Chapter 1-1
Angel On My Shoulder
Part 2
I had only been to Dad's workplace a couple of times as I watched Dad stuff several envelopes with cold, hard cash. Stringham made sure he had his personal checkbook so he could leave a large donation to the halfway house. It may be run mostly on government funds, but there are private funds as well from people like Stringham that like to help out when they can. The halfway house was sitting on fifteen or so acres of farmland. To keep it away from the mass population of the houses that were beginning to dominate the surrounding areas. It also helped keep the intimates from running off the moment they were freed from prison until they had reentered our society with a new job and house where they could support themselves.
I didn't ask Jeff if I needed to go inside with them; it was stated that it was one of the reasons I was here in the first place or the main reason depending on how you look at it. Even I was uncertain what the main reason was. I just know that like most people really get excited when they see a limo pull up in front of them, everyone from miles away wants to see who is riding around it. Tony took over the job of wheelchair duty, giving me the duty to carry the silver briefcase of cold, hard cash.
Dad introduced to me every person that was at the halfway house as we slowly made it inside. It soon became clear the reason I was told to come as Jeff remained on my shoulder, telling me. Who are the impostors that have been selling out our information? The moment Jeff spotted them he told me to look for the things that were out of place. Like markings on the hands or wrists, the feeling I get when I shake hands with them.
I took pictures of each person that Jeff and I noticed and then discretely told Stringham and Tony, which wasn't an easy thing to do, but I only had to give a sign which was tapping the briefcase as if I was bored. The moment I did Stringham froze, and Tony quickly made a note of that person. Yet the problem was even though we spotted our targets we couldn't act on them, which was the reason Tony was here, so he had his team could when the time was right.
Dad made his way around to each of his fellow workers and gave them a firm handshake as he said his goodbyes and placed a nice fat envelope inside their jacket pocket as he embraced them with a hug. Stringham would give me a hand jester to which envelope to give Dad to hand to his friends or foes. Noting the friend went away more than happy as the one pretending to be his friend got the other envelope that was not stuffed, only holding a small token of appreciation.
Stringham had asked for a special favor from Jeff as a token of goodwill regarding him being baptized and joining the church. After all, Stringham was a businessman, which meant he was willing to buy what he had to offer if he was willing to sell the item at cost. Which was whom Mom and Dad should pad their friend's wallets and whom they shouldn't as well as help those that are truly looking for a second chance, which was an envelope with a sealed rose stamp, with contained some start-up money and a job offer, from one of many of his contacts and employees.
I choked when Stringham wrote out a check and handed it to Dad's boss said. "A donation to help see you through the winter and find a replacement for Mr. Rothwell."
After Dad had given his envelope, had said; "for putting up with me and for your trouble."
The poor man gasps opens the envelope and looked the check that Stringham gave him, said. "What did you do rob a bank or win the lottery?"
Dad smiled. "The lotteries because I happen to already own a bank. And promised myself if I ever became rich I would use it to help my friends." Dad didn't ask if he was ok if he didn't work today or put in a two-week notice or until they found a replacement. And his boss certainly didn't mention it, stating if he ever needs a favor all has to do was call.
Dad says with a final handshake, "You got yourself a deal."
Dad was now aces with everyone, except for those that didn't reap the benefits, as I am sure they will compare their nice padded wallets on how much each of them got. Stringham and I also knew that within the moment of our departure that spies were notifying the people they truly work for that we had been here and what we had just done. Tony quickly updated Dad as he gave a description of each of the people Jeff, and I had noticed that were working two sides of the coin. Dad didn't seem all that surprised, but I could see it did touch a nerve.
Mom sighed as we pulled up to her workplace, said. "This shouldn't take long." Stringham shrugged his shoulders, letting Stringham and Dad carry in her boxes and I once more carrying our large bankroll. Mom wasn't as generous as Dad was, deciding only to give to a few that really deserved it. Dad said. "Karen darling deserved or not. It's better to give than letting them think you are stingy."
She said. "And what of those that we find that are cutthroats and thieves? Do we give to them as well?"
Stringham said. "Yes, because you never know the reason, like that young girl who murdered her grandfather, as she was forced to do it or watch her entire family be killed."
