made his home with her and from there had fallen in love with Chrissy, their neighbor.-Grandmother Lydia's heart had finally thawed out and she was a completely different person now; and how grateful everyone was for that!

The conversation changed to talk of the two pregnancies in the family; then when the baby kicked, Chrissy grimaced.-"I do believe this one will be a football star.-He sure does kick hard.-At least he feels good and healthy.-And the obstetrician agrees with that evaluation.-Mom is doing fine, too.-Everyone was concerned for a while but she seems to be taking everything in stride now.-Mom and I have set up our appointments on Thursdays so that Andy and Candy can go to the library for story hour while we're at the doctor's office.-We can pick them up at school and still make our appointments.-They truly do enjoy the reading.-They're listening to a story about Native Americans and they are so excited to find out what happens next.-Part of the storyline deals with real information.-Did you know 'Kentucky' is the Indian name for 'dark and bloody ground'?"-The twins were especially proud of learning that.-Of course, Mom and I get an update every Thursday coming home from our appointments.-It's surprising how much they retain of what they've heard from the book, too.-One day we asked them what they thought would happen next in the story.-Each of them had a story line going in a totally different direction.-I told Mom I wouldn't be at all surprised if we have writers in the family.-They sure do have fertile imaginations."

The next day was Thursday, so the kids got to go to the library again and hear the next chapter of the book.-On the way home, they were discussing the events and how they unfolded.

"Mama, the brave Shadowhawk was being chased by the posse because there had been a robbery in Linksville and they thought Shadowhawk had done it just because he was 'different' from everybody else in town."

"And then," Candy took up the tale, "the real robbers had made their escape and were looking for a place to bury the gold they had taken from the bank vault."

"They made a map and the Liberian showed it to us.-It showed a pretty good-sized creek running beside a cliff with two twin oak trees growing close to the cliff's edge.-The robbers carved a big 'X' on each tree and dug a hole eggsackly in the middle between the two trees and buried the treasure in the big hole.-The map showed a big bend in the creek just after the two big trees."

"Wouldn't it be fun to find a treasure?"

"But the poor Indian had to go far, far away because the sheriff was just sure Shadowhawk was the thief so he never got to see his family again.-Isn't that the saddest thing you ever heard, Chrissy?"

*-- *-- *

\--

The following Saturday afternoon was unseasonably warm and sunny and since the men had been promising to take the twins fishing, they decided this was the day.-Andy and Candy were ecstatic.-Andy didn't even fuss a little about Candy going.-He was too excited to worry about his masculine ego.

The cliffs along the east side of Sugar Creek rose straight up toward the clear blue sky.-The trees growing along the top edge of the rock formations seemed to have dug their roots tenaciously into the solid limestone.-In several places, water was dripping from between layers of rock and running down the face of the cliff which extended in both directions almost as far as you could see. There were only a few gaps in the nearly solid rock wall where it was possible to climb up and down.-Moss grew in some places covering the towering façade with what appeared to be green carpeting.-A few trees grew near the base of the cliffs near the banks of the stream and seemed to stand watch for any thing that might threaten the wild beauty of the rugged terrain.

Of course, the twins' excitement of going fishing waned pretty soon after it was obvious that they weren't going to catch a bunch of fish in the first fifteen minutes.-They, of course, grumbled that they were "bored;" that word that adults find so unpalatable.-"Here you have been fussing to go fishing for almost all winter.-Now the weather cooperates today and you don't have enough patience to sit here ten minutes to see if you get a bite."

"I got a 'bite' alright; from a mosquito."-Andy complained.

"Could we go just around the bend and explore a little," Candy begged.-"Please, Daddy.-Pretty please with ice cream on it?"-She liked ice cream even better than sugar.

"Oh, okay.-But don't go near the water."

"We won't," they shouted as they were already on their way.

"And don't be climbing."-More instructions.

"Okay," they shouted again in unison.-Then there was silence for several minutes.

"Andy.-Candy.-Can you hear me?"

"Yes, we hear you, Daddy.-We're okay."

Andy, put his finger to his lips.-"Be quiet.-I think I heard something."

"What?-What did you hear?"

"There it is!" he whispered, pointing up into a tall tree.

"That looks like a oak tree, Andy.-Remember, we learned what oak leaves look like and the acorns that grow on it?"

"Do you see the squirrel?-It's right below that big x mark on the tree way up there.-There, he moved.-Did you see him?"

"Yes."-Candy almost shouted.-She had forgotten to be quiet.

"Oh, you scared him away.-Look.-He jumped from the limb on this tree to the limb on the other tree.-See, how the limbs kinda overlap from one tree to the other?"

"I'm sorry.-I didn't mean to scare him.-But look, there he is right above the x mark on this tree."

"Those marks look funny; almost like somebody marked the tree for some reason."-Then they looked at each other and their eyes became wide and excited as they both remembered the story from the library.

"You don't s'pose—no, that's silly."

"It couldn't be.-Could it?"-Suddenly they heard or felt something or someone behind them.-They turned simultaneously and both of them almost fainted.-Whether from fright or disbelief, they'd never know.

"D-d-d-do you s-s-see what I s-s-see?"

"It looks like the Indian from the story," Candy barely whispered.

The image didn't move or speak but just stood and watched them.-Finally, he motioned them to follow him, and they did, on tiptoes, although they couldn't have said why.-The figure stopped about midway between the two trees and pointed at the ground.-The kids looked where he pointed and saw an old rusty shovel lying there.-He looked sadly at the twins and then slowly faded from sight.

"What do you think he meant by pointing at the ground like that?"-Andy had an idea but he wanted to see if Candy had the same idea.

"I supposed he wanted us to dig here.-Do you think this is where the gold is buried?"

"I don't know what to think."

Andy picked up the shovel and almost as though he were in a trance, he began to force the shovel into the hard earth.-However, about the third time he tried to stab it into the ground, the handle almost disintegrated in his hands and the rusty lip of the metal bent upwards and there was no way to do anything else with it.

Candy picked up a stick and began to try to scrape away some of the earth with it.-The stick was rotten, too, and got them nowhere.

"Candy, is anybody gonna believe this happened?-I'll bet if we try to tell them, they'll laugh at us and make fun of us."

"I guess you couldn't much blame them if they didn't believe us.-I _saw_ it and I'm not sure I believe us."

"We'll have to make them believe us, some way.-We've got to get a good shovel and come back and dig up whatever's there.-That poor man looked so sad.-He seemed to be saying, 'If you find the gold, you can prove I'm not a robber and I can finally be free of disgrace.'"

"I don't know how we'll do it, but we got to."

They turned and went back to where Ed and Johnny were fishing.-"Say, you sure do look serious and subdued—almost scared.-Did something happen?"

"No, everything's okay."-Candy and Andy picked up their poles and pretended to fish for a while.-They just weren't quite ready to share that experience with anyone yet.-The fish were not biting at all and pretty soon the grown-ups decided to call it a day.-The day had grown cool and the clouds were beginning to look dark and leaden as they hovered overhead like a blanket ready to smother the earth.-Andy and Candy didn't speak of the event any more that day until they went to bed.-Candy sneaked into Andy's room and they lay and whispered back and forth way up into the night.-It seemed like an eternity until it was time for story hour again on the next Thursday.

The story as read by Mrs. King told how the posse missed Shadowhawk in the darkness under the cliffs; but when they got a little closer to the two who actually robbed the bank, the thieves opened fire on the posse thinking they were chasing them.-The posse returned fire and ended up killing both of them.- They took the bodies back to town.-Some of the men at the saloon remembered playing cards with them a couple of nights before and identified them as Carl Delk and Mitch McElroy.-There had been another man with them; his name had been Tom Bishop but they all called him Lefty.-They had no idea what had happened to him.- They had said they were from a place on the Ohio River called Joeville, which was thirty or forty miles away.-They were buried in Boot Hill near the settlement where the bank had been robbed but no one ever realized they were the thieves.

According to the legend, Shadowhawk had wandered around for nearly thirty years, with everyone still believing he had robbed the bank.-Before he had left so many years ago, he told his father that he would never rest until he had proven his innocence.-His end came, the tale continued, when he crossed paths with an angry, wounded bear.-His spirit was at last free and could return to the area where he had grown up so he could try to clear his name.

The Story Hour Leader finished the book: "And the legend says that once every one hundred years the ghost of the falsely accused Indian, Shadowhawk, appears to a person or persons and tries to persuade them to dig up the gold along with the proof that Shadowhawk is innocent of the robbery.-Until he is vindicated, he can never be at peace in the Happy Hunting Ground in the sky, but must forever haunt the cliffs around the hiding place and search for someone to prove his innocence.-

The Wells Fargo Bank from which the gold was stolen offered a ten thousand dollar reward but the gold was never found."

Andy immediately spoke up, "A hundred years is a long time, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, Andy."

"The book doesn't say how many days or how many times Shadowhawk can ask for help does it?"-Candy asked.

"You do realize that this is only a story somebody made up, don't you, kids?-At most, it could be called a 'legend' that had been passed down through the centuries from generation to generation."

"But it could be true, couldn't it?"

"Oh, I suppose something like that _could_ have happened but now it's only a story.-Okay children, next week we will start a book about dogs by Albert Payson Terhune.-I think you'll like it, too."

Later, when Chrissy and Penny had picked them up and they were on their way home, Chrissy noticed Andy and Candy were exchanging very serious whispers in the back seat.-And they weren't telling them about Shadowhawk and how the story ended.-Penny and Chrissy both wondered at that change.-When they reached the Wroe house and Penny prepared to get out and go inside, Andy and Candy did something unusual.-They began to beg to spend the night with Johnny and Chrissy.

"You said we could sometime and then Grandmother Lydia got sick and then Ramon got shot and we couldn't find the right time to do it.-But Grandmother is okay now and Uncle Bruce and Aunt Janet are with her and they found the bad guys who killed Mr. Mendez so could we, could we, please spend the night?"-That was a long speech for one of the twins to make without the other butting in.-Actually, they had agreed between themselves that Candy would do the asking because she "begged" better than Andy did and she usually got what she wanted.

Penny looked at Chrissy and Chrissy nodded her head.-"I don't mind if you don't," Chrissy said.

"Well, I guess it'll be alright.-But you have to mind and do exactly what Johnny and Chrissy tell you to do.-Is that understood?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!-We'll be so good it'll be unbelievable," Andy chimed in.-"But we need to go upstairs and change out of our good clothes.-We wouldn't want to ruin them by getting them dirty or something."-That sure was a strange statement.-They _never_ thought about putting on old clothes to play in.-Penny was a little dubious about what they might be up to; but she had told them they could go, so she wouldn't back down, now.

"We'll be over there in a few minutes, Chrissy.-What time is it, Mama?"

"It's about four-thirty.-Why?"-That was an unusual question, too.

"Oh, just wondering."-The twins exchanged 'looks' and Penny's curiosity was roused further.-But she still wasn't especially alarmed.

Johnny was coming in from working on the new house about the time the twins got to the trailer.-Andy spoke up as soon as they all got inside.

"We want to talk to you about something and you prob'ly won't believe us.-But every word of it is real.-We both saw it and what it did."

"You've got to help us help him or else it will be another hundred years before he can try again."

"We've got to help him find the proof or he'll be stuck here for ever."

Johnny finally got a word in edgewise.-"Whoa!-Whoa!-Kids! Wait a minute!-Slow down and start from the beginning.-I don't understand anything you're saying."

"Well, you remember when you and Dad took us fishing?-Well...."

"It was just like this book they were reading to us at the liberry."

"You see, this Iroquois Indian was accused of robbing a bank."

"But he didn't do it.-Some bad white men did; but they blamed it on Shadowhawk and he couldn't prove he didn't do it.-So his tribe threw him out—vanished, I think they called it."

"Banished.-But what does that have to do with going fishing?-I still don't—"

"Just listen; you will.-The book said if Shadowhawk could get someone to dig up the gold there would be proof that he didn't rob the bank."

"But he only gets to try once every hundred years and if we don't help him he can't try again for a whole 'nother hundred years."

"So you've got to help us dig it up.-Shadowhawk, his ghost, I guess, showed us where to dig the day we went fishing, but the old rusty shovel wouldn't work.-There were the "x" marks on the trees just like it showed in the book and the bend in the river and everything."

"Please, you've got to help us.-Get a shovel and come with us down to the fishing hole and we'll show you where he showed us."

"Will you help us, please, please, please?"

"The lady at the liberry said it was just a story, but—"

"We both saw Shadowhawk and he pointed to where we need to dig and everything—."

"He looked so sad 'cause he was being punished for something he didn't do."

"Well, Chrissy, do you feel like going treasure hunting?"-Then when the kids were out of earshot, he finished up.-"Boy, they do have vivid imaginations, don't they?"

Chrissy called her Mom and Dad while Johnny was getting the best digging tool they had.-"Mom, the kids want to go down around the fishing hole for a while and it did sound like fun, so we'll be back before dark.-Just wanted you to know where we were."-Then they took off toward the creek.-The kids were so excited, Chrissy and Johnny were both glad they were humoring them.

When they got to the place, Andy and Candy pointed to where the "x's" were on the two big old oak trees.-

"In the book the two "x's" were closer to the ground.-But they're still there.-Do you see them?"

"Well, actually, I do see them.-And the reason for them being so high now would be because the trees have grown a lot in two hundred years."

When the kids ran on ahead, Chrissy poked Johnny in the ribs.-"I thought we weren't going to encourage them.-Now you're making the scenario fit the case."

"Well, imagination is good for them.-They'll see soon enough that it's just a story, Honey."

"We were standing right here and we both felt something was behind us and when we turned around—"

"There he was," Candy finished and then they turned to look behind them again and this time all four of them saw a hazy form materialize and seem to look at them sadly.

"Johnny, we've evidently got good imaginations, too.-Do you see him?"

"Well, I definitely see something."

"Shadowhawk, is that you?" Andy asked.-The figure made a move toward them and all of them involuntarily took two steps backwards.

"We came to help you, Shadowhawk.-Can you show us where to dig?"-Candy's voice was a little shaky but she showed no actual fear.

The apparition moved up toward the slope that led to the place half way between the two marked trees.-Then he went down the little incline and stood on the spot where he had stood before when the twins first saw him.

"If we dig here, will we find the evidence to prove you didn't rob the bank?"-Chrissy had admonished Johnny not to encourage the twins and now she was talking to the ghost as though he were real.

An errant breeze seemed to stir the feather that was fastened in his headdress as the disgraced tribesman slowly nodded his head.-Then the image seemed to dissolve right before their eyes.-However, the breeze still appeared to be playing with the old layer of leaves on the ground where he had stood.

"Well," Andy spoke, "are we going to dig or just stand here?"

"Yeah, according to the story, Shadowhawk came upon the white men as they were covering the hole after hiding the gold.-So, let's get to it.-We don't have much time until dark so let's hurry."-Candy was insistent.

Johnny obediently stuck the point of the shovel into the earth and brought up a shovelful of decaying leaves and earth.-Then another and another until he was more than knee deep in a hole he had dug.-But suddenly, his shovel struck what seemed to be a hard, impenetrable surface.-He tried to skirt around it and find a softer surface on one side, but it seemed to be solid and huge.

"I don't know what it is, but I can't seem to budge the ground in any direction.-Besides I've got to rest a few minutes.-I'll come up there on the little ridge and sit down and try to figure out something."-Johnny was walking as he spoke and then as he took the second step after extricating himself from the hole, he tripped over something and landed on his stomach.-When he laughed and tried to push himself back to his feet, his hands seemed to sink beneath the surface.-Then the earth simply gave way beneath him and suddenly he was falling several feet below the level of the ground.-

Chrissy screamed and scrambled to the mouth of the gaping hole Johnny had fallen through.-"Johnny, are you all right?-What happened?"-Her voice seemed to echo hollowly as she called down to him.-"Stay back, Candy!-You, too, Andy!-Johnny, answer me.-Are you okay?"-Chrissy was almost crying.

"The fall just knocked the wind out of me, that's all.-I'm fine.-This looks like the mouth of a cavern.-Of course, it's dark inside and I can't see anything, but it sounds like it's huge in there.-Chrissy, lie down and let me see if I can brace myself by hanging on to you and pull myself out of here.-I believe I can reach you."-Chrissy lay down as he instructed and reached down as far as she could with her hand.-Of course, with her tummy getting bigger, she couldn't lie as flat as she would have been able to without the extra bulge.-Johnny reached up and strained toward her hand, but he just couldn't quite reach it.-He lacked almost a foot making the connection.

Chrissy could plainly see there was no way she would be able to get him out.-"Andy, can you go back to your house and get Dad, a rope and a flashlight and bring him back here?-Can you do that, Andy?"

"Yeah, sure.-I'm sorry, Sis.-He wouldn't be in there like that if I hadn't wanted so bad to help Shadowhawk.-I'm sorry.-I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Andy, really it is.-He isn't hurt.-We just need to get him out and with a rope and a flashlight, we can get him out easy.-Just go get Dad and everything will be fine.-Okay?"

"You want me to go with him or stay here with you, Chrissy?"

"You can stay here with me, if you don't mind, Candy.-You're both big kids and Andy can run fast to get Dad.-But be careful, Andy, don't try to go so fast that you get too tired before you get there.-Now go right up that little hill where we came down."

Chrissy leaned over again to see Johnny down in the hole and to let him know they'd have him out in almost no time.-About fifteen minutes later she could hear what sounded like a car and she sent Candy up the little hill to see if it was their Dad.

"It's them, Sissy.-It's Mom and Dad and Andy in the Rendezvous.-They've got a rope and a lantern and a flashlight.-Here they are."-Candy reported from the top of the little hill.

"What in the world is going on?-I couldn't make heads or tails of what Andy was trying to tell me except that Johnny had fallen into a hole.-Is he alright?-Is he hurt or anything?"

"He's right down there and he's walking around so I don't think he's hurt or anything like that."-Chrissy scrambled up so that her Dad could take her place at the mouth of the hole.- Ed called down to Johnny.

"Are you okay, Johnny?"

"I'm fine, Pop."-Johnny had begun calling his father-in-law, "Pop" right after he and Chrissy were married and Penny had become "Mom" while his own parents were "Mama and Daddy."

"Let's get you out of there, then.-I'll throw down the rope and you grab hold and I'll pull you up."

"Wait a minute.-Before I get out, I'd like to look around a little.-Do throw down the rope and a flashlight, though, and I'll hang on to the rope and look around a little before I come back topside."

"You, be careful, Johnny, I don't want you to go too far.-There could be a cave in and well, just don't go too far.-Okay?-Well, here's the flashlight and here comes the rope, too."-Ed watched a little apprehensively as Johnny walked to the gaping orifice that could be seen near the bottom of the hollowed out hole in the ground.

With the flashlight in one hand and the rope in the other, Johnny moved toward what looked to be the mouth of a cave.-Ed held firmly to the other end of the rope.-Johnny had to stoop only slightly to get through the opening.-He stood just inside the opening and shone the light all around what turned out to be a fairly large room.

"What do you see, Johnny?" Ed called.

"It's a large room and it seems to open into another beyond it.-Looking straight up, I think I can see a little daylight.-Could one of the twins go up where we were digging and check to see if they can see any light coming through from down here?"

Andy had heard Johnny's suggestion so he scrambled up to the hole Johnny had dug.-"Yes, I can see just a little light from the flashlight, Dad.-It seems to be coming from around the edges of a rock or something."

"Okay.-Be careful and don't fall through, Andy."-His dad sure didn't want any body else underground at least unintentionally.

"Oh, my—I think there's a skeleton down here.-There's the skull and that looks like a bullet-hole in it."-Johnny had advanced further into the chamber and had used up almost all of the length of the rope.

"Johnny, don't go any further in there.-I think it's time to come back up."-Ed was a little concerned for Johnny's safety.

"Do you see any gold bars, Johnny?-Do you see the treasure?"-Candy was excited.

"Yes, there is something in a big bag down here covered with dirt and leaves and stuff.-There're also saddle bags down here with what looks to be big black coats of some kind inside.-They sure don't look like something an Indian would have worn. Yes, I think there is a gold bar and several more beside it.-We've found it.-We've found the bank loot!-I'll bring one of them back up with me and then we'll have something to show the sheriff when we tell him.-Here, Ed, your arms are longer than Chrissy's.-I think you can reach it."

"Okay, now.-Brace yourself and I'll pull you out."-With much grunting and huffing and puffing, Johnny was soon above ground again.-Andy and Candy were holding the gold bar and looking at it with awe and disbelief.-Ed and Penny, though were still pretty much in the dark.-Then, suddenly, a stiff breeze began to blow and the ghostly figure of the Indian appeared one last time.-He smiled and bowed and then waved his hand in farewell.-Then they saw the tawny brown coat and black muzzle of the horse described in the book and that Shadowhawk had called 'Cougar.'-Shadowhawk mounted the stallion and disappeared from sight as he had before.-This time, though, they knew they wouldn't see him again.

"Now Shadowhawk won't be disgraced any more.-He can join the rest of his tribe in the Happy Hunting Ground in the sky."

