B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America)

by Lessil Richards

  Florin was at his wits end. He looked at the phone in disbelief. First he had spent nearly an hour trying to find the correct number through information. He had been disconnected twice. Once he cleared the international operator he’d reached a South African operator that did not speak English. In desperation he called his wife, Vickey. She was able to locate an old letter from Joyce with her address and telephone number. He did not reveal to his wife why he needed the number, and she did not ask. Her sweet voice calmed him.

  When in similar conditions before, Florin would easily become very sick and lose ten pounds in sweat overnight. Realizing that he was on the verge of such a depression, he fought to remain balanced and in control of his fear. His wife had helped him, but when he’d tried calling Joyce to warn her, she did not answer. First he told himself that he would let it ring ten times. When it reached ten he let it ring fifteen, then twenty, and finally an operator came on the line telling him to try his call later as the party he was trying to contact was not answering at this time.

  Now what? When would he ever get a chance to break away again in order to call her? Would he be able to do it in time? How soon would Carl make it there and begin with his instructions? Was she already someplace else and he didn’t need to worry at all? He simply could not fail. He would never be able to live with himself. He had been in deep depression once before, when Joyce recognized the signs and pulled him out of Job Corps to live with her and Leo. She had nursed him back to health. He had to stay under control now to pay back his debt to her.

  Florin changed his clothes and left the small one-bedroom apartment and went for a run. He would try to run off his frustration and fears. It was already dark and the moon was beginning to peek over the mountains on the horizon. The evening was very brisk; perhaps there would be a light freeze tonight.

  After breakfast, Joyce told Sarah about the unsettling phone call. They were both concerned and decided to attempt to call Leo at his grandmother’s house in Challis, Idaho. No one answered on the house line, so she tried calling her mother on her cell phone. Elsie cheerfully answered her cell phone on the second ring. She was just outside of Idaho Falls and on her way to catch a flight for Seattle, as she would leave the following day on her cruise. She had not seen Leo, but she told Joyce that he had called a few hours earlier saying that he was heading for Challis. She had told Leo she would miss him because of the cruise, but he and Doug were welcome to her house.

  Joyce and Sarah felt relieved to hear some news and decided that it had probably been Leo trying to call earlier, to tell them the same thing. He had probably called his grandmother when he couldn’t get through to them and it seemed he must be all right.

  They decided there was nothing they could do, and went back to work. Sarah and the boys were already helping Joyce around the restaurant. Traykie and Chris were stocking shelves, unpacking boxes, taking the trash out and even vacuuming the upstairs rooms and hallway. Sarah was filling in for Ursula, who had the day off. She was the hostess for the day, and was occasionally taking orders and delivering food from the kitchen. It was a new experience and she was enjoying herself. The clientele liked her accent and were happy to meet another American. Sarah was quite efficient and surprised herself at how natural it felt to do these duties. After the lunch rush was over, Joyce saw that Sarah had it under control, so she snuck off to her office to catch up on the books. Sarah and Joyce were so busy that they had both forgotten about the early morning phone call.

  Chapter 30

  Leo and Doug were intending to arrive in Challis late that evening. Doug decided not to call his own mother because she would want him to spend time with her and, frankly, he didn’t have any time to spare. If all this nonsense Leo was talking about was even partially true, it would be better if he made no contact with her at all for her own protection. He had worked on the password until his eyes could no longer focus, and he had become carsick.

  In Pocatello they pulled off Interstate 15 and stopped to fill up the truck. Leo bought a box of Dramamine, fresh cold drinks, and take-out sandwiches. The motion sickness pills were beginning to help and Doug felt better. As it was getting dark, he decided to give up working on the password. The two men felt relieved now that they were driving in such familiar country. Both were slightly elated at the prospect of finally coming home. Leo visited his grandmother fairly often as Boise was only about a four-hour drive, but it had been a long time since Doug had been back to the Challis area.

