#9 - THEY THE PEOPLE

Molly Chillafoot walked into the conference room of The People Head Quarters. Actually it was one of five circular conference rooms, the one in the middle, which also happened to be the biggest.

Molly wore a bright yellow t-shirt under a leather jacket that appeared to have been made by a designer who ran out of material and called it fashion. She wore tight blue jeans and black boots with a tall pointy heal. She had red hair with bangs. She also wore enough makeup to paint an entire house and lipstick that matched her hair color and re-shaped her surgically plump lips, something that gave others the impression of an eternal sourpuss. And the observation didn't change much when she spoke.

Her assistant thought she was hot, the main reason she promoted him.

Barely able to open her mouth, Molly began, "Everyone stand as we begin the meeting." Without requiring the raising of hands or any other ceremonial action, Molly continued with their creed. "We The People of the United States and all countries around the world, do solemnly swear to rule the world."

Everyone sat accept her assistant, Willy Baskins. "On the agenda, we need to kill Ariel Berkspah so that we can continue our cleansing the United States of successful small business owners, starting with the women. We will then kill Bob and Kathleen for getting in our way."

"Well said." replied Molly, "Now have a seat Willy. Everyone listen up. That boob of a senator, Riker, is giving me control of the operation and we must use this to our advantage. I intend to position our cutest agents with every CIA agent. They will turn on the charms and make them loyal to The People before they know what happened."

One of The People, Bill is his name, questioned, "Excuse me but what if they're a female agent?"

As if the answer was obvious, Molly replied, "Then we place our cutest MALE agents with them."

Bill put his head down, "Oh, sorry, just checking. I've just never found men to be very cute."

Hal grinned, "I think they are."

Molly shouted, "Enough! Now pay attention!" The room quieted, immediately. Once more in control, calmly, Molly continued, "So, we will match our most attractive agents with theirs and work in tandem with them. We all know our plan and will let them know everything BUT . . . the fact that we're going to brainwash them into being agents of The People. Understood?"

In one voice, all thirty generals responded, "Yes, Supreme Leader."

"Excellent." With a devilish grin, all be it a tiny one, Molly added, "Our meeting is at an end and it is time, once again, to continue to do what we do best and take over the world."

MORE TO COME .......

NOTE: AGAIN, THIS IS MAKE BELIEVE. NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS REAL. NOT THE PEOPLE, NOT THE EVENTS, NOT THE PLACES. EVERYTHING IS FICTITIOUS. Thank you and goodnight.

#8 - HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE

"What do you mean, they got away?" Senator Riker spit the words in disgust.

Windthump's words and tone hid his anxiety. "She took care of the operatives that came in and they . . . disappeared."

"I thought you sent your best at her?"

"They were our best."

"What about that Madison character? You know, the one with the president's name, Joe Madison. I thought he was some kind of super agent. Why didn't you send him?"

"James was working the computer."

As if he hadn't been corrected, Riker demanded, "Well, I think it's time to get him out from behind the computer and in the field. After all, hasn't he been training for field work?"

"Yes, he just completed his training."

"Good, then get him out there!" Riker demanded. "By the way, where is he now?"

"He's driving me. We're entering Mobile and thought we'd stop for Chinese."

A pause greeted Windthump, one that told him what he knew after the words left his mouth, that Riker was ready to blow his stack. "You idiot! With whatever head start they have, you're going for Chinese!"

"Well, sir, we do have the satellites and are getting the rest of our team in position."

"All accept Joe!"

"James, sir. And, yes, he'll be in the mix before you know it. It's just that he works better after a large order of chicken fried rice."

Senator Riker couldn't believe his ears. There they sat, behind by Lord knows how many miles, and they're going for Chinese. He decided it best not to argue, at this point. "I will be contacting you in two hours. The People plan to cutoff every major highway heading north. And, as soon as we locate those three troublemakers, they'll be closing in with your sorry excuse for a team. Now, once I make contact, the head of The People will contact you and you and your team will begin to follow her orders."

Windthump knew the senator spoke of Molly Chillafoot, the woman who thought she knew everything about everything. Of course, he knew better but, apparently, the senator had been fooled. knowing that arguing would be pointless, Windthump accepted, "Yes, sir."

"Very good. And don't forget to get Joe out there."

"It's James, sir."

"Whatever." Riker disconnected the call.

James glanced at his boss. "I take it he didn't like the Chinese food idea."

"Nope."

"Well, I appreciate your helping me out on this."

"No problem. Just catch that girl and we'll be even." Replied Windthump.

"Will do."

THE STAGE IS BEING SET. TIME TO LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND MOLLY CHILLAFOOT......

#7 - EXIT THROUGH THE RABBIT HOLE

Kathleen drove the three through the tunnel at a supercharged golf cart speed of seventy-miles-an-hour. In less than fifteen minutes, Kathleen began to slow down until she finally came to a stop, nothing visible but what the lights from the golf cart showed and dim lighting along the walls. "We're here, everyone out."

