A New Age Mystery Comes to Life Pt. 01

She finally said, "That is the way I want to start our second relationship! Now, go sit down while I make some coffee."

I grinned and said, "I think that Marla is wearing off on you."

She shot back, "I hope so. I'm tired of being reserved and restrained. I want a life."

"Me too." Suddenly it really dawned on me that I really did want a life and Glenda was about as close to perfect as I had ever imagined. That made me weak and I had to sit down. Then it also dawned on me that she had taken the initiative and I just babbled like a high school kid. I knew that it was time for me to grow up and start acting like an adult. I could already feel that she was the one and it would be up to me to not screw this up.

When she brought in the coffee, I patted the chair next to me. She smiled and sat down. "Glenda, it just really hit what has happened. You took the initiative and I just stood by passively and let you. It also struck me how restrained and reserved I have been for most of my life. Don't let me recede. The mere thought of dating you is a dream come true that I have never admitted to myself that I really needed. In return, I will try to be the best date you have ever had and be worthy of the trust you have in me."

"Tommy, it took a lot of nerve for me to do what I did but I was about to explode if I didn't. You said that we are very much alike and I agree with you. So, I also ask you, don't let me recede either. But I also want to ask you to not try to be something that you aren't. I am attracted to you because of what you are and I don't want you to be anything but that. We each have a lot to learn about each other. Let's let it happen naturally and not force it. Can you do that?"

"You make it so easy to be with you. But I guess we need to address a rather critical issue."

"What is that?"

"How and what are we going to tell Marla?" Glenda went silent and turned red as a beet. "Let me guess; she knows already. Did she put you up to this?"

"No; not really. I told her a couple of months ago how attracted I was to you and she has been encouraging me to talk to you and see how you would respond. I was too chicken. So, she has been pushing me to do something. When this homecoming thing came up, she just told me to ask you to go with me. She said that you wouldn't say no. I was still nervous and afraid but I am glad I did it. Are you upset?"

"With you, no. I am just wondering how much shit she is going to dump on me over this. She was all over me to start dating someone before this accident. She's let up since then but..."

"Don't be hard on her. She loves you and wants the best for you too."

"I am never hard on her; I just throw her stuff back at her. We have been doing that since we were kids. If anyone lifted a finger to hurt her, I would hunt them down and beat the crap out of them. She's the only family I have left and I know that most of what she tells me is for my own good. Don't worry about that."

"That's good to know. I never had a sister; only my deadbeat brothers. They were older and treated me like shit. That's where I got my distrust of men from. My dad was better but not by much. He was always trying to make a big score on something and usually got in trouble. When he was in jail, I had to take care of my brothers and stuff. I guess that I am saying that I don't know what a normal relationship with a man is like. I see Rick and Marla together and that seems like a fantasy."

"Now that you mention that, how do you propose we break this news to Marla? I don't want to cause her to have a heart attack."

"I see that gleam in your eye. What are you going to do?" She grinned.

"Just listen." I picked up my phone and punched her number and put it on the speaker.

Marla answered quickly and said, "How are you doing today brother? Feeling better?"

"Much better. I think going back to work has been the best medicine."

"Good. So, what's up?"

"Well, I have this problem. Umm...Well...You see..."

"Come on, spit it out like a good boy."

"Glenda sort of asked me to go with her to her homecoming and..."

"Look you; she has been worrying about this for a long time You treat her gently or I will divorce you. If she calls me in tears, your ass is in deep trouble. Do you hear me?"

"Oh, I hear you just fine. I already said 'yes.' That isn't the problem."

Marla screamed with excitement into the phone. "You woke up and grew up. I knew that someday you would. So, what's the problem?"

"It's two problems really. First is that I have no idea what to wear to a Homecoming. Should I get a new pair of jeans do you think?"

"Men! Ask her what activities are going to go on and have her tell you how to dress, idiot! What's the other problem?"

