Secret Agent Man

Mary laughed. "Yes, it's time to go to sleep, so goodnight, Sandra."

The girl got up and kissed her mother goodnight and then kissed Jim, calling him 'dad' and went to her bedroom. Jim went into the kitchen and got a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator and two glasses. "Well, well, well," said Mary, as she saw what he had in his hands.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Cravens, may all your days be filled with happiness and joy." He led her into the bedroom and closed the doors. "You're not going to be shy with Sandra in the next room, are you?"

"We're going to be married for a long time so she'll have to know we're in here, making love. It's life."

Jim stood next to his bride and slowly unbuttoned her dress, carefully lowering it from her shoulders and helping her step out of it. She took her slip and panties off and stepped out of her slippers, then unzipped his pants and unbuttoned his shirt. "Come here," she said quietly, "and show me what you've got."

*****

Christmas morning, they slept in late and didn't wake up until well after nine o'clock. The late morning sun shone in through the curtains and the slight breeze outside made moving shadows as the trees swayed in the wind.

"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I made reservations for noon at the Radisson for their holiday buffet. It's going to be a little crowded but I made them a month ago. We better get up and dressed."

He had told Sandra about his plans and she had already gotten up, washed and was dressed, watching television in the living room. The newlyweds washed and dressed, having a little snack with Sandra who gave them a big smile and they left for the hotel. The streets were quiet, with most people either at home or in church.

*****

"Yes, Mr. Cravens, we have your reservation and can seat you a little early. This way, please."

Jim stood back, letting his two girls follow the hostess to a table by the window, the glass giving a view of the golf course nearby. "Champagne?"

"Yes, please, and an orange juice for Sandra." They then went to the buffet tables, laden down with wonderful food, celebrating the holiday.

"The chef uses Gourmet magazine for his ideas and I've never been disappointed when I've been able to come here." He was glad that he had a strong financial situation, having saved most of his money over the years and his inheritance and so was able to treat his new family well.

They stayed three hours and left mid-afternoon, going to the cemetery in Culver City to place flowers at the family grave sites, his parents and her lost husband. By the time they returned home, it was late afternoon and he knew something was wrong as soon as he walked into the house, the French doors leading to the patio open and the house ransacked by intruders, the Christmas tree thrown down to the floor, its ornaments smashed into little glass shards.

"Oh, no," Mary said, looking at the house.

Sandra ran into her bedroom, looking for her pearls which were still there, hidden in the closet, but her laptop was gone and her clothes were strewn over the floor.

Jim's laptop was also gone but Mary's new jewelry was safe since she was wearing them. "I'll call the police," he said, "don't touch anything."

An hour later, a squad car arrived and after talking with the officer and explaining that he had been with the Bureau, a fingerprint technician came to the house to dust the open patio doors.

"This window was broken," the technician said, "and there's some blood here. We'll do a DNA test but it'll take a while, the way things are, you know."

The officer said that a police report would be filled out and sent to him for insurance purposes while Jim was thinking that it was Jones that had broken into his home. He expressed his concerns to the officer, saying that he thought there was a way to find out. People talked and stupid people usually talked too much and he was sure that he could find a way to arrest the young miscreant before it escalated into a dangerous situation.

Jim looked into the yellow pages for an alarm company and made arrangements for someone to come out and give him an estimate to wire and alarm the house. He also thought about getting a dog but decided against it, since they weren't going to be home enough to take care of it.

*****

The rest of the holidays were taken up with fortifying the house against intruders: new alarms, new deadbolts, and trimming of the bushes around the house. Jim was angry that what should have been a joyous time was filled with apprehension.

"Don't worry," he told his new wife and daughter, "I'm going to get this guy and lock him up for a long time."

*****

By the time school resumed, the house was as ready as it could be. Jim had a plan but it depended on others to make it work.

He met with the sophomore English teacher and explained what he wanted to do and asked her for help. "Don't worry," she said, "I'll help you catch the little shit; he's been a pain in the ass ever since he got booted off the football team. I'm tired of him."

