Cat's In The Cradle

"Yes sir." said Biggs. I looked through a gap in the bushes right behind the mausoleum and observed the park.

"Well, no one came into the cemetery along the fence here." I said, going along the fence for several yards in both directions. I also surveyed the cemetery and road to make sure we were not being watched ourselves. Finally, I said "Okay, I don't think there's much more to see here."

"Any ideas, Commander?" Biggs asked as we walked back towards his car.

"No, not really." I said. "Either vandals or kids playing geologist. Looks totally random and disconnected..."

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

Deputy Biggs dropped me off at the Apple Grove Police Station before driving towards home. I went inside, seeing only a skeleton staff of Officers. They hailed me when I came in, and I spoke to them for a few minutes. Then I went to the Chief's office, where Chief Hall and Captain Wisocky were.

"Beats me what it is." I said after reporting what I'd done and observed. "The chips on the cemetery tombstones look like bullets struck them from a distance, doing just very slight damage, but Deputy Biggs said there were no shooting ranges or anything that would account for that."

"Looked more like a pickaxe at the school." said Leanne. "By the way, where did you get a haircut around here on a Sunday?"

I grinned and said "Providence Springs. Biggs took me over there. Apparently people around here thought I needed a good haircut, and the barber was there."

"You may be the only white man whose hair he'll cut." said Chief Hall. "A lot of people say he's a weird one, like a Louisiana Bayou Medicine Man. Others say he's behind a lot of the petty crime in this county. He's definitely the de facto Boss Hogg-type of that town. Not much gets past his spider web."

"I dunno." I said. "He's been good to me in the past. Anyhoo, I have no ideas about the vandalism."

Leanne and the Chief nodded, then Leanne said "And of course it's none of my business, but I'll ask anyway: Ross and Ian are your sons... with Chief Evans?"

"You observed that, did you?" I asked semi-humorously.

"I wasn't kidding when I said Ross is the spitting image of you as a boy." Leanne said. "Slightly darker red hair, but he looks exactly like you."

"I don't know if you met my cousin, Cindy Ross." I said. "She's Molly's half-sister also, through their mother. so Molly is not related to me. Anyway, Molly and I... er... collaborated on an investigation or two, and Ross and Ian were the results. And before you ask... my wife is the Professor of Sexual Psychology at the University, and didn't blink an eyelash about it."

"I don't think we're that 'progressive' in this small town." said Chief Hall, though with some amusement.

"You'd be surprised." I said. "But I'll let my mother talk of her observations of what goes on around here." They laughed, and then we steered the discussion into the Blassingame trial and other crimes I'd solved in the past year...

Part 5 - Playing Ball

"My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

--- Harry Chapin, 'Cat's In The Cradle'

The sun was low in the western sky when I returned to the Bed & Breakfast. My mom and Molly were inside. The boys were in the backyard, throwing a Nerf football.

"Hey Uncle Don." said Todd. "Anything going on around here?"

"I should ask you. You're the business-savvy guy around these here parts." I said. Just then Jim came running up to us. "Dad! Can you come throw with us?

My back was sore and I was tired... and then I remembered all those days as a child when I would ask my dad to come throw with me, and he'd say he was too busy as he worked through the pile of papers on his desk. My decision was easy:

"Sure, son, let's go." I said. "Come on, Todd." The boys cheered as we went into the open grass portion of the backyard.

Jim, Ross, and Mike wanted to be one team, so Todd, Ian, and myself were the other as we played two-hand touch. Ian was a bit small, so he was supposed to count '10-Mississippi' before rushing the QB. Of course he couldn't count to ten very well, so we didn't have much pass rush. But that was okay.

I saw Jim and Ross whispering in the huddle, then they came out. Todd guarded his son Mike while I guarded Ross and Jim quarterbacked. Ross faded to the right and I had to follow as he caught the pass. I touched him down but they'd made some yards. The next play was an attempt to Mike that fell short despite Todd's loose coverage. Jim was trying to include both his teammates, which was good. Then I saw Jim and Ross whispering on 3d down, and I had an idea what was coming.

Sure enough, Ross came out and faded to the side, and Jim faked as pass to him. I (deliberately) overcommitted, and Ross pivoted and cut back hard to the middle of the field, leaving me in the dust. Jim put the pass perfectly in Ross's hands.