"But we won't see him any more and that's kinda sad, too.-But I'm glad for him, Candy."

Upon returning to the house, Johnny immediately called his friend Sheriff Lampton.-He and some members of the County Rescue Team brought ladders and ropes and big lights and went down into the cave.-They recovered the skeletal remains and the bone structure indicated without a doubt that the body had definitely been male Caucasian and not American Indian.-The leather saddle bags had also been white men's gear.-They had given some protection to the big black coats that were inside which also proved to be white men's apparel.-They also matched the description of the clothing worn by the bank robbers as related by the witness who saw one of them as he left the back door of the bank.-They discovered fourteen gold bars among the debris on the floor of the cave.-There was no longer a Wells Fargo in the immediate area but it didn't take long for Sheriff Lampton to find one elsewhere.-

The bank president had identified himself as Keeley Davis.-"And how may I help you Sheriff Lampton?"

"Mr. Davis, some people who own a farm here near Fordsville have discovered some gold bars which we believe are part of the loot from a bank robbery perpetrated in the late 1700s.-They feel the treasure should be returned to the original owners which would seem to be Wells Fargo.-We wondered if you or a representative could come here, determine if it is your property and, if so, take possession of that gold."

"How many gold bars are there, Sheriff?-And are you sure it's real gold and not something painted up to look like gold?"

"We have had it authenticated by an appraisal firm in Owensboro, so, yes, all fourteen gold bars are 99 % pure gold and each bar weighs about twenty pounds.-When they were discovered in a cave, they were in or near the remains of heavy saddle bags and the Wells Fargo markings are still visible on the gold bars."

"Then, of course, Sheriff, I will be glad to make the trip myself.-I should be there no later than Friday."

Keeley Davis of the Wells Fargo Bank and Trust Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, made a special trip to see the gold bars and determine their origin.-At the time they were stolen from the Bank, Mr. Davis told them the reward offered had been roughly fifteen percent of the total value of the gold.-Since the gold had appreciated in value he felt it only fair to increase the reward also.-Before he left with the gold no one had ever expected to see again, he deposited twenty thousand dollars into the savings accounts set up for Andy and Candy's college expenses.

As soon as the news got out about the gold being found (they hadn't told even the sheriff about the ghost) Ed was besieged by calls from folks wanting to see where the gold and other artifacts had been found, particularly the press.- _The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, The Louisville Courier-Journal_ and _The Cincinnati Herald-Tribune_ all sent reporters and photographers to make their news reports.-Then, of course, there were the dozens of small newspapers trying to find a new angle to report.-At first it was actually interesting to Ed and Penny when people wanted to see the cave, but after answering the phone a few hundred times, it was beginning to be slightly tedious.-

Many curiosity seekers would even show up unannounced and begin to make their way toward the back of the property where the cave was located without so much as asking permission to trespass on Ed's property.-They would often leave the gates open so that the cow and horses would be allowed to leave the protection of their pasturelands.

Later on, some spelunkers came and explored the cave. They, with Ed's permission, dug out the entrance way so that there was easy access to the cave.-They found several large chambers and passageways that led in different directions.-One tunnel had apparently been dug by hand and seemed to lead toward the Wroe's house; but about half the distance from the cave to the house the subterranean passageway had collapsed and they could travel it no further without careful excavation.-They even mapped some of the chambers of the cave and several other people came to see it, too.-However, since it was on the Wroe property and the Wroes would be liable if anyone were to be injured in the cave, Ed, on the advice of his attorney, felt it necessary to suspend any more visitation or exploration of the cave system.-They did discover that there had been a flat rock that covered an opening that dropped into the cave and the bank robbers had just removed that "lid" and dumped the gold, their disguises, and their dead partner into the cave through that hole.-Through the years, the roots of the two old oak trees had wound around that "lid" and sealed it shut.-But, at any rate, Andy and Candy knew they would never forget their friend, Shadowhawk.

### Chapter Four

And Justice For All

A few weeks later, they brought Jorge Laquidera back to Hartford for trial.-He would be tried for the murder of their friend, Ramon Mendez.-Ed, Penny, Chrissy and Johnny were all summoned to testify before the jury.-The prosecuting attorney, Gene Bledsoe, felt quite confident that they had a good, strong case against Laquidera although most of it was circumstantial.-

They thought about seeing if Janet would want to watch Andy and Candy, but the twins had wanted badly to go and Ed and Penny decided they were old enough to understand at least a part of the proceedings so they decided they could go.-They explained the system in advance and what would probably be happening.

"The prisoner will be brought in and the charges against him will be read.-The jury, of course, will be hearing all of this.-The attorney who will try to get Laquidera convicted for murdering Ramon will tell the jury what they believe happened and basically how they hope to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it happened that way.-Then the lawyer for the defense—that will be the attorney who will try to convince the jury that Laquidera didn't do what he is accused of— will make a statement telling the jury how they hope to convince them that he is innocent of the crime of murder."

"But how will the jury know who to believe if one lawyer is telling them one thing and the other lawyer is telling them something different?"-Candy was puzzled.

"It will depend on which one can show the most believable evidence and whose testimony they find the most convincing."

"Then somebody is going to have to prove something before they decide."-Andy was thinking about how the sheriff believed Shadowhawk had been guilty without any proof at all.

"That's right, Andy.-Just remember, in this country since the constitution was adopted, any one accused of a crime is figured to be innocent until they are proven guilty in a court of law."

"Okay, I think I understand.-Of course, we know he's guilty because we saw it happen."

"Not actually us; we were at school.-But you all saw it and you know he's guilty but the court doesn't just take your word for it because you, for all they know, could be lying.-I mean, I know you wouldn't lie, but the jury doesn't know that.-Is that right?"

"That's exactly right.-There will be other people whose testimony will be heard, too.-And when it's all over, the jury will have to decide who was most convincing."

That seemed to be all the background they needed and they were looking forward to being in the courtroom and listening to everything that would be going on.

When the trial opened on Tuesday, June 17, they were all in attendance.-They heard the attorneys for the prosecution and the defense give their opening statements.-Then they began to call witnesses.-One of the sheriff's men told of coming to the O'Reilly Place and seeing the dead body of Ramon Mendez after it had been so brutally battered by the bullets from the semi-automatic gun used by the killer.-

"His body had been all but cut in half by the rapid and prolonged gunfire.-We determined the type of gun and ammunition used by the recovery of the shell casings as they had been ejected onto the roadway."

"Was a gun recovered at the time of the arrest of Mr. Laquidera?"

"Yes.-It was found on the person of Mr. Laquidera at the time he was arrested."

"You were there and personally witnessed the weapon being removed from his possession at that time?"

"Yes."

"Is this the weapon recovered from Mr. Laquidera's possession?"

"Yes, it is.-Those are my markings right there on the weapon."

"Thank you.-Were any tests performed on this weapon after its recovery?"

"Yes.-We have a battery of experts who tested the weapon and the test-fired casings were identical to those found on the roadway after the shooting and the bullets were the same in every way to those removed from the body of Ramon Mendez."

"No more questions, Your Honor."

"You may inquire."-The judge motioned to the defense table.

"Can you tell this court for an absolute fact that the casings found on the roadway after the shooting of the victim, came from the gun at the time of the shooting of Mr. Mendez?-In other words, what if that gun had been fired there maybe a few days before and it was the bullet casings from that earlier shooting that you found?"

"It seems unlikely to me that the O'Reilly family would have been unaware of earlier gunfire in that proximity to their home.-Also, why would Mr. Laquidera have been there at an earlier time shooting his gun and leaving bullet casings to be found?"

"I'm supposed to ask the questions, Officer; you're required to answer them.-No further questions of this witness."

After a few more preliminary witnesses, they called Chrissy to the stand.

"Please state your name," the bailiff requested.

"Christina Marie Wroe O'Reilly."

"Please place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand.-Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give in the case now pending before this court to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."-Chrissy was motioned to take a seat in the witness chair.

"What were you doing on the afternoon of February twenty-eighth of this year, Mrs. O'Reilly?"

"Well, I had baked some sugar cookies and decided to take some to my husband, my father and the workers who were helping with the construction of our new house."

"When you came out of the house with the cookies, what, if anything, did you see?"

"I saw a long, black car coming up the road toward where we were living."

"Where were the men?-This sketch is an approximate drawing of the vicinity of your property, is it not, Mrs. O'Reilly?"

"Yes, it is.-The men were under a tree right here."-Chrissy indicated with the pointer the bailiff had handed to her the area underneath the tree where the men had been resting.

"You were coming out of the trailer, here?"

"Yes."

"What happened next?"

"The car came on up the driveway.-The portion of the road was not visible to the men because the bulk of the house blocked their view until the car was almost past the site.-Then suddenly, I heard gunfire and I saw Mr. Mendez begin to run as hard as he could.-He started to go between the house and the trailer; but then he saw me and called out to me to go back into the house at once.

"Did you go back into the house?"

"No.-I felt frozen to the spot.-I just stood and stared as the man in the car continued to shoot in the direction of Mr. Mendez.-Then after several bursts of fire, I saw Mr. Mendez pitch forward and lie still."

"And then what transpired?"

"The man in the big black car continued to shoot and I could see that the bullets were hitting the unmoving form and I started to run toward Mr. Mendez to see how badly he was hurt.-I looked toward the tree where the men had been resting and it seemed the remainder of the workers including my father and my husband were too dumfounded to move.-Finally, the shooting stopped and the big car turned around abruptly and went back the way it had come."

"Was Mr. Mendez hurt badly?"

"My husband, Johnny, came to me and stopped me from going forward to see to Mr. Mendez.-Johnny told me he was dead and completely beyond help."

"And then what?"

"I was still dazed by what had happened.-My father and Johnny helped me back into the trailer and they called the sheriff."

"Can you identify the shooter who killed Mr. Mendez, Mrs. O'Reilly?"

"Oh, I wish I could!-But, no, he was too far away for me to see him clearly enough to say for sure who he was.-However, in size and coloring, he appeared to resemble the defendant quite closely."

The defense attorney spoke up.-"I move to strike, Your Honor.-Several hundred men could be thought to resemble the defendant."

"Overruled.-The witness has the right to state her observations."

"No further questions of this witness, Your Honor."

"You may step down.-The hour is getting late, ladies and gentlemen.-This court will recess until nine o'clock in the morning."-The judge banged his gavel and court was adjourned.

The twins had several questions on the way home and they were all good questions.-What did it mean when the judge said 'overruled'?-Or when he said 'sustained'?-

"I was very proud of you today.-You behaved so well and didn't try to ask questions while everything was happening.-And then you still remembered what you wanted to ask when it was over.-I was truly exceptionally proud of you."-Penny was sincere and Ed agreed.-Then they explained that if the judge said "overruled" it meant that he disagreed with whatever the attorney had said.-If he said "sustained," it indicated that the judge agreed with the attorney's comment.

"You see, if the attorney objected to a question the witness was asked and the judge said 'sustained' then the witness wouldn't have to answer the question; but if one of the attorneys made an objection and the judge said 'overruled', then the witness was required to answer the question.-Do you understand, now?"

"But how does the judge know who should do what?"-Candy wasn't quite through.

"He reads law books that tell him what other judges have thought was proper and what was improper.-Then there is a-'supreme court' and that group reads the laws that have been passed and they decide if the judges have made the right decisions.-All the judges have much information on which to base their rulings."

"That sounds like everybody would get treated fairly, right?"-Andy was still thinking about Shadowhawk's being punished just because he was an Indian.

"That's what the system tries to do, Kids.-Treat everybody the same.-That's why they say 'Justice is blind.'-It means that the law doesn't care if you're black or white or red or yellow; rich or poor or in between; a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim or an atheist; the law isn't supposed to see any of that and just treat everybody equally."

"Of course, nothing is perfect and sometimes human beings, no matter how hard they try not to, make mistakes; but we feel that it's the best system in the world."

"You know what, Candy?"-Andy was very serious.-"I think we just had our first civics lesson.-And I liked it."

"Me, too."-Candy had the same feeling.

*-- *-- *--

Meanwhile back in Texas, Deputy Keenan was still in a quandary.-He couldn't just forget he'd heard the sheriff admit his guilt in protecting the smuggling ring.-When the sheriff had left after the conversation Keenan had overheard, Keenan had gone immediately to the telephone and dialed star sixty-nine to see if he could tell who had called.-But it had come from an unlisted, throw-away cell phone, so that had netted nothing.-He still needed to talk to someone; but who?-Then the fulfillment of his wish for someone to talk to walked in the door.

"Hello, I'm Bernie Tavalerio.-I believe we met once briefly.-I was working with the Laredo Police Department on rounding up the smuggling ring."

"Yes, I'm Deputy Colton Keenan of the Sheriff's Department.-It's good to see you again."-He was thinking:- _Right here is the man I can probably talk to about this whole thing.-I can be sure he's truly interested in putting all the perpetrators in jail and he's from way off in Kentucky so he shouldn't have any local personal or political ties or loyalties.-But I don't want to talk to him here.-_

"Is there something I can do for you?"

"Well, after sitting in on the questioning of the suspects we have in custody, especially Carl Forrester, I'm not convinced we have all the people in jail who are involved in this smuggling ring.-I think there're still some big bosses on the loose.-Some of the remarks Forrester made about having influence in high places piqued my interest.-I had thought maybe this office would have some other ideas on the possible higher-ups with influence."

"Well, I don't know if there's any way we can help but I'd be glad to buy you a cup of coffee and talk about it."-Keenan made shooing motions and shushing indications and Tavalerio, while not totally understanding the situation, did figure there was something to talk about.

Down at the diner on Third Street, Keenan chose an isolated booth, ordered coffee and surprised the hell out of Tavalerio as he brought him up-to-date on what he had overheard in the office and the probability of the sheriff's complicity in the smuggling operation.

"This is almost unbelievable," Tavalerio spoke quietly.-"I've been in town for several weeks now and there had been no indication that anyone was even remotely suspicious of anyone in the sheriff's department; although, they didn't seem anxious to get your law enforcement group involved in the arrest."-

"Speaking for myself, I had no idea that he was crooked.-I had thought of him as a little lazy and sometimes faulted him for not seeming too interested in enforcing the laws he had sworn to uphold.-I also thought about that he was approaching retirement age.-At any rate, I sure don't appreciate working for a man who is downright dishonest.-I don't see any way, either, for me to have misinterpreted the conversation I overheard.-I know every person is innocent until proven guilty; but could you honestly say you could approach this situation with a totally open mind?"

"Certainly not!-There is open-mindedness and then there is stupidity.-It would be plain stupid to refuse to investigate these remarks he made.-He incriminated himself."

"Okay, we're in agreement; but what do we do now?-I did do star sixty-nine on the telephone after he left but it didn't lead anywhere."

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to do a little investigating on my own.-Let me start by asking you if you have any possible co-conspirators in mind."

"Oh, damn!-I knew you would ask that and what I have are some preconceived notions based on almost nothing but vague observations of his obsequious behavior toward two or three individuals.-These persons do have some political power over him, anyway, but his toadying attitude toward them seemed, to me, to be more than fear of political reprisal, somehow.-I hate discussing my boss with anyone, in the first place, because he is my boss and he represents this office, but also, because I _could_ be wrong and it smacks of gossip, something I detest.-However, I was forced by his self-incrimination to consider it my duty to see if he is guilty.-These other people have done absolutely nothing to deserve my suspicion.-It is only that I have heard him talk to them before in that same tone of voice, that subservient, 'I'll do whatever you say' quality in his conversation with them.-I just don't feel justified in sharing those unsubstantiated feelings with you—or anyone else.-Can you understand that?"

"Absolutely, and I respect you for being loath to accuse others without some justification or proof.-Just let me do a little poking around on my own.-In fact, I think I may go ahead and have a talk with the sheriff, as was my original intention.-I'm sure glad I was able to talk to you first, though.-Maybe if I talk to him now, with what I already know, I can get him to incriminate himself or someone else unintentionally."

"Okay.-Is it too much to ask that we keep an open communication between us so I can know what's happening?-Then if something points in the direction of one of the people I have in mind, I can maybe help confirm it."

"Perfect.-If you would give me your home phone number, I can call you there if I have news."-They exchanged numbers and Deputy Keenan went back to work feeling considerably better about his situation.-When he knew the Sheriff was in his office, he had a tendency not to let the sheriff know he was around, thinking he might be able to overhear another conversation.-He thought perhaps he might hear the sheriff refer to someone by name or title or something that would indicate the identity of the person to whom he had been talking the week before.-But he was having no success so far.

Tavalerio was asking discreet questions in the DEA ranks and the police department.

"Is there anyone in office locally that you would be suspicious of in regard to this smuggling operation?-Do you think someone in authority may have been 'looking the other way' or maybe even actively assisting the smugglers?-I'm wondering if they could have gotten away with this activity this long without some involvement from local law officials."

He asked, but nobody gave him any answers.-He had the feeling that there were some suspicions but not enough evidence to prove anything; so, like Deputy Colton, they wouldn't say anything they couldn't prove.

*-- *-- *

-

"We call Pablo Alvarez to the stand, Your Honor."-There was a stir that went through the courtroom as that witness was introduced.-At the defense table, Laquidera looked angry enough to kill someone with his bare hands.

"You stupid son of a bitch," the defendant was heard to mutter.-"You're a dead man."-His voice rose despite his lawyer's efforts to quiet him.-"Do you hear me?-You're a dead man!"-By now, he was shouting.

"Restrain your client or he will be removed from the courtroom," the judge told the defense attorney.-But the jury had seen and heard Laquidera's reactions.

"Please tell the court your name."

"My name is Pablo Renaldo Michael Alvarez."-He spoke with confidence and self-assurance.

"Are you acquainted with the defendant, Jorge Laquidera?"

"Yes, I am."

"In what capacity do you know him?"

"He was my boss before I quit the drug smuggling outfit."

"He was your employer?"

"Yes.-One of my employers."

"Did he pay you for your services to the heroin smuggling operation?"

"Yes."

"Did there come a time when a fellow employee, Ramon Mendez, went missing?"

"Yes.-He had begun asking questions about leaving the smuggling ring.-Laquidera told him in my hearing that anyone who tried to quit would be very, very sorry.-He told him it could be hazardous to his health if he tried to leave."

"But he left anyway?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where he went?"

"I know where he was when they found him and killed him."

"And where was that?"

"At the O'Reilly place near Fordsville, Kentucky."

"How do you know that Mr. Laquidera was responsible for the death of Mendez?"

"Mr. Laquidera told all of us that he sent out to look for Mendez that they simply couldn't take a chance that Mendez would inform on the rest of the gang.-He said that Mendez knew enough to send the whole bunch of us to jail if he opened his mouth.-He said, 'Dead men tell no tales.'-He said this many times to us.-And we believed him."

"No more questions, Your Honor."

"But you left anyway, didn't you, Mr. Alvarez?-So you must not have believed that he would follow through on that threat, if indeed it was a threat."

"I knew one other young man who they said had tried to leave.-They fished his body out of the Rio Grande River with a bullet through his head.-I knew the chances I was taking, but I just couldn't continue to do what we were doing.-I would rather have been dead."

"Move to strike as non-responsive, Your Honor."

"I think he answered the question you asked.-Move on, Mr. Gordon."

"You didn't see Mr. Laquidera shoot Mendez, did you?"

"No."

In fact, you've never seen Mr. Laquidera shoot anybody, have you?"

"No."

"Now, do I understand correctly that you have admitted freely having committed the crime of smuggling heroin from Mexico into the U.S.?"

"Yes."

"So, of course, you are facing charges for this offense.-Correct?"

"No."

"No?-You have pled guilty to the crime of smuggling heroin and you will not be prosecuted for this offense.-Why not, Mr. Alvarez?"

"I agreed to testify against the gang leaders with the understanding that I will be put into the witness protection program and not prosecuted."

"Oh, so it is definitely to your advantage to try to help get my client convicted of this crime."

"Objection, Your Honor."

"Sustained."

Attorney Gordon looked meaningfully at the jury.-"I guess I'll withdraw the question.-I'm through with this witness.-No more questions, Your Honor."

"You may step down Mr. Alvarez."

"The Prosecution rests, Your Honor."-The trial had been going on now for almost two weeks.-They had introduced all their evidence; they had questioned all their witnesses; they had built what they considered a very strong case.- Now it was time for the Defense to put on their case.

"Your Honor, at this time, we call the Defendant, Jorge Laquidera, to the stand."-He was sworn in and took the witness chair.-They would have liked to put Faron Whitehead and some of the other members of the gang on the witness stand to give 'character witness' evidence.-The problem was they were all in a great deal of trouble and were being held without bail pending the drug smuggling trial in Laredo.-People who were accused of those kinds of crimes wouldn't make very believable character witnesses anyway.-So they let Laquidera testify in his own defense.

"Mr. Laquidera, where were you on the afternoon of February 28 of this year?"

"I was in my suite at the Executive Inn Rivermont in Owensboro, Kentucky."

"What was your purpose there?"

"I was visiting with an acquaintance, there."

"Who was this acquaintance?"

