Roswell Fanatics

I'm with Isabel.......we'll just let Liz clean all of the fish.
So cute, and very good the lessons that JP is learning.
All is well here, how about in CA?
There is a big SXSW festival going on right now, with lots and lots of people, cars and more people. It's a good time to stay home and away from all of that.
Thanks Ginger,
Carolyn

Carolyn: I'm with Isabelle too, BRRrrrrrr, my husband used to come home after fishing and tell me to stay out of the garage....cleaning one mess was enough without having to look at his green wife. Oh well. Hope all's well in Texas. Enjoy.

Chapter: 31

Joey Sabotini was parked in back of a deserted building, hidden away from any street activity, trying to make sense of his predicament. He knew he should have stayed in Connecticut and made some plans for his own life instead of listening to the deranged ramblings of Don Adams but it seemed like such a sweet deal. He never did find out who Don was working with on the outside to get things set up for them but it had to be someone big.

The Jeep was old but the thing ran like a brand new vehicle, not a single rattle or ding anywhere, and it was waiting for them when they were released. There was also an envelope waiting for them at the motel when they arrived. It had money and a map in it and it also contained all of the instructions to complete the agreement that Don had come up with for the person heading up the plan. That person had to be important because other prisoners with lesser crimes than Joey had committed were still in prison. Don and his crimes certainly did not fit the program the new governor had implemented either so something was really fishy. Joey didn’t know who he could call or talk to regarding his predicament and it didn’t seem like Don was going to be of help any time soon.

He needed to get rid of the jeep and find something to get around in. He couldn’t sell the jeep because he was sure the cops knew what it looked like and what it was used for by now. He didn’t have enough money to buy a car, even a clunker would be a mistake because it would probably need a lot of repairs…then he thought, why not a motorcycle. He was familiar enough with motorcycles that he could most likely take care of any minor repairs himself. He could transport a passenger if Don ever regained his memory and he would be mobile. Yes. A motorcycle would be just the ticket. He would leave the jeep here in this parking lot behind the dumpster. It looked quite abandoned, and he would take what he could carry with him. He would find a dumpster far away from the jeep and lose the rest of the stuff. Then he would find ‘used motorcycles’ in the yellow pages. Why couldn’t he have thought about his own skin before ever getting tied up with that nut?

Joey opened the suitcase that held Don’s belongings and discovered a cell phone in the side compartment along with more money. He wondered what in the hell that was for but decided to keep it in his pocket then he had another thought. Why not leave these things here until he found a room and wheels. He could come back and get the rest of their belongings and then try and figure out some of this mystery. This idea sounded a lot better than any he’d had so far and so he locked things up in the back, hid them as best he could, and headed out of the deserted parking lot toward the street to look for a phone booth.

*

Meanwhile, back at the Evans’ Liz had prepared a nice lunch for everyone and left a huge stew cooking in a crock pot for dinner. She told the body guards to help themselves to anything they wanted in the kitchen, including the stew, in case they were not back early enough for dinner. The men assured her that they would be fine and were quite capable of taking care of themselves but she wanted to make sure they knew where everything was before leaving. Max just nodded to the men and said,

“Guys, you have to humor her otherwise she will worry herself to death about you so let her show you where everything is and then she’ll be able enjoy her afternoon.”

They all smiled at Max and followed Liz around the entire kitchen…in and out of walk-in pantries, around refrigerators, freezers and cupboards and when she was finished with the tour they thanked her and then Shorty looked at Max and told him thanks as well…

“You know Max, we never would have found all of this if she hadn’t shown us so thanks for suggesting that we just follow her.”

“No problem.” Max smiled at the man and then grabbed his keys and followed his wife and children out of the house.

*

Jeff and Nancy had been invited to the ball game as well as Diane so they all met up at the little league field. It looked like a family reunion when the Evans clan showed up. They all grabbed a hot dog and headed for the stands just as Parker and Gerard’s team took to the field and the stands went nuts. Well Liz did anyway. You would have thought she was cheering for the Phillie’s the way she screamed and yelled. Max and his dad just looked at each other and laughed. It was hard to forget her pounding on poor Alex during the series. It’s a wonder he was ever able to lift his arm again and they smiled as she cheered on. Nothing made her happier than her family and her happiness was contagious. The people around her got into the spirit and cheered the youngsters on right along with her and exactly one hour and seven innings later the little Evans boys were going home with the title for the year. Their mommy and daddy were so happy they were walking on air.

Liz looked down at little JP carrying his skate board and smiled…

“You know JP, next year you will be playing on this field also and maybe your team will win the T-ball championship.”

JP looked up at his mother and smiled…

“Oh, we’ll win mom. No doubt about it. Parker and Gerard have been teaching me everything and dad shows me how to hold a ball and bat. We’ll win!”

And the little one found his way through the crowd and to the car without any problem whatsoever, just as sure of the T-ball title as he was that the sun would come up tomorrow. Max and Liz just shook their heads and kept on walking. With that kind of confidence it just might happen.

*

Meanwhile Judge Abbott found out about the escape at the hospital and called the Chief over at the P.D. The Chief informed the man of all the events that had taken place and assured him that Don Adams was safely locked up in the hospital ward again and instead of having a guard outside of his room there was also another one stationed inside the man’s room. This second guard was out of the ordinary but this was no ordinary case. Strange things just kept happening. The Judge thanked the Chief and rang off.