"Oh no, you tricked me!" I called out as Ross zoomed to the endzone. The boys celebrated mightily and righteously. Todd just looked at me with that grin of his, and I just shrugged my shoulders and chuckled.

"Sup-per-tiiiime!" we heard Molly call out from the back door. She walked out to the edge of the yard.

The boys went up running. "Hey Mom!" Ross said excitedly. "We ran a play and fooled Dad!"

"And we scored a touchdown!" chimed in Jim.

"Then you're the only guys that have fooled him." Molly said, high-fiving them. "Good job."

"Come throw with us, Mom!" Ian called out. Molly came on out. She quarterbacked one play, and threw an excellent pass to Jim over my stretched-out arms at the line of scrimmage. The boys celebrated again.

"Sign that girl to a contract!" I called out. Then I 'rushed' the quarterback, picking her up and walking towards the house. "Come on, guys! Supper is on the table!"

"Why are you carrying Mom?" Ian asked.

"I was tackling the quarterback and just started carrying her on in." I said. But as we got to the edge of the open grass, I had to put Molly back down, and we walked to the back door.

"Is your back okay, son?" my mother asked, having observed us. "Don't overdo and hurt yourself."

I'm the Iron Crowbar. Two MOVs, two Purple Orders. Yet my mom doesn't want me to 'overdo', I thought to myself. I just counted my blessings...

"It's fine, Mom." I said. "And those few minutes playing ball with the boys were worth enduring whatever pain comes my way." I think my mother understood what I was really saying...

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

My mom, Molly, Todd, and I sat at one table, while Jim, Ross, Ian, and Mike sat at the one next to ours. My mom had helped Renée cook the fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and rolls, and it was delicious.

Afterwards, we put the boys to bed, then we adults reconvened in the study and had some brandy that I'd brought up. Todd and I went out onto the screened-in porch in the darkness to talk.

"I think you wanted to tell me something, Todd." I said. "But football with the boys came first, obviously."

"I hear ya." said Todd. "Yeah, I just going to tell you that I heard a lot of stuff when I went and checked out our new production facility. It's going good, but the scuttlebutt is that BigAgraFoods won't hire any blacks. Neither will the new MegaTech Industries manufacturing facility. BigAgraFoods is bringing in Illegal Persons to farm the fields, and Sheriff Greenwood came down hard on that, with the help of State LEOs. Made a ton of arrests, and handed them over to ICE. Now he's retired and is moving away. You don't need to be Teresa to see what happened there."

I chucked at Todd mentioning his lovely wife, then I said "I heard he left. Police Chief Hall is running unopposed for Sheriff. Is he on the take?"

Todd said "I don't think he is personally, nor is Captain Wisocky. From what I heard, it's a carrot-and-stick approach. Greenwood got the stick, but the AGPD might get some new Police cars, even a new Headquarters building, if Hall and Wisocky don't push too hard on the illegals. But it's going to be a problem."

"How so?" I asked.

Todd replied "As an example: BigAgraFoods is building some apartments and small houses just outside Rome on the way to here, and word is that the illegals will settle there and do their shopping in Rome, and not come into Apple Grove or Providence Springs. But that was not before BigAgraFoods tried to buy out the retirement community Grandma is moving into. They wanted to house the illegal aliens there. The owners and residents of the facility pushed back, the Apple Grove City Council raised a huge stink about it, and they got some State and Federal politicians involved. So BigAgra gave up rather than try to push it."

I exhaled. "Can't get away from it, can we? We clean up the mess here, the racism and the corruption of Spaulding and the Swamp Frogs trying to come in, and now what do we have? Instead of blacks, it's Hispanics. Instead of Superior Bloodlines, we have BigAgraFoods and MegaTech Industries, and probably others. Swamp Frogs abound."

"The others aren't so bad." said Todd. "They're trying to hire blacks, but it's just a reality that there really aren't enough qualified, well-educated blacks in this county to hire. I have to admit, it showed me the good that Mrs. Carter is trying to do with the Charter Commission at home, in getting education dollars to everyone."

Todd continued: "And I have to be bluntly honest, Uncle Don. I don't have anything against Hispanics, but I do think illegal immigration has to be stopped. It's hurting legal immigration, it's overrunning our schools, our healthcare system, and the welfare system. And it's just not right from the legal standpoint, either. So I don't blame this county a bit for doing everything they can to make the illegal persons feel unwelcome. Rome already has a lot of immigrants, so if they stay there I'll be fine with it."

