Dark as Daylight Ch. 05a

The man from the FBI said to him, "You sneaky son of the bitch, you were bleeding all over the place, and I was sure you were going to die."

That's when your father told him he fell on his head and asked him for 2 aspirin, because he had a headache.

So if your clothes are a little bit heavier than you think they should be, don't worry about it, it's for your protection. If you take your jacket off because you are too warm, and you get hurt, you better find some place in this world I can't find you. If I do, I'm going to beat you to a pulp."

"Yes mom."

"How about that baby, a yes dad, and a yes mom, within 10 minutes. I think we deserve a glass of champagne, what do you think?"

Patrick said, "I could go for that."

Much to his surprise his parents said, "One glass, and that's it."

Gwen said, "I can only have a sip."

Jenna asked, "Why, you love our champagne?"

"Yes she does mom, but she has a little growing problem."

"Please Gwen, don't tell me you have another tumor?"

"No, but it is going to disfigure me for about 7 ½ more months."

Jemma screamed, "You're pregnant, you're pregnant, how wonderful. I'm going to be a grandmother."

She grabbed Gwen and danced with her around the library.

Junior yelled at his mother, "Hey, what about me? I was the one you were threatening."

"It took you a month and a half to get this beautiful woman pregnant. You should be ashamed of yourself, not patting yourself on the back."

"Son, do you remember what you told me about keeping quiet, kissing somebody's ass, and begging for forgiveness? I think now would be a good time for you to do it."

"It wasn't someone's ass dad; it was a ring."

"Your mother's claws are out; you better kiss her ass instead."

"Why are we always in trouble instead of them?"

"Even always said God is a woman. Whether I believe that or not is up for debate. However, here on earth, women reign supreme in the northern hemisphere. Unless you live south of the equator, the Middle East, China or India, you will never be superior to woman."

"Why did that happen dad?"

"The answer is very simple my son; we educated them. Then they became smarter than we were, both in business, and in the bedroom. Then they started making more money than most men. Then came World War II, when the men weren't at home, and the women were working men's jobs for the first time. They were making everything from airplanes to torpedoes, and they were making them in record time. They would no longer be the little woman. They were the equal to any man in the country, and they knew it. That was it for us son. Then came prenuptial agreements, community property, child support, custody battles, and ugly divorces. That will never happen to you, and it definitely will not happen to me, because we love our wives desperately."

"Do you see how that bastard got out of me killing him with those last few words? I was ready to go for his throat for what he was saying about women, and then he says something so nice, it reels my temper."

Sheila brought in a bottle of champagne with 4 champagne glasses and one shot glass. William looked at her and laughed. Sheila winked at him as she left the room.

William filled each glass, and Patrick was reaching for the 'Shot Glass.' His dad said, "No, you get a big glass, the little glass is for Gwen."

"Why dad?

"Another simple answer son, Gwen is pregnant, and alcohol, in any amount, will hurt the growth of the baby. That's why she's only getting 1 ounce, and it will be her last ounce until she gives birth."

"Okay, but the Chinese have no such restriction when a woman is pregnant. She can do just about anything except hard drugs."

"I guess we are just a little more concerned with the health of our babies then they are."

William raised his glass and said I give you the toast to both parents to be, and Jemma and my first grandchild. "May your entrance into this world be smooth and easy. May you be the light in your parents' eyes. May you find a mate as beautiful as your mother or as handsome as your father. May you look upon this world and see its faults. May you learn to move mountains to make this world better. May you learn to part the seas so the peoples of this world can walk to one another and discuss their differences, rather than kill each other over them. May the Good Lord look upon you and give you a soul as pure and beautiful as my friend Even Luck."

Gwen walked over to William, kissed him, and thanked him for such a beautiful tribute to her child. William kissed his father and thanked him also.

Jemma said, "If Even was here now, he would dump a bucket of ice water on your head for embarrassing him."

"I haven't thought about him in a long time. I just realized how much I miss him."

"Don't do anything stupid like trying to visit him. I will find you and bring you back. Then I will make you wish you were dead."