‘I wonder where that Joey is right now’ the Judge thought to himself. ‘He has to be somewhere in the city…I’ll bet my life on it.’ And the old man locked his office and headed to bed.

*

After all the family said their goodbye’s Max and Liz headed on home. They thought about getting some pizza for the kids but Liz assured Max that there was going to be plenty of stew for everyone and she wanted to make sure Jack and the kittens were okay as well. Max assured her that Smith and Jones would see to the animals but she needed to be home. It finally occurred to Max that Liz didn’t feel safe away from the house and then he reaLized that he would have another job as well as keeping everyone safe. He was going to have one helluva time making his wife feel secure again. Oh this wasn’t good at all and he continued on his way to their home. “Shit” was the only word that ran through the man’s mind…shit, shit, shit!!!

*

Meantime Joey found a rooming house on one of the seedier sides of town and rented himself a single room with a coffee pot in it. That was all of the conveniences the place offered. There was a community bathroom at the end of the hall and Joey figured no one would ever find him here. It was a good place to get lost. He managed to pilfer a telephone book from the public phone booth outside and took it up to his room where he studied it until he found what he was looking for. After that he put the phone book back and walked back to the secluded parking lot behind the abandoned building and removed the suitcase and duffle bag stowed there. He locked the vehicle up and headed back to the flop house. No one had seemed to pay any attention to him one way or the other and he was quite content with himself.

After he had himself settled he started going through Don’s belongings and discovered a key to a locker somewhere in the city. Joey knew that he and Don had spent all of their time together so he wondered where this key was from…there had to be some clue in all of this stuff. He continued to search through pockets, socks and envelopes until he came upon a torn seam at the bottom of the old suitcase. When he opened it he found a typewritten note with instructions. It told of how he was to kidnap Mrs. Evans and on what day of the week to do so…where he was supposed to take her and what to use the phone for.

The key was to a locker at the Greyhound Bus Depot in downtown Philly and he would find further instructions there. Joey was dumbfounded. They were supposed to abduct the Evans woman the day after they went to the house not on Monday. Apparently on Monday the person in charge of this program knew that Mrs. Evans would not be alone. Boy did Don screw this up. Joey knew the man wasn’t all there but these instructions were clearly written out and he probably would be on his merry way had he followed them. Then Joey reached into his pocket and looked at the phone. There was nothing in the instructions about this phone…it had to have some significance because Don did not use a phone the entire time they were together. Joey wasn’t ready to use the phone just yet but he knew he would be trying the thing out soon. Just who is the person in charge of all of this and where was he? Joey wasn’t going to wait forever to find out what was happening.

*

It will take some time before Liz is going to feel secure again......
And she is really concerned about her family, including the animals.
Joey may be sorry her ever got mess up with Don Adams.

We're having a nice quiet Easter, so far no one is coming in. But then this is just Friday. What are you doing this holiday?
I've missed working outside in the yard....we're still busy taking Bob to out patient rehab for his hip. He's really doing okay from the hip replacement, just still has lingering effects from the two spinal surgeries. I never did really like to cook, and this three regular meals a day is a drag. He isn't able to go out, so we're home bound. Plus, I really don't need to eat three meals a day at this age.
Happy Easter,
Carolyn

Carolyn: Well, did absolutely nothing for Easter, stayed home and called a friend in Pa. to wish her a happy birthday. My grandmother would have been 137 on Good Friday, same day as her birthday. It was always easy to remember one or both of them growing. You know, I think of my grandmother, always in an apron, working In the kitchen and it doesn't seem so long ago. I think of 1879 and the history of our nation and it seems forever ago. My grandmother was born in 1879. What a change these two events can do to a person's mind.

I am pleased to hear that Bob's P.t. is going so well, good for him.

Well on to another piece of our saga. We're getting close.

Chapter: 32

The next morning Jesse received a call from his friend at the FBI and was surprised to hear the man’s voice to say the least.

“Jesse, are you still working on that situation with Philip’s daughter-in-law?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“Well, I did some snooping around and found out that the governor of Connecticut, Joseph Freeman, and one Judge Abbott went to Yale together. When you told me that this Don Adams had been released from prison on good behavior due to a new program that had been set up I just had to find out more about it. This just didn’t set well with me. Then this man winds up in Philadelphia, where Philip and his family happen to live and Philip is having meetings with a man that went to college with the man that set the idiot loose?!? No matter how well behaved a prisoner is, someone convicted of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and bigamy with consecutive sentences just isn’t paroled no matter how well behaved he is. I’m no expert here on this line of thinking Jesse, but something isn’t quite right.”

“You know what? I think you’re right. I’ll let Philip know what you’ve come up with and I’ll keep you informed about what we find out.”

“Great Jesse. You take care and come see us once in a while, okay?”

“You got it and if I can ever return the favor let me know.”

“Will do buddy.” And the two old friends rang off.

Jesse couldn’t wait to get Philip on the line and give him this new information.

*

Back at the Evans’ home Max was getting ready to leave for the children’s facility and had just finished helping Liz clean the kitchen when Olivia came through the back entrance to the house and was greeted with happy little faces all trying to tell stories of their week-end adventures at the same time. Max and Liz looked over in her direction and smiled, they knew she would handle the crew in short order and have them all sitting at her side talking in turn. It was a sight to behold and Shorty smiled at the woman as he left the house to take up his post on the front porch.