Bob and his flashlight in the lead, they walked another ninety feet until a ladder appeared in the field of vision. Kathleen went up first, followed by Ariel and, finally, Bob. As Kathleen reached the top, she pressed a button. Keypad numbers lit on a pad and she entered a password that caused a metal lid the size of a manhole to open.

One at a time, they popped out of the tunnel like over sized rabbits. The air around them clung, cold and damp, with trees all around, as far as the eye could see. The canopy of trees above hid them from view of anyone trying to spot them from overhead.

After the dim lighting within the tunnel, their eyes had already adjusted to the tiny spots of light surrounded by a hazy darkness. Ariel's eyes, wide with anxiety, scanned the area. "Where are we?"

Kathleen answered, "This is the Grand Bay Wildlife Refuge." She looked at her wristwatch which also had a compass. "Another three miles or so . . . that way," she pointed northeast, "and we'll be clear of the trees. There'll be a house there and we can pick up supplies and take the car out of the garage."

"So, what, you had all this prepared, just in case you had to smuggle a women with a first name that started with the letter 'A'?"

Bob smiled as Ariel and he followed Kathleen. "Something like that. We've been using this tunnel for years to get away when we needed to."

"I see." Ariel said, though she really didn't.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Ariel never would have believed anything like this existed outside of the movies. During the walk through the soft mud of the refuge – everything about it, she just knew had to be illegal – Ariel thought about the events that lead up to this point. A man coming at her with a gun pointed at her, a picture she still couldn't shake; and then Bob of all people comes to her rescue. Next thing she knows, she ends up on the Dauphin Islands, ducks into a secret tunnel, one of her protectors takes out one or more people out to kill her, followed by a death defying ride on a golf cart at seventy-miles-an-hour and knocking into Bob's head, enough times with her own head and elbow to give the poor guy a concussion. I mean, really?

Another two to three miles and they broke free of the trees into a tree lined circular opening with one gravel road in and out and a house and garage that was painted, of all colors, fuchsia.

As if sensing her question, Bob remarked, “Got a good deal on the paint.”

After gaining entrance by number pad code, Bob grabbed a bag and filled it with bottles of water, granola bars and sunflower seeds. Then Kathleen and he walked into a closet and came out with a sniper rifle, two more guns and a sports bag full of ammunition.

“Uh, guys, what's going on?”

Kathleen answered as she headed for the garage. “Just have to be ready. We have a long drive ahead of us and the bad guys will be coming.”

When Ariel stepped into the garage, a surprise awaited her, an all black SUV with darkly tinted windows. Not something you usually find in a fuchsia garage in the middle of nowhere. Of course, it's also true that a person's not whisked away by two rogue CIA agents, but you know.

Soon, the three snaked their way to a small two lane highway that took them to Mississippi.

Three hours later, while they headed northwest toward Louisiana, the bad guys made it to the coast and were now heading toward Mobile, Alabama. As far behind as they were, though, they had a little thing called satellite, not to mention a lot more friends.

AND BOB'S MOMENT CONTINUES.......

[Don't worry!!! All this is pretend. It never happened!!!!!]  

#6 - SHARKS IN THE WATER

The head of the CIA, Max Windthump, stood infuriated on his boat, anchored just out of sight of Dauphin Island. "How the hell does she do it? Every time I chase her to that damned island, she gets away! I mean, this time, I sent in three of my best fighters. Damn it, James, I want to know what happened!"

Agent, James Madison, sat at the computer setting up the footage for his boss.

The plan was simple. When they went in, the little twerp Bob would pull Ariel away, Kathleen would see the men weren't armed -- well nothing more than brass knuckles -- and she wouldn't use her gun. Once the men killed Kathleen, they'd search the house to see how she and Bob kept getting away from them.

Granted, every time Kathleen and Bob gave the slip, they ended up solving the case without any help. They also tended to use tactics better known for activities of the ATF. Max wanted, more than anything, this woman killed, controlled, or gone.

Unfortunately, his men underestimated Kathleen and, consequently, she took care of them in a matter of seconds. Madison braced himself for the tirade.

Windthump leaned over the shoulder of his tech savvy super agent who proved potentially as good as Kathleen. "James, what have you gotten, anything?"

"Nothing you're going to like."

Windthump watched as Kathleen broke a leg, and two noses without any of the men able to do more than prepare to punch. In disbelief, "What the . . .?

Then they saw Kathleen grab the camera and taunt Windthump. His face reddened until James thought it would blow. Then she threw the camera out the door and all they saw from then on, a walkway and grass.

"Damn!" Windthump began to pace the room, Kathleen's taunt grading on his nerves, infuriating him with every passing moment. Finally, after he collected himself, he realized he had just lost valuable time. Angry with himself for letting the witch get into his head, Windthump said, "Damn it, okay, it's time to send our men into canvas the rooms and see what they can uncover."