"I hear ya." I said. "It's a problem everywhere. And if the Federal Government refuses to stop it, or if leftwing activist judges continue to stop any attempt to interdict illegal immigration, it's going to keep being a problem."

"Our Town & County doesn't seem to have a big illegal immigration problem." said Todd. Then he added with a big grin: "Is that because of Law Enforcement there?"

"Definitely 'enforcement', though not just 'law enforcement'." I replied. "T-Square does not like competition, so Hispanic gangs know that if they bring their drugs into our County, they're going to get fucked over, and bad, by his people. And BigAgraFoods doesn't own as much of the farmland in our County, percentage-wise, as they do here and a lot of other places..."

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

Todd went back inside, and my mother came out and sat down in the chair next to me. "Were you able to help the Police with that vandalism problem?" she asked.

"Not really." I said. "It looks really random. I told them that some of the chipped tombstones in the cemetery looked like stray bullets fired from a distance away, but there haven't been any firing of guns reported."

"Isn't it strange, though," said my mother "that it's all over the county, not just here in Apple Grove?"

"Trying to give me a hint about something, Mom?" I asked, grinning in the darkness.

"Oh, I would never want to impose upon your brilliant thoughts, son." my mom replied, giving it right back to me. "But it is... curious... don't you think?"

"To be candid, Mom," I said, "not really. Once the Police start patrolling one area, the vandals, likely teen boys looking to get into trouble, move to another area. So... what other 'strangenesses' are going on that you wanted me to notice?"

"I know Todd mentioned the issues with BigAgraFoods and the illegal persons coming in." said Phyllis. "I'm beginning to despise that company more and more every day. They tried to buy out our retirement homes from under us, then tried to bribe our politicians to carry it through."

"Sounds like you need an Iron Crowbar up here, for sure." I said. "But it won't be me, so it'll just have to be my mom."

"Not likely, son." said my mother. "But Todd knows how the game is played, and he's bringing in good people. And he can buy off the AGPD as easily as BigAgraFoods can, though for good purposes, of course."

"No, Todd does not have the deep pockets BigAgraFoods does---- oh wait..." I said.

"Yes, son." said my mother. "The Japanese shadow government is a very powerful force at Todd's back... and yours."

"That's true." I said, wondering why my mother had mentioned that unmentionable fact out loud. "So what's going on in Springer? Why are they trying to redraw the county lines?" I was referring to the town in the northwest corner of the county.

My mom said "As you know, Springer used to be the big railroad junction in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Then Rome got the highway and the Age of the Railroads began fading. There was a lot of 'old money' in that town, including Doug and Roberta Jackson's family, and the original Starnes family. My understanding is that the people of Springer did not like having to go through Providence Springs to get to the county seat of Apple Grove. And if the county seat moved, it'd more likely be to Rome than to Springer, which didn't help them much."

"Wow, just so they wouldn't have to go through the predominately black town?" I said.

"Well, son," my mother said, "Springer really was cut off from most of the county by the terrain and the creeks and rivers, so they've never felt like they're a part of this county. So they've tried to get the county lines re-drawn every year. But someone who has more sway with our State Legislature has always prevented that, and I'm not sure who that is nor why."

"Hmmm." I said. "I could make a few guesses."

"And one other things, son." said my mother. "That aquifer is serving the southwest of the county the most, and Apple Grove and Providence Springs, but I understand some kind of rock formation actually cuts off the water from getting near Springer. So they're hosed, pun fully intended, on that as well."

"And that's all?" I asked. "No other reason?"

"Not that I know of." my mother said. "Any reason for asking?"

"I dunno." I said. "A vibe, maybe."

My mother nodded. "It's getting late, son. I'm going to have Todd take me back to my home. As you know, I'm renting Mrs. Starnes's cottage on her property until my apartment on the lake is ready."

"Okay. Night, Mom." I said. We hugged goodnight, and a few minutes later I saw and heard Todd and my mom driving away.

I sat and contemplated. My mother knew something, and she was not telling me everything she knew. Nothing new there; there was a lot of secret history with her that she'd never revealed to me.