JP was full of fishing tales, Parker and Gerard were thrilled to share the little league championship game with her, play by play, and the girls couldn’t wait to share the movie they had seen with their parents. It seemed that everyone had a marveLizs time and Olivia was happy to see that some things were still normal if not all of them.

Max pulled Liz into his side and kissed the top of her head as he smiled at the group and then he grabbed up his wallet and keys, kissed each child on the head as he had done their mother, hugged Olivia and was off. Shorty gave him a wave as he drove out of the driveway and Max smiled and nodded as he passed the guard on his way to the main street. He liked all of the men Jesse had sent to the house and would have chosen any one of them for a friend but he certainly wished that it was under different circumstances that they were all there.

Liz left Olivia in the kitchen with the kids for a minute while she went out to check on the little family on the patio and had to giggle when she saw one of the little ones trying to make its way out of the box. It didn’t take the little creatures long to figure out they were confined and the need to explore was growing by leaps and bounds. She picked up the little ball of fur and set it down to wander around and lifted the rest of the babies out as well…Mama got out and stretched herself and Liz smiled down at her as she changed the towels and the little waterproof barrier she had placed between the heating pad and the towels. She then cleaned the kitty litter container and put the babies all back in the box and left mama to roam around while she went to get cat food and dispose of the dirty towels. Jonesy sat and watched the young woman take care of those kittens as if they were her own children and he smiled. It’s no wonder those kids are the way they are with those kittens…no matter how tough she tries to be she is just a big softy at heart. She handles those kittens as though they were the most delicate jewels on earth and then Liz caught him watching her. She could only smile and shrug her shoulders…then she said,

“They are just babies you know?”

“I know Liz. When do you think they’ll be leaving?”

“I don’t know. Max took a picture of them and posted it at the gas station. We figure she has to be from around here somewhere because she was ready to give birth and usually they look for a safe place in that condition if they aren’t in familiar surroundings so maybe things just progressed beyond her control and she chose here. Hopefully her owners will show up rather than the animal shelter. I would hate to think they were going to be put down.”

“So, you’re not going to keep them?”

“No Jonesy, we aren’t going to keep them. I know we should probably keep at least one but they aren’t our cats and the kids have to learn that we can’t just take what isn’t ours. That’s why I didn’t want them to get too attached but we all know that was futile. Anyway, they’re safe for now and they are cute.”

“That they are. JP is especially fond of “Tigger” you know.”

“Jonesy, JP is fond of anything that moves, bless his heart, and that’s okay…but he has to learn, as well as the rest, that he can’t have everything he wants.”

Jonesy smiled…he knew that the statement she’d just made was not entirely true but it was worth a try. There wasn’t too much those kids could possibly want because they already had it and then he thought about it…they really weren’t spoiled. They were well mannered and very obedient considering. JP pushed Liz a little but she was totally aware of it as was JP and he didn’t do it to be malicious, he was just a tad too smart for his own good.

So, Liz finished up her chores on the patio, left Jack sitting sentry by the patio door, and headed back into the house to start classes for the day. It was about 8:45 and class started at 9:00 so back to the library she headed with five little people hot on her heels.

*

When Philip arrived at his office at 9:00 a.m. there was a message from Jesse waiting for him and Philip called his Roswell office immediately.

“Jesse, what’s up?”

“Philip, good morning. I have some information to share with you about this Judge Abbott and the Connecticut Governor and I think you might find it interesting. I don’t know how close you two are but I think you should share it with the Chief of detectives that you’ve been working with.”

And Jesse proceeded to tell Philip all about the two old friends from Yale.

“Philip, it could be a coincidence, or not, that Don Adams was released but I think some caution should be taken about sharing information with this judge. Didn’t you tell me that you had a meeting in his chambers regarding this problem?”

“Yes, yes we did. The man seemed very interested in helping us. I think I’ll give the Chief a call and set up a lunch meeting with him and discuss what you just told me. I just don’t believe in these kinds of coincidences anymore Jesse. Especially not when my family may be in jeopardy. Thank you and tell your friend thanks for thinking about us.”

“Will do Philip. My love to all.”

And the two men hung up.

***

After Philip had his conversation with Jesse he made a call to the PD and asked if the Chief of Detectives was in and told them to tell him it was Philip Evans. It wasn’t but 5 seconds later the Chief of Detectives was on the line.

“Philip, I hope everything is alright.”

“Yes, yes it is but I have something to share with you that I’m not so sure about how to handle. You need to know that the Governor of Connecticut, the one who paroled our two star players here, and the illustrious Judge Abbott went to Yale together and graduated in the same class. Do you find this a little alarming?”

“Well, yes I do as a matter of fact. It could be just a coincidence you know.”

“Yes, that’s what we all thought as well but then I think it’s just too ironic that these two men found their way to my son’s home not a day after their release. I think that is just too coincidental for my blood. I’m not saying there’s something wrong here but I’m not overlooking the fact either. I just wanted you to be aware and to pull you into the loop so to speak. I definitely will not be sharing anymore information with the man and would appreciate it if you didn’t do any sharing either. I know he seems extremely helpful but now I’m wondering why. I don’t want to seem paranoid but this is my family we’re talking about and I certainly don’t want to take any unnecessary chances when their lives are at risk.”