"His name is Faron Whitehead."

"Did you at any time make a trip by car to or near to Fordsville, Kentucky, on that date, February 28?"

"No, I did not.-I've never been any closer to Fordsville than I am right now.-I don't even know exactly where it is."

"Do you own or lease a black Lincoln Town Car?"

"No, I do not.-I don't have a car of any kind."

"Did you shoot and kill a man named Ramon Mendez?"

"No. I don't even know a Ramon Mendez and I've never shot anybody in my life."-He started to say he had never fired a weapon of any kind but he thought they might insist on doing a gunshot residue test (GSR) and he wasn't sure how long that could remain on your clothes or skin.

"No further questions, Your Honor."

"Does the Prosecution wish to inquire?"

"Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Laquidera, where do you reside?"

"My residence, prior to my unwarranted arrest, was at the Executive Inn Rivermont in Owensboro, Kentucky, as I stated earlier."

"Where is your legal residence?"

"As I stated, at the Executive Inn Rivermont."-He sneered slightly and his face was a mask of smugness.

"Very well, Mr. Laquidera.-Where did you reside two months ago?"

"Well, I'd have to think about that.-I move around quite a bit.-I guess, maybe in Texas."

"Where, in Texas?-What city?-What address?"

"Laredo, Texas.-1422 S. Sycamore Lane."-He wasn't too happy admitting that but they actually hadn't left him any choice unless he wanted to lie and while he had no compunction about lying, that fact would be too easy to verify.

"Thank you.-Now, where does Mr. Whitehead reside?"

"I don't know his address."

"But it is in Laredo, Texas, is it not, Mr. Laquidera?"

"Yes, I suppose so."-Some of his smugness was beginning to slip slightly.

"Is it not more than a little odd, then, that you both made such a long trip to 'visit' in Owensboro, Kentucky?"

"If we choose to vacation at the same place and visit, what's so odd about that?"

"How did you get to Owensboro?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"By what means of transportation did you arrive in Owensboro?"

"We flew in.-I—I mean, _I_ flew in."-He knew that slip of the tongue was not good.

"You and Mr. Whitehead came in together?"

"No, we met later at the hotel."-He thought about answering yes to that but if they had done any investigating they would have discovered that Whitehead hadn't arrived until several days later.

"Then, who is the 'we' who flew in, Mr. Laquidera?"

"I didn't mean to say, 'we.'-I meant to say just 'me.'"

"I have here a flight plan that specifies there were ten people who arrived at the same time you did.-Is that not correct?"

"Just because they got here at the same time doesn't mean they were connected to me."-The smug sneer was back in place.

"Okay.-Can you explain that you, personally, made reservations for nine other people at the same time you made your own arrangements at the hotel?"

"Okay, okay.-There were ten of us."-Another costly mistake but how was he supposed to have known they would check on who made the reservations?

"Now, was Mr. Whitehead one of those nine others for whom you made arrangements, Mr. Laquidera?"

"No, he was not."-They probably had evidence on that, too.

"Okay.-How did Mr. Whitehead arrive in Owensboro?"

"He drove up from Texas all on his own."

"Good.-Now what kind of vehicle was he driving?"

"I...uh....didn't see his car."

"Oh.-But it was a car.-Right?"

The Attorney for the Defense spoke up.-"Relevance, Your Honor?"

"I will prove the relevance very soon, Your Honor."

"Very well.-You may continue.-Answer the question, Mr. Laquidera."

"Well, he may have mentioned that it was a car."

"Suppose I tell you, Mr. Laquidera, that one of the employees at the Inn reported seeing you with Mr. Whitehead in that car.-And suppose I tell you we found hair with your DNA in the front, passenger side seat of that car.-And suppose, furthermore, I tell you that a gas station attendant in Fordsville, Kentucky, remembers you when Mr. Whitehead stopped for fuel."

"Alright, so I saw the damn car."-Belligerence was about the only defense he had left.

"And what kind of car was it, Mr. Laquidera?"-The attorney smiled indulgently.

"I don't remember.-It was just a black car."

"A big black car?"

"I suppose so."

"A big, long black car?"

"Yeah, probably."-Damn, this was getting ridiculous.

"A big, long black Lincoln Town Car?"

"Okay, okay.-A Lincoln Town Car."

"No further questions, Your Honor."

The next day was filled with closing arguments from both sides.-The defense tried to poke holes in the prosecution's case by questioning if the shell casings might not have been fired at another time.-And even if his client had been in the Lincoln Town Car, there was no proof that that was the particular vehicle from which the fatal shots had been fired.-Furthermore, putting his client in the vehicle was a long way from putting the gun in his client's hands at the time of the shooting.-

"They have brought my client's character into question, almost laughably, on the word of an admitted drug dealer whose self-serving testimony has no basis in fact and no corroborating evidence has been provided.-You have no choice, ladies and gentlemen of the jury but to find my client innocent of all charges."

The prosecution pointed out that there were a very few black Lincoln Town Cars in that entire area, none of which would have had Texas license plates.-They had reliable witnesses that the man they saw doing the shooting was very similar in size and build to the defendant.-The defendant had been in possession of the murder weapon when he was apprehended as part of a gang of smugglers.-They had proven with irrefutable DNA evidence that he had been a passenger in the vehicle from which the fatal shots had been fired.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, the prosecution has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that on February 28 of this year, Jorge Laquidera did willfully, premeditatively and with malice aforethought cause the death of one Ramon Mendez.-In the interest of justice, you must find him guilty of murder in the first degree."

Then the jury adjourned to deliberate.-The next morning about eleven o'clock the bailiff reported to the judge that the jury had reached a verdict.

When everyone, including the Wroes and O'Reillys, were gathered in the courtroom, the judge asked the jury for their verdict.-The foreman of the jury read from the decision:

We, the jury, on the charge of premeditated, aggravated murder in the first degree of one Ramon Mendez, do hereby find the defendant, Jorge Laquidera, guilty as charged.-So say we all.

A cheer went up from the spectators and the judge banged his gavel and called for order.-The crowd subsided as Jorge sat back down, limp and unbelieving at the defense table.

"Mr. Laquidera, you have been found guilty of murder in the first degree.-Please rise."-He and his attorney stood for the sentencing they knew the judge would pronounce.-"I hereby sentence you to death by lethal injection.-You are remanded to the Department of Corrections to await execution. May God have mercy on your soul.-Court is adjourned."

*-- *-- *

"Mama," Andy, on the way home, had on his serious face, "is that what it means when we say the pledge to the flag and we say 'and justice for all?'"

Penny hugged her son tight.-"Yes, son, that is the best example I know for what that phrase means.-That's what this country is all about—justice for all."

*

### Chapter Five

Aunt Winnie

Penny and Ed were planning for the Fourth of July celebration.-It would be an altogether different event from the first one they had just two years earlier.-At that point, they didn't know the house they had found belonged to Penny's Uncle and Aunt; they didn't even know exactly where they were; they didn't know their neighbors; they didn't know which direction to go to get supplies.-Everything was up in the air including the fireworks that Johnny had set off.-The same Johnny who they didn't know existed at that time but who now was their son-in-law and more like a son.

"Let's have hot dogs and hamburgers this year; we'll be a little more traditional.-Although, the grilled rabbit we had two years ago that we thought had been supplied by our ghosts was delicious."

"Hamburgers and hot dogs sound fine, but there's something I'm thinking about doing if you like the idea.-I'd like to set a big flag pole in the front yard.-The twins do seem to be getting into this patriotic thing and I think we should encourage it.-I don't think there's enough flag-waving, anthem-singing and 'I- love-my-Country' stuff going around.-What do you think?-We can put lights on it so we don't need to worry about taking it down and putting it back up and all that."

"I like that idea a whole lot.-Do we have time to do it before the Fourth?"

"If I can get Johnny to help me, I think we can manage it."

"Okay.-Let's do it."

Johnny was glad to help and he decided he wanted to do the same thing in the yard in front of his new house.- Moving in was scheduled for July 5, so it would put the finishing touches on their landscaping.- Bruce came down and helped, too, and both flag poles were in place before dark on July 3.

The morning of the Fourth dawned clear and hot.-It was early summer heat, though, not the sultry heat that seems to wring the juice from your body and hang you out to suffocate.-Penny felt the heat, though, as only a woman in the eighth month of a summer pregnancy does.-One hand stayed almost continually on the small of her back as she waddled through the house trying to keep up with the work that never seems to end when you have six-year-old twins.-If this pregnancy had happened three years ago, she would have had an almost grown daughter to help with the work.-But right now, Chrissy was duplicating her mother's back-supported waddling herself.-The doctor continued to predict they were due at the same time.-Penny still felt weird about that—a child and a grandchild the same age.-Unbelievable.-

"Mama, I can't find my—oh, never mind.-Here it is."-Andy rushed outside to play with the dogs.

Penny smiled and shook her head and went to answer the phone that was ringing shrilly causing her head to hurt even worse than it already did.

"Hello.-This is the Wroe residence; Penny speaking."

"I'm sorry to bother you," a voice that sounded slightly harried said, "but I'm trying to locate a long, lost niece.-Her maiden name was Penelope Marie Langley and we've completely lost touch over the years.-Is there any way you can help me?"

Penny was almost in a stupor anyway, with the heat so oppressive and her distended and uncomfortably swollen body.-She hardly knew what to say at all.-"My name was Penny Langley.-Who's calling, please?-Did you say the person you're looking for is your niece?"

"Yes.-My name is Wilhelmina Foster, Wilhelmina Marie Foster.-Back in the eighteen hundreds, the ancestors decided there had to be one girl named Marie in each generation.-I believe if you're the Penelope Marie I'm looking for, you were probably named after me."

"It does seem to me I remember that my grandmother, Laura Ann, had a sister we called 'Aunt Winnie.'-Would that be who you are?"

"Yes, yes.-I'm your Aunt Winnie.-Oh I'm so glad I've finally found you.-I've had a group of detectives looking for you for several years now.-I guess you changed your name to Parsons after your parents died and that did make it difficult to trace you down.-But we did it.-Oh, I'm so glad."

"Where are you, Aunt Winnie?-Are you near enough to come for a visit one of these days?-I'd love to see you."-Penny had momentarily forgotten her aching back, her throbbing head and her swollen body.

"I live near Frankfort on a horse ranch, dear.-We raise thoroughbreds.-We're still hoping one day to see one of our horses win the Kentucky Derby.-And I'd love to see you, too.-Tell me about yourself and your family, dear, please, if you have time," she added the last hastily.-The last thing she wanted to do was to intrude.-She started the "catching up" by telling Penny about herself.

Wilhelmina Foster had left home when she was sixteen and after running around and coming close to getting in trouble two or three times, she had lied about her age and joined the WACS a couple of years after the end of World War II.-She was stationed in France for a time and there met and fell in love with a Frenchman named Jacques Gardinier.-Although he had French citizenship, his mother had been an American from Kentucky and he had American citizenship, as well.--He had joined the U.S. Army as his father had after marrying his American wife, Jacques' mother, Eve Miller.-Wilhelmina and Jacques were engaged to be married but there had been an auto accident and Wilhelmina told Penny how Jacques had been fatally injured in the fiery crash.-Jacques had written to his mother earlier about his and Wilhelmina's impending nuptials and after his death, Jacques' mother had written and invited her to come to live with her on the horse farm.-Wilhelmina had stayed in the Women's Army Corps for another twenty years but had visited Mrs. Gardinier often during those years.-Upon her retirement from the military she had gone there to care for Eve Gardinier during her final years.-Since Jacques had been an only child, his mother had no one to pass the farm on to and when she had died three years ago, she had left everything to Wilhelmina.

Penny, in turn, filled Aunt Winnie in on her life, her family and her circumstances and by the end of their nearly hour-long conversation, they felt almost like old friends.-Penny explained that she was eight months pregnant and might not be the best of hostesses but did invite her to visit at her earliest opportunity.-

"If you're sure you would be up to my visiting, I'll call you again in a few days and we'll set up a time.-Oh, Penny, I'm so glad I'll be having a chance to really get to know you.-My memories of you are as a small child, but you were pretty and bright even then.-Well, I'll be talking to you in a few days.-Bye-bye."

Penny hung up the phone and dropped heavily into a chair, thinking:- _Well, it is a small world and full of surprises.-My Great Aunt Winnie.-Who'd 'a' thunk it?-_ She hadn't even remembered she had an Aunt Winnie until she called.-Now, though, she remembered that Wilhelmina had always been described as "queer."-Of course back then "queer" hadn't had a sexual connotation as it does now.-Back then it just meant a little out of the ordinary.-Actually, back then, anyone who went all over the world in the company of other women and a lot of men would have been thought of as not ordinary.

That evening, they were waiting for Johnny to begin setting off the fireworks back up at his Grandmother Lydia's like he had two years ago.-They were waiting also for the mess of hamburgers and hot dogs they had consumed to digest.-During the pause in activities, Penny told her family about Aunt Winnie and that she would probably be coming for a visit.-Candy wanted to know what she looked like, but Penny truly had no idea.-Then the fireworks started and there was no more talk other than the usual ooohs and aaahs that normally go with fireworks displays.-Above it all, the grand old flags flew proudly and during the fireworks finale Andy and Candy stood, saluted the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.-Ed and Penny were the proudest of parents and Penny almost cried.

Not quite two weeks later, on July 16, a truck bearing the logo of the Cloverleaf Horse Farm pulled into their driveway and a little lady jumped down from the cab and started toward the house.-She walked with an easy grace almost bouncing along with her green baseball-type hat on her head and green overalls that reminded Penny of the TV hero, Mr. Green Jeans of her youth except he had been tall and slim and this little lady was as opposite as you could get..-She looked to be just a little over five feet tall and was round all over.-She wasn't actually fat—well, maybe she was a little, but her rosy cheeks and easy smile had everybody else smiling back.-She had been pulling a horse trailer and she pointed to it as she reached the porch.

"I'm Aunt Winnie and you must be Ed.-Hi, All.-Ed, do you want to help me unload these animals from the trailer.-They've been cooped up in there way too long as it is.-And, young man," she was nodding toward Johnny, "they'll be needing some water, too, if you would be so kind."-Aunt Winnie ushered the two beautiful thoroughbred horses out of the trailer and dropped their reins over the fence near the buckets of water Johnny had filled for them.

"Ohhh, they're so _big!_ "-Candy's voice sounded almost like someone who had just gotten into a swimming pool and sat down too quick in cold water.-Andy was a little braver, but not much.

"Yeah!" was his only comment of the moment.

"In a little while, they're going to need a little exercise.-I thought maybe you'd like to help me with that."-Aunt Winnie's blue eyes sparkled and when she chuckled at the looks on their faces, her belly jiggled.-Candy said later that she looked like Mrs. Santa Claus only in green instead of red.-She didn't look as though she could have been around more than fifty-five of her admitted seventy-six years.

"Oh, I wish it was so I could go horseback riding.-Johnny and I went riding while we were in Ireland on our honeymoon and after I got over being scared half to death, I enjoyed it immensely."

Ed went in the house and got ice-cold lemonade for everyone and they sat and visited on the front porch fairly comfortably for quite a while.-Andy had gradually edged out toward where the horses were eating grass and occasionally getting a drink of water.-Finally, he reached out his hand and barely touched the horse's nose.-He had seemed drawn toward the one with the blaze down his face and that was the one he tried making friends with.-

"His name is "Fritter," Aunt Winnie told Andy.-Rub the side of his head below his eye.-He likes that but be careful and don't touch his eye, itself."

"Okay, Aunt Winnie."

Candy was still a little hesitant but she finally went to stand near the other horse.-"What's this one's name, Aunt Winnie.?"

"Her name is 'Jolene.'-And she loves to be petted, too.-They're both just big pets."

Taking her lead from Andy, Candy was soon stroking Jolene's nose, too.-"Ooh, her hair is so soft!"-It was obvious that Candy was torn between being entranced and terrified, but Penny was pretty sure 'entranced' was winning.

"You will stay the night, won't you, Aunt Winnie?-We'd be so happy for you to."-Ed seemed totally enchanted with Aunt Winnie as did everybody else.

"If you're sure I won't be in the way, I'd love to.-Johnny, since you've obviously ridden before, would you like to take each of the horses for a little exercise run before we put them up for tonight?"

"Oh, yeah!-I'd love to.-Oh, Chrissy, I wish you could ride, too, but I guess you probably shouldn't."

"That's fine.-I'll get another chance one of these years.-You go on and enjoy it."-

"Ed, you could exercise one of them while Johnny does the other.-Then when they've gotten rid of their high spirits, maybe one of the twins could ride with each of you before they try it on their own."-Penny was anxious for the twins to have a chance to at least walk the horses with them at the reins.-Who knew when they might have another chance?

"Is that alright, Aunt Winnie?"-Ed was looking forward to the experience both for himself and for the twins.-It had been at least twenty-five years since he had been on a horse's back.

"Absolutely.-Any way you want to manage it.-They're yours."-Ed was hopeful that the twins hadn't heard that last remark.-He realized that Wilhelmina had intended it to mean the horses could be handled any way they chose; not that she was giving them the horses.-But the kids would assume she had meant the latter and would be so ecstatic and everybody would be embarrassed.-She couldn't possibly have intended that the horses were to be a gift.-These were obviously well-trained, well-bred, highly prized animals.

Ed and Johnny saddled the horses carefully.-Ed watched Johnny so that he would be positive he was doing it correctly.-Then they mounted and rode them rather sedately up the road toward Johnny's house.-Andy and Candy watched with wide eyes and bated breath as the two men rode back at a slow gallop.-Andy could hardly wait until it was his turn.-Candy was still a little frightened.-She was, by far, the more reserved of the two but Penny knew if she got up the nerve to try it at all, she would probably be more adventuresome after she got into it.

When they reined in at the fence, Ed looked at Candy.-"Do you want to try it with me or by yourself?"

"I don't know if I want to at all," she said after giving it some thought.-"I want to, but she's so big!-What if I fell off?"

"You can ride with me if you want to and I'll hold you so you can't fall.-How about that?"

Aunt Winnie was already helping Andy to sit in front of Johnny on Fritter and Candy didn't want to be left behind.-"Okay.-I'll try it.-Will you help me up, too, Aunt Winnie?-This one's name is 'Jolene' right?"

"That's right, Sugar.-Up you go."-In a moment, both of the kids were astride the animals and Ed and Johnny started off at a slow walk.-It didn't suit the horses very well.-They had already had a taste of a gallop and they had been cooped up long enough they wanted to run.-After all, they were racehorses not ponies for babies to walk around with.-But aside from nickering and tossing their heads, they continued to let the riders set the pace.-They rode quite slowly all the way up to the trailer behind the O'Reilly's new house.-Then the women watched as the men exchanged some words with the young ones and saw the kids take the reins and begin to urge the horses back down the road.-Andy was being extremely careful and holding Fritter to a slow walk.-Candy, true to her mother's prediction, was allowing Jolene to do a slow trot.-They continued to watch as Candy almost automatically adjusted her bouncing body to the rise and fall of the horse and was soon trotting faster and holding her seat almost like a seasoned rider.

"Wow!-You both did fine for first-time equestrians."-Aunt Winnie sounded impressed and happy.

"Can we go again?" Andy asked excitedly.-"Please, can we?-I feel like Shadowhawk on his horse, Cougar."

When Wilhelmina looked at Penny questioningly, Penny explained.-"That was a character in a book the kids heard at the library Story Hour."-She didn't add anything about the ghosts and finding the gold and all that.-She was afraid Aunt Winnie would think she was visiting a family of absolute nuts.-"Why don't we go in now and start on some supper?-If everybody isn't hungry now, they will be before we can get it ready."

"I'm thinking, maybe the children need to make one more trip on the horses tonight and then Fritter and Jolene will need rubdowns and some more water and maybe some feed.-You do have room for them in the barn, don't you Ed?"

"Of course, Aunt Winnie.-It has seven stalls and the only animal we have is a cow.-Let's go kids; or do you want to ride by yourselves this time?"-Ed knew if he rode much more, he would be so sore tomorrow he wouldn't be able to move.-But Candy and Andy seemed a little nervous at trying to handle them alone yet so they rode double again.-This time, though, they rode west toward the creek so that the horses could have a good drink of running water.-On the way back, both of them let Fritter and Jolene gallop a little and Andy and Candy handled the reins all by themselves.-Ed was proud of them and he figured they were about ready to solo.-

They let the kids help with the grooming of the horses and then led them into the barn and put out feed and water for them, put their saddles up and turned them into their stalls.

Supper was almost over before the door-slamming started upstairs.-The ghosts had been strangely quiet for a while, so it startled even the Wroes when it began.

"Is someone else here, Penny?-I didn't know you had someone else living here."

"There's not another living soul here, Aunt Winnie; the operative word being 'living.'- That's just our resident ghosts acting up.-They've been doing that ever since we came here almost three years ago.-Don't let them frighten you.-They seem harmless enough but they do get noisy sometimes."

"Sometimes they cry, too," Candy added.-

"Do you know why they're here?-Have they ever talked to you?-How many are there?-Do you know if they're male or female?-Oh, this is exciting!!"