  They saw a herd of about forty antelope near Mt. Borah and a few deer near Willow Creek Summit. The Challis area was well-known as a great hunting area, and home of big game. Both of them watched carefully for animals; although they liked to see them, they didn’t want to see them on the road. Cars and deer were a deadly mix that caused many accidents yearly.

  As it was well after dark now, the Twin Peaks were just an outline and could not be seen as clearly as usual. Doug and Leo talked about the many hunting and fishing trips they’d taken, heading over those peaks into the true Idaho wilderness areas of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Miles and miles of seldom-used jeep trails were literally the only signs of civilization beyond the Twin Peaks lookout, with the exception of the remains of a few derelict mining ghost towns or abandoned cabins left about a century ago.

  “You know, Mom loves to tell the story of the first time she took me back to the end of the road behind Twin Peaks,” Leo said.

  “I don’t think I ever heard it. What dumb thing did you do that time?” Doug asked.

  “Well, I was just fifteen at the time and we’d just got back from living in Africa after Mom and Dad got divorced. Mom was crazy to get back in her beloved mountains and show me the Idaho she grew up in. I was four when we left the States and nearly fifteen when we came back so I didn’t remember much of anything about America. The first thing Mom did was buy that old red 1961 Chevy truck we used to have. On a late fall weekend she drove me over between the Twin Peaks. As you know, it is 50 miles of nothing, just high ridges and sheer drop offs, timber and some rocks and animals. She showed me all the lakes she used to fish in as a kid and told me all her stories about camping and hiking into the Lakes with her family.”

  “That doesn’t sound too stupid yet, but I’m sure you will get around to that.”

  “Well, I was pretty impressed. I lived in Africa for the ten years prior to that and the highest elevation was the Brandberg Mountains at eight thousand feet. The Twins are both over twelve thousand feet. Being able to look down into the valleys and over at peaks clear in Montana was pretty impressive to me. All the way in she told me about that guy from Wisconsin. Did you hear about him?”

  “You mean the one that went back there in a van in November and got snowed in?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.” Leo continued. “Well, as you remember he walked out about Christmas time with his dog. He nearly froze and starved to death. But what he couldn’t believe was that he had lighted trees on fire to try to get someone’s attention, but there simply wasn’t anyone in there to see it in the winter time.”

  “No, it is just miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles,” Doug agreed.

  “Well, it was late autumn when we were there. The leaves were turning and dropping off and there was NOBODY anywhere. When we got to the end of the road we could look down on Rock Lakes about a quarter of a mile, straight down in this little bowl. They were twinkling with reflected light as the wind skimmed the surface water. The lakes were so clear we could see logs submerged under water from as far away as we were. Mom pointed out peaks in the Sawtooth Range, the White Clouds, Pioneers, and Lost River Ranges. She told me we could hike two miles to Fly Peak Lookout but that no one was there as the guards were already gone for the winter. We got out of the truck, and although it was sunny the wind whipping around those mountains was icy cold. It was a shock for me compared to where I grew up.”

  “Yeah, remember some of our camping trips when it got so cold that water froze solid in our bucke
t at night?” Doug was really a part of the story now.

  “Anyway, Mom was so excited to be back in the country she grew up in and loved so much, she was nearly on the verge of crying. She turned to me and gave a grand sweep indicating everything we could see and seemed overwhelmed and emotional about the beauty of it all. ‘Doesn’t all this grandeur make you want to pray?’”

  “Pray? Yes, I could see your Mom saying that. So, what did you say?”

  “I prayed very earnestly. ‘Oh Dear God please let this old truck start!’” Leo chuckled.

  Doug threw his head back and let out a real belly laugh. He slapped his knee and then the dashboard. “Yep, just like you, buddy. Bet your Mom was surprised.”

  “She tells that story a lot but I usually don’t like to share it as much. She seems to think it’s pretty funny.”