“Philip, I totally agree with you and I will bring in the four detectives that I have working on this case with me and fill them in on this information as well. I have not brought the entire department in on all of the facts because of the compromising situation our department is in as well so I will be sure that only these four are aware. I think we should also let the bailiff know what we suspect just in case he accidentally finds out something we don’t want the judge to know. We will find out what this is all about Philip. Trust me.”

“Oh I trust you chief but you can also trust that we are going to be working on this just as strongly as you are.”

“I understand. And thank you for the heads up; I’m glad that you trust us at least.”

Philip chuckled as he answered the man…

“Well, I guess we have to trust someone don’t we? I’ll be talking to you again and thank you for taking my call.”

“Anytime Philip, do you have my home phone number?”

“Yes, Liz gave it to all of us and thank you. Have a good day.”



“The same to you Philip, goodbye.”

And the two men hung up.

*

Jesse's new found information is disturbing, and could be dangerous for our Evans clan.
Liz had everything at home running like clockwork.......wish I had been that organized.

How are you doing? Got a little worried when you were later posting, Then sometimes I'm later in reading.
Take care,
Carolyn

Carolyn: Seems things just manage to slip by lately....company and all that stuff....I think Liz and Max are really getting things under control here....enjoy. Sorry I missed a week.

Chapter: 33

After Liz finished with classes and corrected all of the work the kids had done she put stars on everything and posted the work on the bulletin board in the hallway for Max to see.

Their hand writing was becoming truly wonderful with the fifteen minutes a day they devoted to the task and JP was staying between the lines with his printing as well. She was so impressed with all of them that she could practically fly on her own power.

When Shorty saw Max pull into the driveway he came in through the back door to use the bathroom and noticed all of the school papers on the hallway bulletin board and had to stop and take a look. All five of the children had some pretty impressive papers hanging there and he wondered just how in the hell they were going to deal with all of these little geniuses when they got to be teen-agers. Their lives could become one living hell if these kids ever put their minds together for some mischief. There wasn’t a single thing he could see wrong with their work. The penmanship, the answers to the questions neatly written or printed and even the four-year old was right up there with the rest of them. He was amazed…and then Max came in and gave him a smile and took notice of all the stars posted for the world to see and gave the other man a grin. “Scary isn’t it?” he said.

“Boy, you’ve got that right…I’m glad they’re yours.”

“You know it’s their mother that’s the cause of this don’t you? She just seems to have that knack and they eat it up. All of it. It doesn’t make any difference what it is she teaches them they find it fun and want to learn. She’s an amazing woman that’s for sure.”

“Yes she is Max, but those kids are pretty intelligent with or without her.”

“Yeah, but she brings out the best in them. I dropped off some of their work at school the other day just to catch up with their teachers and to make sure that we were keeping up with everything and they said that the kids are way past their classmates and that Liz should slow down. So we are going to take them to the library this afternoon and get them all library cards after we take the girls for their ballet lessons. Liz is going to have a reading session every morning and they will each get to choose a book to read and discuss. This should take up some of the time that they need for studying. JP has already informed us that he needs some new books. So rather than buy more children’s books we thought we would introduce them to the library. I think it will be good for them.”

“It certainly will. That way they’ll still have their play time in the afternoons and they won’t become nerds.”

Shorty just stood there and laughed at the man…there wasn’t a thing ‘nerdy’ about any one of them.

Liz heard her husband’s voice in the entryway to the back door and went to see what was keeping him and then she had to smile. Max and Shorty were both discussing the papers on the bulletin board and she had a great big smile on her face for both men. She was one proud mother and the pride was shining through her eyes and she couldn’t contain the urge to giggle. Max looked down at her and grinned as he pulled her close and kissed her forehead. She had every right to be proud and then Shorty told her…”Nice job Liz.” And made his way to the bathroom.

*

“Hi sweetheart, are you and your crew about ready?”

“Yeah…the girls are putting their jeans on over their leotards and they should be down any minute now. The boys weren’t really sure about going to dancing school but when I told them that we would stop at the mall for a little while and they wouldn’t have to sit there and watch ballet they were okay with it.

“I haven’t told them about the library yet, I want to surprise them. I think they will like being able to choose their reading material and I think it’s going to give them a huge advantage in understanding English grammar in fourth grade. That’s when they’re really going to start getting into the guts of the subject and it really isn’t the easiest to grasp when you take into consideration all of the slang terms we have that will not fit into the lessons at all.

“I am so tempted to continue home schooling them but I know it won’t be fair to them. They also need the interaction with their peers but I intend to take a more involved interest in their homework. It won’t be a quick scan to see to it that it’s done correctly anymore…it will be an active interest in the library to make sure they really do understand it all. They are so smart Max and they eat this stuff up like little sponges. It’s amazing.”

Max just stood there and listened to her go on about their kids and he loved it. She was as amazing as the kids and he wanted to take her upstairs and ravish her. He knew that what she was talking about had nothing to do with wanting to turn him on but it sure as hell was and he wasn’t a bit ashamed to tell her either.

“Liz, you have to quit talking honey…I’m getting so turned on right now that I really don’t think I’ll be able to drive us anywhere until we go take care of this little problem I’ve got growing and it’s getting worse by the second.”

Liz looked at Max like he’d just lost his mind.

“What are you talking about Max…we’re talking about school here!”

“I know, and you’re driving me nuts here!”

Then she looked at him and grinned…

“You’re kidding…right?”