"Well, we sort of talked and the thing is...well you invited me to dinner Saturday and she will be there too but since we have decided to be a couple, can we still come but together?" Marla replied with a gagging sound. "Glenda, maybe you ought to talk to her before she chokes herself to death." I hand the phone to her but she had to stop silently giggling before she could speak.

"Glenda! You have been sitting there listening to him babble on like this? Tell me that he hasn't been teasing me."

Glenda now let the giggle become vocal. "Yes, he has been teasing you but not about us becoming a couple. He just wanted to break it to you slowly."

Marla got serious. "Are you happy?"

"Very. We stopped for a beer on the way home and then he took me to a small but really good restaurant for dinner. When we got here, I worked up the nerve to ask him; he said yes and then I kissed him."

"How did he react to that?""

"He kissed me back and my knees almost gave out."

"Are you going to sleep with him now?"

Glenda turned red and stuttered before saying, "We haven't talked about that yet and I am not sure either of us are ready to just jump into that yet. But I may change my plans for homecoming and just get one room. But don't tell him just yet; I'll want that to be a surprise."

"Where is he? I thought he was right there with you."

"He is; he is gently stroking my back. It feels very nice."

"Grrr. Dammit, he is already rubbing off on you. Tommy, you treat her well, and I mean better than you treat me. Do you hear?"

"Hey, little bit; I love you more than any other person on this planet. When we get through learning about each other, I think that you will have competition for that top spot. Now go get a shot of brandy and I am quite sure that the two of you will conspire against me tomorrow."

"You are exactly right. Good night, you two."

We both said good night at the same time and I turned off the phone and pulled her into my arms. She snuggled in but gently and asked, "Did I say anything that bothered you?"

"After the things I said, what could you have said that would bother me?"

She blushed again. "I mean about us...you know...sleeping together."

Now it was my turn to turn a little pink. "The mere thought of you sitting in my lap and holding you was a remote fantasy five hours ago. The idea of sleeping with you was even more far-fetched. What you told Marla was perfect. There is nothing that I would like more but the truth is, I am not physically ready for that. Mentally? Yes; but my body isn't. However, getting back to work and now becoming close to you will ensure that the healing will be faster. I suspect that you were teasing both Marla and me about homecoming but let's plan on one room for that and see how well I am then."

"Tommy, I was teasing but I was also serious. Just being close to you like I have been this week has been intoxicating. I am ready when you are but you will have to let me know. I don't read men very well."

"Trust me, you will know when I am ready."

"I guess I better go. I do need some sleep before tomorrow although that might be more difficult now."

"As much as I hate that thought, I think that you are right. Here, this is a key. Don't knock, just come on in. I'll have coffee made and tomorrow, I will make breakfast for us. Come when you are ready. I will be up." She raised up and kissed me gently and I returned it just as gently. Then in spite of a nagging ache in my legs, I got up and walked her to the door. "Glenda, I think that you may have just turned my life around."

"Then know that you may have done the same thing for me. Sleep well." Another sweet kiss and she walked into the night.

Surprisingly, I slept all night and very peacefully. My only difficulty was getting out of bed in the morning. I hadn't tossed and turned but my idle muscles had stiffened up. It took a hot shower to loosen them up enough to get dressed. But coffee was ready and the omelet makings were ready when I heard the key in the front door. I poured her coffee and set it at the end of the counter as she walked to the door of the kitchen.

"Ooh, for me; but not before my kiss." We resolved that a moment later. Then I pointed to things that she might want in her omelet. She was easy; she wanted everything.

I handed her plate and while I was making mine, I said, "I was thinking; let's go straight to that fabricators this morning. I kind of doubt that he is involved but I have the feeling he might be able to give us a lead."

"I don't have a problem with that but why do you think that this guy isn't involved?"

"First, from all appearances, your brother is just a solo player and not involved in a big scheme. The plumber and this fabricator are very visible and known in the area. I doubt that they would get involved in something this deep. They are too busy with regular work. What gives me some hope for a lead is that most businesses are really part of small community. People know the other players around the area and what their skills are. These are well-made aluminum framed boxes that we are looking for. A shade tree welder didn't make them; it is pro work. So, one pro probably knows or can recognize the work of another. It's just intuition but it makes sense."