  Doug was surprised that the State had finally replaced the old single-lane steel bridge over the Salmon River with a new double-lane concrete bridge. Within a couple of miles the little town of Challis came into view. They pulled up the hill and turned left off Highway 93, up the Main Street of Challis. Only a few cars were on the street, mostly at Cheers at the lower end of the street and near the Custer Saloon and Bux’s Bar at the upper end. Leo’s grandmother’s house was dark, but the 1910 Victorian two-story home still stood tall and impressive in the meager glow provided by the street lights.

  Leo pulled up next to the house. He was disappointed that he would not get to see his grandmother but he was glad he had called her from Rock Springs, Wyoming that morning. Being so tied up in his own affairs he had forgotten that she had planned her two-week cruise months in advance. His grandmother was a delightful lady. Leo was sincerely happy for her that at her age she was able to still enjoy life and did not suffer from a great deal of physical limitations.

  Leo unlocked the front door and pushed it open. The men unpacked their belongings hastily, placing the bags, weapons, and laptop computer in the dining room. Leo always kept a spare key to his Grandma’s house, as he frequented the house many times during the summer and especially during hunting season. The house was cool, so he walked over to the wall that held the oil furnace control and turned it up. The old furnace creaked and groaned as it went about its job of warming the house.

  The entire house was old, but grand. It was one huge antique from the ancient piano in the living room to the fantastic old organ in the upstairs bedroom. Every hutch, bookshelf, and free-standing closet was a relic of the past. The house resembled a museum. Some of the upstairs walk-in closets and two attics held a multitude of books printed in the eighteen hundreds, and had such things as Leo’s great grandmother’s baby shoes and his great, great, grandfather’s wedding suit. Photo albums abounded. Large framed pictures of Leo’s great, great grandparents hung in the family room. He remembered his grandmother once showing him her grandfather’s pistol that he had used in the Spanish American War. So much history was contained in that house, it was no wonder he had never had much success trying to persuade his grandmother to sell it and move to Nampa, Meridian, or Boise in order to be closer to the rest of the family.

  Chapter 31

  When Bob got up the following morning and assembled his men, they continued the tedious process of moving offices. Luckily, Carl and Marcus had everything lined up, but even so, it was midafternoon before they had finished. Their old office had been vacated, their numbers changed, and their front name changed from “Enterprise Investments” to “Investments Unlimited.” Headquarters had been notified regarding the changed address and telephone numbers. Marcus listened to a recorded call for the second time.

  “We have another break. Come listen to this!”

  “What is it, Marcus?”

  “Leo called his office this morning, requesting some documents be sent to him.” Bob, John, Ervin and Florin huddled around the electronic device and they listened attentively to the recording. Leo seemed to want a copy of all the B.B.U.S.A. files express mailed to his grandmother’s place, address to be found on the Christmas list.

  Bob’s face lit up like a bonfire. “Cancel all events for the rest of the day and night. I have already received permission from headquarters to increase the pressure on Leo to whatever point necessary to get this mess wrapped up. Tonight we shall pay his office a little visit. Marcus, you have till eight p.m. to locate his office manager and report back to me. We’ll take care of her and his business in one fell swoop this evening. One way or another, we’ll have this all wrapped up in the next forty-eight hours, guaranteed.”

  Florin entered his apartment. He was sick. He had been a witness to an atrocity. More than just a witness, he had been present at another murder site. This one struck home. He was shaking. Beads of sweat were so thick on his forehead and around his hairline that little streaks poured down his cheeks. He could feel droplets of sweat actually running down his sides. He was repulsed by what he had witnessed, and sickened by the knowledge that he had been a part of it.

  Although he had never intentionally victimized anyone, he knew he was guilty because he didn’t save her either. He was not the only one that felt that way. After they left the building, the orange glow growing in the belly of the office, he had noticed John upchucking in the large city dumpster at the side of the building. The others had not seen John slip away, but he had not gone entirely unnoticed.

