Jay pushed the button for his garage door as he approached his ranch style home. He saw the beautiful houses all around his and remembered where he came from. Where he lived now was a far cry from the type of neighborhood he had grown up in as a young child.

His father, Karl Kirby, had started out his adult life selling insurance with little experience or expectations. He soon found himself doing very well with the help of his wife Martha, Jay’s mother, who had dreams of acquiring some wealth at some point in her life. The two married young and thought that they could do anything they set their minds to.

It was America after all and the war was just over and it seemed that money was lying all over the place and ready to be picked up off of the ground like fall leaves. “Youth and innocence do help one through the rough times,” Karl often said about those distant times. Martha was a good woman at heart, but over the years and as they became more affluent, she drank more and changed. And not for the better, sadly.

The garage door opened as Jay pulled into his driveway. He saw Julie’s golf bag leaning against the center column between the two front doors of the three car garage. Her black Mustang sat in its usual spot, nearest to the door of the garage into the house. Jay turned off his car and climbed out. He was glad to see that her routine hadn’t changed like his had. He opened her car trunk and put the bag into it and closed it softly.

“Hey honey, I”m home,” Jay yelled as he came in from the garage.

“Great dear, I’ just about ready to leave. I’m playing golf today with the girls. It was her regular golf day at the club. Most of the guys hated ladies day, but this worked out perfect for Jay.

“I know, I put your bag in the trunk of the car. At least he wind isn’t too bad yet, so you should be alright on the fairways for a while,” he said as he entered the kitchen. “Yes. It’s my short game that needs work anyway. Thanks for putting the bag in the car for me. Give me a kiss. What are you up to today?” Jay walked over to her and kissed her with a smile.

“I’ve got to make a few calls. One to the chief. I’m having dinner in town tonight by the way. I’ll probably be home late.”

“Well, don’t do anything stupid. You know I’m not to happy about this venture you’re involved in at the moment. Don’t say anything about it to me. The less I know the better I’ll feel. Just know that I’ll be really pissed if something happens to you.”

“Right dear. Everything is going to be just fine.” Jay hugged his wife under the bright ceiling and then saw the view through the wide window of the kitchen as he did so. It was another beautiful day in the dessert. The small plants in his large back yard shimmered in the wind. The palm trees swayed out near the golf course. The, almost blue mountains, sat off in the distance.

“I guess I’ll be home before you then Jay.” “Yes, I’ll be rather late I assume.” Well you know that I trust you but let me remind you that I have an awful temper when I have reason to.” Julie waved her left hand under Jay’s face and showed him her wedding ring the large diamonds. Jay looked down at his beautiful wife and spoke,”You have no reason to worry dear, you know that.”

Like his father and mother, Jay and Julie had started out life with nearly nothing as most folks do. They worked hard, went to school at night to improve their careers and made a great life for themselves. Soon, Julie was able to quit working and have their first baby. Julie’s wedding ring was modest at the wedding. But over the years they had added larger stones as they were able to. It was Jay’s idea. Each stone marked a special event in their lives. Three of them stood for their children.

Jay watched his wife as she drove off. Julie knew she had nothing to worry about when it came to Jay’s fidelity.

Jay wasn’t lying to Julie, he seldom did that. Sometimes when he was working he downplayed the danger he was in but he never lied to her about other matters. He trusted her to run the house and never questioned her about where the money went. She trusted him about everything he did. That was how a marriage should be, they both agreed.

Jay walked into his large office and noticed that the hedge under his window needed trimming. As he ran the thought through his head a truck pulled up and three men climbed out and soon were at work in his yard and those around him.

Jay didn’t remember the schedule for the gardeners. He had other matters on his mind. There were no fences around the front yards. The large mower with the man sitting on it slowly went down the entire street mowing all of the lawns as the other two men trimmed bushes. They raked the cuttings into large tarps lying on the ground.

Jay sat down and looked up the chief’s private number and dialed it. “Hello boss, it’s Jay. Can you talk?”

“Sure, I’m alone here in my office. What’s up? How is everything going?”

“Well, pretty good so far. I have some people in place and a plan in motion. I’ve seen the man that I need to make contact with. I’m doing that tonight at Oscar’s.”

“Good. We have had that place under surveillance. Who’s that young fellow we saw you with at the cafe by the way?” Jay was surprised at that comment. “And the woman?”

“I have put a little team together.” “Good, that should make your job a little easier, but I know nothing if the stuff hits the fan.” “I get it Chief. I’m just thankful that you let me do my thing on this one.”

“I owe it to you. Just don’t screw it up and make me look bad Jay.” “I won’t. Hey, do you think you might send a few guys to Oscar’s tonight just in case something blows up?” “It’s already in the works. That fellow that you are working on is named “Cheeto”. He has a long record going back decades. We ran him just to see what he’s all about. Be careful, he can be a rough customer.”

“Yes, I was up close to him and he does seem fit and tightly wrapped, so to speak. “It doesn’t take much to set him off as far as I can tell by his record Jay. Keep that in mind.”

“I will chief. I called to tell you about him and some other things, but it looks like you’re way ahead of me.” “We have our eyes on you Jay, you can depend on us to some degree. But you know that our response usually happens after the fact most of the time so keep that in mind as you move forward.” “Yes chief, thanks. I’ll talk to you in a few days unless something awful happens.”

Jay hung up the phone and walked back into the garage. Jay put on some gardening gloves and walked over to his ladder. He grabbed the yellow fiberglass ladder and set it up next to his car. He took the suit case down from the rafters. He set it on his long work bench that ran the width of the garage along the back wall. His garage was clean and tidy. Every tool in its place.

He leaned down and found the can of wide rubber bands where it always sat. He opened the suit case and took the bundles of money out and placed them on the top of his bench. Fifty thousand dollars doesn’t take up that much space when its in bundles of fifty dollar bills. He wrapped each bundle with a wide rubber band and set each one in a pile to his left. When he was done with al of the bundles of money, he cut off the paper bank wrappers off and placed the money back in the suit case. He put those wrappers into a large envelope and placed that on the top of the work bench. “This might be evidence later,” he thought as he carefully placed them in the envelope.He put the money back in the tattered suitcase and put it in his car, except for two bundles. He put his ladder back in place and went back to his office with the envelope in his hand.

The house was eerily quiet with his wife gone and the television turned off. It seemed odd to him. His house had always been a bee hive of activity when the kids were growing up. It wasn’t always this house, but the kids did live here a few years before they started out on their own lives with wives and husbands.

Jay had a few hours to kill before meeting David and Susan at her place for dinner and a little makeup. The thought seemed odd to him at first, but he knew it was a good idea.

He looked at his phone and set an alarm just in case he fell asleep. He gave himself an hour to get himself together and to reach Susan’s home. He knew the neighborhood where she was located. That was one advantage of being a cop. It was a very nice area with fine homes and little crime.

____________ __________ _____________

I’m putting more up later today, Saturday. I’m taking some time away from tennis due to an injury so I have more time for this nonsense. By the way, I’ll be back on stage on May 6th at Mallainy’s Grill in Long Beach, Ca. to tell another true six minute story. There will be many others telling stories as well.

Don”t miss “Mrs. Vee” if you like this novel. Mrs. Vee is on the trail of the men who killed her husband, Lucky. She will not be stopped. Don’t miss meeting those around her who help her on her adventure. The full novel is finished and will be up soon but the novella is on Amazon now.