In the here and now, she was enormously curious about the vandalism that had been going on, and she should've long since figured that out, seeing as she was up here in Apple Grove all the time, and she was a better Detective than me.

So how much do you really know, Mom? I thought to myself. And who else knows? What I knew was that I was the only person present that watched Trent Ridge die (Author's note: 'A Death In The Family', Ch. 04. ), and I was the only one that heard his words, which I realized were a clue to what was going on now...

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

"Unnh!" gasped Molly as I sank my cock balls-deep into her sopping wet cunt. I settled my weight down onto her and began pistoning my hips, rapidly thrusting deep into her with short, powerful strokes. I felt her wrap her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck as I nuzzled her neck and jaw.

"Oh yeah, give it to me!" Molly gasped, urging me on as we rutted hotly. I slid my hands under Molly and began grasping and clutching her firm asscheeks, pulling her loins against mine as I ravished her hard and deep.

As we fucked, nasty thoughts came to my mind. I was fucking Molly in my childhood bedroom, where I'd tried to take girls in my teen youth but couldn't get them around my mother. And even more nasty, I thought, would be if I impregnated Molly in the same house where I was conceived.

"Unnh... uhhh... ugggg... ohhhh... UNH!" gasped Molly as she writhed beneath me, her hips moving in rhythm to mine as her feet slid down the backs of my thighs. "Oh yeah, just like that, hard and deep..."

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

"God, you were into it." Molly said as she relaxed in my arms after I had come hard in her pussy. "What was it, fucking in your boyhood home?"

"It's the woman I was fucking that made me so hot." I whispered.

"Mmmm, you silver-tongued devil." Molly whispered back with a grin. After some moments of blissful post-coital cuddling, she said "I'm glad you brought Ross and Ian up to see where you grew up. I'm hoping... I'm hoping it's going to work out, moving into The Cabin. The boys need to grow up with their father, and their brother and sisters. And I don't want you to miss them growing up."

"I could not agree more." I whispered. "It's going to work out great." And then I realized that Molly was asleep...

Part 6 - Namesake

Monday, September 2d. Breakfast at the B&B was really delicious, and fortunately there was plenty of it. It seemed like an entire pig was consumed in the form of bacon. Growing boys love bacon. So do grown-up boys. And Police Commanders.

Since it was the Labor Day holiday, I wasn't sure what I was going to do today. There was the ceremony to name the dam at 11:00am, and all of Fillmore County seemed to be excited by that.

And then I heard vehicles pulling into the front drive. I looked out and was stunned to see a TCPD SUV. I was even more stunned when Cindy Ross and Teresa Croyle got out, wearing semi-formal TCPD uniforms, and Cindy had Betsy with her. And I was yet more stunned when the back door was opened to reveal Our Sheriff, Antonio Griswold, wearing his semi-formal Sheriff's uniform with brown jacket to match the pants, and a tan shirt and tie.

And behind them, Laura drove up in the Mercedes SUV, the one we'd come up to Apple Grove in before (Author's note: 'Return to Apple Grove', Ch. 01.). In that car was Carole, Tasha, little Doug and little Jack Burke. Carole and Tasha were wearing identical peach dresses with white stockings and black shoes, and they were adorable. The boys were wearing 'Sunday best' clothing.

"What is going on?" I asked as Teresa came up with my semi-formal uniform on a coathanger inside a plastic protective sleeve.

"We're all going to the ceremony this morning." Cindy said. "Your mom called and said to bring your 'respectable' uniform."

"Okay, then." I said. "You guys want breakfast?..."

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

Turns out Molly had her semi-formal uniform, also. Todd looked like a million bucks (and then some) in his suit and tie. We piled into the cars to go to the lake and dam.

It was a fairly impressive sight as we were ushered into VIP parking. As we walked west towards the dam and the picnic park on the near side of it, I saw to my right in the distance the buildings of the new residential park where my mom was going to be moving into. As I looked around, I saw some U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Officers talking to local and State politicians and fawning reporters.

I was surprised to see FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone and FBI EAD Owen Lange amongst the growing crowd. FBI Special Agents Julius Jefferson and Tim Jenkins were also there, and I noticed Cindy, carrying Betsy, walked down to greet him. The rest of them came up and spoke to the rest of the Town & County Law Enforcement contingent.