Mom knew she had been forced because Dad told her, even though she wished not to revisit it in her mind. She had no interest in watching it on tape and personally, none of us blamed her. Stringham handed Dad two bundles of cash to distribute to all the workers in the building as Mom said her goodbyes to the people who mattered most. Stringham spent most of his time in the bustling hospital, surrounded by the sights of doctors and nurses rushing by and the constant beeping and buzzing of medical equipment. The receptionist's desk was filled with the scent of antiseptic, while the nurses wore a faint fragrance of hand sanitizer. As he shook hands with each person, he noticed the firm grip and the warmth of their hands.
Stringham's eyes darted around the room as he handed cash to Tony, the receptionist, and watched him distribute it to the patients. The sound of the crinkling bills filled the air, accompanied by the shuffling of papers as accounts were paid off. He made a mental note of the patients with large families, feeling a sense of empathy for their financial burdens.
Despite Jeff's warning about Stringham's corrupt actions, the room fell silent as he made a generous donation to a man named Crawford. The man gasped in disbelief, wondering how Stringham knew about his involvement in drug-related activities. Stringham leaned in, his voice low and threatening, as he warned Crawford about the consequences of continuing down this path. The room seemed to hold its breath; the tension was thick with the smell of fear lingering in the air. Stringham's words hung heavy as he mentioned the various locations where drugs were being cooked, all with the help of their mysterious ghostly friend.
Mom slapped him across the face and called him a fat pig. Overhearing Stringham as he told the man to get out of town. Him being one of the five doctors in the place and after Jeff and I had visited every one of them found three of the five corrupt. Stringham made a note in his black book; that this would need some attention quickly as we hurried out after overhearing the first doctor on the phone telling someone that we were here, yelling for someone to lock the door and make sure we didn't leave.
Tony proved why he was here as he quickly jumped into combat mode and took on anyone who tried to stop us as Stringham smashed the glass door with the briefcase, allowing patients and staff to flee. As Tony wrapped things up and inside, hearing cop cars coming as we made a mad dash into the limo and sped away. Mom was devastated as she looked back, realizing that all this time she had been working for drug dealers. Thinking she was just helping with the billing for a doctor's office. She moaned; "those poor innocent people."
Stringham said. "Karen, I promise you they won't suffer. I know a few doctors that would love an opportunity to help take over being their new doctor, while those insides are going to be practicing in a nice comfortable jail cell." Mom asks Tony afraid of the answer. Did he kill anyone inside?
He said. "No, Mrs. Rothwell. Just tied them up and left a nice note so when the police arrive, they'll know who to blame, the Black Phantom, giving our man Crawford something to look forward to."
Mom said. "And to think we paid the man for the trouble?"
Stringham said. "Not exactly. I paid him so he would bring the rat to my cheese, as I have said. People like him are greedy, and they'll look at all that nice cold cash and think how I can get my hands on more? Finding my calling card and wham bam I have him in my little trap before he can race back to his little hole. Like the idiot in Heber, I wanted him to think he was doing me a favor by providing me with a location to hold the party. Yet by doing so, he has allowed me full access to his guests and their guests, and one by one they will fall and then he too will fall.
"You would think if I just took him out of the equation that would be the end of it, but you are wrong. Every church has someone below them and above them. If you take out the leader, the next one in order takes his place, but if there is no one to take his place or too scared, too. The church will crumble, and its members will revert to their comfort zone. Religion is a fickle thing and has to do with fear and intimidation sometimes. Not all churches are like that, like the LDS church or the Catholic Church; they have the numbers; they have done more good than harm.
"I may and Eric my boy, may not agree regarding their teachings, but they don't kill, they don't rape their woman and children. And they do happen to carry a very big stick that I can't wait to shove up their assess and send them to hell where they can tell their satanic demon that it was me, and the people like me that took them down one brick, one person at a time. So the second we get back I am going to walk my miserable little ass to any church house or place his friend tells me to go and craft me a very big stick of my own."
Dad reminded him that it was still not going to be as easy to do that, Stringham said. "Easy or not, I am still going to do it and so are you. None of this is going to be selling our souls, and none of us is going to go down without a fight. I chose Heber as my first target because it is the smallest compared to the others. I figured you would like a fresh start compared to always being reminded of what they have done to you and your home in Highland. Compared to Heber, where it's just one little town so far away from the other towns and cities where we have no idea where the satanic church begins or ends. But we will, and it will be just a matter of time.