James half turned. "What makes you think that anything different will be found?"

Windthump turned quickly. "Because you're going to be with them. And then you're going to go talk to that Captain Jack, and then you're going to pick up on the trail of those three. And, when you do, you'll introduce Ariel to The People."

The People was the only name that Windthump used for the organization that helped to do the work of the special interest groups behind the murders. No one with the government had any knowledge of the activities, secretly occurring under the codename PROTECTION. None accept Senator Travis Riker.

Travis Riker would be up for re-election next year and counted on votes gathered by a certain special interest group, one that represented big business against the uncertainty of small business success. This group had plenty of money and Senator Riker wanted it for his campaign and the assurance of victory.

Madison didn't like this part of his job, but he had to follow orders. As long as Windthump had a commanding title, Madison would be the good soldier and obey. Kathleen? Obviously, she liked to think a little too much outside the box which, in Madison's book, made her a dangerous liability to everyone around her. If Bob dies, it's because of Kathleen's actions. When Ariel died, it was because she ruined the country's economics, something he firmly believed lied in the success of big business gaining control of all business activities.

Yes, he supported small business. As long as the owners gained small profit. After all, what good could they possibly do with their money but for themselves and their small businesses that employed so few, if any, employees. No, too much money in the hands of too few was not good. That money would be better served in the hands of the big business owners who would bring about more jobs and, therefore, place more money in the hands of more citizens.

Madison joined the men who picked through the mostly unfurnished one story house used by Kathleen and Bob to either hideout or slip away. The only reason they had been allowed to return was because Windthump wanted to know their secret. That and also the fact that the inhabitants of Dauphin Island liked Kathleen because she helped them by providing money for supplies that helped some of them with their fishing, and others to enhance their tourism by providing money to make material for things such as shirts, shorts and swimsuits, or to build their own surfboards. Kathleen also helped them with the necessary means to repair their homes.

All this made it difficult for one of the biggest tourist companies, Paradise Construction And Facilities. No, not the best of names for a company, but the owner, Wayne Hampton of Wayne Hampton Enterprises, stood behind the company and employed hundreds of thousands of people all over the country, and the world.

In order to help his efforts, Wayne had bought a stretch of land for a ridiculous amount of money and put his own hotel up. He kept things modest and made it appear, on the surface, that he was perfectly happy with just what he had. Underneath, he wanted the entire island and all the fishing narrowed down to one corner so that it could be controlled and hidden from view.

Madison liked Hampton from the start. He saw a kindness in Hampton that he rarely saw in people with means, a special kindness that came from humble beginnings. Madison believed that Hampton had the best interest of everyone around him. This made it easy for Windthump to convince Madison of Kathleen's danger.

As Madison went through every room, every board of every floor and every inch of the attic. Just as everyone before, he saw nothing to alert him to the trap door in the bedroom. The carefully concealed floor boards that were treated with a special wax -- made from ingredients found only on the island -- that resisted any kind of chipping or splintering. The only thing he did discover: The buttons on the foot board. Not knowing the proper order, nothing happened when he clicked them.

To the displeasure of his boss, Madison had nothing new to report and headed for the coast to begin his search for the whereabouts of Kathleen, Bob and Ariel.

Tune in as the plot thickens, same blog, same site.....

[NOT THAT ANYONE SHOULD THINK OTHERWISE BUT, JUST IN CASE, I'M MAKING ALL THIS UP.]

#5 - TIME TO GO!!!

 Now, at the moment, Ariel didn't know what would happen. After all, they had just arrived on a boat navigated by Captain Jack, while singing the song, Captain Jack. If that wasn't enough, everyone on shore appeared to know the song as well. But it didn't end there.

A man dressed in sandals, cutoff jeans and wire-rimmed sunglasses, with a red suntan that appeared to have changed the man's God-given skin color permanently, walked straight to them from a path that wound its way down through palm trees. As he approached, his true size became more apparent.

Bob, Kathleen and Ariel stood at the bottom and waited. Once before them, the man stood all of five-feet two inches, and Ariel immediately thought how cute the little guy was who stood a good seven inches shorter than her with nothing more than the skin that attach itself to slender muscles that wrapped their way around his bones.

The man spoke as he smiled broadly. "Kathleen, my wonder, to what do I owe this visit?"

"Another mission."

With a look of disappointment, he responded, "Why is it that I only see you when your on a mission?"

To Ariel's surprise, Kathleen and the man opened their arms to one another and hugged, as if old friends.

The man turned to Bob, "And how good it is to see you, Bob."

"How are you, Jack."

Ariel couldn't hide her surprise. "Jack?"

Bob nodded, "It's a common enough name." He then introduced her, "Jack, this is Ariel."

"My aren't you a precious one to look at. And are you and Bob here?"

