Cahill

I could hear the din from the bar as I exited my SUV and I was still almost a block away. What a shame! I knew from long experience that would change as soon as my foot crossed the threshold. I tend to have that effect on people. I’m six feet six inches tall and I weigh an even 250 pounds—all of it broad shouldered muscle. My Body Mass Index at my last physical was less than four percent. My light brown hair is styled exactly the way it’s been for the past fifteen years—ever since I first joined the Navy. Sure enough, no sooner had I taken my first step into the bar than the noise died. When I turned left and stepped up to the bar the people there couldn’t back away fast enough. I took a stool in the middle of the empty space and sat down, waiting for the bartender to approach. “I’m not looking for any trouble.” “Good…neither am I. Give me a ginger ale.” He reached under the bar for a glass and some ice. Twenty seconds later he slid the glass in my direction. I pulled a fiver from my pocket and dropped it on the bar. He ignored it and walked away to draw a few beers and pour some wine. It looked to me like this was a pretty cheap crowd. Checking up and down the bar all I could see were longnecks and drafts. I reached into the lower left pocket of my cargo pants. Like almost everything else I was wearing they were a true deep navy blue. My heavy shoes were black as was my wide belt. My belt said as much about me as the bold white lettering across my chest. Just below the American flag over my heart were the letters that were my life—U. S. MARSHAL. On my right hip was my nickel plated .44 Magnum Colt Python, just behind two speed loaders in addition to the twenty-four rounds on the belt. On my left hip was my ASP Talon baton—every bit as deadly a weapon in my hands as the revolver. A pouch at the back of my right hip held my stainless steel handcuffs and its partner on the opposite side held my radio—my link to my backup team. I placed the photo flat on the bar as the bartender returned to me. “I’ll have another,” I said in a loud voice, continuing so I wouldn’t be overheard. “Don’t pick it up and don’t make a production of looking at it. I’ve been told that he comes here a lot. Is he here tonight? If he is and he escapes because you’ve given me away I’ll see to it that you’re arrested for obstruction of justice.” He gulped a few times but did as he was told, nodding slightly in response. I continued almost at a whisper. “If my nose is pointing to twelve o’clock, my right ear to three, the back of my head to six, and my left ear to nine, tell me where he is. Again, don’t point or do anything obvious and we’ll be fine.” He pretended to wipe the bar as he whispered, “About 4:30 with his back to you.” I picked up the reflection in the mirror then asked, “Red shirt with black and white stripes, looking away from me?” He nodded again. Now, in my normal tone of voice I asked, “Where’s the men’s room?”

Fredrick_Udele · Fantasie

Zu wenig Bewertungen

69 Chs

CHAPTER 16

>>>>>>

Lucy told me the following morning that she planned to move back into her house on Wednesday. "All I have to pack is one suitcase of clothes and a few toiletries, plus the food in the kitchen. Of course, I want you to come with me."

"I have to go home sometime, but I can wait until Thursday or even Friday. I have to tender my resignation personally and I have my apartment to close up. I don't know what to do with the furniture. Most of it is kind of old, but I do have a big flat screen TV I'd like to keep. Maybe we can find a place for it in your place."

Lucy moved up to kiss me. "Our place, Matt…OUR place." Then she kissed me again. "You need to see Martin Albright this morning. He was at the Council's table, but he's not a member. He's our city attorney. I'll bet he has your contract all but done. Don't just accept what he shows you. Make whatever changes you think are necessary and make sure it says you have control over hiring and firing. I have a feeling you're going to make good use of that provision."

I did meet with Albright, walking right in with Max around 10:30. Lucy was right in that he had a contract for me, but not surprisingly it completely favored the city. I insisted on eight changes which he made without comment or complaint. When we were done it was ready to be signed and notarized and it would be right after I was appointed.