Max grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him and then forced their mid sections together and Liz’s eyes got as big as saucers…

“Max? You’re not kidding are you?”

“Not hardly Liz… Now let’s get the kids and get the hell out of here while I still can.”

Liz looked up at her husband and blushed and Max groaned low in his throat and had to leave her standing in the hallway. She had no idea how much she turned him on or how much he really loved her. And to think she would blush after all these years was even a bigger turn on. God, he was going to have to take a cold shower if those kids didn’t soon get down here.

*
They finally headed on to the dance studio where they all disembarked, much to the complaints of three little boys, and headed on in together. It was decided that everyone would go to the mall. There was no way that either parent would leave those two little angels unattended even if it was supposedly a safe environment.

There was a row of seats outside the actual studio itself with a large window where parents could observe the lesson and that is where Liz and Max sat while the boys found some books that interested them over at a child sized table with a few chairs. All three of them were able to read the stories and when JP had a problem he would ask either Parker or Gerard who was more than glad to help their brother. Since they were now attending classes at home Parker and Gerard had developed an appreciation of their younger brother’s capabilities and were eager to assist him. Liz and Max were carrying on a conversation with one of the other parents when the other person reaLized whom she was talking to. Max just held up a hand and smiled…just a parent here, honest. And the lady returned his smile and continued talking.

“Do you find it difficult to have two sets of twins to raise?” the woman wanted to know.

“Not at all. Of course I have a lot of help from family and friends but all in all I actually enjoy it. They are a lot of fun and keep us young. How many do you have?” Liz asked the other woman.

“Just the one daughter. We have been trying for what seems like ages for another one but so far we haven’t had any luck. We could possibly try invitro but we aren’t that well versed on the subject and are a little scared. The unknown, I guess that’s what it is.”

“Oh, well, look. That is part of my expertise and I would be more than glad to help you with anything you wanted to know about it.”

And with that Liz reached into her purse and pulled out one of her business cards and handed it to the woman. Then the woman introduced herself to Liz as Mrs. Lydia Shaw and asked Liz to please call her Lydia. Max just sat there and took it all in as he kept an eye on his sons and daughters with a smile on his face. Always the helper…and he felt his pants getting a little tighter…he shook it off and wondered what in the hell was wrong with him today.

*

“Just call that number and set up an appointment with the office at the Evans’ Children’s Facility and I will make it a point to be there. I will tell them to make sure that they take down your information. It will have to be an afternoon appointment since I home school the kids but if you’re interested I’ll be there.”

“Yes Doctor Evans, I certainly will.”

“Oh no Lydia, there’s no formalities here, you just call me Liz. How long has your daughter been dancing?”

“Since she was three. We sort of lied about her age and enrolled her four years ago in baby ballet. She loves music so we just went for it.”

“Well, she certainly is a beauty all right. She’s how old now?”

“She just turned seven but they think she’s eight.”

Liz giggled…

“I won’t tell.”

And about that time the class was over and Max had the boys put the books back on the table and waited for Liz to gather up the girls and get their jeans back on them before heading out to the mall.

*

Just as they rounded the corner and was headed toward the food court JP grabbed his dad’s hand and drug him toward a store front…Liz had the other four follow and wondered what possessed the child to act this way. He never did anything like this before and then JP motioned his dad down so he could whisper to him and pointed at the window and told his dad to look over at the pizza counter. Max did as the young boy suggested and JP looked at his dad’s reflection and said in a low voice…that’s Joey!...

*~*~*

Cliff hanger here......
Every thing was going along too perfect. And Max and Liz are the perfect parents.
Thanks for my fluff fix for the week.
Hate to think this will be winding down at some point. What about those teenage years for JP??
Take care,
Carolyn

Carolyn: LOL, the reason for editing this and reposting was to finish part 3, I might just post bits and pieces of it which is mostly the kids and their shenanigans....now all I have to do is write a little suspense into it to make it readable but I just can't seem to wrap my mind around it anymore. Sounds like a copout but it's true. Nothing exciting going on around here, getting a filling in tooth next week, big deal huh? But when you're 78 and getting a molar filled for the first time it really is.

Chapter: 34

Back at headquarters…

Chief Dennis had his four detectives along with Joey Sabotini sitting in his office discussing the telephone and how they should go about contacting the person on the other end. Finally the chief asked Joey what he thought of the situation and Joey thought for a minute and then said…

“You know, if this would have been up to me instead of Don I would have followed the instructions but since the whole plan fell on it’s ass so to speak I think my best bet, if I was so inclined, would be to drop Don out of the picture entirely. Even if he does regain his memory he’s in a world of hurt and I don’t want any part of it. So, if there’s money to be had I think I would just try the phone and see if there ever has been any calls placed, call the last number dialed and play it by ear. If someone answers, and neither of us knows who the other is, I would try to make a deal. If the person on the other end acts dumb I’d just skip town…if they want to play nice then we can come up with a plan.”

Chief Dennis, Carl and the rest of the detectives went along with Joey’s plan. They were thinking the same thing but they didn’t want Joey to incriminate himself if he wasn’t so inclined even though they did have enough information on him to send him away right along with Don. His sentence was certainly going to be a lot lighter for his cooperation that’s for sure. They also needed to see just how deeply the Governor of Connecticut was involved in this crime as well. The man just might only be guilty of helping a friend that would be politically incorrect on his part, but that in itself was something they had to check out.

