The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “I guess since I didn’t mention Johnny, I failed to mention he turned traitor on Beginnings.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “Guess not. Want me to fill you in right now?”

  “Maybe . . . maybe later.” Jimmy sat down. “Let’s just work on deceiving Hadley.” He pushed the phone forward. “Make the first call.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Bertha had taken a few days off of work due to menstrual cramps that were worsened by a bad case of food poisoning from old beef jerky. The several days off seemed like a lifetime and seemed even longer because she hadn’t been briefed on what she had missed.

  She watched George on the phone. His face went through a plethora of emotions. Sadness, anger, hope.

  George hung up, swiped his hand slowly down his face, and turned to Bertha. “That was Boyens.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No not really. He delivered news. Good and bad. He thinks they found a trail to the defector camp. That was his bad news.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “Not really. We know we have defectors. It’s about goddamn time he got some answers. Finding them is good news. He says they are estimating at least a hundred.”

  Bertha whistled. “That’s more than I expected.”

  “Well, you can see how they are pulling off what they’re doing. A Jeep is missing now from there as well. That’s how they found the trail.”

  “Did they find the Jeep?” Bertha questioned.

  “No. But they . . . but they found . . . they found a shoe.”

  “A shoe?” Bertha was lost.

  “They think it belonged to Johnny.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Wait. Wait.” George held up his hand. “The good news is, Jess is interrogating a man now that has been working as an insider for the defectors. This man says Johnny is alive and they plan on using him as a hostage for some sort of ransom arrangement.”

  In disgust, Bertha breathed out. “He’s just a boy. They’re using him as a bargaining tool.”

  “Not unless we find him first.”

  “Should we prepare to send troops?” Bertha asked.

  “Not for a hundred men. No. Jess feels confident they can handle it and will call if they can’t.”

  “Things are finally looking up.”

  “Yes. Yes, they are. As soon as I secure this Lodi situation, I can safely say, . .” George smiled. “Things are falling into place for me.”

  ^^^^

  The wispy ‘whoa’ from Frank was filled with awe as he held the paper. His eyes lit up.

  Perturbed, Dean glanced up from the dining room table. “Frank . . .”

  “This is too cool, Dean.”

  “It’s an idea. Now can we . . .”

  “Will this really work?” Frank asked.

  “Yes. Hopefully.”

  “When will I be able to issue them to my men?”

  “You won’t. They’re for Containment residents. A game.”

  “Dean. No,” Frank said. “This is fuckin awesome. A freeze gun. I have to have one.”

  “I’ll get one made for you. Now can I . . .”

  “Are there any long term effects?”

  Dean grunted.

  “I need to know.”

  “So do I, about this, so will you quit changing the subject,”

  “You showed me this.” Frank lifted the paper.

  “We’ll talk about that later.” Dean snatched the paper from Frank. “Can we deal with this?”

  “Sure.” Frank turned his head to aim his voice elsewhere. “Bill! Hurry up with the bath! I have to use the bathroom! Fuck, he’s been in there an hour. I’m gonna have to start calling him baby Ha . . .” Frank paused before saying the name ‘Hal’. “Baby Huey. Yeah.”

  “What? Dean laughed. “If you have to go, use my bathroom.”

  “I can’t. You have the squishy seat. I feel like I’m sinking.” Frank pulled out a dining room chair and sat down. “Between the linen closet bathroom and the squishy seat, I feel trapped when I sit.”

  “That’s more information than I needed.”

  “You asked.”

  “I didn’t ask about your bodily functions.”

  “Dean, you did.”

  “Frank, I didn’t. Can we please, please, deal with this?”

  Frank huffed out. “Fine.”

  “Now I know you’re starting the investigation into my chip manipulation tomorrow. I just think he’s a good start.”

  “Dean . . .”

  “Hear me out. He’s the perfect suspect.”

  “Okay.” Frank remained calm. “I’ll agree with you on that. I’ll also agree that he had means and opportunity. But, Dean.” Frank tilted his head. “I just don’t think my brother Hal is the one who messed with your chip. I don’t.”

  “He’s a asshole.”