Heber will be our main base where we can use our resources to attract and reinforce and build a castle so impregnable that it would withstand anything they might throw at us. I have set up a meeting with my architect and find a contractor over lunch so we can start building as soon as possible and quickly before snow makes it impossible."
Stringham asked the driver if he could please turn up the heat as it was freezing back there. It didn't matter that the rest of us were melting into a small puddle. It wasn't the cold outside that Stringham was feeling. It was the numbness of darkness that was trying to take his soul away. Jeff refused to help in that regard because he wanted Stringham to learn that if play with fire, you just might get burned.
It didn't matter that he was a good man at heart; it was the lack of protection that he didn't have and because of that; he wasn't ready for the fight. Jeff wanted him to know that he wanted him to learn from his mistakes. So, when he does make it into the baptismal waters, his eyes will be truly opened and his heart and soul will burst with warmth in so much he could stand in the Arctic snow and think it was the middle of July. Personally, I never felt that kind of warmth, or at least I don't remember it. But I have been told by some that it does happen.
We circled around back up to the Orem mall as Stringham had the driver pull us right up to the curb in front of a sporting goods store. Telling the driver to find a nice parking spot and wait for us. Even though we had eaten in the limo on our way to Dad's employment and finished it off on the ride over to Mom's work. We were still hungry, but none of the restaurants were open yet, other than selling cold sandwiches made yesterday. Which nobody was in the mood for, considering we were all in the mood for a hot breakfast and several cups of hot chocolate.
The only place that was open that sold what we all wanted was Denny's. So, after spending some more cash that really made the store manager happy as Stringham bought the very best of everything and called Landan as he drank several cups of hot coffee. Hoping to warm his insides, which still seemed frozen?
Asking Landan to make sure he had everyone's sizes so that when we returned to Heber later tonight or first thing in the morning, we all would be toasty warm and a little more prepared for winter. Mom and Dad choked when the total just for us, including our driver was well over 5,000 dollars, for a couple of warm coats, shoes, and pants, including several pairs of very warm long underwear. Not forgetting to tip the staff and the manager I was a little surprised that we still had more than half a suitcase of cold hard cash as I tucked the receipt for it for my bookkeeping.
It was then that Landan informed us about the High Priestess, that she had been found murdered just as Jeff described would happen, and just as he had said Stringham accused Tony of doing it, causing him to borrow the manager's office to call and find out what in the hell just happened. This gave me the chance to tell Stringham as Jeff requested not to tell him, because he needed to prove to Mom that he and I were on the up and up. I asked Mom if she still needed any more proof.
She looked at me then Dad, and shook her head, said. "We are still going to have a nice long talk with you, me, and Jared when we get back. I'd ground you for keeping that a secret, but I don't think our friend Jeff wouldn't look too kindly on it. Considering you were told not to tell me. But that doesn't mean your Dad won't get some kind of punishment for keeping it a secret from me."
Dad said. "Hold on Karen, I am as much in the dark as you are concerning Jared." Stringham turned around when he overheard that.
Mom poked her fingers into Dad's chest. "I am aware of that, but you still kept what you do know about Eric and his ghostly friend. Trust me, your punishment will be equisetic." Mom walked away, picked up the shopping bags, and piled them on top of me, telling me to make myself useful. Stringham wanted some answers regarding this. How my brother Jared got mixed into this, but Tony had just come out of the office, and he didn't look happy.
Stringham said. "And let me guess it was our mysterious woman?"
Tony gasped then looked at me, "Let me guess your friend again already told you about it."
Everyone nodded. Tony said. "I got to get me one of those. He could definitely be useful."
I said at the same time Stringham did. "Good luck with that."
Stringham continued and smiled. "Considering Eric is the only one I know of who can see and talk to his special ghostly friend."
I cringed. "Well, that's mostly true. There are some exceptions."
Stringham looked at me and said. "Ok, I am listening."
I said. "Sorry, but could we talk about it over a nice hot cup of hot chocolate and some double blueberry pancakes where I am not covered with shopping bags?" Watching me trying to see over them and dropping a couple.
Mom said. "Don't, he's being useful," using that special tone that says don't cross me or else. While Stringham picked the ones, I dropped them only to replace them instead of carrying them as Mom's eyes narrowed on him like a hungry beast ready to eat him.