"Aunt Winnie!-I thought you'd be laughing at us for believing in ghosts and thinking we truly were a bunch of nuts.-Do you really believe in the paranormal?"

"I believe there are radical events that can't be explained in logical terms.-I have actually seen surreal images that I couldn't begin to understand.-I would love to 'meet' your ghosts and see if I could somehow communicate with them.-Is there some place where you hear them or feel their presence more strongly than other places?"

"Yes, I'd say probably on the third floor.-We have felt a cold wind more often than anything else and more often in the front bedroom on the west side of the hall."

"Is there any way I could sleep in that room tonight?-Just a pallet on the floor would be fine.-Would that be possible?"-Wilhelmina seemed thoroughly excited.

"Sure, Aunt Winnie.-There are a couple of twin beds in that room.-They have clean linens and blankets, if you're sure you want to sleep there."

"Oh, I'm positive!"-There were three slams right together.

"Chrissy says that means they approve.-The doors slammed just like that when she and Johnny announced their engagement."

The children were anxious to get to bed so they could go riding again in the morning; but the adults talked far into the night.-It already seemed that they and Aunt Winnie had always been a part of each other's lives.-

*-- *-- *--

Sheriff Lester Finkley did not appreciate being chewed out as he had just been chewed.-But there didn't seem to be much he could do about it.-When it had started three years earlier all they had asked of him was that he "be somewhere else" or "look the other way" while the drugs were being brought in.-It had seemed relatively harmless then.-Now, though, he realized he was in way over his head and there was no way out—not any more.-In a way, he didn't especially want a way out.-The money was too good and he rather enjoyed his political clout and hobnobbing with his political allies.-Just last week, he had been invited to the Judge's house for dinner and only yesterday he had met in Austin with Governor Anderson and Senator Kirkland.-They were all on a first name basis and he did like that.-He smiled to himself as he continued to follow the winding road that led to his sprawling ranch-style home some eleven miles outside of Laredo.-As he pulled the red Corvette into the three-car detached garage, he was thinking that nothing much mattered any more anyhow.-Since his wife, Midge, had died of cancer almost seven years ago, he didn't even come here often at all.-Of course, everything would be clean and tidy.-The Mexican girl, Kelsey, came in twice a week to keep everything shipshape in case he wanted to do some entertaining and occasionally he would have meetings there with some of the men he worked for.-The place was isolated enough for them to have complete privacy.-

His phone number was unlisted and only a handful of people had the number so when the phone was ringing when he entered the house, he was pretty sure who would be on the other end.-He was still smarting from his earlier dressing down and not at all anxious to answer the phone.-He figured they would give up eventually but when it continued to ring, he reluctantly answered.-He made his voice sound breathless as though he had rushed to answer it.

"Hello...........Oh, yes, I just got here...........No, I'm still not sure who.........I know what you said..........I'm doing everything I can, sir........Yes, sir.......I will....Yes, sir.-Goodbye."

Yes, he did wish he knew who had been the rat-fink that told the authorities when the shipment was coming in.-He'd shoot the bastard himself just for the inconvenience he had caused in his own life.-Somebody on the inside had to have been the one who gave it up to the authorities.-He had tried every way he could think of to find out.-He had buddied up to Chief Powers and broached the subject in a round about way and that hadn't worked.-Then he had straight out asked him who his informant had been.-The Chief absolutely refused to discuss it.-The DEA people wouldn't even talk to him—they were totally 'unreachable' at the moment, he was told.-Not even one little peon had time to speak to the Sheriff himself.-That was ridiculous and they knew it and so did his boss.-He had even "invited himself" to sit in on some of the questioning of the smugglers.-Didn't he have a little over thirty years of experience in the field?-Why would they not jump at the chance of taking advantage of his expertise?-Could they be suspicious of him?-Surely not.-There had never been a breath of scandal involved with the performance of his duty as a law enforcement official.-Did they realize that he had been a little lax perhaps in that performance lately?-Couldn't they blame it, as his boss had insisted they would, on his escalating years and declining health?

In Austin, a distinguished-looking politician sat at his desk.-Once again, he was on the telephone.-Once again, he was venting his displeasure and predicting dire consequences.-"If he can't do the job he is paid to do, you know the next step............Yes,......alright another ten days............ If you have no viable information by the end of the month, we'll be finding another county official.-Speaking of finding replacements, have you had any luck locating the replacement we discussed for Carl Forrester?-...........No one is irreplaceable, not even you.-Remember that."-He replaced the receiver with a bang.

Bernie Tavalerio was still racking his brain trying to figure a way to catch the Webb County sheriff in something that would lead to proving his complicity in the smuggling operation.-He had concocted several schemes and then had to discard them due to fatal flaws.-He understood what the deputy meant when he said he had no idea who he could trust.-He needed to be able to tie him to his superior and he sure wasn't having any luck in doing that.-He was relatively sure that Carl Forrester was the "big Boss" as far as anybody local knew.-And Carl Forrester was, no doubt, high up in the organization; but he simply, in his opinion, didn't have the brains to mastermind an enterprise as complex as smuggling.-The leader would be required to synchronize the transferring of the shipments across the border, then set up a distribution system and make portions of the shipments available in the proper quantities for each of the distributors after the distributors had been screened and selected..-Then would come the system of handling of the monies collected from the buyers and then the laundering of those funds so they could be accounted for as legitimate income for dummy corporations that also had to be set up.-He just didn't think Carl Forrester had the intellect, the connections nor the leadership abilities to be the brains behind the organization.-

If he knew a judge he was sure he could trust, he could maybe get an order for a phone tap, but he didn't know anybody local, so that was out unless Deputy Colton Keenan could come up with an idea and sufficient evidence to warrant one.-He could do the phone tap anyway but without a court order, it would be illegal and any evidence would be inadmissible at a trial.

That night, Bernie called the deputy at home and set up a meeting for the next morning at nine at a coffee house at the other end of town from where the deputy's fellow officers hung out.-Deputy Keenan had an idea to include the Drug Enforcement Agency rep they had worked with on the drug bust in the meeting.-Maybe Charles Harrington would have some ideas on the investigation.-Bernie agreed and the next morning the three of them filled their plates from the buffet at the Ponderosa on North Cattlemen Drive.-They sat at a corner table and talked as they ate.

"You say you have an idea that you know a local official who's on the take in regard to the local smuggling operation?"-Charles Harrington had his suspicions, too, and he was curious if they were thinking along the same lines that he was.

Bernie let Keenan take over since he was the one who had overheard the incriminating conversation.-Keenan explained what he had heard without using any names, yet.

"I truly don't see how the end of the call I overheard could possibly have any other interpretation.-But I still hesitate to make a direct accusation without absolute proof."

"Okay.-Let me tell you."-Somebody had to go out on a limb first and Charles Harrington had had serious reservations about the sheriff's honesty for quite a long time, now.-"It's Sheriff Finkley, isn't it?"

Keenan looked at Tavalerio and they both nodded their heads.-"Okay, now how do we go about proving it _and_ how do we get the goods on the guy the sheriff answers to?"-

"And how do we put a stop to the heroin smuggling between here and Mexico?" Bernie added.

Harrington shook his head sadly.-"There are a little over twelve hundred fifty miles of border between Texas and Mexico alone all defined by the Rio Grande River.-In some places you can almost step across the river.-There is no way to stop the smuggling entirely.-But if we can even slow it down and catch enough of them to cut their profits, smuggling won't be as attractive or as lucrative as it is right now.-That's the best we can hope for and maybe we'll save a few young people from getting hooked on it.-But to stop it?-No, I'm afraid not.-But that doesn't keep us from trying."

"Well, for damn sure, we don't need local law enforcement profiting from that illegal enterprise."-That drew an "Amen" from Harrington and Tavalerio.

"Well, as I said before, where do we start?"

Harrington had an idea.-"What if somebody has been calling the sheriff and making death threats?-And what if the sheriff isn't taking it seriously but Keenan is really worried about it?-The sheriff wouldn't ask for help but Keenan feels like his boss' life is at risk.-Might that be enough to get the court order for a phone tap without alerting the sheriff?"

"Then if the big boss calls again and the sheriff incriminates himself again, we'll be completely 'shocked' but we'll have it on tape and can then proceed appropriately."-Tavalerio continued.

"Hey, that just might work.-Unless, of course, we get a judge who also isn't on the up and up.-Then he tells the sheriff we wanted a phone tap and we're history, literally."

"I have a judge in mind who has dealt very severely with smugglers who have been brought before him.-Judge Marshall is wholeheartedly against drugs so I don't think he would be likely to be one of the sheriff's allies.-What do you say, shall we try it?"

"My wife's sister is a legal secretary and I'm sure I can get a form for a wire tap request.-I'll have her leave out names and titles and we can put those in ourselves.-Then I can present it to Judge Marshall and we'll take it from there."

"It sounds like a plan."

That night Bernie was flipping through the television channels looking for something to watch when he saw in the previews that Governor Dan Anderson would be on next with his state of the state address.-Since Deputy Keenan had indicated that two high-ranking state officials and one of the top county officials were suspects in his own mind, Bernie decided to listen to the governor's speech and see if he saw or heard anything that might indicate to him that it could be the governor.

"My fellow citizens, friends, neighbors and esteemed colleagues, I am happy to report to you that this great state of Texas, under the strong leadership of the Republican Party, has entered a period of unprecedented prosperity, despite a major rollback in state tax rates.-The crime rate is down; teacher salaries are at an all-time high and the percentage of students enrolling in higher education has increased dramatically.-Unemployment rates have dropped drastically and the demand for Texas beef is growing rapidly all over the world."

_Political poppycock.-_ That was Bernie's assessment of the opening statement.- _What he probably isn't saying is that the State had passed a bunch of their erstwhile responsibilities down to the Counties.-Then the State could lower their taxes while the Counties had to increase their tax revenue to meet their new State-mandated responsibilities.-The crime rate is down because some of the offenses that used to be reported as 'crimes' are now omitted because those are now listed as misdemeanors rather than crimes.-And, sure, teachers' salaries are higher because there had been a state-mandated cut-back in teacher positions.-Therefore, far fewer teachers were receiving a little more money for doing the work two and a half teachers had been doing.-Unemployment rates were down since more and more workers were taking minimum wage work because the drawing period for unemployment had been cut and they now had no income at all._

Bernie listened to the rest of the address but found nothing to indicate the governor's feelings concerning drugs.-In fact, drugs weren't mentioned at all.-Bernie hated politics with a passion.-In fact, he figured politicians were much like magicians.-They get you to look at one hand while they do something sneaky with the other hand.-And not just one Party—they were all the same in his opinion.

By the end of the week, they had their court order for a phone tap for the sheriff's office and his apartment there in Laredo.-It might take weeks to get the evidence they needed but at least they were doing something.

*-- *-- *--

"Well, how did you sleep, Aunt Winnie?" Penny asked the next morning.-"Did you have any ghostly encounters last night?"-Penny and Ed still found it astounding that she would be so enthused about their ghosts.

"No, I'm a little disappointed, actually.-There was no supernatural activity at all.-But I'm still hopeful that I may make contact if you invite me back again."

"You're welcome anytime at all Aunt Winnie.-We have all enjoyed your visit very much."-About then the twins came rushing into the kitchen, breathless from excitement and exhaustion.

"We rode by ourselves, Mama!" they shouted almost in unison as they so often did.

"Johnny rode beside each of us one at a time so that if we didn't do something right, he could fix it."

"Now we're going to try it without Johnny.-Please come watch!-Please, all of you!"

Everyone hurried out to the yard to watch the proceedings.-Penny was actually a little nervous but she kept her fears to herself except for holding tightly to Ed's hand.-

Johnny helped each of the kids onto a horse.-Andy had just about adopted Fritter and Candy preferred Jolene.-After a few last-minute instructions were repeated, the twins began walking the horses toward Johnny and Chrissy's house.-As instructed, they walked only a short distance and then, managing the reins as they had been shown, they turned the horses and started back toward the watchers.-They returned to the starting place and Johnny helped them dismount and grinned in approval when they went running to get hugs and accolades from the waiting family.

"You did great!-Just splendid, as a matter of fact!-We're so proud of you!"

Candy remembered her manners.-She walked sedately over to Wilhelmina and then hugged her enthusiastically.-"Thank you, Aunt Winnie, for bringing the horses for us to ride."

"Do we have time for one more ride before we need to unsaddle them so you can take them home?"-Andy asked as he, too, thanked her for the wonderful experience.

"Why on earth would I take _your_ horses back to my house?" she asked innocently.

Never had she seen such wide-eyed wonder on the faces of two kids.-In fact, she had never had many dealings with children at all.-Almost all of her adult life had been spent in adult company, first in the Army and then with the woman who seemed almost like a mother to her and who was the mother of the only man she had ever loved.-Only now she was beginning to realize some of what she had missed.-But maybe with these kids she could make some of it up to herself.

The twins were speechless, but Penny finally found her tongue.-"Aunt Winnie, you can't possibly mean that you are—that these horses—that you want to leave the horses here for the children to ride."

Ed was equally flabbergasted.-Even though he had noticed her remark earlier when she said, "They're yours.-Do it any way you want to."- He didn't know what to do or say.- "Aunt Winnie, that is too generous—way too generous.-You can't just go around giving away beautiful horses like Fritter and Jolene.-No one had any idea you were thinking about—I mean it's just too much."

Finally, Candy picked her chin up off the ground and whispered, "Do you for sure mean for these horses to be ours forever?"

"Are you saying we can keep them here and ride whenever we want to?-Just like they were ours?

Wilhelmina was having the time of her life.-She was smiling so big, it seemed her face might almost split.-"Do you have room for them?"-Everybody nodded dumbly.-"Will you take care of them?"-Again all serious nods.-"Can you afford to feed them?"-Everybody looked at Ed and again he nodded.-"Then the horses are yours unless you don't want them."

"Oh, Aunt Winnie, that's just too wonderful for words."

"We will enjoy them, Aunt Winnie, more than you can imagine."

"Do you have to leave?-We would love for you to stay."

"I do need to get back to the ranch.-There are some things I need to be doing.-But I'll come back sometime if you want me to."

"Oh, yes, please come back any time you can."

"Okay.-Those ghosts and I have some unfinished business, too.-Johnny, can you unhook the horse trailer from my truck?-And, Ed, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate some help with my suitcase."

"You mean you're leaving the trailer, too?"- Ed was still incredulous.

"It's a package deal.-If you don't take the trailer, you can't have the horses."

"Oh, please, Dad, let us keep the trailer, too.-The horses are so beautiful, especially Jolene.-Please, Dad."-Candy sure didn't want to give up her horse.

Ed grinned.-"Aunt Winnie, I swear we'll never be able to show enough gratitude for all this.-But thank you so much."

"You are welcome and if you weren't, I wouldn't have done it to begin with."

### Chapter Six

Who Shot the Sheriff

Waiting was not Bernie Tavalerio's favorite pastime although waiting and watching was an integral part of all detective work.-Even so, he still didn't like it.-It was July 21; ten days since they had gotten the phone tap approved.-So far there had been no incriminating phone calls.-Actually, there had been no calls of a personal nature for the sheriff at all—neither at the office nor at the apartment.-It was Bernie's turn to sit with the headsets and do the monitoring.-They worked in four hour shifts and from four to eight tonight was his shift.-If the phone rang at either the sheriff's office or apartment, it was their job to decide if the call should be recorded or not so constant vigilance was necessary.-

Sheriff Finkley was a worried man.-He knew if he didn't come up with the identity of the informant, he would be severely punished.-He didn't know that tomorrow was the absolute deadline or the big boss planned for his execution.-He just couldn't figure out any way to get the information the boss needed.-Finkley didn't dare call the boss; he had been warned repeatedly not to do that.-So, when the phone rang, he didn't know whether to be relieved or even more concerned.-If it was the boss, the sheriff would just have to make him understand what a stone wall he was up against and get another extension on his time.

The sheriff got a deep breath, picked up the phone and cradled it against his ear.-"Hello.-Sheriff Finkley speaking."

"Not for long, if I don't get some answers."-It was the big boss.-In the unmarked van outside, Bernie Tavalerio felt his pulse quicken and he immediately switched on the recorder.

"I've tried everything," the sheriff almost whined.-He was suddenly sweating profusely as he looked around to make sure there was no one in the office to overhear what was being said.-"It's just no use.-Whoever ratted out the smuggler's plans is so far under the radar there's no way to dig him out.-I'll do whatever you want me to do, sir, if you'll tell me how to go about getting the information you need.-But I've tried every avenue I can think of to track him down."

"You don't get points for trying; only for results.-You _can_ be replaced you know.-I've already found a replacement for Carl Forrester and most of his underlings who were arrested."

"Just give me a little more time, Boss.-I'll get the info.-I swear I will.-I just need a little more time.-I—"

"Time enough for whoever the double-crosser is to figure out my involvement in this.-Time I don't intend to waste.-If I make an example of you, maybe they'll be a little less anxious to spill any other names.-My reliable sources tell me that Carl Forrester is ready to implicate you as we speak.-So, good-bye, Finkley.-I can't take the chance that you might decide to name names, too.-Forrester doesn't know my name, I don't think; but it's for damn sure, you do."

"But, Boss, you know I wouldn't bring you into anything and nobody in his right mind would figure you to be involved in something like this.-You need me, Boss, to run interference for you and to keep the legal hounds at bay while you run the drugs.-For five years, actually a little over five, I've made sure my men were somewhere else when your shipments were coming through.-You can't turn your back on me now, Boss."-Sheriff Finkley suddenly realized he was pleading for his very life—and losing miserably.

"As I said earlier, good-bye, Finkley."-He was still begging when he finally realized he was talking to a dial tone.-Then he slowly lowered the phone to the handset on the desk and put his head on his arms and wept like a two-year-old.-This was the way Deputy Colton Keenan found him when he entered the office with Bernie Tavalerio and Agent Charles Harrington right behind him.-

They had determined earlier things would probably go more smoothly if they let the DEA claim the collar and take him into custody.-That way he would be a federal prisoner and not subject to local politics.-Harrington produced a set of handcuffs and read the sheriff his rights.-"You are under arrest, Lester Finkley, for collusion in the trafficking of narcotics among other things.-You have the right to remain silent, anything you do say can and will be held against you in a court of law.-You have the right to an attorney.-If you cannot afford an attorney—"

"Okay, okay.-I know that damn speech and have been reciting it longer than you've been alive."-Harrington was hustling the sheriff out to the waiting Drug Enforcement Van and he continued to rant.-"There is no way you can substantiate these charges.-Besides, I have friends in high offices who can have these stupid allegations dismissed out of hand.-If you think for one minute—ohhhhh!"

"Down!-Where in the hell did that shot come from?"-Tavalerio could see that blood was flowing from a gunshot wound in the area of the sheriff's right elbow.

"Thank god.-You've got to protect me, Boss.-I knew you'd come through for me.-Arghhhh!"-Another shot rang out as the sheriff had stood up to accept what he believed to be his reprieve.-Blood spurted from a wound in the region of the sheriff's left shoulder and another bullet grazed his temple.-This time he fell to the ground and didn't stir again.

After a significant period of time elapsed with no more shooting, the three men carefully placed the unmoving form that had been the sheriff into the back of the squad car and headed for the hospital.-It would be up to the emergency personnel to determine the time of death.

"Hey, speed it up, Harrington.-The sheriff is still alive.-His heart is still beating and the blood is still spurting from a damaged artery in the bullet wound."-Bernie was in back with the barely breathing man.-When they reached the hospital, they grabbed a gurney and wheeled him into the emergency room.-Staff went to work on him and managed to stop the bleeding and get him stabilized.-Then they called for an air ambulance to take him to Dallas for special care.

Harrington asked to talk to the staff who had worked with Finkley.-"People, I appreciate the speedy and excellent work you did for Sheriff Finkley.-He has been the victim of a mob hit and I need to ask you in the interests of justice to let it be known that he was pronounced dead at six forty-five this evening.-If it is known that he is still alive, there will be more attempts on his life and although we would do everything in our power to protect him, the next effort could succeed.-I'm going to ask you now to send for the coroner's wagon and put a gurney into the hearse with this gentleman covered on it," he pointed to Bernie Tavalerio as being closer to the sheriff's size, "so that if someone is watching, they will have every reason to believe the assassination was accomplished.-Your cooperation with the federal authorities will be most appreciated and you could truly be saving a life.-Can we count on you?"

Heads nodded and the documentation was completed and signed.-When the coroner's van left with Bernie's covered form on the gurney, they followed it back to the morgue and went through the same story there. The coroner's cooperation was also requested and received.

Some time later, the big boss received a call.-"Everything is taken care of, sir.-I followed the hearse back to the morgue and watched them unload the sheriff's body and take it inside.-The emergency room records show his time of death was six forty-five this evening......Thank you, sir..........Yes, sir, you can always count on me...........Yes, sir."

*-- *-- *--

"And how are you feeling this morning, my love?"-Ed could see Penny was quite uncomfortable and the nearly one hundred degree heat wasn't helping.

