"Sounds fine, Agent Gallery. I've got a pretty good idea of what I want in a handgun, so I don't expect that to take long. What would be a decent itinerary?"
"I'd say supper, then the gun store, then the mall, sir."
"Fair enough. You'll let me know how to get to there at Muddy's place, right?
I'm sure we can find the biggest mall in town", I joked.
No joking for this guy. "Yes, sir, we'll have directions for you before you leave, and the owner will be expecting you."
"Thank you, Agent Gallery. By the way, which one are you?"
"Sir?"
"You're either the exec working on his laptop, or the guy reading the paper.
You don't sound like either the babe in the swimsuit, or the mother with the carriage."
He hesitated a moment, and said "Actually, sir, I just got here a few minutes ago. I know all of the agents you just mentioned. Were they really that obvious, sir?"
"Not at all – I just know what I was looking for."
"How did you spot them, sir?"
I went on to tell him the observations I'd made to Lucy. When I was done, I told him "It's okay. Nobody else noticed. It's just that I've been on the pointy end of the stick a time or two, and Agent Hawkes got me going."
He sounded relieved, and said "Yes, sir, thank you, sir. I'll mention it to the agents involved. We like to keep it as casual looking as possible, and you just helped us do that."
"That's fine. Like I said, it was a good showing; it's just that these ladies are special to me, and I'm not your normal protectee."
"So I've been told, sir. Silver star, and such. By the way, sir, Bill did have a broken rib, but said to tell you 'thanks for the lesson'"
"Glad to hear he's okay. You'll let me know what Muddy has to say?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks. Have a good evening."
"You, too, sir" he told me before hanging up.
I let Lucy and the girls know what the plan was, and aside from the side trip to the gun store, they were pretty happy at the idea. We sat around chatting for a few minutes before the phone in my room rang. I hustled to answer it, and heard Agent Gallery announce himself before telling me that Muddy had a small room ready for us whenever we got there. I asked him if he needed any time before we left, and he cautiously asked for five minutes. I told him fifteen, and he sounded pleased when he agreed.
Lucy and the girls were listening to my side of the conversation, and when it was over, quietly cheered at the idea of another supper at Muddy's place. Me, I was ready to go to McDonalds – I didn't look forward to arguing with Muddy over the check. It being a private supper, the three of them opted to dress comfortable – Lucy in a cotton something-or-other that flattered her shape, the girls in light dresses that still managed to make it clear they were female. I changed into a looser shirt, and called it good enough.
When the allotted time was up, the four of us headed out the door – and spotting someone casually lounging about in the hallway. All three of them looked at me, and I just shrugged. I didn't tell them, but I could spot the slight bulge of a weapon under the college kid's aloha shirt.
There wasn't anybody obviously hanging around in the lobby, or out in the parking lot – but Lucy and I knew they were there. We got in her car, and this time, she drove us all to Muddy's. At the front door, the headwaiter recognized us immediately, and guided us to a small room at the back of the restaurant. As early as it was, the place hadn't really gotten busy yet, so there weren't many people to see us.
The door between us and the main dining area had barely closed when Muddy came in, asking me "Boomer, what the hell have you gotten us into this time?"
"What do you mean 'us'? You got a mouse in your pocket?" I answered.
"Dammit, you think I'm gonna get a call from the FBI, asking if I've got a room for you and these ladies without knowing you're in some kind of trouble? I KNOW you're not stupid enough to think that you're gonna get in trouble without me wanting to help out!"
I sighed, and said "Ah, HELL. Okay, Muddy, here's the deal. I've been in town helping Lucy figure out what's been going on out at TechnoDynamics. Seems a couple of the execs liberated some of the company's money, and I helped figure out the who and when and where. Tolerable chunk of change, three hundred million and up. Company Lucy works for wants to put them in jail, and see if they can get their money back. Well, the money went to out of state banks, which brings in the FBI. FBI lady tells us that there's maybe quote organized crime unquote involved. They get kind of nervous, and all of a sudden, we've got protection. Well, Lucy and the girls, more than me."
He frowned at me, and said "Well, you want some help, you know where to find me. I can get hold of some of the other guys, too, if you want. Just say the word."
"Nah, don't need any of that. It's just the FBI being paranoid, is all, I think. Anyway, we're not going to be in town that much longer."
He gave me the fisheye, but didn't say anything, other than "Well, don't be opening that door too fast, or you'll likely scare the fellas sitting at the table outside it."
Then he turned to Lucy and the girls, smiling broadly as he asked them how they were, and if they'd had a nice time during their last visit. All three hastened to assure him they were fine, and had enjoyed the place tremendously.
He asked us what we were hungry for, and the four of us just shared a look before Robyn said, "Those steaks last time were great, but I'm actually kind of in the mood for just a cheeseburger", apologetically. Lucy and Sandra nodded in agreement.
When he looked at me, I told him "Sound pretty good, to me too, actually.
Besides, I know this is kind of a rush job, Muddy."
He smiled again, and said, "If the lady wants a cheeseburger, then it's a cheeseburger she'll have. Won't be 'just' a cheeseburger, though."
When he left, I went over to the door to the main dining area, and knocked before opening it a crack. I found an agent standing there, and quickly invited him in. I asked his name, and he told me that he was Special Agent Wilson. I asked him if I could speak to whoever was in charge of the detail, and he said that Agent Gallery would be with me in a moment, before slipping out the door.
A couple minutes later, I heard a discrete knock at the door, and told the other person to come on in – I was standing to the side, ready to drop whoever it was. A man in a suit came in, and quickly identified himself as Agent Gallery. We shook hands, and I thanked him for his help. He thanked me for working with them, and I told him that if he didn't mind, I'd like to make arrangements for the people with us to get a decent meal – that if he accepted, I'd get Muddy with him to work out who got to eat when, and so on. He readily agreed, and I told him that we'd be happy to stay there a little extra time so his people could eat, if he wanted. He assured me that wasn't necessary, saying that the last ones to eat would be those going off shift. He also handed me a sheet of paper with directions to a gun store, saying that the owner was a retired FBI agent, and would be agreeable to me taking my weapon with me. I thanked him, again, and he assured me he was glad to be able to help. In short order, we'd made arrangements to be able to contact each other easily, and he went back into the dining area.
A couple minutes later, Muddy came in with our salads, and I asked him if he had some chow to spare – I wanted to make sure the FBI people didn't go hungry.
He said he had enough to fix them up with about anything they wanted. I told him that I wanted to pay for it, and the argument began. I wanted to pay because it was Lucy and the girls they were protecting. Muddy wanted to do it because it was me asking. We finally settled it so that he covered the FBI people, and I paid for the meals for the rest of us. A poor compromise, but the best I could get out of him. That settled, I gave him Agent Gallery's name, and he headed off to make the arrangements.