I’m working on my photos of my trip to Asia and have my written portion done. I do a daily diary so when I return the story has already been written. The first installment is at the end of this chapter of “The Bad Seed.”

In the mean time here is more of Jay and “The Bad Seed.”

Chapter Ten

“Hey honey, I’m going down to the police station. I need to do downtown and see if I can get any more information about the mess at my sister’s house. I’m leaving now.”

“Alright dear, but don’t be too long. I’m going to start dinner at six.”

“I’ll be back by then.” Jay looked at the clock and it was just one thirty in the afternoon. He walked out into the garage after kissing his wife good-bye. She was lying on the couch reading. He made sure the door into the garage was closed before he got the ladder down and went into the suitcase. No need to start her wondering what he might be up to.

Jay opened the suitcase and looked at it’s contents. “Who was responsible for this deal gone wrong?” he wondered as he looked at the neatly stacked money and the weed. Jay put a small amount of weed into a plastic bag and took the gun from the suit case. It surly had been stolen sometime in the dim past.

Who knew what it had been involved in. He put it in his holster instead of his own weapon. He grabbed his golf bag and put the weed in the side pouch with several golf balls. Then he walked over to the car and placed the bag into the car and settled in.

He made sure that his gun was in his holster under his windbreaker and backed slowly out of the of the garage. The shined on the clear, clean finish of his dark blue car.

His neighbor looked at him with a smile as he sat in his garage with a drink in his hand. It was a cocktail of some sort. He was not a beer drinker, that was for sure. His tastes ran a little higher than thanJay’s. He had some real money behind him and it showed.

Jay had been over to his place a few times and was impressed by some of what the fellow had collected over the years. He had a few nice cars, one of them a Porsche 911and the other a Rolls Royce. He had a, rare old Harley and an Indian Motor Cycle to boot.

Chuck was nice enough, but Jay had little in common with him. Jay was more of the common man while this guy was the upper executive type with a degree in looking down on most folks. He was alright but a little full of himself. Jay knew the type. They were tough in the office but useless out in the real world if trouble showed up. Chuck would be the first to crumble under pressure or fear. He had too much to loose.

Jay didn’t dislike him. Chuck was just from a different world. His neighbor was from the world of the Hamptons and Jay was from the world of the alleys and junkies. No harm, no foul. Just two guys from two different worlds who might have hit it off if Jay was interested in the nicer side of life. Jay was happy with who he was and where he had ended up landing. His landing in a place like he now lived was unforeseen. Being alive at fifty-nine was a distant possibility or so he thought when he was eighteen and reckless. he could have ended up on the wrong side of the jail bars if things didn’t work out the way they had. But that was ancient history now and he and Julie had it made, as far as he could tell.

He had done a goos job with the kids along with Julie and now they were living the good life, even if it was a little boring. It now looked as if that might change just a little. Jay felt obligated to protect his nephew and his less deserving sister. He knew that the police would only show up after his sister and her son were killed or injured. That was just the way the world operated. He had to stop that, if he could. He had an idea just how he might do that.

Jay found Oscar’s Bar and looked it over. It wasn’t much to speak of at first glance. It was a large stucco building set back a little from the street. It had no windows of course. Most bars like this like a dark atmosphere for hide the kind of things that go inside.

Everyone feels safe and protected by the darkness around them. Not everyone going in there was a criminal, but there were enough to make a stop there worth while, or so Jay thought. There was no doubt about that as far as jay was concerned. He had already been told by a reliable source that there was a connection there to his sister’s situation.That’s why he had the weed with him. He thought that he might start making some inquires and let some folks know he was dealing a little on the side.

Jay felt bad about not telling his wife the full truth about his activities on this day. But he shoved those feelings into the back of his brain. As he drove up to the bar he decided to go to see the chief of police first. That thought surprised him initially, but then he realized that his wife’s feelings and ideas were rubbing off on him. She was right about getting involved and he knew it.

He passed Oscar’s and turned left at the light to go down to the police station. That action made what he had told his wife at least partially true.

He pulled up in front of the police station and parked on the street. He had lost his parking privileges after his retirement. He saw a few friends walking out of the building and waved back at them as they passed by. He entered through the double wide glass doors and found himself feeling like he was home again. He always felt like that when he arrived at work. Now it was different but the feelings were still there. he knew the gut running the metal detector and they said hi to each other as Jay emptied his pockets and went through. He had left the gun under the front seat of the car.

