The Case

by Lee Cunningham

  Kate said, “We are getting ready to leave for the ranch tomorrow. I would like you to come with us, and not just for the espresso and churros! We’ll likely be at the ranch for a few weeks. I only ask that you think about our conversation, and talk to Walter…tell him how you feel. Carpe Diem, like you used to tell me, remember? Seize the day!”

  Juanita looked down at the drink she cradled in both hands, and smiled. She looked up at Kate, her eyes shining, and said, “I’ll go, and I’ll try to get up the courage to do what you ask.”

  Kate looked at her doubtfully, but Juanita insisted. “I promise!”

  Shane came out in a fresh change of clothes. Kate rose to walk to the shower, and Juanita stood up to go.

  Shane asked, “Hey, what about me? Can’t you stay and have a drink with me, too?”

  Kate waved a hand behind her, and said, “You two kids have fun!” as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

  Juanita poured Shane a drink and sat back down in the chair. She said, “You know I really do like these!” She raised her glass and smiled. Shane didn’t think he’d seen her look so relaxed and happy, before this moment.

  He said, “I’m not surprised, so do I! But then, I’m not surprised by anything much that happens in life anymore…especially around all of you!”

  Juanita smiled, and added, “After today, neither am I. You know, Shane, I may not have gone where I intended to go in life, but I think I ended up where I needed to be.”

  Shane smiled and raised his glass. “Amen to that, Juanita, the same goes for me! I guess we’re both pretty damned lucky!!”

  As they sat and talked, getting to know each other, each thought how much they really appreciated and liked the other. They toasted with another drink, before Kate came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go to dinner.

  Kate and Juanita became involved in an intense conversation about a past business deal Walter had made, ten or so years ago. Juanita recalled he had taken her out to lunch and dinner every day for nearly two weeks, while he bounced ideas off her, just to get her reaction. In the end, the deal was completed, and Walter thanked Juanita profusely for putting up with him, and calming his nerves, during the negotiations. At that time, it was the largest and most important deal he had ever put together, and involved Pete as a full partner. Walter said he had depended on Juanita to keep him focused. It was one of the highlights of his career, he had told her.

  Juanita explained that it became a routine after that, whenever there was a serious negotiation, Walter would spend more time with Juanita, and ask her opinions. He used several of her ideas over the years. He said it was his secret weapon against the competition…two good minds, rather than one.

  Kate had been standing quietly, listening while she finished her drink. “Imagine that,” she said coyly. Juanita smiled.

  They all walked down to the dining room together. Shane later remarked that there seemed to be a special spring in Juanita’s step. She seemed to float down the stairs.

  Dinner conversation was a more serious and organized matter, with each person making final suggestions for the upcoming trip. There were sixteen people at the table. Kate had asked Juanita to stay, and led her to sit next to Walter, which seemed to please him immensely. Shane thought he perked up and looked ten years younger than he normally did. At times, he bubbled with enthusiasm.

  Pete sat next to Tasha. Lee, Jesse, and Tom sat around one end of the table. Jesse, Mike, Pete and Lisa sat along one side. Delores and Lana sat together and chatted. Kate and Shane brought up the other side, next to Howard. Sam was still working on documenting conversations at the Magadinno compound, and keeping Wesley occupied and monitored with his own team.

  The decision was made that Walter, Pete, Tasha, Kate, Shane, Jesse, Lisa and Mike would take the King Air from the Minden airport to the ranch. The remainder of the group would drive up together, in three of the larger, fully equipped SUVs. Ron and Patty Simon’s son’s wedding in Denver was on Sunday. They would fly commercially from Denver to Lewiston, Idaho, on Tuesday. Sam would pick them up at the small airport and drive them to the ranch, about two and a half hours away. The various groups would pack up all the gear in the morning.

  Wesley was going off shift tonight, and was going to be sent to Sacramento on a ruse, to meet with an old California DOJ acquaintance, and request assistance in locating arrest records on criminals involved in a now-defunct organized crime syndicate from the ‘90s. Everyone knew it was a waste of time, but it was a good way to put Wesley on ice. They wouldn’t have to deal with him or detail a surveillance group to monitor his activates. His vehicle would be outfitted with a tracker.