"Jemma, I miss my friend. I would die without you."

"God bless that fucking airplane."

"Shall I rent a United Airlines airplane so we can re-create our day?"

"Are you going to sign my panties, and save them forever in a plastic cube?"

Patrick yelled out, "I was wondering what that was."

"I swear to God, William, we are going to be minus one child very soon."

"Maybe you shouldn't have left that cube on your dresser."

"I like my cube. It reminds me of the first day we met."

"Dad the only thing they had available for our size group was a 787 so I took it. Everything else was an 8 or 10 passenger business jet."

"That's fine William, we can send Patrick into the back to practice his acceptance speech."

"He just told me you're going to play him a game of all chess. I didn't realize you played."

"I stopped playing many years ago, because the game stopped being a game for me."

"Okay, I'm going to help Gwen pack."

"Enjoy yourself."

"I'm supposed to enjoy packing?"

"That's right Jemma, he's never been exposed to a pregnant woman before."

"Dear, these are going to be the most exhausting 7 ½ months you have ever had. I hope your heart is in good shape."

"What are you talking about mom?"

"Pregnant women are horny 24 hours a day. If they didn't have to stop to use the bathroom and eat, all they would be doing is making love. It could be one of the reasons I only get pregnant once every 15 years. It takes your father that long to get his energy back."

"Not according to the tape we saw."

"What tape?"

"William kill your brother. If he ever sees that tape, we will never hear the end of it."

"Gwen and I hid it for posterity. I think will burn it instead."

"I think that's a marvelous idea."

************************

19. Old Friends

"May I speak to Mayor Fowler please. Tell him this is Rosalynn Laver calling."

"Hello Roz, how are you?"

"I'm just fine Dan, how are you?"

"I have one request. Would you stop funding my campaigns for mayor please? I have to deal with that idiot Police Commissioner every day, and he's driving me crazy."

"We both know Jayden isn't that bad. How much trouble is he getting into now?"

"It's not him this time, it's his 16-year-old son. The kid broke the jaw of a drug dealer, who tried to sell him some dope. While he was trying to tie him up, he accidentally broke both of the guys' wrists. He told the arresting officer it was accidental, because the guy was struggling, while he was trying to tie him up. The kid is like his dad. He's an all-star athlete. A triple black belt in all these Chinese Martial Arts, and built like a brick shit house."

"What was the drug dealer thinking when he tried to sell Chris drugs?"

"I guess he thought if he could get Chris hooked, he could get into the teams at his high school. He was wrong. The dealer is now trying to sue Chris for using excessive force during a citizens' arrest. The newspapers are having a field day with it."

"Well, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun as mayor, and since you're not term limited. I'll keep you there for life. You are too good a friend, and too good a mayor to take off the job."

"Jayden only said I would be Police Commissioner, not the mayor."

"I know, but every time there was trouble he called you. I thought it was only fair to keep you in the higher position. So you are mayor and he is Police Commissioner. He serves at your pleasure; you can fire him any time you want."

"How can you fire someone who is loved by the community, and his men. He has driven crime down by 13%, and has only had 7 police involved shootings over 11 years. The people would have my testicles hanging from the flagpole if I fired him."

"It's still your choice, Jayden or your testicles."

"I'll keep my testicles if you don't mind. What's on your mind Roz?"

"I just wanted to touch base with you, before I called Jayden. About 15 of us are coming in tomorrow morning around 9 o'clock, with about 40 guards. We would like police escort all the way out to Evens' property. If anyone finds out we're going to be together, in one place at the same time, there could be trouble. We are going to need 10 cars with blacked out windows, and if you can find any that are armored we would appreciate it. That's what I'm going to ask Jayden for now. If you want to come along, it could be like the trip you took with us with the armored cars."

"I'll be going with you. Let me transfer you over to Jayden, and we will have a three-way discussion."

"What do you want, you pain in the ass. My wife is on my desk, and we are making another baby."

Roz said, "I didn't realize you could get it up more than once a week at your advanced age, Jayden."

Dan yelled, "Way to go Roz! Nailed him on the first volley."