“Hey Jay, how the heck are you?” one police officer in uniform said as he passed by Jay. “Doing great, but a little bored at home. I thought I might come by and see the chief. Do you think they have an opening for an old dog who might want to learn a few new tricks.” The man laughed as Jay passed him and then came to the chief’s secretary’s desk.

“Hey Barbara, is the chief Jones available for a minute or two? I just wanted to stop by and say hello for a moment.”

“Sure Jay, I’ll buzz him and see what kind of mood he is in at the moment. This mess at your sister’s house has him and a few others up in arms and at a loss as to just how to proceed at the moment. Is that why you’ve stopped by? To check up o the investigation?”

She pressed the button and the chief answered in his usual gruff voice. “Chief, Jay is out here and he wants to talk to you.”

“Send him in for christ’s sake. I was going to call him today anyway. I want to have a little cghat with him.”

The secretary looked up at Jay and smiled. “He’s the same as ever. Very predictable.”

“That’s the best of his many good qualities Barbara.”

Jay walked past the secretary and into the chief’s small office and sat down without being asked. The two men were friends after working together for more years than they cared to think about. The office looked the same with piles of paper on the chief’s desk and a row of filing cabinets standing at attention behind him. To his left were several law books and the criminal Code book sitting in a book shelf that looked more like something you might see at home. It wasn’t grey metal like all the other furniture in the office.

“Hey Jay, how the hell are you. Miss this place much? I hear you’ve been hitting the little white ball a little.”

“Yes Chief, but not very well. That’s a game that takes a lot of practice and I still find it a little silly if I were to be honest with you. i like a rougher type of activity when I’m bored to tell you the truth. and drinking all day with those golfers doesn’t interest me much.”

“Well speaking of being honest Jay, what do you think went down at your sister’s place the other night? Is your nephew up to something over there. It’s got us all thinking a few different things and none of them make much sense. What’s your gut feeling about this?”

“Funny you should ask. My sources on the street say that it was a mix up from beginning to end. I have complete faith in my sources. And now my family is in the middle of it and are in danger. I’ve talked to my nephew and he’s been pretty straight with me. Most of what he says rings true as far as I can tell. I thought I might come down and offer some help if I might. No charge and no talking to the press. I promise.”

“What do you have on your mind?” and be careful, I’m your friend but I’m still a cop even if I sit behind this crappy desk all day while your buddies get all the exercise and glory.”

“I have some information which I will gladly share with you. The details are interesting if not out of the ordinary. I have a lead on what might have happened and want to get back in here on an unofficial way if possible to help out. I have few things I need help with from you and then I’ll go about my business and keep you in the loop but out of trouble. You know that I will keep my promise on this case. I always keep my promises. It’s important to me.”

“What do you want? Is it legal, by the way?”

“Well, I suppose it’s close to the line but not a real problem as I see it. I just need a fake rap sheet about a mile long made up for me so I can do a little undercover work in my free time. I need it to show me up in Humboldt County and getting busted now and then but with no convictions for drug sales. I have lots of free time at the moment and the golf thing is wearing thin. I want to cover my backside with the paper work just in case the bad guys have access to any information in our files.”

“What about Julie, How does she feel about this?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, she’s not up to speed yet on the whole thing. I am just working the details out as we speak and you are the first stop on that road. If I can’t get your help then I’m out in the cold and probably can’t move forward safely. I think the fake rap sheet is my insurance on this one. I already know a few of the characters in play and will fill you in on that as soon as we move forward.”

“I think it sounds like a good idea as long as you keep me well informed. I can swear you in as a deputy again in secret, so to speak, and then you will be working within the boundary of the law.

I have only a few requests Jay. Please do keep me informed and do let Julie know what your up to. I don’t want her pissed off at me. That’s the last thing I need. My wife is all I can handle and that’s a load of work. What do you say to those parameters?”

“I think I can work under those terms. The hard part will be telling Julie, of course. She likes the life we have now and doesn’t want me to get hurt, obviously. But I think I might be able to handle this situation better than your office and I have lots of time that will cost the city nothing.”

“Is your life insurance still in force. Your not as young as you once were. Is there enough to take care of your wife if this plan of yours goes south?”

“Yes, but she will surely be upset if I get myself hurt. But this is something I feel that I have to do and I have the skills to do it. I’m still in shape and my mind is as sharp as ever. I’ve been doing the crossword puzzles lately.”

“Funny Jay. Let’s do it then.”

The chief picked up his phone and asked his secretary to call Sally Richards down in records.