"Pregnant.-I'm too old for this stuff," she almost snapped at him.

"Well, it'll be over now before too long.-The babies should be here within a couple of weeks.-I know little Lorrie Anne wouldn't make you so miserable if she could help it."

"I know.-I'm sorry, Ed.-The doctor says she's going to be a beautiful, healthy, darling, little girl. But right now she's practicing jumping jacks and I've got to go to the bathroom again."

Ed grinned and went out to saddle the horses so the kids could ride.

About an hour later, Penny was sitting on the front porch trying to stay as cool as possible when the telephone rang.-She heaved a sigh of relief that she had remembered to grab the cordless phone on her way through the house.-She picked it up from beside her on the swing and thumbed it on.-"Hello."

"And how is my favorite niece?" Aunt Winnie wanted to know.

"As I told Ed a little while ago, pregnant.-It is so hot and humid and, believe me, pregnancy doubles the problem.-I shouldn't be complaining, Aunt Winnie.-Actually, I'm fine.-I'm sitting here on the porch watching the twins riding the horses you gave them.-They are getting unbelievably good at it; and enjoying them so very much."

"The twins are actually what I called to talk to you about, Penny.-What will you do with them if you and Chrissy are both in the hospital at the same time?- I don't think they'll be in school yet, will they?"

"No.-School doesn't start until the last week in August.-So everything should be over before they go back to school.-We had expected to take them to the hospital with us.-I'm not sure we have a choice, actually."

"That could be quite difficult, couldn't it?-I mean lots of babies are born in the middle of the night and it seems to me it would be pretty hard on them to wake them, get them dressed and make them sit in a waiting room for what could be hours.-What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to come and stay with you all until the baby is born and help out a little."

"Oh, Aunt Winnie, I couldn't ask you to do that.-Don't you have things there you need to see to?-A horse ranch doesn't just run itself."

"If I didn't have the time and the inclination, I wouldn't have offered.-Now, unless you don't want me, I thought I'd come tomorrow."

Suddenly Penny was crying.-She couldn't have said exactly why, but she tried to tell Aunt Winnie that it would be wonderful to have her there and know the kids were being taken care of.-

"Oh, now, stop that.-What's the use of having family if we don't take care of each other?-I might need you to take care of me sometime.-Besides that, I've still got a date with your ghosts.-I plan to find out who they were, when they were alive, and why they haunt that house.-I'll see you tomorrow and don't worry about cooking.-I'll bring pizza if you don't think the kids will be too mad at me for it.-Tell Johnny and Chrissy to come down, too.-I'll bring enough pizza for all of us.-Oh, and, hey.-You said I could meet Johnny's parents and Grandmother Lydia, too.-Tell them to come down, also.-We'll make it a real family get-together."

"That sounds wonderful, Aunt Winnie.-Thank you so much."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon about five o'clock, if that's alright."

"That's fabulous.-We'll see you then."-Then she hung up and cried some more.-Ed found her sobbing and it took several minutes to determine what was wrong.

"It's—just—such—a—relief to not—have to—worry—about the—twins—while we're at the—hospital," she blubbered.

"She's an especially sweet lady, honey.-Now unless you _need_ to cry, let me dry those tears.-I brought you some iced tea.-I thought that might make you feel better."

She felt like crying again because he was being so sweet, but she managed to shut off the water works.-And the tea was delicious.-Of course, in just a few minutes she'd need to head for the bathroom again.-That made her smile and sigh and then they both felt better.

When Aunt Winnie arrived this time, she was driving a jeep.-When she got out of the vehicle, Johnny and Ed were there to help her in with all the boxes of pizza.-They had set up a big, long table that Ed had made along with benches to sit on.-They had put everything out under the trees in the shade and with the sun going down, it was almost pleasantly cool.-Janet had brought down paper tablecloths from Thorne Hill and there were tall frosty glasses of iced tea already on the table.-Everybody sat down at once so they could eat the pizza while it was still hot.-As they ate, introductions were passed around with the napkins.-

"It was so wonderful of you, Aunt Winnie, to offer to look after the twins while Mom and I are in the hospital.-It will make everything so much less stressful for us and I know Andy and Candy will love having you here."

"I'll have a lot more fun than you and your mother will, that's for sure," Wilhelmina laughed.-"Oh, when we finish eating, I have a surprise for the twins and something for the babies, too."

"Another surprise for us?" Andy was already inclined to be finished eating if that meant it was surprise time.

"Aunt Winnie, you really are going to spoil us."-Candy sighed excitedly with her eyes dancing.-"Aunt Winnie does great surprises," she told everybody.

When the leftover pizza had been taken in the house, the trash all bagged and the tea glasses refilled, Wilhelmina told the twins to go get the boxes that were in the back of the jeep.-They came back loaded down with packages.-Wilhelmina sorted them and gave two packages each to Penny and Chrissy and the rest, she said, were for Andy and Candy.

"Thank you, Aunt Winnie.-May we open them now?"-When both Aunt Winnie and their mother nodded, the twins tore into them immediately.-Andy opened one of his boxes to reveal a real cowboy hat and Candy got hers opened a few seconds later.-In another box each of them found jeans.-In the third boxes, were a pink cowboy shirt and a pink kerchief for Candy and a blue western shirt and blue kerchief for Andy.-There were only two envelopes left to open.-When Andy got his open he ran to Penny to see what it said.

"It says, 'This is a gift certificate for a pair of cowboy boots for Mr. Andy Wroe from Aunt Winnie Foster'."

"And I'll bet mine says the same thing doesn't it Daddy?"

"Yes, it does."

"You mean we get all this and boots, too."

"Well, I figured if you're going to be cowboys and cowgirls and ride horses, you needed to look like wranglers.-I was afraid to buy the boots for fear I wouldn't get the right size.-I measured both of you while you were asleep when I was here before so I could get the right size pants and shirts.-Do you like them?"

Both kids went to Wilhelmina and hugged her and kissed her with abandon.-"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Aunt Winnie.-Everything is just simply super."

"Yes, we love all of it and especially the boots we'll get.-Thank you so very, very much."

"A person would think it was your birthday or Christmas, wouldn't they?"-Grandmother Lydia was almost jealous of all the attention being lavished on Aunt Winnie, although Lydia didn't recognize the fact and probably wouldn't have admitted it if she did.

"Speaking of birthdays," Chrissy remarked, "I know someone who will be having one in about six weeks or so.-I'm thinking a celebration in her honor is in order.-We need to start planning, too, because Mama and I are gonna be sort of 'out of the loop' for a little while shortly."

"Chrissy and I have been talking about it and we broached the subject with Mom and she thought it was a good idea, too."-Janet nodded her head in agreement.-"After all," Johnny went on, "not everybody gets to have an eighty-second birthday."

"Oh, you mean me?"-Lydia had still been thinking about how special they were treating Wilhelmina.-Now she was embarrassed and a little ashamed that she had been thinking maybe they thought 'Aunt Winnie' was more special than she was.-Now she flushed hotly and somewhat uncomfortably.-But it soon turned to pleasure as she heard they planned to invite the folks from Ireland and Penny's family from North Carolina, Ed's family from California as well as a bunch of the local neighbors and friends.-Wilhelmina was even contributing ideas and suggestions of what she could do to help with the party.

"That's so nice of you all.-But please don't go to extremes.-If you're all here to help celebrate, that's plenty."-But Lydia was genuinely pleased.-She had never had a birthday party, ever, as far as she could remember.-This would indeed be extremely special.-And she would enjoy so much seeing the Irish members of the family again.-Of course, they weren't actually her family; but they were Janet's family and Janet was hers.-Anyway, she had come to genuinely love them when they came for Johnny and Chrissy's wedding.

Chrissy's family was equally precious.-They had treated Lydia with respect and affection during that time also and she looked forward to seeing them again as well.-As the plans progressed, Lydia listened in awe as they planned for mountains of food and beverage, all kinds of entertainment and a generally wonderful day.- Since Chrissy and Penny would be new mothers, Janet would take care of a large part of the work involved but they would all be in on the planning.-Most of the food would be catered, they decided, so all of them could enjoy the festivities.-Unless it rained, they wanted to have it outside.-By the middle of September, it would probably not be as oppressively hot and maybe the Fall rains would not yet be started.-As it turned out September the fifteenth would be on a Saturday so that made it a perfect time for celebration.

-"All of that sounds wonderful and I'm so looking forward to it.-But, am I the only one curious about what's in those packages Wilhelmina brought for Penny and Chrissy?"-Lydia was no longer feeling threatened by the family's affection for 'Aunt Winnie.'

"I certainly am."-Penny waited for a nod from Aunt Winnie and then she began to carefully undo the beautiful pink wrapping paper around her gift.-Then she pulled out a tiny pink chiffon dress with yards and yards of lace-trimmed ruffles and ribbons.-There was also a tiny pink crocheted shawl and matching booties to go with it.-They were also lined with chiffon, since sometimes crochet yarns tended to irritate sensitive skin.

Tears fell unashamedly down Penny's face.-"That is the most beautiful little dress I have ever seen in my life."-Penny's voice was barely audible; but the silence, broken only by whispered ooohs and aaahs, allowed it to be heard loud and clear.

After everyone had gingerly examined the little dress and proclaimed it unbelievably superb, Chrissy began unwrapping her box.-The little outfit she drew out of the package was equally if not more spectacular.-The powder blue pants had permanently sewn creases down the fronts of the legs. On the bottom of the legs were foot covers fastened on that looked like patent leather shoes. The top half was a combination shirt, long-tailed coat and bow tie in the shape of a tuxedo complete with cummerbund and attached boutonniere.-When the top half of the outfit was fastened in the back, it looked just like a tiny tux.-In the bottom of the box was an envelope.-When Chrissy opened it, the retractable top hat sprung into shape and would just fit the size of a tiny baby's head.

Chrissy just sat and gazed at the ensemble.-She had never dreamed there was anything so charming and adorable.-From the shiny little black shoes to the top hat and tails, it was breathtaking.-

"Aunt Winnie, where on earth did you find something so awesome and so unique?-I have never seen anything remotely like it anywhere."

"Neither had I, Chrissy.-But I wanted something as a counterpoint to the princess dress.-I know a seamstress who had designed clothes for some of my acquaintances.-Her name is Eva Mae and she helped me design the little tux and then she put it together for me.-She made the dress, too.-It's also one-of-a-kind.-There's not another exactly like it in the world."-The entire group, even the men, were nearly speechless.

"That's like the tux I wore at Chrissy and Johnny's wedding, isn't it Mommy?-I didn't know they came in baby sizes.-And he won't have to worry about his socks going down in his shoes like mine did.-These are sewed right in."

"Yes, Andy.-Both outfits are astonishingly gorgeous.-Thank you so much, Aunt Winnie."

"I just can't wait to see my little Tommy in his tux.-And you were so clever and sweet to design it yourself.-We'll want to take lots of pictures and then we'll keep the little outfits in case we have more babies to wear them."

"Speak for yourself, daughter.-I'm definitely not planning any more babies for us."-Penny was sure.

Then Ed spoiled things.-"I don't believe we planned this one either, but it happened anyway, didn't it?"- Everyone laughed heartily.

Chrissy and Penny opened the other two gifts at that point and found short sets for each of the babies.-The little yellow shorts would be topped with a sleeveless T-shirt with darker yellow canaries pictured on it for Lorrie Anne and the green bottoms would have a short-sleeved shirt in pastel green with darker green crocodiles pictured on the front.-They were adorable, too.

*-- *-- *--

Aunt Winnie insisted on getting everything shipshape before she went to bed that night and it was getting pretty late by the time she climbed the stairs to the third floor where she would sleep.-Before she lay down, she quietly turned around three times and spoke aloud:-"Whatever supernatural beings are residing in this house, I am a kindred spirit.-I would welcome communication with you and if I can help you in some way, let me know what you need me to do."

When nothing happened, Wilhelmina lay down and prepared to sleep.-Then gradually she felt the cold seem to crowd in around her and seep deeply into her bones.-She shivered almost convulsively and whispered through suddenly trembling lips.-As she spoke, she could actually see the frosty breath coming with her whispers.

"Alright, you have my attention.-How can we communicate?-How about if I ask you questions and you answer by knocking once for yes and twice for no?-Can you do that?"-On the wall beside her bed, Wilhelmina heard one soft tap.

"Okay.-How many of you are there?-Is there only one?"-Two soft taps.

"Are there two of you?"-Again, two soft taps.

"Are three of you here?"-One knock sounded.

"There are three of you.-Right?"-Again one knock.

"Okay.-Now I don't know what to ask.-How long have you been here?"-There was no reply and Wilhelmina remembered they needed to answer yes or no.

"Have you been here more than—uh—fifty years?"-One tap.

"Have you been here more than a hundred years?"-Again, one tap.

"Have you been residing here more than two hundred years?"-Still one tap.

"More than three hundred years?"-This time two taps sounded.

"Two hundred fifty?"-One loud knock.

"You lived here two hundred fifty years ago?"-Again one loud knock.-"That means that you lived here during the— "she did some quick math in her head—"the seventeen hundred fifties."-One knock again.

"Did you die here in this house?"-One tap.-Then Wilhelmina heard soft sobbing and she thought she could distinguish three different voices raised in pain and sorrow.-Although she asked several more questions, there was no response.-Sleep came to Wilhelmina with great difficulty much later in the morning.

Morning found Wilhelmina with paper and pencil making notes of what she had discovered in her 'conversations' the evening before and making lists of other questions she needed to ask at the next opportunity.-She wasn't quite ready, though to share her findings with anyone else just yet.-And though she spent several wakeful nights waiting for the next manifestations, there were no more ghostly visits for quite some time.

Chrissy awoke with her back aching wretchedly and she could find no position to lie in that would ease it.-Her stomach felt hard and tight, too, and she was just plain miserable.-She turned over and squinted at the clock, which told her it was two-thirty-two in the morning.-It was her birthday.- _Happy Birthday to me!-_ She thought disconsolately.- _It sure doesn't feel as though it would be a good day.-_ Then a pain—actually it was more like a heavy cramp—tore through her belly and had her gasping.-When it left, she decided to get up and use the bathroom but before she could get there water poured onto the floor and suddenly Chrissy was scared.-She knew about childbirth and she knew the signs.-Also, today was the day the doctor had expected her to deliver her baby.-But she was scared anyway.-

"Johnny.-Johnny!-Hey, wake up, Honey.-I think my water just broke."

Another painful cramp seized her and this time she gasped aloud.-"Johnny!"

He finally roused and came running to see about her.-"What's wrong, Baby?"

"'Baby' is what's wrong.-Ooh!-They're getting harder, too."-So began the breathing and timing of the contractions and by seven in the morning, they decided it was time to head for the hospital.-Chrissy called her Mom before they left for the birthing center.-Penny had been spotting and she, too, was having mild contractions.-She figured she'd be joining Chrissy in town before long, and she was surely grateful that Aunt Winnie was there to stay with the twins.

*-- *-- *--

Deputy Colton Keenan was still being quite careful.-He knew from his own experience that conversations could be overheard.-"Is the bird still in the cage?"-That was the code they had decided on.-With the answer in the affirmative, he knew Lester Finkley was still in intensive care.-"And is the broken leg still healing?"-That answer, also in the affirmative, indicated that the same individual was still improving.

The extensive search for evidence following the shooting of Finkley had produced some shell casings and some cigarette butts from an area on top of a nearby building.-They had traced those shell casings to a local dealer and could hopefully identify who had purchased them fairly soon.-The cigarette butts had been sent to the state crime lab in Austin to be tested for DNA.-That could take two or three weeks but if the DNA profile they pulled from the cigarettes came from someone who was in the database, they would know who their shooter had been.-That still wouldn't tell them who was behind the whole thing but they might be able to apply a little pressure and get some answers.-The charge against him would be attempted murder since the victim was still alive.

Actually, the ex-sheriff, whom almost everyone in town believed was dead, was in considerable pain and was close to wishing he was dead.-His own admissions on tape were absolute proof of his involvement in the protection of the smuggling operation and that he had been receiving regular pay-offs for keeping his office from interfering in that illegal enterprise.-He lay in bed and tried to determine through the dense fog of pain and painkillers whether his best interests lay in disclosing the identity of the big boss or in holding out for a better deal on his own situation.-He tried unsuccessfully to weigh the pros and cons of the different alternatives.-He was pretty sure there was no point in hoping for help from his erstwhile partners in crime.-He had thought the first shots fired when he had been arrested were aimed in his defense.-However, there was little doubt that the last bullets were meant to silence him and that did not speak well as to help from 'friends in high places.'

It was also evident that their attempts had also lacked very little being successful as was evidenced by the bulk of bandages on his head and the cast on his left arm.-He couldn't remember the name of the man who sat in a chair near his bed, but he knew he had something to do with law enforcement.-He wondered idly if there would be any way to bribe the man into helping him escape.-Had he known Bernie Tavalerio even a shade better he would never even have entertained the smidgeon of an idea of trying that with him.-Bernie had been in law enforcement for a little over fifteen years. He had followed in his father's footsteps.-His father had been on the force twenty-three years when a bullet from the gun of a crooked cop had ended his career and his life. Bernie had thought about joining the Internal Affairs unit to try to help weed out the few bad seeds that every profession was plagued with but then decided not to.-Bernie had applied to the detective division for a transfer to that department because it was in that direction that his primary interests lay.-And he believed that his instincts and reasoning capabilities would be best used in that venue.-However, his captain preferred to keep him where he was and flat out refused his request for a transfer.

So he had gotten his license and hung out his shingle as a private investigator.-He had been pretty successful, too, if he did say so himself.-He had saved up a nice hunk of change for retirement as a result of several lucrative cases he had closed during his three year practice in Owensboro.-Now, however, he found himself in Dallas, deputized as a federal Drug Enforcement Agent and given the task of guarding, of all things, a crooked cop.-No, he would not have looked kindly on the offer of a bribe from the ex-sheriff.- Not at all, at all.

Deputy Keenan had been working double shifts and racking his brain through restless and sleepless nights to try to discover the identity of the man the ex-sheriff had answered to and received pay-offs from.-Of course, the full responsibility of making this determination was left to him because they didn't want anyone else to know the sheriff was still alive or that he had been involved with the protection of the dope smugglers.-He still met regularly with Charles Harrington and Harrington was conducting his own investigation but Colton still felt keenly the need to clear the remainder of his associates or to nail them for being tied to Finkley.- Harrington had asked Tavalerio to baby-sit Finkley since the absence of either Keenan or Harrington would have been locally noticed and wondered about.-The fewer questions the better until their investigation turned up the other conspirators and proved their collusion in the operation.

For the dozenth time Keenan as acting sheriff was interrogating Carl Forrester who, they were convinced was the local king pin.-They could prove he had handled the local pay-offs and had laid out the schedules, routes, etc.-But they knew he didn't have the big money for the financing of the operation and there was nothing anywhere to show where Forrester had received money from the sale of the contraband.-He got his regular salary and that was it; so that meant there had to be deeper pockets and bigger profits going somewhere else.

"You give me immunity and a walk on all charges and I'll tell you everything I know."-This was the sum total of the information he seemed able to get from Forrester.

"Okay, how about this?-I charge you with smuggling heroin, possession with intent to distribute, and murder.-That should get you at least life in prison or quite possibly the electric chair."

"Whoa.-Whoa, now.-I've never killed anybody.-That other stuff, I might, might, you understand, be guilty of; but murder?-No way, man.-No way."

"Well, _somebody_ ordered the hit on Ramon Mendez and it had to have been the 'big boss.'-If you are as high up on the ladder as we can climb, then we have no choice but to assume it was you who gave the order.-That makes you guilty of murder just the same as the guy who pulled the trigger.-If somebody else decided he was to be taken out, then that reduces your liability exponentially."

"It sure as hell wasn't me who gave the order.-I might have passed it on _from_ the big boss but I sure ain't him."

"Carl, the only way we can accept that is if we have a person we can prosecute for that offense.-Otherwise, it has to be you who will take the fall for it."-Maybe, just maybe, Colton was making a little headway.

"But if I rat out the main man, my life ain't worth a plug nickel.-I'm as dead as Mendez, don't you see that?"-Forrester was almost to the whiny stage.- _They were so brave,_ Colton thought, _as long as they were in the driver's seat.-But let them lose control of the reins and they were up shit creek without a paddle.-How was that for mixed metaphors?-_ Colton chuckled to himself and garnered a weird look from Forrester.

"What's so damn funny?" he wanted to know.

"I'm just thinking about all those thousands of watts of electricity pulsing through your body, turning your blood into jelly and singeing your flesh like a Christmas turkey."

Forrester was sweating, now, and Colton thought he was close to breaking.-"I guess it comes down to whether you'd rather get strapped down in the hot seat for being the big boss or take a chance on being killed by the main man, if there is a main man.-I think you _are_ the main man, Forrester, and you belong on death row."

"No! No!-It's not me.-It's not me, man.-You gotta believe me.-It's the sheriff; Sheriff Finkley.-He's been giving me orders for years, now.- I swear it's him."