  Florin was shaking so badly that he could hardly undress himself. He finally succeeded and showered. He knew that his depression was in full strength. His appetite had been low all day, but now it was entirely gone. He felt as weak as a kitten. He felt like he was one of Hitler’s special SS troops ridding Germany of the Jews. No matter how important this job once was, and how desperately he needed the money, it had gone too far. Florin realized he had already crossed the line the previous day in Denver when he hid Doug’s letters under the office carpet. Things were now much worse. He had to get away from the craziness and the unnecessary killings. But could he part ways with the organization?

  The B.B.U.S.A. was no longer the fine organization that he believed it to be. It was just a front for powerful men to do as they pleased. He did not want to have anything further to do with them, but he had to be extremely cautious himself. How could he back out now? Just like Leo, he knew too much. They could not let him walk away. What about his wife and children? The B.B.U.S.A. knew about them. He felt trapped. How could he have let himself get involved with such people? He should have known from the start that the job and the money were just too good to be true.

  Florin sat quietly in the dark for a long time, hugging his knees while wrapped in a bathroom towel. He wondered if Jesus would ever forgive him for his involvement. He wondered what Jesus would want him to do now. He slowly rose on still shaky legs, walked to his bedroom and flung himself on the bed. He ached all over. More than that, he hurt like he never had hurt before. It was a deep hurt within his chest. It was a feeling of emptiness and utter despair for what had happened at Leo’s office. His heart felt like someone was slowly twisting a corkscrew deeper and deeper into his chest.

  The frightened and tortured voice of the office manager echoed in his hollow core. He knew that Bob did not approve of the excessive force Ervin had used on the office manager, but yet he had said nothing. The end result seemed more important to him. Ervin had the look of a child at Disneyland. His face exemplified utter pleasure. He enjoyed beating the office manager. He enjoyed humiliating her in front of the men. He had purposely ripped her blouse and skirt off, just to taunt her. As Florin recalled the details of the evening, tears began to streak down both sides of his face and loud sobs raked his body. He could not remember ever sobbing in his life.

  The more tears Florin wiped away, the more sprang forth. He sobbed in pity for the anguish the poor woman had endured before being lit on fire with the rest of the office. Bob had accomplished his goal. With or without Florin, he had found out the exact where-a-bouts of Leo’s grandmother’s house in Challis. He had destroyed all the
evidence that could possibly link Leo and Sarah to the B.B.U.S.A.

  It was Florin who could not stand the torture any longer when Ervin had extracted all the needed information from her. When Ervin sprayed her with kerosene, she was still conscious. He had bent down to the broken body crawling on the floor and grabbed the woman by the back of her hair, lifted her head up and stared intently at her bewildered eyes darting around the room. He let her head drop back down onto the floor. “Welcome to hell, bitch.”

  As he attempted to ignite her with his cigarette lighter, Florin could take no more, regardless of the consequences. He lunged forward as the flames began to leap all over her body, and snapped her neck in the same second. She felt no more pain. Ervin was furious! He wanted to watch her until she took her last breath. He wanted to look into her eyes as they glazed over and death took her. When Ervin bent down to yell in Florin’s face, he finally lost control of himself. Florin head-butted Ervin in his spewing mouth with all his might, feeling Ervin’s front teeth shatter. He could not stop himself. His knee flew up high in a partial jump kick that knocked the air from Ervin’s stomach. As Ervin hunched over, spitting blood and gasping for air, Florin did a spinning roundhouse kick that landed solidly on Ervin’s jaw. He lit, bloodied, unconscious, and dangerously close to the still-flaming body of the office manager.

  It was Bob who reached Florin from behind. He put him in a sleeper hold, cutting off oxygen to his brain. Florin reached up at Bob’s big strong arms, and when he could not pry them loose, landed several sharp elbow blows to his ribs and midsection. Bob used his superior size and weight and hung on for dear life, forcing Florin to the ground. Florin remembered seeing John and Marcus pulling Ervin’s unconscious body away from the flames before he blacked out. He was only out for a minute at most, but when he came to, Bob still had his arms around Florin’s neck from behind.