  “I know but he’s not smart enough.” Frank winked. “I’ll start with Misha, Ben and Todd, and a few other lesbian broads tomorrow. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll find out who did this. I will.”

  “It’s a crime, Frank.”

  “I agree.”

  “Not to mention extremely embarrassing,” Dean said. “I cringe, really cringe when I think of some of the things I said.”

  “Especially to Josephine.”

  Dean cringed.

  Frank laughed. “Do you remember them all?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  Frank laughed louder. “How about . . .”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “No how about when you said to her . . .” Frank had to stop to catch his breath for a second. “You’re my fantasy and I can’t get enough of you.”

  Slowly Dean shook his head in disbelief. “Or better yet . . . please let me touch your feet and please you.”

  Just as both of them were about to jokingly cringed aloud in disgust, another voice did it for them.

  “Why?” Billy walked into the room. “Why must I always step into the wrong moments of your intimate conversations?”

  Frank shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t know. Your dad loves my feet.”

  “Frank,” Dean said, annoyed. “Stop it.”

  “You’re the one who can’t control yourself around me. I keep telling you no, you can’t touch my feet but you . . .”

  “Frank, enough. Go to the bathroom,” Dean ordered.

  “Oh. Okay. Thanks for reminding me.” Standing Frank ran his hand across Billy’s hair as he passed him and walked out.

  Dean saw his son staring. “What, Bill?”

  “Since you’ve instructed him like Alex, he’s not gonna start to wiggle around like her too, is he?”

  “No. I don’t think so,” Dean replied.

  “Good.” Billy sat at the table. “Because I’ll tell you, you two are embarrassing enough. Sometimes it seems like you two are the ones that are married.”

  Dean chuckled and spoke without thinking. “Yeah, sometimes I think we should be married,”

  “Oh my God.” Horrified, Billy flew from the table.

  “What? Bill?” Quickly, Dean turned as Billy darted away. “I didn’t mean it like . . . oh well.” After shrugging, Dean returned to working on his argument, whether Frank liked it or not, on why Hal was guilty.

  ^^^^

  Ellen giggled.

  The brown canvass coat she wore was four times too big for her, but she didn’t mind. Her legs were propped up on the railing of Mike’s porch as she sat back, on the phone.

  “Tell me again, Frank,” she snickered. ‘But imitate him for me.” She listened then laughed. “That is so funny. Me? No. I’m fine. Yeah. Lodi is great. Um . . .” She looked up. “Nothing is better than Beginnings but it is beautiful here . . . amazingly it’s about fifty degrees. Not at all. I have this coat on of Mike’s.” She pulled at the jacket. “Oh, quit it. Mike’s great. Don’t listen to Robbie. He said that before he met Mike. Frank. Check this out.” She curled up her legs. “I’m looking at a lantern. Yeah, a lanter
n. Oh, Frank, this is a big old house, with a huge front porch. It’s real, Frank,” she spoke peacefully. “It’s very real.”

  Johnny released the curtain on the front door, ran his hand over his head, and backed up.

  “Still on the phone?” Tigger asked.

  “Yeah, with my Dad.”

  “Are you able to hear if he asked about you?”

  “Yeah, I could hear,” Johnny said. “I don’t think he did.” He began to walk down the hall but paused in the archway of the living room. His eyes closed at the sound of Robbie’s laughter.

  “Why . . . why don’t you just pass through there? Go on.”

  “I can’t, Tig.” Johnny turned around. “Uncle Robbie doesn’t want to see me.”

  “He says that but he’s here, at your house. I think he’s waiting on you.”

  Again, Johnny shook his head. “No. I will though. Before he leaves, I will say hello. I will approach him. He can walk away from me.” Johnny took a deep breath. “But he won’t walk away from me without hearing that I love him.”

  Robbie’s head cocked. His eyes shifted to the flow of words that carried to him and he caught glimpse of Johnny as a moving blur. A lump formed in his throat, the smile dropped, but only for an instant. He regained his composure and returned to the conversation at hand.

  “Again,” Mike said. “I state, you’re an asshole, Lars.”

