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“It is just my belief, based on my research, lessons of history, and what is leaking out of China through unofficial sources that I hear about online. Only time will tell.”

  “Oh,” Desiree replied quietly, as she thought about Bandy’s quiet, reasoned explanation, much different than Mr. Brathers’ often very vocal accusations about whom he thought was the cause of all the world’s problems.

  The conversation changed after that, no one, including Bandy, wanting to discuss what was happening while they finished their breakfast.

  Bandy caught Angus as the breakfast dishes were being cleared away. “I’d like to get an in-depth look at the Equipment Dealership today. Who should I talk to there to arrange it?”

  “Well, I’ll just go in and…”

  Bandy was shaking his head. “No, Angus. You’re better off around family right now. Colin will expect it. If he has someone watching the place I do not want them to see us together again. It is too risky for you and your family.”

  “What about your risks?”

  Angus was a little startled at the glint in Bandy’s eyes that was quickly cloaked with a simple nonchalant look.

  “I’m not worried,” Bandy replied. “But you should be. That’ll keep you alert and wary.”

  “My manager is out of town. I guess… I’ll call Terri. She’s probably the best one to show you around. She knows every inch of the place even better than I do. She was there when I took it over from my father when he retired, just before he died. That’s been fifteen years ago.”

  “Very good, Angus. I’m going to get a couple items from my room before I go. Tell everyone I’ll be back this evening to do the briefing.”

  Angus nodded and watched Bandy climb the staircase rapidly. When he saw Ana-Bella enter the hallway he made himself scarce. Quickly.

  Bandy almost stopped on the stairs when he started down, seeing Ana-Bella talking to Magdalene in the hallway. But he marched straight on down and was going to walk right past without speaking, but Ana-Bella was having none of that.

  “I’m going with you,” Ana-Bella said before Bandy could decide what he would say.

  “You don’t even know where I’m going!”

  “Sure I do. You’re going the same place I am, since I am going with you.”

  “Ana-Bella… That’s not a good idea.”

  “Because Colin intends to kill you?”

  “No. Because he might kill you instead, before he tries to kill me. He’s one that likes to torture his victims before he puts them out of their final misery. Killing someone’s loved ones while they look on is a favorite tactic of people… or I should say, sub-human animals like him.”

  Ana-Bella blanched. “But…”

  “No buts, Ana-Bella. You are keeping a low profile for a while, like it or not. I believe I have a handle on this and can resolve it fairly quickly. No more than three months, unless I’m way off base. And the Chinese don’t attack before then.”

  “That’s not funny!” Ana-Bella nearly yelled.

  “No. It wasn’t. And I’m sorry I said it. Desiree got me to thinking about that aspect of the world situation. Now, I need to go. By myself. I’ll be back for the briefing this evening.”

  Ana-Bella looked hard at Bandy, and then had him in a hard hug. “Just be careful,” she whispered in his ear before she let him go. When Bandy turned toward the front door, he saw the whole group there watching.

  So did Ana-Bella. She looked at them for a moment as they looked at her. “What?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she turned and headed up the stairs. She had some thinking to do.

  Angus suddenly slapped Bob on the back lightly. “You’ll be having a son-in-law after this mess is cleared up, old son.”

  “Yeah.” It was more of a grunt than a word, but, more clearly then, Bob said, “Could do worse, I guess.”

  “Yes, she could,” Magdalene said, taking her husband’s arm. “Come help me get some things ready for when he gets back.

  When Bandy reached Longhammer Equipment and Supply, he got the once over from a stout, gray-haired, very intense looking woman. “Angus said to show you around. Why? What is going on? He’s not selling this place out from under me, is he?”

  Bandy laughed, but not for long and very quietly. “No, Ma’am. Mr. Longhammer isn’t selling the place. I’m just here to do a security walk around. He is thinking about upgrading the security. You know how things are in the country now. Young punks just out to vandalize to terrorists wanting to disrupt a community and its production capability. This could be a prime target.”

  “So he did decide to take my advice,” Terri Xanderhaven said, with a broad smile. “I’ve been telling him for months that we would get hit at some point by that group of ruffians hanging around the county. Bunch of no good, beer guzzling, dirty, stinking, no accounts in their fancy trucks and loud stereos. I’m sure they are the ones that have been doing all the mischief around the whole county.”

  Bandy concealed his surprise. Angus had not said anything about Terri’s request for additional security. It was possible that Colin had heard about the possibility and instructed Angus not to attempt anything.

  With a small smile on his face, Bandy replied, “Well, we’ll just see what we can do to eliminate some of the risks without being too obvious about it.”

  “Very good. No need to advertise anything,” Terri said as they headed out of her office and into the large main building. “Rather catch those hooligans than just keep them from showing up. Do the county a favor. And lend a hand to Julie-Anne. She’s my niece, once removed, and is doing a great job, but everyone can use some help from time to time. She has a lot on her plate at the moment.”

  Again surprised, Bandy didn’t let it show. He was looking around the huge showroom floor at the equipment. He wasn’t too concerned about it, but the security of the building.