Quickly, she responded, "No! I mean, I don't have a problem with Bob or anything, well, accept that he's taken me from my family and friends never to return, all be it, not by his choosing, I know." Ariel took a breath. "Anyway, I just know him as a customer of my coffee shop . . . and now, I guess, some kind of government agent."

"Well, it's nice to meet you just the same. As far as Bob and Kathleen here, they're the right kind, and if they're protecting you, you couldn't be in better hands."

Kathleen talked with Jack as they headed further inland until they reached a white cottage. Jack said, "We replanted the plants around your house." With a disgusted look, Jack added, "All that damage those troublemakers did, when they came in without a care for anything around them. Had to uproot two trees they killed and replace them. Just don't care about anything or anybody."

"You're right Jack. That's why I'm considering a move-" Kathleen stopped quick.

Jack jumped in front of her, looked up to catch her attention since Kathleen stood a good nine inches taller. "Don't you dare move out of here. It's because of you that we have what we have."

"It's because of me that those people keep coming back . . . and, I'm expecting them fairly soon this time."

"And if you leave all together, those people will take control and give it to that Wayne Hampton fella."

Kathleen and Bob knew he referred to the head of Wayne Hampton Enterprises, owner of a group of condominiums and vacation homes all over the world. He bought a small section of land on the east coast of the island. Jack trusted him about as far as he could throw him even though the rest of those on the island couldn't refuse the ridiculous amount of money he paid.

"Well, either way, I intend for this to be the last time we have to hideaway. One way or another, once we've gotten Ariel to safety, we're going to make sure the corruption is stopped."

Jack shook his head doubtfully. "Well, if anyone can do it, it's you."

Once they came to the house, Jack said his goodbyes and left them. The three fugitives went inside, sat at the kitchen table and discussed their plans. After a few hours had past, a quiet beeping sounded off. Ariel turned in the direction and saw a red light on the wall near the refrigerator, "What's that about?"

"Time to go." Kathleen stood and walked to a laptop she had put on the kitchen counter. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Bob, you take Ariel out of here and wait for me underneath."

Bob reached out to Ariel. "Come with me to the bedroom, now."

Ariel didn't know what to think, but began to trust Kathleen and Bob. She followed Bob to the bedroom. Once there, she saw Bob bend over the floor, then reach up to the foot of the bed and felt for a button or switch. He then reached higher with his other hand and began pushing interchangeably, and Ariel heard the clicking of buttons.

Suddenly, the floor opened up and she stepped back in surprise. The two headed down a ladder, Bob holding a flashlight.

Kathleen knelt down at the kitchen doorway with her gun drawn and aimed at the front door. When the door opened, no one appeared, at first. Then the first of three men came with hands raised, in plain view. She smiled to herself, Looks like they did learn something.

She stood a few inches taller than the man in front, eye-to-eye with the man on the left and an inch taller than the man to the right. They moved quickly toward her and she saw the brass knuckles, "Three of you and you're wearing brass. That's just sad."

As soon as she finished the last word, the first man came at her and she wasted no time, dropping to her right knee and punching at a hard angle, connecting with the inside of his knee and producing a loud pop and crunching of bone, the man screamed in pain, buckled to the floor.

She came up quick. Before she straightened, she punched the man to the right in the nose with lightning precision, blood splattering while cartilage crushed into his brain; as she continued to straighten, she crossed her left punch with an impossibly quick and vicious right that connected with the taller man's nose, again crush, the man falling a split second after the other.

Two seconds, at the most, two men dead and the other writhing in pain. Kathleen knelt down to the man on the ground holding his leg, bone poking out of the skin. She cocked her head to the side and stared closely at a something black and shiny. She reached for it and noticed it to be a camera. She picked it up to her face and smiled. "Hi, Max. Looks like your men didn't put up much of a fight. There is good news, though. One of them looks like he'll live." As if pouting, she added, "Bad news is that you're not going to find out what you wanted." She perked up. "Oh well, easy come, easy go. Anyway, you should come get this one because he's hurting something awful."

She paused to allow the video to pick up the groaning and sobbing of the man who lay in excruciating pain. Kathleen then straightened up and threw the camera out of the house before she ran to the bedroom. She headed down the ladder and closed the floor tightly back into position.

Bob shined the flashlight for Kathleen to see her steps and then the floor. When Kathleen stepped onto the ground and turned, Ariel saw the blood. "Kathleen! What happened?"

Kathleen looked down and saw splattering of blood. "Oh, damn it. I liked this shirt, too." Casually, but in a hurry, she headed deeper into the steel tunnel. "Come on, there's a hopped up golf cart about a half mile down."

Ariel stood in shock at how calmly Kathleen spoke, something that spooked her, more than a little. Obviously, she'd been in a fight and probably killed someone. She'd never been in the company of someone so cold about killing. She'd seen movies about it, and even liked them. Something about the fact that this was real life, disturbed her, though.

