I went and made my bed, and got dressed.
I didn't want to give Al any reason to wonder,
so I figured I'd hang around 'till after 7:00
a.m. and call him at the office.
I still had Anna's number, but was hesitant
to call her for anything because of the way
that she completely captivated me. I felt like putty when she was close to me. She
mystified me. She aroused me. If she gave
me one green light, I don't think I'd be able to
contain myself!
Just thinking about her, I felt a stir in my
loins. This never happens to me, but I
couldn't help it. I wanted her bad!
I got up, dismissed the start of a
fantasy that begun playing in my mind,
and went to the kitchen to start some coffee.
I was feeling better and couldn't wait to
get my day started.
I came back to my desk, pulled out the
middle drawer, grabbed my favorite silver
pen, and sat down to make a list of the
things I wanted to buy today.
I began my list with a CZ 75 SP-01,
9mm. and a box of ammo. I need a 4
camera surveillance system. Some
lightbulbs, and a window and door alarm
set up. You know, those do-it-yourself,
magnetic strips you put on the windows
and doors... When the connection is
interrupted, it sets off a really loud base
unit alarm that mounts to the wall.
Pretty inexpensive, but very effective.
Good thing I had a few thousand dollars
set aside. The 9mm. was gonna run me
about $780.00 dollars.
Ambidextrous, so it can be decocked from
either side. Rubber grip panels, Black
polycoat finish with fixed night sight.
An absolutely elegant weapon.
I finished my list, and went to the
kitchen to eat something. I poured a bowl
of Raisin Bran, and added milk and a
banana. I brought it back to my desk and
sat down. Eating my cereal and gazing at
my list, I decided to add a patio table
and 2 Patio chairs. Oh! Scotch!! I need
to find some good Scotch.
There is a larger town... actually, I think
it's a city... Called Silverton. It's about 45
minutes away, down I-40 East.
All I have to do is take a right on Hwy. 133,
go about 15 miles, then take a left onto
I-40 all the way to Silverton.
The clock on the desk said 6:06 a.m.
when all of a sudden, Garfield appeared
out of nowhere. Sitting, looking at me
from the right side of my easy chair, as
if to say, You didn't have to wait up for me'.
A little taken aback, I said out loud, 'here
Garfield!' The cat rose to all four paws,
walked over to me, purring and started
rubbing up against my shins.
'What have you been up to you little
rascal? And how do you keep getting in
here?' I said to the cat, of course knowing
my questions were in vain.
Garfield looked up at me. MEOW.
'What do you want', I asked the cat,
looking down at him as I sat at my desk.
I got up and went to the front door,
unlocked it and opened it. Garfield bolted
outside, then going towards Ted's unit,
stopped long enough to look back at me
and Meow. Then he dissapeared into the
bushes that had overgrown up against a
few of the units.
The sun was coming up, and it was
light enough to see, so I went and put my
shoes on. I wanted to take a peek around
the base of the exterior walls real quick to
see if there is a hole anywhere that Garfield keeps using to get into my unit.
I grabbed my flashlight, and some gloves
to peel the bushes back away from the wall.
I went back outside and started at the end
of my unit on the left hand side, and worked
my way right, down the wall. I got to where
the interior wall would be that separates
the bedroom from the living room, and
peeled the overgrown bush back away
from the wall. Sure enough! A hole just
big enough for a small animal to get in.
It looked a little too small for Garfield, but
Cats are pretty amazing at fitting through
little holes. It must come out in the sub
basement. But how does Garfield get into
the house from the sub basement?
I shined my flashlight into the hole. I
could see the dirt floor, and trash laying
around. What looked to be rodent
carcasses strewn about, and there was a
nasty, putrid smell coming out of there.
Feeling my stomach wretch a little, I turned
to almost bounce off of Miss Malloy.
'Oh!', I Exclaimed, startled, and off balance
for a second.
She didn't miss a beat. 'What are you doin'
snoopin' all around at this hour of the
morning?' Dorris asked with annoyance
in her tone.
'Well, Miss Malloy'... 'Dorris', she said.
'Dorris', I corrected myself, 'There is a hole
in the wall and Garfield has been using it
somehow to access my apartment.
He just showed up in there 15 minutes
ago, and I let him back out. Yesterday,
he left me a dead mouse'. I explained.
'Scared the crap out of me when I first
moved in'. I added.
Dorris peered at the hole, and said, 'O.k.
I'll have someone come look at it, and get
it repaired'.
'Great! I appreciate it. There's a bad smell
coming from in there too. I can't seem to
get it out of my apartment. I thought it
was just the old smell of the place'. I
exclaimed.