"What you have done is roll around a couple of scenarios looking for one that makes the most sense. Right?"

"I guess I have been doing it so long that I don't really think about it. I just do it. It kind of came up for air while I was in the shower. Other things are certainly possible but this is the simplest explanation and therefore, probably somewhat close to the truth. If we don't find something with this guy, they we have to go back to square one and look for a better way."

"That makes perfect sense. I think that I tend to look for holes in a story rather than for what is right with it."

'That can get you to the right place too. Do you see any holes in what I just said?"

"No, none. I am still trying to find holes in our thing about the dark web and a well-hidden bad guy group. The one thing that keeps popping into my mind is that this would require some computer sophistication by the users. Most of the bad guys we deal with aren't that sophisticated."

"That sounds like a very valid hole. When we get in, let's talk to Rick about contacting to your guy about this and then try to track him down. We won't be able to tell him the details of what we are looking for but maybe he can shed some light on how to get inside."

"I like that idea."

"You just want to track down your old boyfriend." I grinned at her.

"I'll have you know that he was never even remotely my boyfriend. Besides, the one I have now is perfectly fine.

"You have a boyfriend now? Things do change overnight."

"I will sic Marla on you. Even better, since your mind forgets things overnight, I think that I will sleep with you tonight just to remind you that YOU ARE MY BOYFRIEND!"

I grinned, "How could I forget? Now it is time to put our game faces on and go catch crooks and save the world from themselves."

"Spoil sport! You could at least give me another kiss before you put your macho mask on."

"If I do that, the bad guys will have a free pass today." I leaned over and gave her a meaningful and tender kiss.

With her eyes closed, she asked, "What bad guys?"

"Come on. Let's get this day over with so we can have some serious holding and hugging time."

Now she grinned. "Oh, those bad guys. Let's get this day over with." We both laughed because our minds were now on the same page of the hymnal.

The fabricator was located in the industrial area and took about thirty minutes to drive there. While on the road, Glenda called the office and told them where we were going. In return, they told her that Rick wanted to see us when we got in.

We found the fabricator's office and was directed to the shop and told to ask for Doc. He turned out to be a burly guy of about 50 with the classic pock marks on his face and arms of someone who had come in close contact with a lot of hot welding slag.

"What can I do for you folks today?"

"You won't make any money off of us, I'm afraid. I am Thomas Marshall and this is Glenda McCormick with the state police."

"Did one of my guys screw something up?"

"Not that we know of. We are following up on a wreck that happened down south. A pickup hit got hit by a gravel truck and the officers found that it had a false floor in the bed. We traced it to a plumbing company here in town and he said that you were the one who built it."

"Yeah. I remember that. Ed is good customer. It was strange but he wanted some place to put his tools. It was an old truck and he wanted to haul big, bulky equipment that left no room for his big wrenches and stuff. We looked at the truck and decided to build him a roll-out tool box under the bed. Things were readily available but out of the way. That was five or six years ago. I'd have to look it up to be sure."

"No need to. Did you ever build anymore?"

"Two or three maybe. When some of the other plumbers saw his, they wanted one too. The problem was that they had newer trucks and there wasn't enough room under the bed, so I built them ones that sat on the sides of the bed."

"I was wondering, you built this one out of steel; wouldn't it have been lighter and easier to make it with an aluminum frame?"

"I get the feeling that there is more to this story than a wreck." I just smiled and waited for him to answer. "You are right; it would be lighter but it would also bend if a heavy load was in the bed. The ones I made were steel."

"Is there anyone around who could make an aluminum one?"

He eyed me closely before replying. "Technically, there are a number of shops that could do it. But this was such a small job, not many of them would want to do it for a price someone would want to pay. Is someone gonna be in trouble?"

"It's not illegal to make a box out of anything. It's what someone puts in it that might be."

"I see. There was an old boy who worked for me for a while about the time I made that first one. He had worked in an aluminum fab plant and could weld aluminum better than he could steel. He left and set up his own shop out in the country right on the state line. If I wanted something like that made, I'd send the work to him. He works cheap because he doesn't have the overhead we do."