The next day, the sophomore class had a writing assignment, with Jones' paper carefully wrapped in a paper bag and handed to Jim after school. That evening, he took it to the police department where they "lifted" the fingerprints from the paper and compared them with those taken from the burglary.

"They're a match," said the technician, "you got him."

"Great. How soon can we move on this?"

"We can arrest him tomorrow, if that's soon enough."

"I'd like to have it at school, really give it to him in front of his friends."

"OK, we'll see you around ten o'clock."

*****

The next morning, a Hawthorne and a Gardena police car came to the school and four officers made their way into the office, asking for the principal.

"We have a warrant," said the first officer, "for the arrest of Samuel Jones. Please take us to him."

The principal was not pleased to see all the police in the main office but acquiesced to their request, and after checking with the attendance clerk where the student was, led them down the long hallway to the student's classroom. Without knocking on the door, the four officers and the principal walked in and the student was put under arrest in front of thirty-four of his classmates, some who were laughing at the spectacle as Jones fought the police who dragged him into the hallway and away from the room. In the back of the room, Rodney Smith looked nervously around the room, wondering if the police were coming for him also.

*****

Jones was held without bail at the Hawthorne police station when further investigations led the police to discover five other burglaries matching his fingerprints in town. "One man crime wave," said the sergeant, looking at the young man in the holding cell. His arraignment was the following day in Torrance where the no-nonsense judge again refused bail and held him for trial in three weeks. Jones' mother was crying but everyone could see that his father was angry enough to kill.

"Damn kid..." was all he said, leaving the courtroom and his crying wife behind.

*****

Insurance paid for new computers for Jim and Sandra and he was glad that Jones had been caught before he moved to more violent crimes.

*****

Basketball season was in full swing when the police returned to arrest Smith for his part in the burglaries and the talk of the school was once again about the two students and Jim's part in their arrest. A few days later, someone 'Googled' his name and found out about the shooting in Morro Bay and the school was as nervous as a pot of popping corn.

"Well, you've really stirred things up," said John, the physics teacher, handing Jim a Coke. "People are going to remember this for quite a while."

"It's too bad but after a while, I didn't like him at all. It's too bad the school got dragged into this but what can you do?" He took a long drink of the cold soda. "Took me back to my days with the Bureau."

"I'm going out to the desert next weekend to fire up this big rocket I built. Interested?"

"I'll talk to Mary about it and let you know. Whereabouts are you planning on going?"

"Just past Palmdale, maybe spend the night, I don't know, depends on how many launches we can get in before it crashes or gets lost. Thanks for those NASA DVDs, they were most informative and kept everyone's attention."

"You're welcome. You can keep them."

"Gee, thanks, that's very kind of you."

*****

Valentine's Day brought the happy couple to dinner at Lucille's in Torrance, a southern smokehouse that had excellent beef ribs.

"I'm so glad we're married," said Mary. "I thought I was going to be alone for the rest of my life." She took a bite of the peanut slaw.

"Never going to happen, a pretty girl like you," he replied, "someone would have scooped you up before you knew it."

"Are things going to calm down now that Jones and Smith are in jail?"

"I hope so. I don't think they were in a gang or anything like that, just a couple of lost boys circling the drain. Jones' father is a piece of work, himself. Enough about that, have you thought of where you'd like to go for our belated honeymoon?"

'Hawaii? Or is that too expensive?"

"No, not at all. I showed you what's in the bank... we're good. I told you, I'm just teaching for the fun of it." He gnawed on a long beef rib bone, savoring the taste.

"Is Sandra coming, too?" Mary asked.

"Of course... that is, if you want her. She's my daughter, now, and soon, she'll be going away to college and a whole new life, where ever that is."

"You've been so kind to her, I appreciate that very much."

"She's a wonderful girl and smart, too. If she wants to go to Loyola, we can swing that and she can stay at home for the four years. There are special plans for college saving. Loyola costs more than USC, who would have thunk it?" He laughed.

"I'm so in love with you," Mary said, taking his hand. "I really mean it, not just because you've been so nice to us. I never thought I'd fall in love again, you're my angel."