  A contact Lee had in Sacramento would verify Wesley was there, as soon as he arrived. The staff remaining at the estate would all have assignments, and were told that the group would be back in a few weeks. No one, outside the cadre that was leaving, knew where they would be, nor did they ask, or want to know. Everyone in the cadre team had been cleared and was considered beyond suspicion.

  The highlight of the meeting were Jesse’s smoked ribs, which had been rubbed with lemon pepper, seasoned salt and garlic, and slowly smoked on low heat for six hours. The ribs had then been seared on the hot barbeque for ten minutes a side. The meat literally fell off the bones in wonderfully flavored, soft chunks, that were a little crisp on the outside.

  A simple salad of three types of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, roasted sunflower seeds, and dried sweetened cranberries, topped with blue cheese crumbles, and a mixture of blue cheese and balsamic dressing, was a perfect complement to the ribs.

  Finally, a 2013 J. Lohr Mourvedre wine from Paso Robles, was served, as the crown jewel of the feast. Shane nominated the wine for the best supporting role award, and with a unanimous vote from the attendees, the wine was guaranteed to win. Everyone, except Juanita, had started the feast hungry, but no one could eat another bite when the last one stopped. Juanita and Walter were the first to leave dinner, and were in deep conversation as they walked out.

  As the expanded cadre adjourned for the evening, Shane apologized to Kate as they walked upstairs. He said he was tired and sore, and too full to do anything, but sleep, although he had been dying to talk to her all day.

  Kate smiled, “That’s all right, honey…I’ll talk you to sleep tonight.” They fell asleep in each other’s arms, with Kate detailing what to expect at the ranch. As she drifted off to sleep, Kate smiled a hopeful smile. Getting away from all the stress and danger would be a good thing. They needed to slow down for a while. After all, they were just falling in love.

  10

  “The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct.”

  (William of Ockham)

  Heath Beckett was running as fast as he could, down a trail from a mountain ridge, toward a river. He was pursued by someone who was gaining with every stride. There seemed to be no escape. Heath started laughing, and jumped off the trail onto a large boulder, dropping him like a rock to a place six feet below. The landing was softer than Heath had expected. He seemed to be able to land, as if on a trampoline, and spring off down the slope, to the next large rock. He was keeping just ahead of the pursuer.

  As Heath ran faster and faster, he leaped further and further down the slope to the next landing site, until the inevitable crash came. He grabbed his left leg in pain, and called out to Shane. Shane and Heath had always had a special bond, Heath deferring to Shane’s judgment, looking up to Shane, and always counting on Shane to bail him out of any jam. They had called this game “aerospace tower leaping,” but their father had warned them against it, saying someone was eventually going to get hurt.

  But they were young, athletic and bullet proof, or, so they thought. They had done this for years, when the agility and lighter weight of youth had been their friend. Through the years, as their bodies had grown, the leaps had become further and more dangerous. But this time, the small boulder had moved on Heath’s landing, his momentum causing his ank
le to roll over. He felt pain like he had never felt before.

  Shane was with him in an instant, checking his injury, and assuring him that he would take the blame. He immediately helped his younger brother turn over onto his back, as he elevated Heath’s left leg and stabilized it, as best he could. Then Shane ran all the way down to the river below, to soak his shirt in the ice cold water.

  Shane managed to get back up the hill, and wrap the swelling ankle in his wet cold shirt, in less than ten minutes. He ran to a nearby willow tree and cut a branch with his survival knife. He quickly fashioned a homemade splint, which he formed and tied to Heath’s ankle with his web belt. He then lifted Heath, and positioned him at his right side, so he could take the weight off his brother’s left side.

  Within just a few minutes, they were on their way down to the valley of the river, where their father, Patrick, would be waiting. They would be the last ones back to camp, as always. Shane would not lie if they were to be in trouble, but he would protect Heath, as always.

