by Jim Laughter
“We came by it quite by accident, sir,” Benjamin said. “It wasn’t part of our original investigation.”
“Doesn’t matter, son,” Wheeling said. “Men behaving like that while on duty protecting the President don’t deserve to be there.”
“Yes sir.”
Wheeling turned to Cooper.
“I knew your father, Cooper. He was a good man and a fine agent. I was sorry to hear about his death last year.”
“Thank you, sir. We still miss him a lot.”
“What are your plans now that you’ve solved this case?”
Cooper shrugged his shoulders, which was not exactly proper protocol when speaking to the Director of the FBI.
“Don’t know, sir. Guess I’ll pack up and head on back to Nashville.”
“Like hell you are,” Morris said.
He and Truck had joined the group, Morris holding another glass of whiskey and Truck still holding the half empty bottle.
“Sir?” Cooper asked.
“Is that what you wanna do, rook? Go back to Nashville and chase moonshiners and Elvis sightin's?”
“Well sir, I…”
“Hells bells boy, I’m offerin' to take you onto my team of Cracker Jack investigators like I done with Reverend George here. You can see how good’a influence I’ve been on him, can’t ya?”
“Well sir…”
“Besides, I need me a driver and somebody to fetch me coffee. You reckon you can handle it?”
Cooper thought about Morris’ offer to join his team of investigators. He’d be working alongside his friend George and would probably be involved in any number of exciting and dangerous cases. He’d be able to do the work he’d joined the agency to do instead of making coffee and carrying out the trash in Nashville.
It would honor the memory of my dad and maybe leave a meaningful legacy. But Dear God in heaven, what kind’a hell would I be letting myself in for working for this crazy son of a bitch?
“Well I…”
“Wouldn’t you rather stay here and do something worthwhile?” Keller asked. “You could keep George company and maybe even deflect some of the crap Morris throws at him. You might even learn something.”
“Yes ma’am, I suppose so,” he surrendered.
God help me.
“You call me ma’am again and I’ll be the one packing your ass back to Tennessee,” Keller admonished the young agent with fake seriousness.
“Yes ma’am,” Cooper stammered. “I mean, LK.”
Cooper turned to his friend George Benjamin.
“What'cha think, George?”
Benjamin draped his arm around Cooper’s shoulders.
“Do you remember that frying pan and fire we talked about at the airport when you first got here?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well partner, you’re about to jump right out of one into the other.”
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the following people for helping me make this as good a book as I could make it. Each of them read it pre-publication and offered insightful suggestions on how I could make it a little smoother, say the same thing with fewer words, and draw the reader into the text.
First, I want to thank my wife, Wilma Laughter, who read every page time and again both during and after I’d finished the manuscript. Without her insightful visions and constant encouragement, I don’t know if I would have ever finished this project.
Secondly, I’d like to thank my friends, best-selling author William (Bill) Bernhardt and husband-wife writer team, Bill and Pam Wetterman, that took time out of their busy schedules to read the manuscript and offer their honest critiques. It isn’t often that a writer can pick the brains of more talented writers and gain precious knowledge on how to improve one’s work. Their keen eye for detail helped me straighten out curves in a sometimes twisted narrative.
Thanks again, friends.
About the Author
Jim Laughter served in the U.S. Air Force for 20-years with tours of duty in Texas, the Philippines, Japan, Louisiana, and England, traveled extensively through Asia and Europe, and retired as a Master Sergeant in 1991. Jim’s education includes Los Angeles Community College, the Community College of the Air Force, the Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officers Academy, and finally, the University of Maryland.
Originally from the rural farming community of Kellyville, Oklahoma, Jim and his wife since 1971, Wilma, live in Tulsa, Oklahoma near their three sons (Sam, Ben, and Jon), their wives, and their five grandchildren—Abby, Daniel, Robbie, Lydia, and Shawn.
Jim is a former president of the Tulsa NightWriters, a 65-year old writing group that helps writers become published. He is also a registered speaker with the Oklahoma Library Association. He enjoys visiting rotary clubs, libraries, high schools, and junior high schools speaking about writing, publishing, editing, and other creative subjects. When time permits, Jim enjoys fishing and playing tournament poker. He also enjoys traveling with his wife and family, seeing the wonders of America, and experiencing the many flavors of life that only this great country can offer.
Jim is the creator of Galactic Axia, a fictional commonwealth of planets, and is the author of the Galactic Axia series of science fiction adventure books.
You may see other projects in which Jim is involved at jimlaughter.com, and follow him on Facebook.