"Do you have his name and address?"

"I've got it in the office but I'll tell you up front, he is decent worker but isn't the brightest candle on the cake. I doubt seriously if he would be able to do anything like smuggling stuff. Someone would have to tell him the dimensions and he could build it but that's about it."

"Like I said, there is no crime in making boxes."

He finally smiled, "That's what I thought. I'll get you his card." He went inside and came out a minute later with the business card. "Just to be on the safe side, don't tell him that I was the one who put you on to him. He sends me some work that he can't handle. No sense in pissing off a customer."

"Not a problem. We are just checking around. Thanks for the help."

When we got back in the car, I asked, "See any holes in what he told us?"

"No. He was honest but a little careful; but I would be too if it might cost me a customer. Then I tried thinking about it the way you do. On the surface, he didn't add anything but a name and address. But if we overlay it with what we know or suspect, it fits perfectly. I mean the bad guys probably don't want to deal with someone who will ask a lot of questions or be highly visible. A lone guy out in the country making what they want cheap sounds like a perfect fit. Did I miss something else?"

"Nope. You heard exactly what I heard. Let's go talk to Rick and see about taking a trip over there this afternoon or tomorrow. This is beginning to smell very sweet."

When we got to the office, Glenda called Rick's secretary and told her that we were in. Rick came in ten minutes later.

"Before you update me, I have something to ask. As your brother-in-law and Marla's husband, I am tickled that the two of you are finding a personal thing. However, as your boss, I have to ask if this is going to interfere with your work."

I looked at him and smirked, "If it is that important, I will quit and live off of the generous medical retirement that I am sure the state will offer me. If they don't provide that, I'll sponge off of my sister."

"Shut up, prick. Glenda, you will make more sense than he does."

"Believe it or not, we talked about that first. There is nothing personal that will get in the way of work. We work together well and are finding that we are beginning to think of things the same way. As I told you before, this is my career and will continue to be, boyfriend or not."

I butted in and added, "She is being too polite. She is perfect for this job. If we weren't tied up on this job, I would recommend that she be made permanent if for no other reason than she could dress in civvies. That makes a huge difference when talking to people. You know as well as I do that people clam up when talking to a uniform. In less than a year, she will be better than I am."

"And she already has a much better attitude than you do. Payback! I talked to Mitch earlier today and we both agree, Glenda, you are now permanent and unfortunately, report to him. Get him to clean up his act. Now what have you got. So far, everything seems almost a blank."

"That's why we have this job and you don't. We talked to a guy this morning who made the box down south. He told us about a guy who is capable and willing to make aluminum boxes like the ones we have up here. Unless you say no, we will go talk to him this afternoon. He is out by the state line. If we can find who made the boxes, we should be able to find who is buying them and where they are going to be filled with whatever."

"Anything else?"

"Two other things. We got the ID on that dead guy and a last known address. I asked Bennie out west to check him out but haven't heard anything yet."

"That explains this fax from him. He says that the guy no longer lives at that address but is seen frequently hanging out at a biker bar out there with some other guys. Rumor is that he is staying clean with the law but has run some long-distance errands for some guy he calls the Big Man. Bennie asks if he wants him to dig deeper? What do you want me to tell him?"

"Talk to Mitch about it. This is the guy who might have been a recruit for the Clan. He was either inside or was still outside but running probationary errands or something. Whatever, all Clan related stuff is being handled down there. I didn't tell Bennie that; I just asked him to check out his last address."

"I'll talk to Mitch. What else?"

"Glenda and I have been playing 'what if' games and we both think that this is too sophisticated to be a street gang or an individual enterprise. As a result, we think that whatever is going on might be done on the dark web."

"That makes sense. How can we find out?"

"That's the problem; our IT guys probably don't play in that arena much or at least won't admit it. Glenda knows a guy who was kind of a hacker in college. We have talked about tracking him down and see what light he can shed. Do you have a problem with that?"