  As they got close enough to see the men at the camp down below, Shane felt a sense of failure. Somewhere, he had missed recognizing the delicate balance between allowing Heath to do what Heath wanted, and restraining his brother, to the point that he could be safe and still have fun. He must do better next time, he thought to himself.

  Shane knew he could make all those jumps, as he had many times, even dropping as much as six or seven feet, but Heath could not. He had to scale back his own abilities when they played and encourage Heath to do the same. He must find the correct balance in life to protect his brother.

  When Shane and Heath got to camp, their father was in the tent changing after his evening swim. Shane got a bucket of cold water and sat Heath at a table, placing his brother’s foot and ankle in the bucket to reduce the swelling. Shane went to a place by the fire to wait for his dad. Pete was seated by the fire already, watching him. Pete smiled at Shane. He knew something was up.

  Kent Murray, their dad’s other very close friend, was also at the fire. Kent worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration, and had come on this annual event each year, bringing his own boy, Hunter. Kent made his way to the camp fire to warm his hands, and was ready to move back and sit to Pete’s right, leaving a space between him and Pete for Shane’s dad. But Shane needed to ask his dad a question that had been bothering him for a long time. He needed to position himself at the fire. He wanted to take Kent’s seat.

  Just then, Heath called out to him in pain, and Shane half ran to his brother, taking him the acetaminophen and ibuprofen cocktail their mother had taught them to use when they needed to reduce swelling and pain. But by the time Shane gave Heath the four pills and returned, his father was already seated between Pete and Kent, and he had lost his opportunity. He’d have to be faster next time if the riddle was ever to be solved.

  Shane heard a now familiar voice, calling again and again. But he ignored it, knowing he must find an opportunity to somehow ask his father the important question. He fought to keep his dad’s face in focus as it began to fade from view. Pete was watching Shane, and seemed to understand how hard Shane was trying to stay with the scene…but, suddenly, it was gone, again. He never could hold on to it long enough to ask this one question.

  Shane called out in frustration, “Damn it…damn it all to hell!” Shane’s shoulder was rolling, as he fought to stay in what little was left of the picture, but the light was coming in as consciousness won the battle.

  “Shane!” Kate called as she shook him… “Shane, are you awake? Honey, your phone is ringing.” Shane opened his eyes. The dream scene was gone again, having yielded to the reality of the penetrating morning light. With a throbbing head, Shane now struggled hard to be fully awake and sharp, just as he had struggled against it a moment before. He took the cell phone, and answered it, saying, “Hello?”

  It was Grant. “Dan, where the hell are you?”

  Shane was instantly awake, and on guard. With a throbbing headache, he replied, “I was still asleep, with a girl I met at a bar last night, why?”

  Grant was upset and demanded, “What were you doing at a bar? I’m in deep trouble, and you need to stay focused!”

  Shane seized the opportunity for an offensive assault. “Damn it, Grant, you could have gotten one or both of us injured, even killed yesterday. I’m taking a few days off. And what are you talking about, anyway?” Shane forced Grant to tell him what was going, reversing Grant’s assault.

  Grant whined, “I need to see you, and I don’t want to talk over the phone. I’ve been placed on administrative leave!”

  Shane smiled, realizing the plan he and Roberts had made, was in play. He said defiantly, “Look, Brian, if you’re on admin leave, you know I can’t have any contact with you until you’re reinstated. And I’m not sure I was ever supposed the meet with you to begin with! How soon will you be reinstated, so we can both meet with Roberts, and see what’s really going on here?”

  Grant replied sheepishly, “Maybe a week or two, whenever the shooting review is complete, and the review board makes its decision. Roberts said I’ll be fine in the shooting, since I never fired a shot. But I know he’s pissed that I was there, and he won’t talk about you at all.”

  Shane said, “Then, to keep us both from being fired, I’ll talk to you then. We both need to keep a low profile and not call any attention to ourselves. Whoever knew we were going to both be there, can know again if we meet. And I’m not sure who tipped them off. I’m out of the picture until this cools off. Tell Roberts to call me when the board makes its decision. I’ll be on vacation until then, and not talking to anyone, but him.”