Bob gently placed a hand on her shoulder which made her flinch and jerk her vision upon him. He quietly said, "Ariel, we really do need to get back to shore so we can get going before anyone sees us."

She walked, mechanically at first, and soon, they were driving a golf cart with a glass windshield covering the front. A good thing, too, because they hit seventy miles-an-hour. Only two seats, she had to sit on Bob's lap, something that brought about a couple head knocks and a few elbow shots to Bob.

Ordinarily, this might've been kind of cool, even funny in a Three Stooges sort of way. All things considered, though, the fun and humor would have to wait.

Tune in next time, same blog, same site.....

#4 - BOAT RIDE

     They stopped at a gas station and bought a map of Alabama, when they noticed a map of Mississippi. They bought it, too. Looking over the maps, they decided to head to Mobile and then SW to Biloxi, Mississippi. From there they would decide their next move.

     Once in Biloxi, they headed toward the shore. After a couple wrong turns, nothing appeared familiar. Small houses bordered the two lane road that stood for a highway. Bob remarked, "As long as we keep heading south, we've got to hit the shoreline."

     "Then what?" Ariel asked. "I know we're trying to hide away, but are you sure about this?"

     Kathleen responded, "No one's going to think of looking down here. Once we get to the shore, then we can figure out a way to get to one of the islands. From there, we should have time to figure things out."

     Ariel sat back doubtfully.

     Bob turned, "Trust me. Kathleen has a way."

     "A way for what?" Ariel asked, arms folded.

     "A way of making something out of nothing."

     As if on queue, Kathleen pointed through the windshield. "And there's our way."

     Ariel leaned forward to see ocean in the distance. Soon, they came as far as the road would take them and parked at a restaurant. Ariel looked around before she asked, "This is our way to where, exactly?"

     Kathleen unbuckled her seat belt, half turned, and said, "You'll see."

     Sarcastically, she replied, "And are you sure that you see because-"

     Bob cut her off. "Just, trust her. Let's go."

     She rolled her eyes. "Oh boy."

     The three walked to the coast where they came across a dock with a fishing boat, the Wreck of the Gulf, filthy with the smell of fish and one man moving gear around on deck. Kathleen walked quickly. "Excuse me.      Where are you headed?"

     "Just finished a little fishing. Going home." Came the man's gruff response.

     "You wouldn't by any chance be able to take me and my friends . . . out."

     "Out?" The man straightened.

     "To one of the islands." Kathleen asked as if everyone asked a perfect stranger to take them to a non-specific location.

     "I don't think so."

     Kathleen offered, "We have cash."

     The fisherman eyed her curiously, then glanced at Bob and Ariel. After considering, he asked, "Why is this so important?"

     "We need to visit a relative."

     He cracked a smile. "And what island does this relative live on?"

     "Dauphin Island?"

     The smile lessened. The fisherman considered again before he asked, "How much?"

     Kathleen held money. "Four hundred dollars."

     The fisherman grinned. "Come aboard. By the way, I'm Captain Jack."

     Bob, Ariel and Kathleen introduced themselves as Betty, Renee and Rick, and soon, headed out on the Gulf of Mexico. Within a few hours, Dauphin Island appeared in the distance, a strip of vegetation and earth that broke through the surrounding waters. From here, Bob and Kathleen would talk over the path they'd take to Nevada, and then work on the murder of women small business owners, beginning with the letter A. They also needed to find the best way to keep Ariel, aka Betty, alive.

     As the boat made its way for one of the smaller docks, Bob noticed the captain quietly singing a song. He turned to see the smile on Captain Jack's face. He stared down upon Bob and began to sing louder, which is when all three noticed the song he sang, one by Billy Joel with the same name as their navigator.

     Soon Bob began to sing along with him in a loud voice. By the time they pulled into the dock and tied down the boat, all four were singing loudly.

     Apparently, Billy Joel's music -- or, at the very least, this song -- had been popular to those around that particular dock on Dauphin Island, as the song found its way upon the voices of most everyone there.

     This lead to a question for Bob and Kathleen: Why?

Keep a lookout for more. I think it's high time for a little action.....

#3 - THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE ROAM

Any place but home or anywhere else familiar, that's what you did when you put yourself in the line of fire. Bob and Kathleen fit the bill and, therefore, both knew that even though they had to go somewhere, they couldn't go home. Granted, the place they would end up was familiar to both, but also had a surprise.

       Bob asked, "Where are we headed?"

       Kathleen proved prepared. "Heading south. I think Alabama's a good place to disappear."

       "I like Alabama."

       Ariel had other thoughts. "Why are we going all the way to Alabama?"

       Peeking through the rear view, Kathleen explained, "It's safer being somewhere we know." She studied Ariel's annoyance. "Ever been to Alabama?"

       "Nope." She folded her arms and watched the meaningless scenery zip by as they sped down the highway.