Max and I walked into the diner around noon and I could barely get into our booth just four feet from the door because of all of the congratulations I received from the patrons and staff. I finally joined Max who was already seated and was about to order when Lucy joined me. After a quick kiss I told her about my meeting with the attorney. She just smiled when I told her about the changes I had insisted on. She assured me that the Council would agree and that the vote would once again be overwhelmingly in favor. "I plan to ask that the Council formally approve your performance standards, too. I've been very busy calling everyone except Carl Haynes. You'll have plenty of support for hiring your friend. A number of us have been trying to hire minorities for some time, but our present chief is a total bigot. We'll be happy to see him go. Maybe knowing that we're hiring a black officer will encourage him to go earlier."

>>>>>>

Lucy and I spent the afternoon together in the booth talking about our wedding and reception. I told her I would leave those preparations to her and her family. I didn't know enough about the city to comment one way or another about any arrangements and I wasn't religious so I didn't care what church we used. However, one thing I did know was that Lucy needed a ring. We left the diner at 4:00 and I let Lucy give me directions. I almost laughed when she told me to park in front of George's Men's Wear. Her family had used the jeweler next door for decades.

McMahon's Fine Jewelry is what the sign said. I could tell by his body posture that it was Mr. McMahon who rushed to greet us. "Miss Lucille, I'm so happy for you. I just heard about your engagement this morning from George and, of course, he was told by his brother, Simon. And you must be the Mr. Cahill the whole city is talking about. I'd recognize you anywhere because of your dog. George told me he was the biggest dog he'd ever seen…best behaved, too. I'm Thomas Mc Mahon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Call me Matt, Mr. McMahon. I'm pleased to meet you, too. We're here to shop for some rings."

"You've come to the right place, Matt. I have a great selection and I'll give you a great price. Nothing is too good for Miss Lucille." I had to agree. He led Lucy to the rear of the store and had her sit at the counter. Max curled up at her side, but anyone who thought he wasn't alert and on the job was in for a big ugly surprise.

Thomas began by measuring Lucy's finger. He tried three different sizes, asking Lucy if it was comfortable or too tight or loose. Apparently satisfied, he opened the big safe and removed three trays of diamond solitaire rings. "I have more with bigger stones, but I know that Miss Lucille doesn't like to flaunt her wealth so she doesn't like to wear big flashy jewelry."

"You know me too well, Thomas," Lucy commented. "I'd like something special and elegant, but not gaudy." He nodded as he set the trays in front of us.

"First, you'll want to decide what type of stone you want—round, square, marquise cut? Do you want a ring with baguettes or just a solitaire? Once we have that we can look at the size and quality of the stone."

Lucy looked at more than a dozen rings before going back to three. Thomas laid them on a velvet pad then took a look at each with his loupe. "I won't sell you this one, Miss Lucille. It's only an average stone. There are a lot of occlusions in it." I didn't know anything about jewelry or diamonds so I just took his word for it. He did replace the one Lucy had chosen with a similar ring that he said was much better. She eventually decided on a two carat round stone with two baguettes on each side totaling another half carat. The ring was platinum which I knew was heavier and stronger than gold.

A platinum engagement ring also meant platinum wedding bands so they would match. Lucy selected simple bands after consulting me. I just told her to pick whatever she wanted. She gave me a look and shook her head, but then she kissed me and had me try on several rings, but I wasn't much help. They all looked good to me. Thomas totaled the cost of the engagement ring and wedding bands at $13,679 plus tax. "Of course, I'll give you the usual family discount of fifteen percent. With tax I paid just over $11,000. All I cared about was that Lucy loved her ring.

I drove us to a restaurant that Lucy had suggested. "Do you own this one, too," I kidded her."

"No, we don't own everything, silly. I just like the food here. Wait until you see the salads. They're great." As usual, Lucy was right. The salads were great and so were the ribs and barbecue beans. Lucy gave me a mock cringe when I told her that beans always made me fart. "Then you'd better give me some," she kidded. I asked myself what I had ever done to deserve the love of such a woman. We kept some of the scraps of meat and potato to add to Max's meal.

PREV INDEX Next