"Who is that, I'm putting her in jail for the rest of her life."

"Be nice to me Jayden, or you could be out of the job."

"Danny would never fire me."

"If I told him to he would."

"Oh hell, hello Rosalynn, how is everything?"

"Hello Jayden, how is Marcia?"

"She is as gorgeous as the day I met her. You normally don't call unless you have a problem. What's going on?"

"You are too intuitive Jayden. There are going to be 15 of us coming in, surrounded by 35 of our guards. We would like about 60 of your police officers, at $500 an hour, portal to portal, to give us an extra ring of protection. If someone realizes we are going to be together at Even's place it could get very ugly. Have your officers wear full body armor, and a full range of weapons. I want you, or your Captains to know each of these officers personally. Our men will tell them what positions to take.

According to the caretaker, there are markings on the gravestone that says Even is dead. There is no way for anyone to know this information. There is also a star chart indicating their position in space. That's what we are going to look at. We are going to need at least 10 SUVs. If you can find any that are armored, we would appreciate it."

"What time will you be here tomorrow?"

"Around 9 AM your time. We would like you to be at the 2 airplanes as soon as they stop at the terminal."

"Let me get off the phone and start working on this. The officers are not a problem; the cars may be. I'll do my best."

"I know you will Jayden. Say hello to Marcia, and Logan for me. We will see you in the morning."

"Goodbye Roz."

"Same here Roz, I'll meet you at the airport."

"Thank you Dan, thank you for being a good friend."

**************

At 6 AM William Junior called the agency they were renting the 787, and told them to put enough fuel in the aircraft if they had to divert to Seattle. They were awaiting a phone call from Boeing on the delivery of an aircraft, and if they received it, that would be their point of intended landing.

The agent thanked him for the phone call, and said it would be no problem.

When they arrived at the airport, the agents got out first, and formed a phalanx to protect the family as they boarded the aircraft. There was a man in front of William, and in back, followed by Jemma, and a man behind her, then William and a man behind him and so forth until everyone was in the aircraft safely. The cars were driven away, but the agents did not get into the aircraft until each man returned. The stairway was not removed until both engines on the big jet were running, and the captain had permission to proceed to the runway. The last 2 agents jumped into the aircraft and the door closed automatically as the aircraft started to move. The flight attendant secured the door, and the automatic slide. She was helped to her feet by the agents, because of the bumpy ride of the fast moving aircraft.

William Junior approached the flight attendant and asked her if he could speak to either of the pilots before they took off, or if he could talk to them by phone.

She picked up the phone and asked the captain how he would like to handle this situation. He told her to let him in to the flight deck, and to close the door behind him.

"Hello Mister Zabo, how can I help you?"

"I am sure you saw the way we entered the aircraft was quite dramatic, and it was not for show. There are people out there that wish is great harm at this moment, and we have to be very careful with our movements. You may wonder why we asked you to stay overland on your way to the Kennedy Space Center. We are supposed to be there on Tuesday, so they may think we're just going there early. What we want you to do is to fly us to Denver without sparing the engines. If they get hurt we will pay for the repairs, but we have to get there as quickly as possible. However, we have to fly south first. They may have someone watching the air traffic control system. As they see us flying south, towards Atlanta, they may believe it, and hopefully stop watching.

As soon as possible, after you reach cruising altitude, call in your change of destination to Denver. Ask for as direct a routing as you can get, but we would like to get there by 9 AM their time. If you do, there is $10,000 for each member of the crew, in cash."

"You will be there on time Mister Zabo, we guarantee it."

"Thank you very much gentlemen, how do I get out of here?"

"Push the green button, push the button on the handle at the same time, and press the handle down."

"Let's have a good flight gentlemen; I will see you in Denver."

They nodded their heads and laughed. How many times have they told passengers that same thing? Now one passenger was offering them $10,000 apiece to get them to their destination on time, regardless of how hard they had to push the engines. Come hell or high water, they would be in Denver before 9 AM.