They proceeded to set up recording devices in a secured area, away from prying eyes and ears, and had Joey make the call. The voice on the other end seemed to be surprised and careful.

“Hello?”

“Hello. We need to talk about Don Adams.” Joey said. He decided to be straight forward…no need to keep secrets. If the person didn’t know Don Adams or didn’t want to know Don then the game was over.

“Yes…about that, what do you want?”

Chief Dennis gave Joey the ‘thumbs up’ and Joey took it from there.

“I want to finish what Don wasn’t able to and I want to know how much we’re talking about, dollar wise.”

“Go to the downtown Greyhound terminal and wait. I’ll call this number and leave a locker number for you. You will pick up further instructions there. If you complete the task as set up there will be $100,000.00 deposited to an account in your name per your instructions and an additional Five thousand per month for the next 10 years. That should give you a substantial living allowance and a good start at a new life. Do you think you can handle that?” The voice on the other end of the phone asked.

“How do you know who this is?”

“I know who you are Joseph, I’m just surprised that it took you so long to contact me.”

“I just found the phone.” Joey answered.

Chief Dennis was beginning to admire Joey’s tenacity…he was playing his role quite well, even the chief believed him.

“You do know the risks are far greater now than they were when this was first initiated don’t you?” Joey continued…

“Yes Joseph, I’m aware of some of the risks since I have been in contact with a few of the people involved but I’m sure you will be able to handle it. My mistake was thinking that Don Adams was the person to do the job. I had no idea the man was deranged.”

“You should have done your homework better.” Joey answered.

“Yes Joseph, you’re right, I should have. You must be extra careful now, the police have your name and your picture so they are looking for you.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind. How soon do you want me to go the station?”

“Be there later tonight. I will have to hire a messenger to take the instructions and it will take some time.”

“Alright then, is 10:00 p.m. too early?”

“No Joseph, ten will do quite nicely. I will talk to you when the job has been completed. Thank you.”

And the two men hung up.

Chief Dennis looked at Carl and told him to get two men over to the station with cameras right now and set up surveillance on all of the lockers while the rest of them contacted Liz. The men were practically out the door before the man could finish with his instructions.

The chief then snapped the recording out of its’ case, labeled it Joey convo #1 and put it into a manila folder in his desk drawer and locked it. He then inserted a new tape into the recorder and put it in his pocket. He gave Joey a pat on the back and Carl took the man back to his private holding cell.

Chief Dennis then called Max and asked him if he could see him, his dad and Liz later and Max of course agreed after hearing what had transpired in the chiefs office. He couldn’t believe that a judge would be this easy. Of course the judge had no idea he was a suspect in anything either. As far as he knew Don Adams was still in the hospital in a coma and that was all he knew.

*

Chief Dennis and Carl headed on over to Max and Liz’s and when they arrived they only had to wait a few minutes before Philip arrived. JP was on the front porch talking to Jonesy when the unmarked vehicle pulled up and JP smiled and waved when he recognized the two men. They in turn smiled and waved back to JP who finished his conversation with Jonesy before saying anything to the two detectives.

“Hey Chief Dennis, my mom’s waiting for you in the house. How are you Carl? Did you see Joey today?”

“Hi JP. Yes we saw him and he said to tell you hello.” And the three men all smiled at the young boy.

“Good, I’ll go get Mom and Dad, come on in but Jonesy has to stay out here for a little while longer. Right Jonesy?”

“Right JP, just a little while. See you later.”

“Okay.” And JP opened the door and the two detectives looked at Jonesy to see if they should follow and Jonesy gave them a grin and nodded…”might as well follow the kid in because he won’t go anywhere until you do.”

As they entered the very unpretentious, very huge, house JP let out a yell…

“MOM…DAD…The detectives are here…”

Liz came running down the back stairs and Max came down the back hall from the library and they both arrived at the back door at the same time and then Liz gave JP a look…

“Oh. Sorry, I forgot.” Then he looked at the two men and said…

“I’m not supposed to yell in the house…” then he sort of whispered…”But it’s easier!”

And he took off. Max started laughing and held out his hand to Chief Dennis first and then to Carl.

“We have hope.” Liz said and they all laughed.

After they were seated in the library Dennis told the three Evans’ what had transpired at the police station and looked at the three waiting for some response…

“Well, what do you think?” he asked.

“I guess we have to wait to see what the instructions are first then we can decide what needs to be done. I’m not afraid of Joey nor am I afraid to be bait. I know the man won’t let anything happen to me.” Liz stated rather determinedly…

“Liz! You can’t be serious.” Max was flabbergasted.

“Yes I am. Look, it’s not like he’s a total stranger and I am certain the PD will have people posted everywhere. All we need to do is find the ‘leader of the pack’ so to speak, then it’s all over. Right? That seems pretty simple to me. Just arrest his sorry ass and let us get on with our lives.”

Chief Dennis looked at Liz and couldn’t believe his ears…using her was the last thing on his mind but the way she put it sounded so simple, he just needed to wait and see what the two Evans’ men had to say about it.

Then Philip spoke up…

“Max, she’s right. If Joey shows up with Liz according to instructions and there are a bunch of plain clothes-men following it will be over. It’s really so simple it’s almost unbelievable…we know the judge doesn’t want to hurt her.”