       The ride through Pennsylvania found a series of buildings that reminded Ariel of a broken roller coaster, something that matched her broken sense of reality. This brought her back to her childhood and first day of preschool. Before then, she'd never been away from her mom. She had visited the school and even made a couple friends that day. She met her teacher who seemed nice enough.

       The problem: She wasn't mom. Sure Ariel wished to see her dad, the only other one who she'd been alone with other than her mom. But mom did everything with her. Okay, her dad changed a mean diaper. Not to mention the fact that he potty trained Ariel in three days.

       But no one spent as much time with Ariel as her mom. No one hugged her as much and kissed her and taught her how to be a . . . well, a girl and, eventually, a woman. Her mom helped her with school work -- dad taught her softball, soccer and basketball. Both taught her to be confident. Mom helped her to understand that it was okay to feel, to laugh, to cry when sad and to feel frustration when she didn't like an outcome or agree with a decision.

       So, when mom left her at preschool, Ariel cried the first hour. She saw her mom quickly turn and leave, at the advice of the principal. Ariel wasn't supposed to hear that but she didn't miss much, even as a child.

Now, in the back of a strange SUV with two people she had never met before, Ariel Berkshaw headed toward Alabama and felt like the little girl all alone with no one she could trust, not completely. The only difference is that she didn't cry. She could have, but society taught her crying meant weakness. She wasn't weak.

       Ariel would not have been surprised if they had been on the road for a week. As it was, the trip took two days with one stop somewhere in North Carolina.

       Something about the ride that made her curious. Neither Bob nor Kathleen reached out to anyone. In fact, they carried with them cheap store bought go-phones that cost them twenty-four dollars for the pair, a two for one deal. Ariel didn't ask any questions at the moment, but as they left the little drugstore, they opened up their iphones, threw out the batteries, took the memory chips and broke the phones. Cloak and dagger all the way, but it still didn't prevent Ariel from wondering what purpose it served. Especially, when she would have gladly taken either of those phones off their hands if they would have asked.

       Bob continued to try to make small talk with Ariel. Kathleen gave up somewhere in Maryland. Ariel kept her answers brief and, from time to time, acted as if she didn't hear a word.

       Finally, Bob found a chink in the armor. "How long have you been working at the Coffee Bean?"

She shifted in her seat, glanced at Bob, then stared out the window. "Almost ten ears."

       He considered the response before his followup question. "Do you go to school, anything like that?"

       Sarcastically, Ariel shot back, "You're the government agent, why don't you get the answer yourself."

       "Because I would rather here it from you." Bob answered calmly.

       Ariel's gaze found Bob's direct eye contact softer than before but still hard. "I own the shop."

       This got Kathleen's attention. Apparently, neither expected this. "You know, some small business owners don't make enough money to hire help, so they have to do everything themselves." Came Ariel's defensive explanation.

       Bob nodded, "Even so, it's not something you expect." After a slight pause, Bob faced the front. "Still, it does make sense when I think about it."

       "Why's that?" Ariel asked, curious, a little softer.

       "All the time I spent at the Coffee Bean, I noticed on more than one occasion where you seemed to know a lot more than most servers, as far as how to handle situations. There was always something different about you."

       Ariel challenged, "Such as?"

       "Such as, one day, when a few teenagers began to get a little rowdy, hopped up on Cappuccino."

       "With a smile, Ariel quipped, "I remember that day. And I remember you sitting in your little hideaway. You know, you could have helped out a little."

       "Didn't need to." Bob shrugged. "You had everything completely under control."

       For the first time, she smiled. Not big, but Bob and Kathleen knew that Bob had finally broken through the ice. Ariel did, too, and tried to calm her thoughts down a little. Bottom line: Ariel couldn't avoid the flattery's affect on her, how it burrowed its way into her subconscious, steadily, slowly, with the precision of a surgeons scalpel.

       Soon, Kathleen and Bob both noticed Ariel's wall coming down. Not completely, but she allowed them within arms length. This made the ride to Alabama more amicable for everyone. It also lead to Ariel thinking a little more clearly.

       She decided it best to find out what Kathleen and Bob knew. "Okay, so I was targeted because my first name began with the letter A."

       Bob added, "And that you were a woman."

       "Okay, now we need to figure out what else."

       Kathleen glanced at Bob who stared at her with a thoughtful expression. Kathleen nodded. Bob faced Ariel. "That's what we were hoping for, too."

       With a pleasant expression, Ariel said, "In that case, let's get started. What else did you notice about all the victims?"

       As Ariel asked the question, Bob had turned in his seat and grabbed a report. He flipped through the gathered evidence. As he did he began to go more quickly through the pages. "Oh no. This can't be right."

       "What?" Kathleen asked.

       "Everyone of the women killed were small business owners. And I'm also expecting to see something else, once we get more information."