*****************

The 2 Aircraft landed within a minute of each other. This was not accidental. Dycke called William Junior to ask for the flight number of his aircraft, and gave him his flight number. The pilots told air-traffic control that they wanted to be in trail with one another as soon as it would be feasible in the Denver area. Since traffic was light at this hour of the morning, it was no problem for the controllers, and the 2 aircraft landed at a safe interval.

As they taxied to their assigned spaces, Denver's Finest surrounded both aircraft. The black SUVs lined up by the stairs, and the doors were opened for the passengers to get in as quickly as possible. The only one who had not practiced this for hours and hours, was Gwen, and 2 agents had one arm each and helped her fly down the stairwell, and into the safety of the backseat of the car.

Junior was in the aircraft handing out small, hard sided, carry-on bags. The flight attendants were not told what was in them, but said thank you anyhow. After the pilots received theirs', they explained what was in them. The reactions ranged from bullshit, to 'Om My God.' When the women opened them, and saw the cash the screaming began. The pilot said, "I guess we don't have to open ours."

Downstairs, Jim was talking to Jaden asking him questions about the layout of the Even's property?

Jayden said, "Why don't you ride with me and we can discuss it all the way out?"

"I like that idea. Let me use my number 2 man to guard Junior."

"Instead of messing up all your people, why don't you let me put one of my Captains with him. You will never meet anyone better than he is."

"That's fine with me. I'd like to meet him first."

"Logan get your lazy ass over here."

"Yes chief, what shitty job do you have for me now?"

"Meet Jim, he is the head honcho for the Zabo clan. He's coming with me to discuss Even's property. You are going to be body man for William Junior. You fuck this up, I'll take you to the butcher myself and put you through the meat grinder, twice."

"Isn't it nice to be loved Jim? Where is your car?"

As they were standing outside the car where William Junior and Gwen were seated in the back, Logan asked Jim, "What is their protocol if we come under attack?"

"They are to get on the floor and stay there until the all clear is given."

"I always hate to ask this question, but I have to. If I can only get one of them out of here safely, I take it has to be William?"

"You are correct. Whoever it is will bargain for Gwen's life. That will be taken care of easily. However, if they hurt one hair on her head, William Senior will move every grain of sand on this earth to find them. Then they will wish they were never born."

"Understood. Let's get this show on the road."

When they were approaching the boys Audi Automobile Dealership, Jayden made a call on his police radio telling his people to stop traffic on Interstate 70. His men positioned there started throwing red flares onto the highway trying to stop traffic that was moving along at a steady 80 miles an hour. It is not as easy as it seems. Flare after flare they threw on the highway until traffic finally came to a halt. Carefully officers started moving across the highway blocking each lane with red flares in their hands, and advising the lead to cars there would only be a five-minute delay.

Their compatriots behind them still kept throwing red flares on the highway in the hope that traffic coming up behind the cars and trucks or already stopped, would have the common sense to slow down and stop also, instead of rear-ending the stopped cars on the highway.

The First 4 police cars entered the highway, with one taking off like a bandit. The next 3 formed in arrowhead and started moving at 80 mph. As everyone else reached the highway, each of the black cars took up a position in center lane, with a police car on either side of it. There were 8 additional police cars in the rear of the convoy.

The police scout car called in two disabled vehicles on the right side of the road, approximately 6 miles ahead of the caravan.

4 police cars from the left side of the convoy picked up speed to identify the disabled vehicles. All the vehicles on the left side moved up, and 4 from the rear of the convoy moved up to replace them. 2 other cars slowed down, turned on their lights and slowed to 10 mph trying to bring the traffic on Interstate 70 to a crawl. The convoy itself slowed to 30 miles an hour, which was not particularly a safe speed from a rifle shot by a great marksman, but fast enough to have an average marksman miss. With these darkened windows, he would still have a problem knowing who he was shooting at.

Jaden received a message that the 4 cars had just reached the disabled vehicles. The people were not being very cooperative. They refused to allow the officers to look into the van, or the car. The Sergeant ordered his men back behind their cars. He radioed he smelled a strong odor of kerosene or gasoline and was withdrawing himself.