"That reminds me. Want to go to the desert and shoot off some rockets? John wants to know if we'll go with him and his wife to Palmdale. We could spend the night and stargaze. Can't see the stars here at the coast."

"That'll be fun. Maybe we can find some cactus to bring back. I was hoping to make a rock garden in the back yard, away from the clotheslines."

"Sure, we can do that."

*****

Later that evening, Jim held Mary from behind, his arms around her waist, his lips kissing the back of her neck. "I love you," he whispered, "now and forever."

She turned in his arms, holding him closely, kissing him deeply. "I love you, too, more than you can imagine." She backed up to the bed and sat down, pulling him onto her, laughing. "Give it to me, now." She reached down to touch him, glad that he was excited to be with her. Moving her legs, she shifted on the bed and felt him enter her, slipping inside as she moved upwards toward him. "Mmmm," she said, "it's so good, don't stop." Her body shook with anticipation as he moved faster and faster, holding her tightly to him with one hand while the other caressed her breast. By now, she knew his movements and felt him quiver several times.

*****

A month later, after several postponements, the trial began for the two, Jim, Mary and Sandra in attendance as witnesses to what had been stolen and how the two had been arrested. There were four other couples present who had also been burgled. The judge was a no-nonsense woman and threw the book at them, six counts of burglary, tried as adults, one year each count served consecutively, seemingly harsh but less than if they had been shot by an angry homeowner.

They were led away in handcuffs, scowling at Jim as the door to the courtroom closed. "Well, that's that," he said, ushering his new wife and daughter into the courthouse hallway.

The prosecutor came over. "They got the maximum that we could hope for. Maybe they'll learn something behind bars that they couldn't being out on the streets." They shook hands goodbye and walked out of the courthouse.

Jim looked at his watch... "Time for lunch," he said. "Where do you want to go?"

"Souplantation," answered Sandra, "I love their sourdough bread." Her mother nodded in agreement, anticipating a fine lunch.

"OK, Souplantation it is."

A half-hour later, they were eating at the restaurant, Jim having the chicken soup with his sourdough bread, Mary having macaroni salad and Sandra already eating muffins.

"Sandra, have you started on those SAT books I brought you?" Jim asked between bites.

"Yes, I have. I would like to go to Loyola, like you. I want to be a biologist. I think it's really cool to learn about all the different animals and plants."

"Well, we can go over there after lunch and take a walk around the campus. Your mom can see what there is, too. It's changed quite a bit since I went there as an undergrad."

"Won't it be expensive?" Mary asked, scared of going into debt for her daughter.

"No, I've got it covered, don't worry. I've been saving for a child's tuition for many years now. California has a special program called the California 529 to save for college and I've been putting money in it for quite a while. Now, be a good girl and get me some muffins, please."

Jim waited until Sandra left the table and then said, "You've got to plan ahead, Mary, and that's been the way of my life always, although I admit I should have had an alarm system on the house, my bad on that but we've taken care of it. Now, to take care of Sandra's future."

The girl returned with a plate of blueberry muffins and another small dish of butter. "Here... Dad."

*****

By the time they arrived at the university, it was after three o'clock and they took the long walk to the new life science building. Jim was hoping to meet the professor he had during the summer, wanting to introduce her to his family.

Knocking on the office doorjamb, he quietly spoke, "Professor DeGenaro, do you have a few moments?"

"Jim Cravens! I was just thinking of you, a shining example of a returning student. What can I do for you?"

"This is my family and my daughter wants to attend Loyola in a couple of years and become a biologist and I'm giving them a tour of the campus."

"Wonderful! Let me walk with you."

"This is Mary, my wife and this is Sandra, my daughter and future biologist."

"You know, we still have early admission and an honors-at-entrance program. I'll make sure that you are sent the information. You're still living at the same address?"

"Yes, I am, thank you."

"OK," the professor said, "on this floor we have the biology lecture halls and classrooms and labs. This is a new building that was built on what was once a parking lot. Have you given much thought to what branch of biology you are interested in?"