"Oh, come now, Carl, don't speak ill of the dead.- Didn't you know that the sheriff was shot just outside his office a few days ago?-Now you're trying to blame all this stuff on a dead man; someone who can't even defend his good name.-Besides that, after his death, we checked his finances to see if he had enough money to pay for a funeral.-And he doesn't have the money to finance a turkey shoot much less a big operation like you all were carrying on.-Try again, Carl.-You've got to come up with somebody other than the sheriff."

"But I swear, man, it was him.-I think he may have been taking orders from somebody higher but I don't have any way to know who that might have been.-If you check on the sheriff, you might find a connection to somebody higher; but, I swear, I swear, I don't know who it is.-You've got to believe me.-I don't want to go to death row.-I just can't!"

Colton raised his voice.-"Deputy, would you come get this guy and take him back to his cell, please?-He's spouting off about our poor dead sheriff being a crook and him not here to defend himself.-We'll just let him think about it for a while and maybe he'll come up with something a little more believable."

When the deputy returned from his task, he stood, shuffling from one foot to the other with his head hung down.-He opened his mouth twice to say something but no sound came out.-Acting Sheriff Keenan just looked at him quizzically.-Finally, Keenan looked him in the eye.-"You've got something on your mind, Deputy.-Let's hear it."

"Sir, I know it's shameful to speak ill of the dead and I don't like to cast suspicion on a superior officer.-Sheriff Finkley's funeral is today so I hate to say anything—"

"It's never wrong to tell the truth, Deputy.-And there's never a wrong time to tell the truth.-Spit it out."

"I came into the office one day from the back and overheard the sheriff on the telephone.-From hearing his end of the conversation, I knew he was involved in something illegal.-He talked about misdirecting his men and 'looking the other way.'-Then he said something like, "No, I don't like that at all.-That's just plain murder, man.'-It sounded like he was trying to talk somebody out of putting out a contract on someone.-Then he said, 'You don't pay me enough to become a candidate for the electric chair.'-Finally, though, it was obvious that the person he was talking to had managed to persuade him some way or other.-After the sheriff hung up, he said something about not taking the fall alone if he got caught.-I didn't know what to do and I had no proof so I did nothing.-I did see him on the street later, though, arguing heatedly with the County Judge, Hank Belliden.- I had been debating telling you all this, but then I didn't know but what—well, anyway, that's what was on my mind, sir."

Colton debated with himself about confiding in this young man but then decided against it for the time being.-It would have been nice to have help in his investigation and someone to talk things over with, but he would do a little more thinking about it before he decided on a course of action.

"Thank you, Deputy Storms.-I appreciate your confidence in telling me about this.-I don't, however, believe I'd say too much about it to anyone else right now.-This matter is of grave concern to me and be assured the proper steps will be taken at the proper time.-No one is above the law.-If you think of anything else, I'd be grateful if you'd share it with me.-Dismissed."-Evidently the sheriff sure had been sloppy in his shady dealings.-Having been overheard incriminating himself once would be bad enough; but any security he purported to have had apparently been breached not once but twice.-It was no wonder his superiors had decided the sheriff was expendable.-Now, if it was just possible to point positively at those specific political pricks.-He was still thinking that his man was going to be either the county judge, Hank Belliden; the state senator, Darrell Kirkland; or Texas governor, Dan Anderson.-He sure did need more than a hunch to go on, though.

He tried to arrange things logically.-Judge Belliden was more local, maybe more likely to know the local status of things and more apt to draft nearby personnel to help in this specific area.-On the other hand, Senator Kirkland was much closer in age to Finkley, could have more common age-related goals such as retirement and they came from similar eras and backgrounds.-As to Governor Anderson, most likely he hadn't risen to the highest office in the state without cutting a few corners, breaking a few rules and greasing a few palms.-He also could easily have become addicted to power and the feeling of entitlement in getting what he wanted.-He made notations of all these assumptions and suppositions and felt no closer to the truth than when he started.

All three of these men had been accused of misuse of campaign funds.-But what successful public official hadn't been pointed at, at least by the news media, on that score?-Misuse of power was also a common accusation and few powerful men avoided that stigma.-Bribery or the taking of bribes in the political arena was often a matter of definition and usually labeled, 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' or 'one hand washes the other.'-The line between legal and illegal activity was often very blurred.-Colton remembered a poem he had been forced to memorize in high school.-He wasn't sure who wrote it.

Vice is a monster of such horrible mien

As to be hated, needs but to be seen.

But seen too oft—familiar with her face—

We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

If a person became too accustomed to skating too close to the line, sooner or later, he was apt to forget there was a line.

Keenan was sure he had made some definite headway with Carl Forrester today.-As soon as he could get away without causing comment locally, he was thinking he might try the same line of questioning on Finkley in Dallas.- Of course, it might not work on a law enforcement veteran like Lester Finkley.-Quite possibly, he would recognize the ploy which he, himself, had probably used a few times in his career.

### Chapter Seven

Ghosts & Babies

Chrissy was wrong in thinking this might not be a good day.-August the twelfth was a good day.-A wonderful day.-Johnny had put on the blue "pajamas", the blue shoe covers and the little white tie on mask and had come into the delivery room with her.-He had held her hand, encouraged her to breathe as they had learned during the birthing classes and had let her squeeze his hand until it was numb during the pain of childbirth.-They had decided they didn't want any drugs or painkillers; she wanted to be wide awake to see the child she would bring into the world as soon as he made his appearance.-After nearly twelve hours of hard labor, Thomas Allan O'Reilly was born at three fifteen in the afternoon.-By that time, Penny was at the hospital and being prepared for her own delivery but she was able to see little Tommy, her grandson, for a few short minutes after he was born.-The proud grandpa was in attendance as well and prepared to become a new father for the fourth time a little while later.-He, too, held his wife's hand and marveled anew at the miracle of birth.

For Penny it was a hard delivery and a long one.-Lorrie Anne Wroe wasn't born until eleven twenty-three that night but it was still August twelfth.-Aunt Lorrie and nephew Tommy would have the same date of birth.-Both babies and both mothers were doing splendidly.-As for the babies' fathers, it was really difficult to tell who was the proudest.-To listen to them, one would have thought they had single-handedly brought their babies into the world without even the help of the mothers.-Johnny had gone to the gift shop and bought regular cigars, a box for a boy and a box for a girl as well as several "bubble-gum cigars" so the twins would have something to show for the birth of their little sister and their nephew, Tommy Allan.-

The mothers had both decided to breast feed.-They figured that was the only way not to get bottles and formula all mixed up.-Their doctor had recommended breast-feeding as the best method for both of them.--Chrissy would use the blue diapers for boys and Penny would use the girlie ones with the pink bows.-That should eliminate mix-ups in that department.-Of course, there would be water and juice bottles but they would try to color code them as well.-They had put them into a room in beds beside each other.-That had been almost fun.-They had both had some uncomfortable periods after the births but they could empathize with each other and sharing things really did help.-

Andy and Candy were both a little jittery.-They couldn't decide whether to be apprehensive, excited, or jealous.-

"They really do get an awful lot of 'tention, don't they?"-Candy observed.

"And they can sure cry loud, too," Andy agreed.

"I bet Mama won't ever have time to bake us any more sugar cookies.

"Prob'ly not."

"Lorrie is a lot cuter than Tommy.-Tommy has such a mess of red hair."

"Oh, I think it's kinda cute.-And he's got dimples, too."-After all, he was their sister's baby.-So he had to be fairly cute.

"But Lorrie Anne is our sister, too.-That's kinda weird isn't it?-We have one sister who _is_ a baby and another sister who _has_ a baby."

"You know, it's only two weeks until school starts.-I just can't hardly wait to be in first grade."

"Me neither."

"Have you kids finished your chores?"-Aunt Winnie was alright and she gave fabulous presents, but she sure was a stickler for chores.-If she was still here after school started, she'd probably be just as bad about homework.-"When you've finished your chores, I've got one more for you to do."

The twins groaned in unison.

"Oh, I'm sorry.-I just thought Fritter and Jolene probably needed some exercise but if you don't want to—"

"Oh, yes, we'd be glad to give them exercise, Aunt Winnie.-Can we do it right now?"

"Let's see; I believe it was Andy's turn to empty the dishwasher and put the dishes away.-Candy was supposed to put out fresh water and feed for the chickens.- Let me check.-No, I believe the dishes are still in the dishwasher and I don't think the chickens have been fed and watered, either."

"We could do those jobs right after we exercise the horses, Aunt Winnie."

"And we'd do it good, too, and you wouldn't have to tell us again.-Please?"

"Sorry.-Nope.-First things first.-Chickens, dishes, and then horses."

"Well, okay."-It didn't take long to get the first two done.-But the rest of the evening was spent saddling and riding Fritter and Jolene.-There was no way to tell who enjoyed it more, the twins or Aunt Winnie.-They had just finished unsaddling the horses, rubbing them down and giving them feed and water when Ed and Johnny got home from the hospital.

"Guess what."-Johnny was obviously excited.-"All four of them get to come home tomorrow.-Isn't that great?"

"Guess what else?"-Ed chimed in.-"Now Johnny gets to learn how to change diapers."-They all laughed.-The twins couldn't imagine Johnny even holding a tiny baby much less changing its diaper.

"Can you change diapers, Dad?"-Andy wanted to know.

"Absolutely.-I used to change your diapers all the time.-When you were babies, your mother had a club meeting she went to each Thursday night.-I took care of the two of you while she was gone to her meeting.-I used to tell her that both of you waited to poop in your diapers until she had left for her meeting.-Every week.-Just like clockwork.-Thursday evening meant poopy diapers and me changing them."

Aunt Winnie laughed loud and long; but the twins were a little embarrassed by the story.

"I'm way out of practice, though, so I'll have to do some re-learning."

"I guess I'll need a refresher course, too.-I worked as a baby-sitter some when I was a teenager, but that's been a long, long time ago.-Don't go running off, Johnny.-You may as well stay here for supper.-I've got it just ready to take off the stove.-There are fried potatoes, pork chops, gravy, biscuits and a salad.-And I put onions in the potatoes before I fried them."

"Ooh, that's sounds too good to pass up, Aunt Winnie.-Thank you.-I'll just help Pop finish feeding and milking and then we'll be ready to eat.-Do you kids want to shell some corn for the chickens and put out some water for them?"

Together they informed him:-"We already did that."

"Without any prompting?"-Ed could hardly believe that.

"Well, Aunt Winnie kinda told us we could ride the horses when our chores were done.-I unloaded the dishwasher and put the dishes away."

"And I fed and watered the chickens," Candy finished.-"So it's all done.

"Well, I'm still proud of you.-It won't take long for Johnny and me to finish everything else."

"I'll get the supper dishes cleaned up and we'll be sure to have everything in order for tomorrow.-I'm so excited about being able to hold the babies."-Aunt Winnie had surely been an answer to prayer in watching the children during the time their mother and sister were in the hospital.

Mid-August in Kentucky was usually hot and humid and therefore, miserable and the first half of August had definitely lived up to that billing.-However, August 15 this year had dawned unseasonably cool and the humidity was down in the tolerable zone as well.-Penny sat in the front seat with Ed on the ride home from Owensboro; Chrissy sat in the second seat of the Rendezvous with the babies strapped in their brand new car seats beside her.-Johnny lounged in the third row seat with all the paraphernalia, the flowers, and all the other stuff from the hospital.-The ladies' overnight bags were between the third row seat and the hatch at the back.-It seemed simpler than taking two vehicles.

Arriving at the farm house, they saw Aunt Winnie, Andy, Candy, Grandmother Lydia, Bruce and Janet all waiting for them.-The new mothers weren't allowed to carry anything into the house, not even the babies.-That wasn't doctor's orders; that was family wanting to get hold of those tiny newborns.-After a couple of days, Johnny and Chrissy would take Tommy and go on to their house; but for right now they were sharing.-

"Oh, there's something wrong with Lorrie Ann, Mama."-Candy saw the baby's little face get all red and squinted-up and she didn't know what was going on.-Then Baby Lorrie let out a loud squall and began to shake her tiny fists and kick her feet and both the twins thought maybe she was having a fit or something.

"What's the matter with her, Mama?"-Andy was alarmed, too.

Suddenly on the second floor, doors started slamming worse than they'd ever heard them before.

"It's alright," Aunt Winnie said loudly.-"She's just in a strange place and a little frightened and probably hungry."-The banging stopped almost at once and the twins settled down, too.

Penny took Lorrie and helped her find her nipple and soon she was sucking voraciously at Penny's breast.-When Tommy started squirming, Chrissy decided he would be getting hungry, too.-So, she nursed him and he settled down immediately.-When they were finished eating, the mothers burped them and they both went right to sleep.-Then they put them down in their car seat/carriers and set them on the coffee table.-They were definitely the center of attention.-

They didn't really look like twins but they were nearly the same size.-Tommy had weighed eight pounds and two ounces and Lorrie had balanced the scales at seven pounds and fourteen ounces.-Tommy had been almost two inches longer, though, than Lorrie Ann.-The dainty features of the little girl were topped by lots of longish, dark hair that looked as if it might curl.-Fiery red hair with blond highlights and almost invisible eyebrows were Tommy's prominent features along with more than a hint of a dimple in both cheeks. Both pairs of eyes looked blue but that could change in a month or two.-Of course they were the most beautiful babies in the whole world.-

*-- *-- *--

By the first of September, Lester Finkley was getting the cast off his arm and feeling much better.-Only one little bandage remained on each of the bullet wounds and he was ready to be discharged from the hospital.-He didn't know if he liked the idea of being in the prison infirmary, but it could be better than the general population.-Former law enforcement officials quite often didn't fare too well in prison.-Of course, what he didn't know was that everyone back in Laredo thought he was dead.-He wasn't allowed to see television or see newspapers or magazines.-He wasn't too happy about that but then Lester wasn't happy about a good many things these days.-He realized, finally, that his being shot had not been an accident and that it had almost surely been ordered by his erstwhile boss.- The assassin had definitely been shooting at him.-He still wasn't sure why but he supposed it was because he couldn't get the information his boss wanted about the disloyal son of a bitch who had ratted on the operation.-If he knew who it was, he would be sorely tempted to kill the bastard himself just for messing up his play house as he had.

Acting Sheriff Colton Keenan finally got a few days off and he immediately headed for Dallas.-He had met with Bernie Tavalerio for breakfast and they had discussed strategies for interrogating Finkley.

"He has figured out that whoever he had been working for ordered the hit on him; so we can use that as leverage," Tavalerio reported.

"Good.-If we threaten to let everybody know he's still alive, that might get us some cooperation."

"We've also got corroboration on another phone call where he made incriminating statements.-Another deputy heard him on the phone at another time and saying basically the same things I overheard.-Then Carl Forrester gave him up, too.-I think we should be able to scare him pretty good."

"Charles Harrington also suggested we might tell him we were going to make all this public, let everybody know he's alive and then let him go.-He would know that the big man would think he had cooperated with us and that Finkley would be a prime target for reprisal and revenge."

"Yeah, that sounds good.-We've got to have the identity of whoever Finkley was answering to some way or other.-We think we know who purchased the bullets that were used on Finkley and we should be getting the results from the DNA tests on the cigarette butts before long.-The guy who we think bought the ammunition has a record so if he's the one who smoked the cigarettes, his DNA should be on file.-To get an ID from Finkley would sure help, though."

"I know.-But while Finkley was really stupid to get mixed up in this, he's not actually lacking in intelligence.-He'll be hard to fool."

"Right.-We'll have to play it smooth.-Slow and smooth."

"Well, let's go give it a try."

"I'm with you."

They spent most of that whole day reasoning with Finkley, threatening him, and playing with his mind.-They didn't seem much closer than when they had begun.-Then Colton played his trump card.

"Okay, then.-Let's go Bernie.-We'll tell the prosecutor to draw up the papers to charge Finkley with murder in the first degree and state our intention to ask for the death penalty."-They scraped back their chairs and rose as though preparatory to ending the interrogation.

Finkley's reaction was much the same as Carl Forrester's had been.-"You can't do that.-Who are you saying I murdered?-I didn't kill anybody.-Come back here."

"Look Finkley, _somebody_ ordered the hit on Ramon Mendez.-It had to be the ring leader.-We've got all kinds of proof you were involved up to your eyeballs.-Whoever ordered that killing is as guilty as the guy who pulled the trigger.-We know Carl Forrester passed along the orders; he says those orders came from you.-We can prove that is a true statement.-Since he only passed along the instructions, his liability is reduced.-We won't charge him with murder.-If we can't find anyone higher on the food chain than you—well, you can see where that leaves us.-Therefore, you get charged with murder one.-We'll see you in court."

"No, wait.-The son of a bitch already tried to get me killed, too.-I don't owe him any loyalty.-But if I tell you who he is, you've got to protect me.-He'll get to me even in prison.-You've got to guarantee me protection.-Some way or other."

"This better be good.-I don't like wasting my time and I've already wasted this entire day on you.-If I figure you're jerking me around, there won't be any second chances."-Keenan re-entered the room appearing quite reluctant. He and Tavalerio slowly re-seated themselves in their chairs.-Keenan set a tape recorder on the table and pushed the record button.

"You are guaranteeing to protect me, right?- They won't miss next time unless you keep me guarded day and night."

"If you give us the straight dope on this and give testimony that holds up in court, we'll do our best to keep you safe."

"Alright."-He gave a name and enough details so that they were pretty much convinced that the information Finkley had given them would give them good cause for an arrest warrant and about a dozen charges to file against the leader of the gang.

"I was just sure," Colton told Bernie later, "that it was one of those three officials.-Now we need to get a warrant and make another trip."

"Yep, that was good work in there, Sheriff Keenan.-I'd say Webb County finally has a top official they can be proud of."

"But we're not done, you know.-We can't convict anybody on just the testimony of a co-conspirator.-We have to find other evidence from another source in order to make it stick.-We need to see if Finkley has any idea who might have shot him.-Then maybe we can set up a sting of some kind and get some corroborating evidence against our man."

Late that afternoon, the call came from the crime lab.-They had a definite match on the DNA pulled from the cigarette butts.-They could prove the cigarettes had been smoked the day the sheriff had been shot.-It had rained the night before; then the sun had come out hot during the day.-It was about an hour after they had recovered the incriminating butts when it started to rain again.-If they hadn't found the butts before it rained on them, it would probably have diluted the DNA to the point it would have been useless.-

Keenan, Tavalerio, and Harrington went together to pick up Jack Phillips at his apartment on Fourteenth Street.-He started out being cocky and smart-alecky.

"What the hell do you think you're going to convict me of doing, anyway?"

"We can prove you were there during the time the assault took place."

"So what?-Maybe I was there, but that doesn't prove I even had a gun, much less shot anybody."-

"We can prove you bought the ammunition that was found with the cigarette butts."

"That still doesn't prove I shot anybody."

"Maybe not but I think the prosecutor can sell it to a jury.-Are you willing to bet your life that we can't?"

When he discovered the evidence against him, he lost his smug attitude and became sullen and uncooperative.-However, when he understood the charges against him, he reluctantly agreed to cooperate.

Harrington suggested that they have Phillips call the big man at his office and ask for more money as though he intended to shake him down.-Phillips was to suggest that he deserved extra-hazardous duty pay for taking out a law enforcement official.-Phillips was allowed to continue to believe he had killed Finkley.-Phillips admitted, finally, that he had carried out the assassination on the direct order of his boss and that he had reported back to him on the success of his mission.-He agreed to make the call with the stipulation that the prosecution in his case would not seek the death penalty.

Phillips called the number for the ring leader's private office.

"Hello."

"Is this Senator Darrell Kirkland?"

"Yes.-Who is this?"

"This is Jack Phillips.-I need to talk to you, Kirkland."

"Phillips, you know you're not supposed to call me here.-What's the matter with you?-I'll call you tonight.-Now, don't—"

"Senator, I think you're gonna want to talk to me and right now.-If there's someone in your office, you'll want to ask them to leave.-This is private and personal and urgent."

The senator put his hand over the mouthpiece and made some remarks to someone who had apparently been in the room.-Then they could hear a door close and then the senator came back on the line.

"Okay, I'm alone, now.-But I still don't know what's so urgent that it couldn't wait until tonight."

"It's like this, man.-I have reason to believe that the cops are getting close to making me for the shooting of Sheriff Finkley.-I need some extra money to blow this town and maybe this country.-Besides, I'm tired of doing your dirty work for pennies while you're raking in the big bucks on this deal.-I know what you're making on this smuggling operation and I also realize that you don't need me around to blow the whistle on your involvement in it.-So what I want is fifty thousand dollars to use as traveling money.-Okay?"

"You stupid son of a bitch!-You know how easy it was to get somebody to take out the sheriff.-What makes you think I won't just have you killed like I did him?-I've been running this whole deal for over fifteen years and now you think you can blackmail me, you little bastard?"

"I know I can blackmail you because I've written up a complete account of the whole damn setup with names and dates and everything and I've given it to my lawyer to be opened in case of my untimely death or disappearance.-Now how does that grab you, big man?"-There was silence on the other end of the line for quite some time.-Finally, the senator spoke again.