“No, he wants her mind then he probably wants to hurt her. He can’t leave any evidence around to point to himself for God’s sake. The man may be deranged but he isn’t stupid.”

“I’ll carry a gun!” Liz said.

“YOU WILL LIKE HELL!!!” Max yelled and then the Chief looked at Max….

“Max, I think it’s the cleanest way to work this. So far the man hasn’t been too bright in carrying this thing out. And for a judge that’s saying something. He’s had access to so many crimes as a learning tool that I am amazed this thing wasn’t better planned. Well, maybe it was, he just chose his partner’s poorly.”

“Exactly. Why not wait and see what the damned fool puts in the envelope at the bus station and then we’ll see.”

“Fair enough. I’ll call you as soon as Joey shows up at his room. We aren’t going to use the Police Station as a meeting place because there are too many eyes so we’ll be at Joey’s room down town just in case the judge is smart enough to follow Joey or have him followed, he’ll also be wearing a wire so he can talk to us.”

“Great, we’ll be waiting to hear from you then.” And the three men left Max and Liz standing in the library as they exited the house once again.

Liz turned to Max and was ready to say something when Max looked down at her, grabbed her to him and said, very emphatically…

“NO!”… And Liz just smiled…
*~*~*

Liz is one brave woman......mother.......wife.....everything.
Max has his hands full with her, and they both have their hands full with JP.
Can't wait to see how this unfolds.

Good luck with your dental work. I've had everything, root canals, crowns and gum surgery. The dentist love to see me coming.
Next week we are beginning the activities for my granddaughter's June wedding. First is a shower, then later my daughter and I will host the bridesmaid luncheon. This is along with our four graduations, two college and two high school. Bob will not try to make all of these events. Just a special few.
Take care,
Carolyn

Carolyn: Boy, have you got a buys spring and summer planned....good for you, all happy occasions for sure.


Chapter: 35

The next morning found Liz draped across her husband’s body as usual and Jack was licking the bottom of a foot that was dangling out from under the covers. Liz kept jerking away from the dog causing a disruption in Max’s sleep. Finally, not being able to stand the jerking of his wife’s body Max opened one eye and looked toward the offending cause, having to move a handful of hair out of the way giving him a better line of vision.

Damn, he raised his body slightly trying not to disturb Liz who seemed to be sleeping through the entire episode and whispered to Jack to go away. The dog just stood there wagging his tail…Max knew nothing was wrong due to the action of that tail and he raised his free arm toward the door and pointed. Jack sort of slumped out of the room and then the alarm went off but Liz never moved.

Since the alarm was on her side of the bed Max had to remove her, literally, from his body. Disentangling arms and legs in order to get over her and turn the offensive thing off. By that time he was wide awake and decided what the hell, it’s probably the first time in weeks the woman actually relaxed enough to get a good night’s sleep anyway. The teachers told him to tell Liz to lighten up so he made a decision without her input and gave her and the kids the day off.

Max got himself up and into the bathroom as quietly as possible…he showered quickly before heading on downstairs to feed the dog, put on the coffee and to check on the cats. He was thinking as he shaved that they still hadn’t had any replies to the flier that he had put in the gas station window and it was getting close to the time to call the pound if someone didn’t come and claim the cats soon. It was a unanimous decision between him and Liz that the cats were not going to stay and it was going to be really tough if the owner didn’t show up soon. When he finally made his way downstairs and into the kitchen he could only stand there and groan…

There was Jack… standing on his hind legs, both front paws sprawled out in front of him resting on the kitchen counter with his chest parallel to the counter and his nose buried in Liz’s coffee cake that she had made for breakfast. Oh well, the dog didn’t need to be fed now. I wonder what dog food tastes like and he smiled at that thought. He just wished he knew how the hell to make a coffee cake. He picked the camera up off the desk instead and took a picture of the dog for Liz before shooing the creature outside. He could only stand there and laugh…Liz wasn’t going to think this was funny, but when she saw the picture she definitely would have to laugh. About that time Shorty and Jonesy came in and saw the grin on Max’s face and he showed the picture to them and they stood there and laughed right along with him. It was a guy thing, it had to be.

“You know she’s going to be pissed…right?” Jonesy said.

“Yeah, but she’ll get over it. Do either of you know how to make a coffee cake?”

“Nope, not me…how about you Shorty?”

“Never tried it but I could probably manage with a cook book….I think we should just show her the picture instead. She’ll only be mad for a minute and then she’ll laugh.”

“Hey you two, I’m beginning to think you’ve had to live here too long, you know us too well.” And all three men grinned at each other.

“Do either of you have families?” Max asked as he made the coffee.

“Yeah…my wife lives in Roswell, she comes in to town on my days off and we stay at the Hyatt.” Shorty said as he went to the pantry and retrieved the bread for toast…no coffee cake so toast was on the menu. Max grinned…

“Me too; actually, they are pretty good friends.” Jonesy answered, he got some plates out of the cupboard and headed toward the dining room. Max took all of this in and continued to grin…

“Well, damn…do you have kids?”

“No, I don’t and Jonesy and Loretta are expecting.” Shorty answered as he put four slices of bread in the toaster and retrieved the butter out of the refrigerator and a butter knife out of the drawer under the cabinet holding the dishes.

“Well, listen. The next time they come to town you bring them here. They don’t have to stay in a hotel.” Max said as he retrieved a skillet from the pantry and a bag of hash browns from the freezer.