"I would like to be a marine biologist," Sandra answered, grateful for the attention.

"That would be good, we are right near the beach, as you can see and there are plenty of opportunities to branch out, we're ranked in the top twelve percent of American universities."

They walked down the pleasant hallway, stopping occasionally to glance into a classroom or laboratory.

"Labs are in the afternoon, as you can see," the woman said, pointing out the undergrads in the laboratory as they passed by.

The time passed by quickly as Sandra tried to soak in all that she was being shown. There was so much to see and learn and she could see herself here in a couple of years.

"There are plenty of scholarship opportunities, also," the professor continued, "and I think you would have a good chance on getting one, maybe two."

They had come full circle and were back at the office. "Thank you for your time, Professor, we really appreciate it."

Walking back to the car, they could see the library in the background as well as the campus church across the quad. "Well, what do you think?" Jim asked, unlocking the car.

"I can't wait," Sandra said, an outpouring of emotion that she had rarely exhibited since her father had been killed.

"Well, then, you're going to have to hit the books as well as what they call extra-curricular activities. I'll help you any way I can. We can make this happen."

*****

They didn't have dinner that night, having already eaten at the restaurant and Sandra went into her room to study.

"Oh, Jim," said Mary, "thanks for all that you have done for us. You've put hope back into our lives."

"You're welcome but Sandra would have been successful regardless. She's not stupid and I'm sure that she could succeed, if not at Loyola, then UCLA. I'm just making it a little easier. I love you both, don't forget that. It's been a long day, I'm going to bed."

He set the DVD recorder to record the evening's broadcasts and then went to sleep. He didn't know why he was so tired, lately.

*****

He took the next day off and went to the doctor, explaining that he was always tired and the doctor scheduled a series of tests and an MRI to rule out Lupus, even though it mostly occurred in women.

A week later, the results were in, a low level of magnesium was causing his problem along with the whole Jones and Smith situation. "These pills should hook you up," said the doctor, "and I understand the trial is over so that's finished."

"Thanks," Jim said, "I was afraid it was something more drastic, especially now that I have a wife and daughter."

"Yes, how's that working out for you?" she asked.

"Wonderful, I couldn't be happier... I just wish my parents could be alive to see this."

"Sometimes we have to be happy for what we can have and not what we want."

"I'll think about that. Thanks." Jim buttoned his shirt back up and slid off the examination table.

He drove to the grocery store pharmacy and then home, mentally feeling better than he had in a long time, glad that the doctor had figured out what was his problem. He put the pill bottle in the bedroom and after taking two pills, went into the den and prepared his lessons for the rest of the week.

Mary came in with a plate of chocolate chip cookies, "Here, darling," she said, handing him the dish. "I made these just for you; now, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

He took a cookies and bit into it. "I went to the doctor for some tests and need to take these pills I got from the druggist and eat more tuna and avocados; that, and the trial had worn me out but I'll be OK, now."

"You have to talk to me, you know. We're married now and you can tell me anything. I don't want any surprises. I had enough bad surprises before and..." She started to cry and was going to leave the room but he held her tight, kissing her tears.

"I'm sorry, I won't do that again, I didn't want to worry you until I knew what the problem was, that's all."

"Well," she said between sobs, "don't do it again. I love you." She started to cry again.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me. Look, you have to plan our trip to Hawaii."

"Hawaii? Yes, that's right, our honeymoon... OK, I'll do the best I can. Are two weeks all right?"

"Two weeks are fine; Honolulu, here we come. Just get me more tuna."

*****

By the time the spring break arrived, Jim was satisfied with his job at school, having brought life to the class schedule with more new dissections and other activities. Now it was time to study the human body, its intricacies the culmination of millions of years of evolution. One week after another passed by and finally the year was coming to an end and with it, summer vacation was around the corner.

"You won't forget to feed my animals, will you?" Jim asked John on the phone.

"Don't worry, it's not like you have a shark in there. They'll be fine and so will you, so go and enjoy yourself."