"Well, I suppose that does put a little different light on things.-You said fifty thousand?-Okay, I'll get you the money, although it may take a day or two.-But you'd better get that paper back from your attorney.-Something could happen to you without any intention on my part."

"I'll get back the paper when I get my money.-You can reach me at the regular number when you've got the cash ready for me."-They hung up and Harrington switched off the recorder.

"We've got him by the short hairs in a downhill pull," Tavalerio enthused.-"You did a good job, Phillips.-I almost believed you and I for damn sure knew better."

*-- *-- *--

It was only a week until Lydia's birthday.-Janet was surely getting excited.-The first of hers and Bruce's family from Ireland would be arriving by the middle of the week.-She had dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed and scoured the house from top to bottom.-Then she had helped Chrissy get everything in order at her house.-Johnny had indicated that he planned to sell the trailer but they had decided to wait until after the party.-That meant the trailer had to be cleaned from one end to the other as well.-There would be plenty of places for everybody to stay, though, and that was good.-Everybody would, of course, want to have their turn at spoiling the babies.-They would be one month old on Wednesday and were doing great.-Chrissy was trying hard to get her figure back so she would look good for Lydia's party and all the visiting relatives.

Aunt Winnie had helped with the preparatory work at Penny's.-All the bedclothes had been cleaned and the beds made ready for the company from North Carolina and California who would also be arriving this week.-Penny wasn't getting her strength back as fast as she had hoped.-Penny told herself again that forty-two was way past the age a woman should be having babies.-Little Lorrie Ann was an angel, though, and when she smiled and goo-gooed at her, she was sure she was the most wonderful baby in the world.

Wilhelmina was a little disappointed—well, actually, she was a lot disappointed—that the ghosts had stopped communicating with her.-She made the effort almost every night.-She had a long list of questions she had made up that they could answer 'yes or no' with one or two taps; but they weren't responding.-That first night they had talked had been so exciting to Wilhelmina but since then there had been nothing.-She kept her list beside her bed so it would be ready if they did 'show up.'-It asked questions designed to find out why they were still there and if there was any way Wilhelmina could help to free them.-She went over the list now:

You did die here in this house?

Were you killed or murdered/

Were you born here in this country?

If not, were you born in France?

Maybe you came from England?

Were you killed by Indians?

Were you killed by the French?

Were you killed by the colonists?

Were you killed by the British?

Did you know about the secret passage?

Did you use the secret passage?

Were you hiding from someone?

Were you helping to hide someone else?

Is there any way I can help you get free of having to stay here?

This was a far as Wilhelmina had gotten with what she thought of as foreseeable questions.-After that she couldn't think of any thing else they might be able to answer with one or two taps.-After that she'd just have to play it by ear.-She had no doubt, though, that they would communicate with her again.-Sooner or later and she certainly hoped it would be sooner.-It would be necessary for her to go back to Cloverleaf Horse Ranch shortly after Lydia's birthday party which would be at the end of the week.-If nothing happened before then, she'd just have to get herself invited back again later.

"Oh, here comes Chrissy with Tommy."-Penny was delighted.-Lorrie Ann was asleep and the twins wouldn't be home from school for over an hour, yet, so she would have some time to play with her grandbaby.

"Hi, Mom.-I needed some exercise and some fresh air and I knew it would be a while before I'd have a chance after the company starts coming in, so we decided to walk down to see you.-Where's Lorrie?-Is she asleep?-Darn, I was counting on getting to play with my little sister a while."

"Yes, she's asleep but she'll probably be up shortly.-Here I want my other baby.-Come to Grandma, baby boy.-Oh, he is so precious, Chrissy.-I know his other aunts and uncles and cousins, etc. are going to adore him, too.-Do you have everything about ready?"

"Yes, with Janet's help, I think everything is prepared.-Grandmother is so excited.-Do you know she's never had a birthday party in her whole life?-Isn't that sad?-But she sure is looking forward to this one."

"Look what I found wiggling around in her playpen in the family room.-I've got a feeling she's looking for her dinner.-Would you like to swap with me, Penny?-They're both so sweet.-I'm going to miss them a bunch when I go home next week."- Wilhelmina was already hinting about a return visit.

"Must you go, Aunt Winnie?-You know you're welcome to stay longer.-I don't know what we would have done without you the last few weeks."

"Oh, I've enjoyed it a bunch.-But I do need to get back and see how things are going at Cloverleaf.-I'll be back, though, as long as I haven't worn out my welcome."

"You're welcome anytime, Aunt Winnie.-I hope you know that."

"Thank you."

"Where are the twins, Mom?"-Chrissy suddenly missed them.

"They're in school, Honey.-Had you forgotten?-They're in the first grade and are both doing fine.-They'll be home pretty soon and you'll know it because it's like a whirlwind came through when they get here," Penny laughed.-Ed and Johnny should be home shortly after the bus lets them off, too.-I think they expected to finish the job they were on today and then they'll be off until everyone goes home next week."

Sean and his bride and Kathleen were the first to arrive.-Johnny was so glad to see them.-Janet and Bruce had really missed them, too.-After all, Kathleen was their baby; and their baby would be starting college the first of the year.-She had planned to start in early September but she didn't want to miss this trip for Grandmother's birthday so she said she'd start mid-year.-She had a big surprise for her folks, too.-She had checked out the University of Kentucky's School of Veterinary Medicine and had found it had an outstanding program.-So she had registered to begin classes there in January.-She was planning to spend the fall with her folks and she figured they would all like that idea.-She had brought most of her things with her from Ireland and the rest would be shipped a little later.-She hadn't told anyone yet.-She thought she would save the surprise for her Grandmother's birthday party.

Sean and Marcie had also taken sabbaticals so that they could come to Kentucky for a couple of weeks to see their folks and help Grandmother Lydia celebrate her eighty-second birthday.-They knew her heart attack had been fairly serious and that even though she was feeling pretty well again, there might not be a lot of chances to get to know her better.

Penny was thrilled to be able to show off her new offspring to her Aunt Genny and Uncle Jack.-Penny had been only eleven when her parents had been killed in a car wreck.-Her mother's sister, Genevieve and her husband had taken her in, adopted her, and raised her with their own children; so they felt like Lorrie Ann was a grandchild.-In fact, Chrissy and Johnny had designated them as grandparents at their wedding.-Andy and Candy, like Chrissy, called them Aunt Genny and Uncle Jack but they loved them as though they were grandparents.-Jack and Genny's children were special, too.-Webster and his wife Faye had a little girl, Genny, who was the same age as the twins.-They got along fabulously.-Mattie and Emily had been bridesmaids at Chrissy's wedding so they were beloved, too.

Jack and Genny had a surprise for Penny, too.-Jack had decided to retire in a couple of years and Genevieve had decided they should move to Kentucky to be near Penny and her family.-They were looking for property in or near Fordsville.-Penny was truly excited about that possibility.-

Ed's father was almost eighty-four now, but Grandpa Fred had come all the way from California in order the see the newest additions to his family tree.-He was also looking forward to seeing Lydia again and he had bought her a gift that he hoped would let her know how special he thought she was.-Ed's brother, Bob and his family had come with him and they were all looking forward to a wonderful party and another chance to help spoil the little ones.

Johnny's Grandpa Patrick and Grandma Keara had traveled all the way from Athenry, Ireland, in County Galway to see their son's new grandson and to wish the best for their daughter-in-law's mother on her eighty-second birthday.- Bruce's brother, Jim and his wife and family had made the trip with Pat and Keara.-Johnny's brother, Sean and his wife, and Johnny's sister, Kathleen, had come a few days earlier.-The rest of the family hoped to be able to come later in the year.

### Chapter Eight

Eighty-Two & Counting

Saturday, September fifteenth dawned bright and clear and everyone was up early to prepare for the big day. Since Johnny and Chrissy's new house was about half way between Lydia's place and Ed and Penny's place, they had decided to have the party there.-On the level lawn, they had put up a badminton net, horseshoe pits, and a croquet field as well as a host of tables and benches some of which were under a tent to avoid sunburn for the eldest and youngest members of the group.-There was also a table set aside for birthday gifts for Lydia.-She just couldn't believe all those pretty packages piled upon that table were for her.

Speaking of 'piled high,' the caterers had mounds of food heaped on platters that covered one huge table.-Drinks were stacked on another table and tempting desserts were arranged around a beautiful birthday cake on still another.-The cake was decorated with balloons of every color and hue.-Within a confining net was a colorful display of helium-filled balloons ready to be released at the same moment that Lydia blew out her candles.-The eighty-two balloons were in honor of the eighty-two years of her life.

Someone had brought a beautiful tiara with which they crowned her and proclaimed her "Queen for the Day."-They had brought out her favorite chair from the living room to serve as her throne and to be sure she was comfortable.-When it was time to blow out the candles, Lydia asked everyone around to help her blow them out so her wish would come true.-When someone asked her what she had wished for, she wouldn't tell.

"Don't you know, it won't come true, if I tell what I wished for?-Besides with all these family and friends, all this food and gifts, I had a terrible time coming up with something to wish for."-

"Okay, Grandmother, pull the string to release the balloons.-We've put your name, address and phone number in each one of them and a note asking anyone who finds one to call or write and tell where they found it.-Won't it be interesting to know where they get to?-Look, they're already almost out of sight.-That was a big bunch of balloons, wasn't it?"

"They looked so beautiful floating away like that, all different colors and all.-That was one of the best parts of the party."

Kathleen stood up and asked if she might have everyone's attention for just a moment.-"I have an announcement to make and I decided to wait until Grandmother's birthday to make it.-I will begin classes on January ninth at the College of Veterinary Medicine on the campus of the University of Kentucky."-She would have continued but there was so much cheering and whistling going on she couldn't be heard.-Anyway, she figured she had family approval.-After all the hugging and hand shaking and congratulations she made another statement:

"It's time for the next part.-Open your gifts, Grandmother."-Lydia got so tired opening all her gifts, that she finally asked Andy, Candy and their little cousin Genny to open the gifts and hand them to her.-That didn't displease them at all.-Janet kept a list of all the gifts she received, what they were and who they were from.-She loved all the gifts and appreciated everything, but she couldn't help but be touched by the gift from Ed's father, Fred Wroe.-It was a hand-crafted kaleidoscope made of pieces of real stained glass.-The tube was triangular and the double circles at the end turned individually and made an unending variety of patterns that were always unique.-The card had said, _A unique gift for a unique person.-For Lydia from Fred.-_ She blushed just a little but was extremely pleased.-She'd have to find a special way to express her gratitude.

When the day was over, everyone was totally exhausted but quite pleased with the success of the party.-At least they had thought the day was over, but it seemed the evening had just begun. Grandmother Lydia had always loved fireworks.-A few years ago when nothing seemed to please her and she seemed to get no enjoyment from life whatsoever, she still loved to watch fireworks.-So Johnny had bought fireworks and just after dark he began the final phase of the celebration by setting off the fireworks in her honor.-One after another they rocketed skyward, each one seeming to be more beautiful than the last.-It was a fantastic display and everybody enjoyed it, especially Lydia.-She told Johnny it was the perfect end to a perfect day.-Most of the partyers had dessert again and then called it a night.-That night many of the witnesses to the fireworks dreamed of the rainbows of colors flashing, twinkling and arcing across the sky.

Before Lydia went home, she searched through the crowd of people until she found Fred.-She stood on tiptoe and gently touched her lips to his cheek.

"I received so many wonderful gifts today, but I wanted you to know that I will treasure your gift as long as I live.-I've always loved fireworks because of their colorful patterns but they never lasted long enough.-Now, I can have my beautiful colors in a never-ending display of unique patterns any time I want.-Thank you so very much."-She had said it quietly but there were a few who heard her words and wondered what might be going on.

Fred took her hand and brought it to his lips.-If it hadn't been so dark, someone might have thought Lydia blushed a little.- "If I borrow Chrissy's car, could I take you home?-I would offer to walk you home, but I don't know if either of us would make it that far?"-Lydia nodded and they both chuckled.

A few minutes later, Fred came back with the keys to Chrissy's car which was parked only a few feet from where Lydia was waiting.-Fred opened the car door and helped Lydia inside, then got in and drove slowly up the hill to her house.-When they pulled up to the front gate, the motion detectors turned on the outside lights; but the lights weren't a deterrent.-Fred leaned over and kissed Lydia on the lips.

"I've been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you.-I hope I haven't offended you."

"I think I might be offended if you don't do it again," Lydia whispered.-Fred pulled her close to him and holding her tightly, he kissed her again.-

"I definitely don't want to offend you, Sweetheart."-Then he helped her into the house and took Chrissy's car home.-Both of the old people had young dreams that evening.-

*-- *-- *--

Back in Laredo, Officer Joe Storms had been trying without success to figure out who the big boss of the smuggling ring was.-He had been instructed to be prepared to repeat in court what he had told Keenan about the conversation he had overheard between Finkley and someone he called 'Boss,' but he had no idea who he would be testifying against.-If Finkley was dead, there would be no point in bringing him to trial.-So, he figured Sheriff Keenan had somehow determined who the big boss was but damned if he knew how he had found out.-

He had gone over and over what he had overheard but could remember nothing that would point to the identity of the ring leader.-He did know that the sheriff had been arrested and then had been shot by person or persons unknown.-He had been assigned to search the area for clues that would lead to the identity of the assassin.- He and the other two had found nothing except some shell casings and cigarettes butts.-But who was the guy who had been pulling the strings?-He didn't like the County Judge, Hank Belliden.-He seemed to constantly be smirking about something and he had heard that his decisions could be bought for a price.-Still none of that was evidence.-He had noticed that Governor Anderson and Finkley had been pretty tight and he, personally, wouldn't trust the governor as far as he could throw him; but, again, that was a long way from proof.

Senator Kirkland had been seen in this area pretty frequently of late and this wasn't even his district.-He was a damn republican on top of everything else, but he knew his political opinions wouldn't carry any weight anywhere.-And, of course, it could be somebody completely out of the area and totally unknown locally.-It was driving him crazy as a bedbug, though.-He sure hoped someone would clue him in to what was going on and, preferably, in the near future.

When Sheriff Keenan, Bernie Tavalerio, and Charles Harrington walked into the office a few minutes later, he knew something was up.-You could just feel it in the air.-The hair on the back of his neck stood up, he was getting goose bumps and his heart began to pound a mile a minute.-He immediately vacated the sheriff's chair where he had been sitting and prepared to leave the room.

"Stick around, Storms, if you will."-Sheriff Keenan waved him back to a chair near the sheriff's desk.

"Yes, we're going to need your help with the next phase of this case."-The DEA agent agreed.-The three men settled themselves around the desk while Keenan got cups and poured coffee for everyone.-When everyone was in place, Sheriff Keenan began.-He looked first at Deputy Storms.

"Joe, I think we need to make you aware of one or two things that we have, as yet, told no one.-You are aware that we had sufficient evidence against Lester Finkley, part of which came from you, to arrest him for collusion in the smuggling operation.-Also, he will be charged with handing down the order for the execution of Ramon Mendez back in Kentucky."

"Excuse me, did you say _'will be'_ charged?-We will charge him posthumously with these crimes?-I guess I don't understand the point of that?"-That question proved to Keenan that they had done a good job of hiding the fact that the ex-sheriff had survived the attempt on his life.

"That's the main thing we needed to tell you.-Lester Finkley is still alive.-He has been in critical condition in the hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth; but he is able to be out of the hospital now and able to stand trial."

"Wow!-That's sure a surprise.-I went to his funeral, which I guess was not his funeral after all."

"We knew if the assassin was aware that he wasn't dead, other attempts on his life would be made and we might not be able to stop it next time.-So, we went through the motions of taking the body to the morgue, having a funeral and the whole nine yards so his 'death' would be accepted as fact."

"Wow!" Storms said again, shaking his head.

"Now, the next surprise, if you're up for another one."-Storms nodded.-Finkley also told us who gave him his orders.-I want you to designate your best man, Joe, to take care of the office while we make a trip to Austin to make that arrest.-Who would you recommend, Joe?"

"I guess the officer I feel would be most responsible is Neal Blanchard.-I'd trust him completely.-He's a good man under pressure and I believe he would make good decisions in a pinch."

"Okay, Blanchard it is.-I'd still prefer to maintain the current status-quo on Finkley.-The fewer people who are privy to that information, the less likely it is that we'll have to fend off another assassination attempt.

"I understand.-I'll just tell Blanchard that we need to make a trip to Austin and he's in charge while we're gone.-We'll be gone, how long?"

"Just overnight, I think, barring any unforeseen complications.-You haven't asked who we're going to arrest.-Aren't you curious, Joe?"

"I have been driving myself crazy wondering who, Sheriff Keenan.-But I was sure you would tell me when you were ready.-But, I will ask the question.-Who are we going to Austin to arrest?"

"Senator Darrell Kirkland.-Finkley fingered him when he found out we'd be charging him with first degree murder if he didn't.-I also need to make you aware that this afternoon we convinced the man who perpetrated the assault on Finkley at Kirkland's orders to call him up and demand more money.-We've got him on tape admitting to everything.-I think it's all over but the crying."

"Yep."-Keenan agreed.-"I think this case is closed.-Let's go to Austin and pick up our man before he flies the coop."

When they arrived at the capitol, they went through the various layers of red tape before they got in to see Senator Kirkland.-When they were finally ushered into his office, he was seated smugly at his desk and made no move to even rise to welcome them.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked complacently and condescendingly.-He raised one eyebrow and arrogantly tossed his hair back out of his face.

"We've come with an invitation to a very exclusive meeting back in Laredo," Sheriff Keenan stated, smiling slightly.-

"I'm so sorry to have to decline your invitation.-I have extremely important obligations here at the moment.-Perhaps some other time."-He stood in an attitude of dismissal.

"Oh, but you don't have the option of declining this invitation, Senator."-This came from DEA Agent Harrington.-"This invitation is signed by the Governor and requires the attendance of both you and Lester Finkley."

"Now I know you're crazy.-Lester Finkley is dead."

"No, Finkley is very much alive, no thanks to you, and both he and Jack Phillips are ready to testify against you."

"I don't know what you're trying to pull.-But I _know_ Lester Finkley is dead.-Several of my colleagues attended his funeral.-Now you all take your 'invitation' and get the hell out of here before I have you thrown out."

"Officer Storms, would you play the recording for our esteemed senator, please?"

Joe took the recorder out of his pocket and punched the play button.-They had it queued up to the section where the senator heard himself threatening to have Phillips killed as he had Sheriff Finkley.-They let it play just past the part where he had bragged that he had been running the smuggling operation for more than fifteen years and then Sheriff Keenan nodded for Joe to shut it off.

The senator deflated and dropped heavily into his chair only he didn't look so smug now.-A Texas Ranger had been waiting back at the door.-Now he came forward, walked behind Kirkland's chair and pulling his arms behind him, he fastened the handcuffs to his wrists.-Kirkland was crying like a baby before they got him outside to the waiting police car.-The case was indeed closed.

*-- *-- *--

October had arrived in all its glory.-The gold and crimson leaves were vying with the gorgeous sunset in the age old effort to show the world what true colors were all about.-The dark green of the pines and cedar trees shouldered their way between the colorful maples and the yellow and brown of the giant leaves of the oak trees were a counterpoint to the purple and magenta of the cottonwoods, the sweet gums, and hickories.-The rolling hills put the colorful varieties on display with row upon row showing one behind the other as far as the eye could see. You could see seven and eight hills with each hill trying to outdo the other.-They almost seemed to be marching up hill in a parade to show off their multihued finery.-Then after dark, the harvest moon would peep over the hill and light up the night like God's flashlight illuminating everything so brightly, the stars would be jealous enough to almost fade from sight.

The babies, Lorrie and Tommy, were nearly two months old and growing so fast it was almost unbelievable.-They were smiling and goo-gooing all the time and everybody loved them to pieces.-They loved attention but they were still good babies and would lay for long periods and play with a rattle or their toes or nothing at all.- The first thing the twins would do when they got home from school or came in from play was run to Lorrie's playpen.-Sometimes, if it was only wet, Penny would even let Andy or Candy change her diaper.

Today was Friday and the kids had just made it home from school.-As usual, they ran into the dining room where the playpen was set up to see Lorrie but Lorrie was no where in sight.-They heard Penny in the family room and hurried in to see if Lorrie was with her.-Lorrie wasn't there either.

"Mama, where's little Sissy?-She's not in her playpen."

"And she's not in here.-There isn't anything wrong is there?"-The twins were worried.

"Everything's fine.-I walked up to Chrissy's with her this afternoon and Lorrie and Tommy both went to sleep.-I needed to be here when you kids got home and I didn't want to wake her up so I left her there.-Chrissy and Johnny are coming down for supper and they'll bring both babies with them.-Uhh, I think I see them loading up now.-Yeah, here they come.-Oh, Aunt Winnie will be here, too, for a visit."

"Hooray!-I wonder what she'll bring us this time."