'O.k. Jim. I'll have it fixed today', Dorris
reassured.
'Ill be gone for the day, so, let yourself in
if they need access to the apartment,
Dorris. Quick question? When was the
last time someone lived here?' I asked.
Dorris thought for a minute. 'Oh, about
6 years ago. We don't get many new
people in town. When we do, they always
want to be closer to town'. She explained,
with a satisfied tone.
'O.k. well... Have a good day Dorris', I said,
turning to go inside my unit. 'You too
Jim'. Dorris answered back.

Chapter 13

It was 7:08 a.m. when I came back in,
satisfied and relieved to find the hole and
get something done about it.
I thought about Garfield being a ghost
cat, and chuckled to myself. I picked
up the phone to call the office, and within
a few rings, Anna picked up the receiver.
'Hello. County Assessor's Office, Anna
speaking', she said in her most professional
voice. 'Good morning Anna'. I said. 'Hey,
I'm gonna take Al up on that offer of the
day off today, and I will definitely be back
in in the morning, if that's still acceptable',
I said. 'Well good morning Jim. That would
be fine. How are you feeling?' Anna asked
with genuine sincerity.
'Not to bad. My head is still a little sore, but
the swelling has gone done and my vision
is normal again'. I assured.
'Good. Good. Well, o.k. Jim, I'll let Al know
you will be in in the morning. I hope you
have a great day. If you need anything,
you know where I am at', Anna said.
'O.k. Anna. You have a good day as well.
I'll talk to you tomorrow', I said, hanging
up the phone.
Boy, that Al sure is gone alot. I wonder
just what he could be doing besides
taking care of an autistic boy, I mean...
That's gotta be hard, but, the man is just
to happy'. I thought to myself, putting my
list in my pocket.
I rounded up my keys, put a belt on and
tucked in my button up light blue shirt, and
made sure I had my wallet and sunglasses.
Slightly wetting my hair, I combed it into
place, sprayed a spritz of Polo, and went
around the apartment to make sure
everything was locked.
Within the next 5 minutes, I was pulling
out onto Highway 133, and heading toward
I-40.
I turned the radio on and it was still on the
classical station. Mozart's Piano concerto,
mythodicaly and precisely playing out.
I breathe a sigh. I felt good, considering
I can't sleep past 3:00 a.m. most of the
time, my head and it's dull pain, and the
events of the past couple of days.
Suddenly, blue and red lights are flashing
behind me. I look in the rear view mirror,
and see a police car following me with
his emergency lights on. I hit the blinker
to pull over on the shoulder, and started
slowing down. The police car slowed down
as well and settled in behind me instead
of going around, like I figured it would do.
I was being pulled over. I wondered why?
I wasn't speeding. Did I have a broken
tail light?
I rolled down the window as the officer
approached the passenger side of the Ford.
'Good morning Officer... 'Shriber', the
officer said. 'Good morning'.
'Is there something I can help you with?
Is something wrong?' I asked a little
concerned.
'May I see your driver's license Sir?' The
officer asked. I looked at his uniformed
shirt, and it had a County badge with a
gold plated stick pin that said, 'Shriber
#3696'. I pulled my wallet out and handed
him my Driver's License.
He studied it and looked at me for a few
seconds, then said, 'California huh?
Never been. Sure would like to though.
I heard it's gorgeous'.
'Indeed it is sir, but expensive.' I said,
trying to keep the conversation brief.
I knew to always keep your mouth shut
as much as possible. They use your
words against you. They try to act friendly
to get you to lower your gaurd and possibly
incriminate yourself. It's psychology 101.
The officer looked over the Ford and asked,
'Where ya headed?'
'Silverton sir'. I said. The officer studied me
again, handed me back my license, and
said, 'We just like to keep tabs on things
out here. One can never be too careful'.
'I can agree with you on that Officer', I
said, putting my License away.
'Well, you have a good day, and stay safe
out here, The officer said, as he walked
back to his Patrol car.
I was back on the road again, and within
15 minutes, was making a left onto the I-40
on ramp. Another 40 minutes or so, and I'll
be there.
I thought about Polyandrion. How cut off
from the world the people are there.
I thought about Anna. What in the world
was such a beautiful, smart, charming
woman doing in such a drab town?
I know she is taking care of her mother,
but still... And why sell their house, move
across the country, just to buy another
house at her mother's age.
How can Anna be happy in that strange,
colorless, dull town?
Soon I was passing up warehouses,
and commercial buildings. Wide open
parking lots littered with every assortment
of vehicle possible. Distribution warehouses.