“No Max. We don’t want them in any danger…and after all, that is why we’re here. We’ll just keep things the way they are if it’s all the same to you. Maybe, when this is all over we can bring them over for a visit and have them meet everyone but no, not while we’re still unsure of everything. Our job is to keep you safe and we don’t need to be worrying about them.” Shorty said and Jonesy nodded. Max nodded in agreement and about that time Liz showed up in the kitchen.

“Max, why didn’t you wake me up? We’re going to be late getting things going now.” She looked worried and then noticed the three men busy getting breakfast…

“I decided that you needed a day off. The school said the kids are way ahead of everything so you can all have a “snow” day.”

And Liz laughed at her husband. They used to have what was called “snow” days in Roswell in case it snowed because there were no snow plows to take care of it due to the fact that it was an extreme rarity, Then she looked at the counter and started to sputter…she was ready to shout some mild expletives when Max handed her the camera.

She didn’t think it was funny, she had seen this action many times and the dog had been punished many times for doing this very thing but leave it to Max to get a kick out of it and to take pictures. The dog was a comical sight but there was nothing funny about him eating their breakfast off the kitchen counter or anything else for that matter. She would just have to remember to put stuff in a much higher place. She completely forgot about setting the cake on the cookie rack to cool off before putting it in the cupboard. Oh well, since she wasn’t going to be teaching school today she could bake another one and proceeded to get the bowl, mixer, pan and ingredients out of the various cupboards while Shorty, Max and Jonesy continued with their part in the breakfast menu.

*

After everyone had been fed and the night crew was asleep Liz called JP into the kitchen for a pow-wow. The other four followed suit since they weren’t quite sure about the mornings activities so they sat in on the meeting.

“JP…do you remember meeting the Chief of detectives after Don broke into our house?”

“Yeah…he was that big gray haired dude.”

Liz smiled…

“Yes, that’s him. He called last night and wanted to know if you would mind going to the police station and identifying Joey and maybe talking to him.”

“Sure, I can do that. When are we going?”

“Just as soon as Daddy gets finished with his work at the facility and comes back for us. We aren’t going to go alone. Maybe you kids can go up and put some nicer clothes on today other than play clothes. You don’t have to put on church clothes but school clothes would be nice. Then when you’ve done that come on back down and we’ll read a book instead of having regular school today.”

“Oh goody…Can Olivia listen too?” Briana wanted to know.

“Of course she can if she wants to. She’ll be here soon. So all of you head on up and just change into something nicer while I clean up the kitchen. Did you make your beds?”

“Yes!” replied five little voices.

So off the five of them went and when Olivia arrived Liz asked her if she wanted to read “Fairy Tales” and grinned at her old friend. Olivia smiled back at her and winked.

“Been thinking about that all morning.”

And both women laughed as Olivia helped Liz put dishes away out of the dish washer. Then she noticed two large baking pans….

“Did Jack enjoy his breakfast?”

“According to Max he did. He even took a picture of it for me…I told him I was very familiar with the sight, don’t need reminders thank you very much and that I didn’t think it was funny but all of the men disagreed so I guess it’s a guy thing.”

“Liz, he does look funny sprawled out like that and you know it…even if it is a pain in the backside.”

“Yeah, I guess… I’d really like to take the broom to the little shit but I could never hurt him in a million years.”

“I know and maybe he deserves a cake every now and then.”

“Yeah, as good as he is with the kids I guess he does.”

*

Liz made her way to the back office to call the Chief just as the kids came down the back stairs. She told them to go into the library and wait for her and she’d be right in, then she made her phone call.

“Hey Chief…it’s Liz Ev… The clerk barely got the name out of his mouth…..Miz Evans…


“Yes, Liz Evans here? I spoke with JP this morning and he said he doesn’t mind talking to Joey at all so what time would you like us to come over this afternoon. My husband will be taking us so it definitely has to be after noon sometime.”

“Well…Mrs. Evans, how about we set things up for 2:00. That way everyone will have had their lunch and my men will be ready to sit in on the conversation as well. It will be done in the interrogation room and the rest of us will be behind the glass taking it all in. We don’t want to make JP uncomfortable.”

“Oh Chief…I don’t think anything will make JP uncomfortable but I’m sure Max will be with him while he does the talking. Max may be uncomfortable but JP will be fine.”

“Well, if you’re sure Mrs. Evans. We will be filming the conversation, I can’t call it an interrogation but it is definitely a conversation between a four year old and a criminal. I don’t want to have to call JP into court for an identification of the man if it isn’t necessary. I think, even though it’s a little out of the ordinary that this is the best way to go.”

“Alright then, we’ll see you at 2:00 p.m. Til then Chief.” And Liz hung up.

When she got to the library all five kids and Olivia were seated around the table and Briana had her book open and was ready to start reading aloud. The other four were seated with their hands folded on the library table in front of them and Liz wanted to giggle…it looked like a corporate meeting going on and she had to take a moment to compose herself before settling in to listen to the story at hand.

“Okay kids, before we get started I want to make sure that you understand that we are going to be discussing all of the characters in the story to make sure that we all know what the author intended us to learn so pay attention. Okay Briana, make sure you give us the title and the author’s name before beginning.” And everyone sat back and listened to the youngster read her story to the group sitting around the table. Liz and Olivia looked at each other and smiled as they watched the serious looks on their young faces.