"Whoa!-Come here, you two.-That is not a nice way to be thinking.-You're not supposed to be expecting something every time she comes.-To listen to you, a person would think you only looked forward to her visits because she brings gifts.-That is greedy and disrespectful.-Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"We're sorry, Mama.-We really do like Aunt Winnie; but she always brings us something so how can we not think about that she might this time, too?"

"Aunt Winnie plays with us and tells us stories and we like her for lots of reasons, but she still brings us presents and we like her for that, too.-Is that wrong?"

"No, I guess not, but the way you said it sounded ugly.-I just don't want you to put too much emphasis on _things._ "

"Mama, what is enfasis?"-Candy wanted to know.

"The word is 'emphasis' and it means 'importance,' Candy.-It means I want people to be more important to you than things.-Think how hurt Aunt Winnie could be if she thought you wouldn't want to see her if she didn't bring you something.-Do you understand, now?"

"I think so, Mama.-We'll be glad to see Aunt Winnie no matter what.-Okay?"

"Okay.-Well, here are the rest of my kids.-Hey, there, Doll Baby, did Mommy's little girl wake up?-I think you have a brother and sister who want to see you.-They missed you when they came home from school."

"I don't think you should go visiting without us saying you can, little Sissy.-Isn't that right, Candy?"

"Right!-We missed you."

Ed came in from milking the cows and feeding the horses.-Penny laid Lorrie in her playpen and took the pail of milk to strain it and cool it.- Chrissy put Tommy in the playpen beside Lorrie and went to help put the finishing touches on supper.-Aunt Winnie arrived about twenty minutes later carrying packages again.-As she handed one apiece to Andy and Candy, Andy looked at her quite seriously.

"Aunt Winnie, you know we'd love you a whole lot even if you didn't bring us presents, don't you?"

"We love you even more than we do the things you bring us.-But those are always very special, too, but not any more special than you are."-Candy followed up.

Aunt Winnie guessed correctly that they had been scolded for expecting her to bring them something when she came.-"I love you, too, and I enjoy giving you things, and I wouldn't bring you gifts if I didn't know you loved me for myself, too.-Now, that's understood, open your boxes, quick!"-They both looked at Penny who smiled and nodded.-They _had_ understood what she had been trying to teach them.-That's so important to a parent and Penny was pleased.

When they got their gifts unwrapped, they discovered software games for a computer.-

"These are wonderful, Aunt Winnie.-One of my friends at school has a game like this and he says it's a barrel of fun.-Thank you so much."

"I've seen this one advertised on TV and it looks like it would be lots of fun.-You always think of good gifts, Aunt Winnie."-They had both tried to be totally enthusiastic, but they were still a little disappointed.

"What's wrong little cowpokes?-Don't you think you'll have fun with these?"-Aunt Winnie was aware they didn't have a computer to play the games on.-"Oh, I forgot, there's another box on the porch.-It's for the two of you together.-You won't fight over it, will you?-You'll have to take turns and be nice but I think it will come in handy with your school work, too."

Johnny stepped out on the porch and brought in a big box wrapped in yellow striped paper with a huge yellow bow on top.-When the kids got it opened, they found a computer complete with a monitor, key board, printer and all the necessary accessories.

"Oh, Aunt Winnie, you do give fantastic gifts.-Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"We've worked with the computers at the library but now we'll have one of our very own.-Oh, my, this is so terrific!-I can't believe it!-Our own computer!-I just can't believe it!-When can we get it hooked up, Dad?"

"Not until after supper, at least," Ed laughed.-"That was a most thoughtful gift, Aunt Winnie, and one that the kids can have fun with as well as learn from."

"Their Internet access is paid for a full year, too.-They'll probably need some help in learning how to use it.-Chrissy, I figured you could be of assistance on that score."

"Sure, Aunt Winnie, I'll enjoy helping them learn to do the various tasks and I might enjoy playing some games, too."

Penny had fixed a pork roast with mashed potatoes and gravy; a green bean casserole, cauliflower with cheese sauce and coleslaw.-For dessert, they had hickory nut pie, another of the recipes from Grandmother Lydia's kitchen.-Johnny had gathered the hickory nuts last fall and they had burst the nuts and picked out the kernels and Chrissy had made the pie.

"This is a lot like pecan pie," Aunt Winnie observed, "but the delicate flavor of the hickory nuts instead of the pecans, makes it deliciously unique."-Everyone agreed.

They had decided to install the computer in the east end of the library just across the hall from the dining room.-There was plenty of light from the windows Ed had installed with Ramon's help.-After they had closed up the secret passage and put in the windows, they had also wired in some additional lighting on that end that would be perfect for working with the computer.-It took only about an hour to get everything hooked up and then the kids were ready to play games.-The DirecTV man would be there on Saturday to get the internet on line for them.

The whole family was thrilled with the new equipment.-Penny was already planning to collect recipes to put in the computer.-She also wanted to get a complete list of names and addresses in there for handy reference.-Ed and Johnny were thinking of having professional-looking price quotes, invoices, materials lists and advertising flyers for their cabinet-making business.-Chrissy had wanted for some time to start work on a family tree and the computer would be perfect for that.-

"That might leave some time for the twins to enjoy it," Aunt Winnie laughed.-It's a good thing I ordered an eighty kilobyte hard drive with five hundred twelve megabytes of memory.-It also has a forty-eight-x CD burner/DVD combo.-I think the Dell Computers are the best with the Intel Pentium Processor, too.-I like the flat panel stereo monitor, also.-They make thirty-inch screens but I thought the twenty-inch would be fine for here.-It takes up a lot less space on your desktop.-It has a tailless optic mouse that doesn't require a mouse pad.-In order to do the things you've mentioned, you'll probably need some more software programs.-The XP Windows operating system should be compatible with all those things that you wanted to do.-Don't forget all the sites on the internet that will help the kids with their schoolwork, if they do get a chance to use it."

"Oh, we'll work on it while they're in school.-Then they can take over when they get home."-Penny laughed, too.

### Chapter Nine

Knock-Knock, Who's There

Wilhelmina was determined that night when they were going to bed that she would make contact with the ghosts that night or she would stay up all night trying.-Packed in her suitcase were some books on contacting the spirit world and the list of questions she planned to ask when they were communicating again.

Baby Tommy appeared to have become over stimulated during the evening's excitement and he cried for a while before he settled down for the night.-Wilhelmina was adamant about staying awake but she didn't want to get down to serious business until everything quieted for the night.-In spite of her intentions, she found herself drifting off and her eyelids felt too heavy to hold open.-Then, the door to her bedroom slammed shut and when she jerked herself awake, she could see the outline of a ghostly form just inside the door.-

Wilhelmina slowly raised herself to a sitting position and reached for her tiny penlight and her page of questions.

"Will we talk together tonight?" she asked a little hesitantly.-This was the first time she had had visual contact.-When she heard the light single tap, she smiled at the entity and turning on her penlight, she checked the first question on her list, then extinguished the light.

"You indicated there are three of you.-Are you related to each other?"

One tap indicated an affirmative answer.

"Are you all one gender?"

Another single tap.

"Are you all women?"

One tap let her know they were all girls.

"Are you sisters?"

The answer was still yes.

"Do you think we could work out your names using numbers for the letters of the alphabet?-'A' would be 'one'; 'B' would be 'two' and so on.

One tap still said 'yes.'

"Please tell me your name."-Wilhelmina got out her pencil and paper and prepared to make a hash mark for each tap.

Two taps --"B"; Five taps – "E"; Twenty taps – "T"; Another twenty taps – another "T";-B-E-T-T

"Is your name 'Betty?'"

One loud knock seemed to mean yes.

"Your last name?"

Fourteen taps – "N";-Fifteen taps – "O"; Twelve taps – "L"; One single tap – "A"; Fourteen taps again – another "N".-The tapping stopped and Wilhelmina looked carefully at the letter equivalents she had put down.-N-O-L-A-N.-"'Nolan'.-Your last name was Nolan.-Betty Nolan.-Is that right?"

Again one loud knock.

"Okay, your sister's name then.-Please tell me her name.

Twelve taps – "L";-Five taps – "E";-Twenty taps – "T";

Wilhelmina interrupted again.-"Is your sister's name 'Letty?'"

Another loud single knock.

"Okay.-Two of you were Betty and Letty Nolan.-Let's do the third sister."

Fourteen taps – "N"; Five taps – "E";

"I'll bet your third sister's name was 'Netty.'-Is that right?"

Another loud knock.

"Were you triplets, then?-Betty, Letty and Netty Nolan?"

Again Wilhelmina heard one loud knock.

"Gosh, this is exciting!-You told me before that all three of you died in this house.-Were you killed, murdered here?"

A single knock said 'yes' again.

"Were you born in this country?"

One knock.

"Were your parents British?"

Two knocks.

"Were your parents from an Indian tribe?"

Again two knocks.

"Were your parents from France?"

One knock.

"Okay, let me be sure I understand.-You three girls were triplets born to French immigrants.-Your names are Betty, Letty and Netty Nolan.-You were murdered in this house by:-Indians?"

Two loud knocks.

"By the British?"

One very loud knock.

"Did you know about the secret passage in the house?"

One loud knock.-Then a short silence.-Then another loud knock.

"Was that meant to be a double 'yes'?

Another loud knock.

"Did you use the secret passage?"

They gave another affirmative knock.

"Did you hide in the secret passageway?"

Two knocks.

"No?"

Again, two knocks.

"Oh, this is so slow.-I wish there were some way to hear the whole story from beginning to end."

One loud knock sounded.-

Wilhelmina didn't understand.

"You mean there is a way for me to know all about it, all of it?-But how would I do that.-Oh, I know you can't tell me.-I wish you could."

Another loud knock sounded.

"You can tell me?-How?-I don't know what to ask you so you can answer with taps.-Can you tell me with taps for letters as you did with your names?"

One loud tap sounded.-Then began the tapping out of letters.-Two taps – "B"; Fifteen taps – "O"; Another fifteen taps – another "O"; then Eleven taps – for a "K".

"BOOK.-A book.-There's a book that will tell your story.-Is it a history book?"-Wilhelmina was already wracking her brain trying to remember any historical stories or even legends that would maybe point to this succession of events.

Then two knocks sounded and Wilhelmina was trying to remember exactly what she had asked the ghost.-"Oh, yeah.-It's not a history book.-Then what could it be?" she wondered aloud.

The taps began to sound again and it took Wilhelmina a moment to catch up.-"Oh, okay.-Four taps would be a 'D'.- Yes, I'm with you."-Then she counted nine taps which equaled an "I". One tap (was that a 'yes' or an 'A'—she guessed she'd go with an 'A'). Eighteen taps followed which indicated an 'R' and then Wilhelmina had it.-D-I-A-R-Y.-They had kept a diary and the girls had never had an opportunity to leave here so it had to still be here somewhere.-But where?-It couldn't have been left in the secret passageway because Ed had said he had completely dismantled it when he re-did the west side of his house.-Wilhelmina was still puzzling over everything when her door suddenly closed and she heard soft whispers and felt the icy cold for a few seconds.-Then all was quiet and warm and she was suddenly extremely sleepy.-She'd learn more in her next inquiry but when she looked at her watch it was a little after three in the morning.-She was snoring softly in only a few moments.

Wilhelmina slept late into Saturday morning.

"Good morning, Aunt Winnie.-I was getting a little concerned.-You hadn't slept this late before when you were here.-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Penny.-I stayed up until about three o'clock talking with your ghosts."

"You're kidding!-How did you communicate?-What did you find out?-Do you know why they're here?-Please, tell me about it!"

Wilhelmina told her the details of what she had discovered.-"Are the kids playing with the computer?-If I can get them interested in riding the horses, I'd like to use the computer to type up a summary of all that I found out and try to formulate some more questions to ask next time."

"We may have to pry them away from it, but they should be out getting some fresh air.-The weather is so nice.-Let's go talk to them."

"Hey, Kids!-Good morning.-It sure is a pretty day outside.-Have you been out?"

"Good morning, Aunt Winnie.-No, we've been playing with the computer.-We sure do love it.-It's absolutely mag!-That's another word for magnificent.-I didn't know if you'd know that word or not."--

"When did you last exercise the horses?-You're not letting them get fat and lazy, are you?"

"It's only been two or three days.-We haven't had anybody to saddle them for us.-But we still love Fritter and Jolene and we'll ride them again soon."

"Well, how about if I saddle them for you right now?-Then you can ride them down to the creek near Shadowhawk's cave and let them get a drink of fresh water."

"Aunt Winnie, if you and Mom want to play with the computer, it's okay."

"And if you want to saddle the horses, we'd love to ride them; but you don't have to.-We could ride later and you can still play with the computer."

Penny and Aunt Winnie laughed long and hard at the twins for figuring out that they, the adults, had been planning to bribe the kids so they could use the computer.-Aunt Winnie did go saddle the horses for them and then came back in and began to summarize last night's findings.-Wilhelmina had been a Records Clerk when she was in the WACS and was an excellent typist.-Penny was amazed at her speed and her familiarity with the computer function keys.-Penny could type fairly well but she had lost a lot of her speed since high school.-And she was totally lost when it came to the computer function keys.-She was watching and learning a lot from Aunt Winnie, though.

That evening Ed read aloud the report Wilhelmina had prepared.-Johnny and Chrissy had come down to hear it also and everyone was enthralled by what she had uncovered and methods she had used to get the ghosts to disclose it.

"What I'd like is to have some suggestions as to what questions I can ask to help them help me find the diary.-Remember, they need to be questions they can answer 'yes or no' to or maybe one-word answers.-We have to also remember that all of this took place in the late seventeen hundreds, even before Kentucky became a state or had any organized type of law enforcement."

"Could you ask them who killed them?"-Andy was thinking back to his experiences with Shadowhawk.

"That could require a complicated answer, Andy.-I could ask, 'Were you killed by the Indians?' and that would let the answer be 'yes' or 'no.'-But if the answer is 'no' where do I go from there?-Do you see my problem?"

"It would seem to me, the most important problem to solve is 'Where is the diary?' but I understand you can't ask it with that phrasing.-Could you begin by asking, 'Is the diary in the house?'"-Ed was trying to organize his thoughts.-"If the answer is 'yes,' then you could begin asking if it's on the first floor, second floor and so on.-Then you could go on to pinpoint the room on that floor in the same manner.-'Is it in the family room?-The library?-etc.'-If the answer is 'no,' you could begin naming each building until you find the right one.-Do you think that might work?"

"That's exactly what I'm looking for.-But, what if it's hidden somewhere I don't think about mentioning?-Your idea would take us so far but then what?-Those were good questions, though.-Anybody else got one?"

"You said you had been talking to Betty.-I wonder why Letty and Netty never participate.-You said they were triplets.-Do you suppose Betty was born first like Andy was and so he's a few minutes older than me?-Maybe they let her be the boss because she's the oldest."

"Older than 'I', Candy.-You should have said Andy is older than I.-Finish out the sentence to see which one to use.-Andy is older than I am old.-See, it wouldn't sound right to say 'Andy is older than _me_ am old.'-Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mama.-Andy is older than I.-But somehow or other it sounds high- fallutin' to say it that way."

"Your Mama is right, Candy, and it may sound odd at the beginning but it always makes a person sound better if he or she speaks correctly.-I can ask Betty next time if she is the eldest.-It would be good to know that.-When we find the diary, I hope it will tell us something about their parents and maybe their ancestors.-If we had a place to start, we might be able to come up with a family tree for them.-Since she said all three last names were 'Nolan' I'm thinking none of them was married or had children.-

"You might ask them if they had any siblings.-They could have had a brother who would have carried on the family name.-We might even find someone alive who would remember about them as great-great-great aunts or whatever."-

"Hey, that's a good thought, Johnny.-I'll definitely put that on the list.-I'm wondering if they'll talk to me tonight."-Two doors slammed upstairs.-

"I wonder if that means 'no.'" Chrissy turned out to be correct.-Wilhelmina stayed two more nights and tried everything to induce them into connecting with her; but the silence continued and she finally went back to Frankfort.

November arrived with cold, bleak days and rainy, sullen nights.-It seemed the moon was too tired to show his face and hid night after night between heavy blankets of clouds.-Daytime found leafless trees waving their arms in defiance at the weak, watered-down light of the absconding sun.-Winter came early and seemed to have the whole region chained beneath the dull, dreary sameness of barren, colorless vistas.

They were trying to raise enough enthusiasm to have a combination Thanksgiving celebration and a surprise birthday dinner for Janet.-Johnny's mother's birthday was November twenty-eighth and Thanksgiving this year would be on the twenty-seventh.-So it shouldn't be a big problem to surprise Janet a day early on Thanksgiving.-Maybe that would lift everybody's spirits.-Wilhelmina would be coming down from Frankfort, too, and that should add to the festive aura.-Now if they could just have some snow......

"Shall we have Thanksgiving here or at my house?" Chrissy queried.-"Whichever place we have it, I still want you to do the turkey.-You've had so much more experience than I and I want everything to be perfect, even more so, since we're planning to have the other thing, too."-The twins would be home from school in a few minutes so she didn't want to say anything that would let them know what was going on.-They were good kids and they would do their best to keep the secret, but she was afraid they'd say something without intending to that would give it away.-It was going to be hard enough for her to keep it quiet and she knew they would be too excited to not show it.

"I'll be glad to do the turkey, but you know you're going to have to learn sometime."

"I know, but just not this year, okay?"

"Okay," Penny laughed.-She looked at Lorrie Anne and tickled her tummy.-"Don't you be telling anybody, either, little girl.-I might have to take a bite out of you if you did."- Lorrie giggled joyously and blew bubbles through her baby lips.-Then Tommy squealed as if to say, "Hey, what about me?"

"Or you, either, my little man.-Mum's the word."-At three months, they were generally accepted to be not only the best-looking babies in the world but also the smartest—at least according to the Wroes and the O'Reillys, anyway.

"Oh, there's someone out front.-I don't recognize the vehicle, do you?"

"And there's Johnny and Dad pulling in beside them.-Isn't that the detective who was investigating Ramon's murder?-I think his first name was Bernie but I don't remember his last name—something Italian, I think."

"I believe you're right and there're the twins, too.-Hail, hail, the gang's all here."-Without realizing it, they were genuinely laughing for the first time in quite a while.

They all came trooping into the house at the same time, stomping mud from their feet and scraping dead leaves and twigs from the soles of their shoes.

"Hi, All.-You remember Bernie Tavalerio, the detective who helped us find out who killed Ramon.-He has a report for us and I figured there was no need for him to have to repeat it two or three times.-Good, Chrissy's here, too. And there're Daddy's and Grandpapa's babies."

"What adorable young'uns," Bernie acknowledged everyone's presence.-"I wanted to come by and let you know that the whole gang were arrested, locked up, tried, and convicted and are now in prison serving long sentences.-I- knew you would be able to enjoy the holidays more if you knew Ramon's death has been avenged."

"Who done—er—did it?"-Andy wanted to know and his Mom was extremely proud that he had corrected his own grammar.

"Well, as you know, Jorge Laquidera actually pulled the trigger; but the orders were passed down about three levels.-Carl Forrester gave the order to Jorge; Carl got the word from none other than our local sheriff (I despise crooked cops) who in turn got the command from Texas' 'beloved' state senator.-It seems he was the ring leader of the entire operation.-There were seventeen who were found guilty and put in prison."

"Score one for the good guys," Johnny commented.-"Do I owe you any more money? There's still a balance due from the last paycheck Ramon didn't get of somewhere around five hundred dollars."

"You don't owe me another thing, Johnny.-I've been on the payroll of the Drug Enforcement Administration, so I'm fine."

"Then I'll just send the rest of the funds that belonged to Ramon to his family in Nueva Laredo, Mexico.-Does everyone agree that we should do that?"

There was a chorus of yeses and then Bernie took his leave with a promise to come back and see them sometime soon.

"Isn't it my turn on the computer, Andy?"

"Yeah."

"I've got some homework to do and I need to look up some stuff on the internet."

"Well, get it done as soon as you can.-I have some homework, too.-But meanwhile, I need to do some math homework and I haven't figured out how to do it on the computer, yet."

When they had gone into the library, Chrissy commented, "But he'll be trying to find a way, I'd bet."-Again, everybody laughed.

That night while they all slept, it snowed about four inches.-The kids heard the good news early the next morning— _no school!!-_

Andy and Candy had a family snowball fight planned for that afternoon; Chrissy and Penny talked on the phone while they nursed their babies and planned out the rest of the Thanksgiving/Dinner Party; Ed and Johnny were deciding how to use the computer to design their flyers for their Spring Thing Fix-It Campaign.-Lydia was looking forward into December and the twins' birthdays and what she could get them.-Fred had said he might come back for a visit just before the twins' birthday and maybe stay for Christmas and New Years.-She was thrilled about that, too.-Bruce and Janet were planning the re-decorating of the room that would be Kathleen's domain at least on week ends while she was in college.-

In Frankfort, Wilhelmina was trying to decide again what she would do when she finally found the ghosts' diary—and she _would_ find it.-She was sure of it.

THE END