Manufacturing warehouses. Chemical
plants and other factories.
Car dealerships. Ah, a McDonald's and a
gas station. A true sign of civilization.
I pulled off the Interstate, and onto a well
maintained road, that was a main road
for the city of Silverton.
'I wish I had a cell phone', I thought to
myself as I parked at the gas station.
I got out of the Ford and went looking
for a phone book.
Around the corner of the gas station
building was a payphone, that had a
weathered phone book in it on a steel
cord. I opened it and turned to the yellow
pages. Under 'G' I found a 'Guntrader'
gun shop, that boasted half hour
background checks and a wide variety
of weapons from handguns, to hunting
rifles, to semi automatic rifles and ammo.
I wrote the address down on a notepad
I keep in my shirt pocket with my
favorite silver pen, asked the clerk how
to get there, got back in the Ford,
and minutes later, was parking in front
of the gun store.
I browsed a bit looking at all the
different handguns and such while they
did my background search. It was $35.00 dollars for the search. I signed up for a 2
hour safety course for 10.00 a.m. that cost
an additional $75.00 bucks, but they had
the CZ SP-01 I wanted.
I had an hour until the training, and safety
course, so I got the address to a place
that sells outdoor furniture and such.
I drove over to the furniture store, and
picked a steel, tempered glass patio
table and two steel patio chairs, in white,
assembly required.
They had a small steel outdoor 3 shelf
cabinet in white I got as well.
Paying for it all, the clerk helped me out
to the Ford with it, and helped me put
it all in the back.
I stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts and got a
cinnamon roll and cup of coffee, then
drove back to the Guntrader.
After being shown how to disassemble
my new weapon and clean it, then put
it back together, we went over all the safety procedures, including concealed weapon
laws per state.
There were 4 of us... 3 men and a thirty
something woman. Each one of us was
individually coached on how to fire our
weapon. After getting the hang of it, I
stuck around for a bit, practicing my
aim and getting used to the recoil of my
new 9mm weapon. It didn't have to bad
a kick, in comparison to some of the
stories I've heard. For example... If you
don't know how to fire a 45 caliber. Don't!
People have knocked their own teeth out
from the recoil on those things.
I had gotten pretty accurate after a little
bit of repetition. Satisfied. I took my
weapon apart again, cleaned it and put it
away in it's black tactical case that it
comes with, along with the night site,
gun oil, brush and 2 Ninteen round clips.
The SP-01 was actually on sale, and I
saved over a hundred dollars.
I paid $670.00 out the door, instead of
the $800.00 I was figuring. Even with
the course and 2 boxes of bullets, I was
just over $800.00 bucks.
The guy that helped me, Rick, was a
knowledgeable guy. He even knew where
a spyshop was, when I asked him for
directions, he drew me a little map.
Half hour later, I was browsing the aisles
of the electronic store, spyshop.
I sure would like to replace my cell phone,
but what good is it if I can't get service.
I found a 4 camera home surveillance
system that doesn't require internet, and
put it in the cart.
I browsed around till I found the magnetic
alarm system I wanted. It came with 8
magnetic units and the main base unit.
I picked up a wireless doorbell that has
a camera built in as well. They don't
record, but are nice to see who is at
your door without going to the peep hole.
It comes with its own software that runs
on any P.C.
Even though I don't have internet, I am
thankful I have my nice HP laptop. It has
a 2 terabyte solid state hard drive in it.
Plenty of room for the main surveillance
system to record to.
The doorbell camera can Bluetooth to my
P.C. as well.
Fulfilling my list, I took everything up
to the register, and paid for it all. Upon
leaving, I asked for the location of a
good liquor store. I got some directions,
and exited, walked to my Ford, opened
it up and put my new purchases in the
back seat. I had already put the case with
my new 9mm. under the driver's seat to
transport home, with the receipt taped to
the case just to be safe. I will have to
apply for my Concealed Carry Permit
back at Polyandrion.
I followed the clerk's verbal directions
and found the liquor store he described.
Parking the Ford, I went in to see if they
had some higher quality Scotch.
I found some Aberfeldy - 15 year old
Scotch and grabbed 2 bottles. I found
a couple of nice crystal large shot glasses
with 'Scotch' etched into the glass, and
headed for the register.
After completing my purchase, I was back
in the Ford. I drove a little way toward the
Interstate, and saw a Greek Deli. 'Oh!' I
exclaimed loudly... 'Mmmm, Gyros'.
I pulled up to the Deli, and went inside to
get a couple of Gyros to take home with
me. I don't eat and drive, and I was wanting
to get back, so I can install the alarm and
camera systems. They smelled delicious,
and I couldn't help but stay long enough
to eat one. Hell, who am I kidding. I
hadn't eaten all day... I inhaled it!