  “Honest, Mike. Honest.” Lars smiled. “Well.” He peered at his watch. “Look at the time. If you are ready, my new one armed friend, we can go shoot some pool and I’ll tell more tales about or fine chief of Lodi.”

  “Sounds good.” Robbie looked at Mike. “You’ll watch Ellen, right?”

  “With my life,” Mike replied.

  Lars mumbled, “Watch her on the phone.”

  Mike grumbled and extended a hand to Robbie, “It’s great to have you in Lodi, Robbie. I enjoy your company.”

  “Same here.” Robbie shook hands.

  “Easy there, Mike.” Lars reached forth and separated the hands. “That arm is new. That untapped simian strength may just undo all the work the bean head Dr. Hayes has performed.”

  Robbie laughed. “I love this guy.” He pointed at Lars.

  Mike shook his head. “You’re the only one. I’ll walk you to the door.”

  Robbie took his coat off the back of a chair and headed to the hall. “Coffee was good. See ya tomorrow, Mike?”

  Before Mike could answer, Lars did. “If Ellen will be there, I assure you, so will the stalker.”

  “Will you just shut up?” Mike snapped. “My God, is . . .”

  Lars paused in the open screen door. Mike stopped mid sentence then he noticed where Mike’s attention was, on Ellen. Lars motioned his head at Mike as he directed his words to Robbie. “See? Stalker.”

  Mike grunted then cleared his throat. “Good night, gentlemen.” He poked his head out of the door. “Ellen? Do you need anything?”

  Ellen lowered the phone and smiled. “I’m fine, Mike, thank you.”

  “Aw.” Lars teased. “She’s fine. Aren’t you sweet?”

  Robbie snickered.

  “Night.” Mike closed the door.

  “No, Frank,” Ellen spoke on the phone. “I wasn’t blowing you off for Mike. Stop it. Don’t be jealous. Well, yeah . . . I think he’s hot.”

  Lars turned back to the house and opened the door. “Mike, she called you hot.” He closed it. “Let’s go, Robbie.”

  Robbie walked over to Ellen. “Night, El.” He kissed her on the cheek.

  “Oh, night, Robbie. I love you.” She returned the kiss. “Frank says he loves you too.”

  “Love you, Frank!” Robbie yelled to the phone. “Love ya, El. Night.” He joined Lars who waited by the porch step.

  “So, go on, Frank, what was that?” Ellen asked. “Now, see, why would Dean say that about Lars?”

  Lars stopped cold. After a quick turn of his heels, he rushed back to the porch. “What did Dean say about me?”

  “Oh.” Ellen lowered the phone. “Odd. He called you a horse doctor.”

  Lars bit his bottom lip and saw red. “Well inform Frank he can tell that arrogant, sniffling, whiney, rectal impaling little twit . . . to bite me.” Lars nodded once, turned, and walked away.

  Ellen was stunned for a moment then her attention was drawn back to the phone. “Frank?” she called him. “Frank? Stop laughing.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  It was a lot different for Jess being in Jimmy’s house than it was the night before. Not only were they a lot less people–actually he and Jimmy were it–but he felt differently about his host. James turned into Jimmy, a familiar face, a familiar essence, in the blink of an eye.

  Of course, he did have the Slagel quirks.

  One of which was the perturbing ability to move about in no particular direction while thinking. Jimmy could have sat down and made a list of the sought items out. Instead he moved about his house at a rapid pace.

  Jimmy walked from the hallway and laid a box on the couch next to Jess. “Found it,” he said. “Now where is the other one?”

  “Whoa.” Jess stood up. “Jim, you do know we will walk a good distance. You can’t take all this stuff.”

  “I brought it here in one duffle I’ll take it with me in one duffle. I don’t care if I have to leave my clothes behind. That stuff is the family memorabilia I brought from my house.”

  “What? No way?” Jess said, his extended hand reaching into the box. “Oh, shit.” He snickered at a picture of Robbie in a baseball uniform. “This is way . . .” His eye saw it then his hand reached for it, a video.

  “That . . . that is funny.” Jimmy pointed.

  Jess read the label. ‘Game show’. “I know.”

  “You know?”

  “I saw it.”

  “How could you see it? I’m the only one who has a copy. The only two were lost.”