The phone rang twice and then was answered.

“Sally Jones, records.”

“Sally this is the chief.”

“Hello sir, how are you?” She recognized his voice instantly. “Great. Listen to me carefully. I’m sending Jay down to you for some help. He needs some items created. It’s a little unusual but do as he asks and do it as fast as possible. It’s very important and don’t ask any questions. The less you know the better off you’ll be if issues arise latter.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting. Send him down sir. I’m already bored this morning and it’s still early.” The chief hung up the phone. He was a tall man with some meat on his bones. He had been a cop for many years before taking the spot behind the desk that he now held. He looked like a Marine with a thick neck and arms and a short neat haircut. His grey eyes told little about what was going on behind them but made you feel secure if you were on his side of an issue.

The chief stood up and shook Jay’s his hand. He looked a little worried to Jay.

“There you go Jay. You keep up your end of the bargain or you and I will have loads of trouble all around us. And worst of all both our wives will have us by the you know what. I can deal with the powers that be but the wife is a different matter.”

“I’ll do my best chief, thanks for the assistance and trust.”

“An easy decision Jay. I know who you are and what you are capable of. I’m not worried a bit. Just make sure you tell Julie about this or will both be in deep trouble.”

“Yes chief, that’s going to be the hardest part of this whole thing. Dealing with these drug dealers is always fun and interesting. Half of them are stoned and the other half are smart but just vicious. I thought the legal weed stores would have ended all of this but I guess we were wrong. I wanted weed to be made legal to free up some of our time on duty but it seems to have changed little.”

“There’s not enough legal weed out there Jay. The demand is still much higher than the legal supply, sadly. I don’t think we will ever get rid of this nasty drug business unless we get some serious penalties and enforce them.”

“Sadly, I think your right chief. Thanks for the help. I didn’t want to take on this venture without being up front with you and the department.”

That’s the right decision Jay. I don’t want to have to lock you up and have your family and friends read about it in the papers. But remember, I don’t want my friends and family reading about me either.”

Jay walked back to his car with a feeling of satisfaction and dread. Satisfied that he did the right thing by the chief and the feeling of dread that was attached to telling his wife of his plan.

Jay left the police station and made a u-turn and headed back by Oscar’s. The gun under the seat slid forward and touched his right heel. He parked across the street and placed the gun back in the holster under his jacket. He sat and watched the place for a while. It was early but there were a few people already coming in for their first drink of the day.

After about twenty minutes, a large fellow in cowboy boots and a white cowboy hat entered the building. He matched the description that his long time buddy and CI had given him. He had parked his Cadillac in the parking lot on the side of Oscar’s. The car was very clean and tidy. The parking lot was not. The asphalt was full of low spots and holes and was in need of repair. Trash lay in small clumps created by the wind next to the building and the trash dumpster near the back of the lot. Jay filed the vision of the parking lot in his memory and after another ten minutes, left for home.

He drove slower than usual as he tried to create a story that would let him off the hook with his wife and still allow him to do what he knew had to be done.

“This life is never as simple as one would like it,” he thought as he pulled into the driveway.

___________ __________ ____________ ___________ _____________

This is the first entry from my latest trip to Asia.

It’s three o:clock and were leaving Bali behind us. A storm is brewing and were trying to stay ahead of it. We got into Bali late in the evening last night. We spent the next day on the beach here in Bali. It doesn’t take long to burn here near the equator, so keep that in mind when you come here.

The weather has been overcast since we came on board the ship. The mood on the ship is odd. The crew seems a little downcast. It’s not like most of the cruises I’ve been on before. Well have to see about that. There is a story here, I’m sure.

We have a nice room with a veranda. I like to have a view as I have a little claustrophobia. The ship holds around six hundred people and two thirds are going around the world. Some have paid $120,000.00 per couple. We are interlopers and just going from Bali to Japan.

Our part of the cruise is sixteen days and we will spend ten days in Japan after we arrive there.

We read in the library today. Why have they put a puzzle in the library? It never ceases to amaze me when the library is used as a hallway or for other activities. It is a library. Do we know what a library is supposed to be. “A quiet place to find books to read and to read in silence.” My wife is reading the “The Winds of War” and I am reading “Cafe on the Nile.” They both take place at the beginning of WW ll. My book is about the Italians in Ethiopia and some other interesting events and characters. The book was very well written by Barrell Bull, who has a very interesting back story.

So we are off on another adventure. Something is up on the ship, I know it and I will find out just what it is and tell you all about it.