       Bob pulled out his cellphone and dialed their contact. He answered. "Hi Frogger. Listen, I have a question concerning the victims . . . tell me how long the small business owners have been in business and how much they earned a year."

Hearing the conversation, Ariel spoke up, "Not sure about the others, but this business owner is pulling in six figures in profit . . . or, at least, I was."

       Bob half turned with an expression that reflected his surprise. He then returned his focus to Frogger. "Okay, thanks. We'll be in touch." After disconnecting the call, Bob faced Kathleen. "All the women, so far were within three months of their tenth year and made six figures in profits. Frogger said he'd do some more checking, but we're narrowing the field. Now, we have to know what the government has to do with all this."

       Ariel leaned forward. "You think they're after successful small business owning women?"

       "I don't know. Can't assume anything at this point. Main thing we need to do is get you to Nevada."

       A question Ariel meant to ask but forgot came back to her. "Yeah, I meant to ask. Whats in Nevada for me?"

       "A choice. You can work for the government as a civilian, get into CIA work after some training, or go into witness protection and choose where you wish to live."

       In a neutral tone, Ariel asked, "I take it I can't go back to New York."

       "Or your family."

       Ariel sat back without another word, pondering the course her life had taken. Thinking back to her first day of preschool, she hoped this newly added stage to her life would turn out just as positively.

       Soon, they made their way to Montgomery, remaining on their southward course, each mile adding to the map of Ariel's experiences, her future more uncertain than ever before.

To find out the government's interest, checkout the next installment of BOB AND THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

(REMINDER: This is a work of fiction (NOT REAL) and, therefore, the events and characters in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.)

#2 - ON THE RUN

       Bob confiscated the dead man's guns, surveyed the coffee shop, made sure no danger lurked in the backrooms. Once he saw everything secure, he pulled out his cellphone and made contact with his partner.

       "Bob, are you safe?" Came the voice of his partner, Kathleen.

       "I'm safe."

       "And the attempt on Ariel's life?"

       "Ariel's safe with me." Bob reported.

       "Good. Bob, listen, we can't rely on the CIA . . . and no one with the ATF."

       Bob glanced over to see Ariel sitting in a chair, pale with fear. "Not surprised about the CIA. As far as the ATF, what about Jack Tate? He's always helped us when we need it."

       "Not sure that we can even rely on him. And, with what's going on, we're on our own until we get a clearer picture of things."

       Bob saw a dark gray Ford Escape pull in front of the coffee shop. "We're on our way."

       He disconnected the call and reached a hand out. "Ariel, our ride is here. Time to go."

       She looked at his face absently, then his hand. Without a thought, she reached out and Bob took her hand and the two left the shop.

       As Kathleen pulled onto the street, heading toward them on the opposite side, police cars headed for the shop, lights on and sirens blaring. She asked Bob, "Is everything clean?"

       "No sign that I was ever there. I have all security tapes as well."

       This caught Ariel's attention. "What? You took the security tapes? The police won't be able to know who tried to kill me."

       Bob turned casually. "They won't be able to help even if they did see the tape."

       Ariel challenged Bob, "Why?"

       Kathleen and Bob glanced at one another with the same thought. Good, she's starting to come around. Bob answered, "The man who tried to kill you is an agent of a secret society. I was sent to protect you."

       "So who are you that you know so much?"

       "We're government agents from a secret branch of the CIA."

       "A secret branch of the CIA?" Ariel almost laughed. "I thought everything about the CIA was secret."

       "Some are more secret than others. Either way, we're here to take you to Nevada, about an hour outside of Las Vegas?"

       "Nevada?" What's there that I should want to go there?"

       "A new life, safe from those who want you exterminated."

       Ariel's thoughts darkened in an instant. "Why would anyone want me . . . exterminated?"

       "That's their term. You see, this secret society longs for the extermination of all women with a first name that starts with the letter A."

       She didn't believe what she just heard. "Wait. They want to kill me because my first name begins with A?"

       "That's right. They have a specific order they are looking to accomplish the removal of women with a first name beginning with an A and they've decided that they need to begin with a-r names. They've already eliminated women with a-a, a-b, a-c, a-d. Once we found out their mission, they were half way through the a-d's. The government tried to keep it quiet but word is beginning to leak. The society, once they knew we knew, have decided to skip to a-r names. They won't proceed until you're dead."

       She thought a moment, and then asked, "But wouldn't they go through a-r-a and a-r-b, and the rest before they got to a-r-i?"

       "We thought so, too."

       Kathleen interrupted, "The government appears to be involved with the so-called cleansing. Once they knew we had begun to investigate and figured out the next target, they moved to you."

       Bob added, "So Kathleen sent me to you while she drove here as quickly as possible. Now that you've been targeted and it's failed, they won't stop until you're killed."

       Ariel sat back in her seat stunned, dizzy from the information that had just been given her. Why would anyone want to kill people just because their first name began with the letter A?