  “No. This is Frank on Jeopardy, right?”

  “Frank on Jeopardy?” Jimmy asked with a laugh. “No I haven’t seen that in forever. Who has Frank on Jeopardy?”

  “Frank.”

  “I have to see that.” He started to walk away.

  “Hold it. If this isn’t Frank on Jeopardy, what is this?”

  “Us on Family Feud.”

  Jess shrieked.

  Jimmy blocked off his ear. “That was really female sounding.”

  “Sorry.” Jess laughed. “You guys, all you guys, on Family Feud, the TV show?”

  “Yeah. Frank was the game show freak. He got on a ton, including that one. Most shows never aired because, well . . . Frank. But he got us on that show because he sent forty letters to the producers telling them about the real life feud our family had with a family in our neighborhood. Us boys had the feud since we were young.”

  “Not the Wesley family.”

  “Now, for sure I am without a doubt convinced you know my family. You heard of the Wesley’s.”

  “Not until Hal arrived. He’s still waiting for this Cory person to show up. Joe keeps telling him, Hal get over it.”

  “Hal hated him.”

  “When was this?”

  “Oh man, I couldn’t tell you. I was twenty-five, so Frank was twenty-seven, Hal, twenty-three, Robbie, twenty. My dad . . .”

  “Forty six. You have to let me watch this,” Jess pleaded.

  “Now?”

  “Now. Please?”

  Jimmy shrugged. “Sure. Have a seat.” Taking the tape, Jimmy walked over to the television, turned it on, and put the tape in the player. “Get ready. This is something you’ll never forget.”

  The opening of the video showed it was a professional tape straight from the studio. The set, people were walking about and microphones being checked. Jess had to laugh at the young Slagels. All the brothers were dressed in the military uniforms, Joe in his typical white button down shirt and tie.

  The countdown started not only on the screen but vocally as well. The music played and the announcer spoke, “T
he real life feud has been going on for over fifteen years. Now it’s time to come to an end. They want revenge for being targets to a bully family. Meet, Kevin, Karen, Wallaby, Casey, and Cory. The Wesley family.”

  The audience applauded.

  The announcer continued with his deep passion filled voice, “And they just want the world to know how badly the Wesley family . . .” he paused and lost all emotions. “Suck? Um, meet Joe, Frank, Hal, Jimmy, and Robbie. The Slagel family.”

  The Slagels cheered and made loud vocal barking noises as they emerged from their stage cage and raced to the podium with exuberance, giving each other high fives.

  “Now here is your host . . . Louie Melrose.”

  Bubbly, Louie came out waving to the audience then he clapped his hand together once. “Thank you. Thank you. Let’s get a round of applause for our two families, The Wesley’s and the Slagels.” Louie allowed for the applause. “Folks, this is a real life feud, I kid you not. These two families hate each other.”

  Frank’s loud, ‘yeah’ rang out.

  Louie snickered then gave a tilt of his head. “Need I say more? Let’s play.” He shuffled to his position while Joe approached Louie’s right and Kevin approached Louie’s left. He nodded for them to shake hands.

  Half-assed, Joe and Kevin did, over the podium

  “You know how this works. Be the first to buzz in, guess the highest ranking, and your family can play or pass. Hands above the buzzer please.”

  “Come on, Dad, you can do it,” Frank cheered.

  “Be fast,” Jimmy encouraged.

  Joe waved them off.

  Louie read the question, “The theme whistle while you work . . .”

  “Mary Poppins, Dad,” Frank yelled. “Mary Poppins. Buzz in. Buzz in. He doesn’t know this one.”

  Kevin groaned. “Can you tell them to shut up?”

  “Hey!” Joe snapped.

  Louie lowered the card. “Can we not yell answers, please?”

  “Yeah, Frank.” Hal reached behind Jimmy and hit Frank. “Knock it off.”

  “I was trying to help,” Frank defended.

  “Boys!” Joe yelled.

  Louie winced. “We’ll try this again. Whistle while you work is a famous saying. We surveyed a hundred people. Top seven answers are on the board. Name something people do to pass the time at work while they are bored.”