Chapter 14

It was ten minutes to 5:00 by the time
I rolled up to the apartment complex
parking lot. As I was pulling in, I saw
Anna's 280Z parked next to where I
park, in slot #5.
I lit up inside. I got nervous, got paranoid
and got aroused, all at the same time.
What was she doing here? I wondered.
She saw me pulling up and got out of her
car, as I parked and shut the engine off.
'Hi Anna! What a surprise!' I said
exasperated. 'Well, I got off work and
thought I'd come check on you', she said,
as we walked up to my front door.
'And unannounced too', I said, teasing.
'What If I was up to something grueling
and disgusting in there', I added.
She looked at me kinda funny real quick,
then smiled. 'I guess I'd have to join you
just to get some excitement around here',
she said, joining in on my sarcasm.
'I tried to call before I left, but there was
no answer. I'll admit it. I was a little
wooried', She said looking at me softly.
I unlocked the door, and said, 'Come
on. Help me get this stuff into the
apartment', walking to the back of the
Ford. Anna followed me, and I popped
the hatch. 'What have you been up to?',
she asked, curiously.
'Oh, I just went and got a few things for
the apartment'. I answered. We grabbed
the chairs and brought them in.
Back out at the Ford, I grabbed the big
box that the table came in, and Anna
started bringing in the stuff that was in
the back seat. 'What's all this'? Anna
inquired.
'Some electronics. You know.
Doorbell camera. Alarms for the doors
and windows, and a home surveillance
system'. I explained.
Anna shot me a curious look, and said,
'Well O.k. Inspector Gadget', as she
smiled. I could get lost in that smile.
Anna helped me set the patio table
up and chairs. We put the steel cabinet
together and set it up next to the patio
door, decorated with the new barbeque
utensils I had bought. I brought the
Hibachi grill out, and assembled the legs,
fastened the handles and washed the
stainless steel racks off.
'Well, crap'! I said. 'I got all this patio
stuff up and no meat to grill!' 'Ya wanna
run into town and grab some brequets
and a couple steaks'?
Anna's eyes lit up. 'Would love it!' she
said, joyfully.
I locked the apartment back up, and we
jumped in the Ford. After 10 minutes, we
were at the market I had gone to before.
As we pulled up I asked Anna to remind
me to get lightbulbs. I keep forgetting!
We browsed the meat aile and found a
couple nice steaks with decent marbling.
We found the isle that had barbeque
brequets and lighter fluid. I grabbed
some fresh asparagus, a bag of potatoes,
some fresh garlic, some more eggs, some
tea, milk, butter, olive oil, and I found some
hearty looking berry wheat bread.
I grabbed a frozen pizza for one of the
nights I didn't feel like cooking. Digorno
isn't bad. I grabbed some mozzarella
cheese, some cheddar and a thing of mushrooms. I even remembered to get
some kitty treats, like I promised Garfield,
Ted's cat.
As I was pondering if there was anything
else I needed for groceries Anna said,
'Dont forget the lightbulbs!'
'Yes', lightbulbs. Thanks Anna. I need
some drawer liners and another ice cube
tray as well', I said, smiling at her.
She was smiling back at me, and I could
feel the electricity between us.
She just keeps on passing tests with
flying colors!! I think I am falling in love.
We got back to the apartment and
unloaded everything into the kitchen.
As I was going back out to lock up the
Ford, Ted was walking around, looking
left and right... Under vehicles and in the
bushes. 'Hey Jim'. He called out. 'Have
you seen Garfield?'
'Not since early this morning.' I answered.
I remembed that Dorris was going to call
someone out to fix the hole I found in the
wall this morning. I went over to the
bushes, and gently peeled the prickly
branches back to see what had been done.
Nothing! I shook my head, as Anna was
coming out of the apartment.
She saw me looking down at the bushes
that concealed the hole, and came over.
'What's wrong?' she asked.
'Oh, I have a hole in the wall that the
neighbor's cat keeps using to get into my
apartment', I said, with a little frustration
in my tone. 'The manager, Miss Malloy was
supposed to have it fixed today. Well, at
least that's what she said'. I added.
Just then, Ted came over and stood there
looking like a lost boy. 'I found a hole in
the wall Ted. That's how Garfield keeps
getting in, though I have yet to figure out
how he's getting from the sub basement
into the apartment'. I told him, peeling the
bush back one more time to expose the
hole for him to see.

{Continue}

© Michael W. Taylor