For answers to these questions and what happens next, check back for the next installment of BOB AND THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

#1 - BOB AND THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

Once upon a time -- we'll call him Bob -- but Bob found himself at a loss for what to do. He had the entire day to himself and, for a change, he wanted to shake things up a bit. A little before nine in the morning, he decided to choose a book and head out for the local coffee house. Without delay, he grabbed The Moment of Truth off his bookshelf, a book that, when he bought it, he didn't bother to read the description of the story. He simply liked the sound of the title and figured he might as well give it a shot. After all, with a title like that, how could it miss?

So, off he went to The Coffee Beanie, a name thought up by the husband/wife ownership because, as the wife said, "It just sounded cozy."

And there's no doubt they went for a cozy atmosphere, with a fireplace, curtains on the windows, carpeting, and a little living room set in the corner. When Bob arrived, he ordered himself a cinnamon roll and an iced white chocolate mocha, because they were the first two items he saw.

Bob took a seat at a small table in a corner with a realistic looking fake, green, potted, plant-thing, that took the shape of a small Christmas tree, behind him. Once he sat, it surprised him, the shadow that cast itself over his chair and most of the table. He felt hidden, to the point that he feared the server would not find him when she brought the food out. So he sat and waited, keeping a lookout for his food.

As soon as he saw the girl come out from behind the counter with his order, he flagged her down the server, eyes down cast. When she walked toward him, she smiled sweetly, something that scared him. He took the food and drink without raising his eyes to the server and set to arranging his mocha, top left and his cinnamon roll in front of him. Only after he had the napkin on his lap, took one drink of his mocha and one bite of his cinnamon roll, did he finally open his book to the first page of the first chapter.

The Moment of Truth took no time throwing Bob into the action, which always alarmed him. The opening scene found the main character in a moment of indecision. Should he finish the book he had just started or help save the woman who he noticed in danger of being killed. What made Bob even more nervous: The plot occurred at a coffee house known as the The Coffee Bean! No, not and exact match, but close enough to give Bob the chills.

Bob had always been one for safety. Take the safe approach. Make sure to eat all his vegetables and drink milk for strong bones. Study hard, get a good job and save like you'll live forever.

The main character of this book, though, didn't play it safe. 'After all,' the character, Jack Bishop thought, 'we're talking about life and death here.'

So, Jack jumped from his seat, sending his laptop crashing to the ground, sparks flying, and he launched himself at the woman, grabbed her and pulled her down. The woman screamed, the gun fired and the bullet grazed Jack on the arm. The woman lived. Jack whipped out a gun and put a bullet in the shooters head. Once he knew the woman was safe, Jack said, "I'm CIA young lady and you're going to have to come with me."

Exhaustion came over Bob Sebastian. He looked up and began to survey the coffee house, wondering if such a plot threatened to carry itself out. When he felt certain that everything was safe, Bob sucked down his white chocolate mocha and ate his cinnamon roll. When he finished, he ordered another of each.

He arranged everything just as before on the table, drank half his white chocolate mocha, ate half of his cinnamon roll, and began reading. Chapter two began with Jack Bishop taking the woman to his Head Quarters before he had instruction for his next move. Once there, Jack notice the beauty of the woman, Ariel Redfeather, an American Indian and target of a group that called themselves, Ethnic Cleansing or EC for short.

More of the plot had been laid out for Bob in chapter two, letting him know that this book would not give him a break because, amidst the plot direction, three double-agents for EC pulled out their weapons to kill Redfeather. Fortunately for her, Jack had been faster and took out all three, a bullet to the head, a death blow to the throat and a knife to the heart of the other. Bob quickly finished his mocha and cinnamon roll at the end of the chapter and, consequently, ordered a third of both.

Now, at this point, even though I realize I could be giving some things away here, but the mocha had a fair amount of sugar and was loaded with caffeine, and the cinnamon rolls had more sugar than I care to even mention in each of them.

The third chapter found Jack and Ariel in his car and on the run with nowhere they could go for safety. Nowhere, that is, accept Ariel's neighborhood of American Indians. The problem here came in the fact that the neighborhood existed in Oklahoma and they were in New York.

A moment of a blackout occurred for Bob. When he came to, Bob looked around disoriented as the server asked him if he was okay. At that moment, Bob didn't feel the same. Something was very different. His usual safe existence disappeared, because he could feel in his bones that something was very wrong. He noticed the man at a table near the door stand and reach into his coat as he stepped forward.

Bob didn't think. He just reacted. The man began to hurry forward. Bob pulled out a Sig Sauer and, as the man pulled out his gun, Bob shot it with the first bullet. The man cried in pain as he dropped the gun. He turned angry and ran at Bob and pulled out another gun. Without hesitation, Bob dropped him with one shot to the middle of his forehead.

The server screamed in terror and began crying uncontrollably. Bob went to her. "Relax, you're safe with me."

MORE TO COME......