  Shane hung up as Grant began to object. When Grant called back almost instantly, Shane didn’t answer. Kate didn’t need to ask about the call. She had been lying next to Shane as he talked to Grant.

  She did, however, need to know what Shane was fighting in his sleep. “Shane, another bad dream?” she asked with a look of genuine concern.

  He nodded his head, briskly rubbing his face with his hands. He released a deep sigh, saying, “I get right to the point where I’m going to ask my dad an important question, and then it leaves me. I can’t figure out what clue I’m missing. But there is something there, locked away down deep in my memory, being pushed to the surface in these dreams.”

  He looked at Kate, and explained, “It may just have to do with Heath injuring his leg in the jump, but I don’t think so.” Kate looked puzzled.

  Shane said, “He tore some ligaments and a muscle in a jump off a boulder, when we were playing a game we shouldn’t have been playing at our annual camping trip. He eventually recovered, but afterward, he always had a unique way of running that favored his left leg.” Shane was silent, deep in thought, wondering.

  Kate wondered what he could be thinking about so seriously. She probed, “What is it, honey?”

  Shane looked up at her, as if coming out of a day dream. He said, thoughtfully, “If I didn’t know better…but it couldn’t be…I need to make a phone call…to Heath…to see how he’s doing.”

  With that, Shane threw back the remaining covers, and walked to the cell phone Walter and Kate had provided him. It was still lying on top of the chest of drawers, connected to its charger. He had been talking on his department issued phone, and wanted his cold phone for this call.

  As he walked away from her, naked, Kate admired Shane’s muscular body and near perfect butt. She had always admired a good butt, but Shane’s was the nicest she had ever seen. “It’s not as if I’ve seen a lot of naked men’s butts,” she thought to herself, with a smile. She had been to the beaches at Newport, Laguna and Huntington, and had seen thousands of scantily clothed men in her summer days in sunny southern California. And there had been a couple of boyfriends in college…short unsatisfying relationships.

  Kate was sure Shane had the nicest she had ever seen, though, and she felt herself begin to warm and tingle deep inside. Familiar butterflies were churning above the tingl
e. She thought she should look away to quiet those feelings, as they didn’t have any extra time this morning to act on them. She blushed slightly, as she stared at the indentation between the top of Shane’s butt cheeks, and fantasized about running her finger down there, as she pulled him deeper inside her.

  Shane turned around and saw her staring, just before she looked away. A smile coming to his lips, he turned back to his new phone. He made the call, and waited for Heath to answer, turning again to face Kate. He would tease her a little more, he thought.

  Kate was slightly embarrassed at her obvious desire, but couldn’t help, but take a long hard look. She thought, “The front view is outstanding, too!”

  She was glad they both liked to sleep naked. Clothes were great, but just not in bed, unless she wore something sexy and silky. Shane waited for Heath to answer, as Kate continued her gaze.

  Shane got back into bed when Heath answered, and Kate escaped her embarrassment, saying she needed to take a shower.

  “This is Heath. Who’s this?” Heath asked, not recognizing the new phone number.

  Shane snapped, “It’s your brother. You know, the brother who’s a little taller, more buff, and a tad better looking than you. Ring a bell?”

  Heath quickly shot back, “You must have the wrong number. My only brother is taller…that’s true. But he’s also slightly overweight and not exactly aging well. It’s really rather sad. I try to encourage him to work out, and hold on to what little looks and fleeting youth he has left, but it’s a lost cause!”

  “In your dreams, my brother!” Shane countered, laughing. “Seriously little bro, how are you doing? How’s the landscape business?”

  Heath answered quickly, “I’m great, and the business is booming. I’ve hired two new guys…illegals, but, before you lecture me, I’m trying to help them get their work visas. I’m trying to do it all right this time.”

  Shane listened for the telltale signs of a lie, but, unfortunately, had lost his ability to read his little brother when Heath had become such an excellent liar, during his druggy days. Without body language to read, Shane just couldn’t tell.