  There wasn’t much to do about that huge expanse, but fortunately, three sides of the open space had offices or other rooms constructed, with two story sections along the two side walls because of the high roof line. Due to their height, only the big cotton pickers and a couple of other pieces of equipment could not be brought onto the showroom floor through the huge glass sliding doors that made up the front of the showroom.

  Terri quizzed Bandy almost incessantly as they toured the place, but took no umbrage when he just grunted a few times and took notes, switching to local gossip between questions. She seemed to realize that Bandy wasn’t going to say anything about the security until it was installed, but her insatiable curiosity kept her asking anyway, when Bandy looked particularly interested or made a longer than normal note on his pad.

  Finally, back in the huge front parking lot, Bandy asked Terri, “Do you know if the county allows fences along the roadway?”

  “Sure they do. On private property. But the road easement is twice the width of the current road. Future plans for a four lane through here. The first section of parking slots in on the easement. Angus got a waiver for it when he decided to enlarge the place a few years ago.

  “But no permanent structures can be constructed within… I think it is thirty feet from the edge of the actual easement. We have plenty of room when they do the road, but right now Angus sponsors some events on the parking lot and we use the whole thing then.”

  “I see. That should really help the traffic through here when it happens,” Bandy said as yet another car zoomed past. There’d barely been a minute, or less, between cars, and often there were several in a row, going both ways on the busy road.

  Bandy glanced at his watch. “Well, I’d better get back to my office and get these notes into the computer.”

  “Be glad to type them up for you,” Terri immediately offered. “I’m very good typist, and very fast. Fastest the secretarial school ever had. Still hold the record. And I’m almost as good now as I was at twenty-six.”

  Bandy didn’t doubt her. But she wasn’t going to con him into letting her see his notes. “I just bet you were,” he sa
id with a smile. “But I have to get back anyway for something else, too. Thank you very much for showing me around. Mr. Longhammer said you would be the best for the job.”

  Terri preened a bit as they walked over to Bandy’s truck. “Now that is the kind of truck to have,” she said in appreciation. “Not like those showboats around here with all horsepower and speed and no brains behind the wheel.”

  Bandy laughed, but made what he considered a getaway before Terri could delay him anymore.

  Everyone that saw him as he entered the Sheridan ranch house looked curious, but Bandy went straight up to his room and got busy. He had three hours to finalize his plan so he could present it to the two families.

  Everyone looked at him expectantly when he came down for dinner. “Well?” Ana-Bella asked after a few seconds.

  “I have what I think is a workable plan,” Bandy replied. “It won’t take too long to detail it after we eat.”

  That seemed to satisfy everyone, except perhaps Angus and Ana-Bella. But neither said anything about it during the meal. The talk was centered around the operation of the Sheridan Ranch. There were two new colts in training and Desiree was enthusiastic in her praise of the animals and the employees working with them. One of the horses, once trained, would be hers for Christmas, though she didn’t know it yet.

  Ana-Bella wasted no time in getting the cleanup done after dessert was finished; doing much of the work herself, as Magdalene, June, and Desiree went about things at their regular pace.

  Then they were all gathered in the study. Bandy had done a scheduled print run through the Wi-Fi network to the printer in the study, timed to do the printing during the meal.

  “Junior,” Bandy said as he opened up the computer and got it ready. “Could you distribute the papers from the printer around to everyone. I think you’ll see what goes to each of you.”

  Bob, behind the desk, spun around in his chair and looked at the printer. He gathered up the stack of papers in the tray and handed them to Junior while asking Bandy, “When did you do that?”

  “Just now,” Bandy replied, “during dinner. Wanted to have everything ready for the presentation.”

  Bob was distracted when Junior handed him three of the sheets of paper. Everyone began reading immediately. Bandy was getting the files open on his computer when the questions started. Everyone in both families had several and all spoke at once.

  Bandy smiled and shook his head. “Just let me go through the presentation and I will answer any questions not answered as I go through things.”

  Bandy laid out his plan to an entranced audience. Most of the questions each of the members of the two families had were answered as Bandy talked. But not all. And there were things that one or another didn’t particularly like and raised their objections when Bandy was finished.

  They talked late into the night, and Bandy finally had each one satisfied with their part in the plan, though a couple gave only reluctant agreement.

  Bandy was sure Ana-Bella would insist on talking to him about the plan in private when the group broke up and headed for the bedrooms. But she surprised him. She simply told him goodnight and left. Bandy followed a silent Bob up the stairs after he did the new nightly security check that Bandy had advised him to do.

  At the top of the stairs, before Bob turned one way in the upstairs hallway, and Bandy the other, he stopped and asked Bandy. “Hawkins, will this work? Will our families be safe?”

  “Sir, I intend to do everything I can to make sure of it. But I can’t make any guarantees. I won’t lie to you. The risks I talked about are real. But if you incorporate the procedures I outlined, I think you have the best chance of getting through this particular problem, and will be in good shape for any real disaster that might occur in the future.”

  “That is all I can ask, I suppose,” Bob replied. But despite those words he suddenly added, “But if there is ever a choice that must be made, make sure Ana-Bella makes it, no matter the fate of Magdalene or me. She is our future.”

  “I will do my best,” Bandy said quietly. “I now have a vested interest in doing so.”

  Bob nodded and headed down the hallway. Bandy went the other way and was still a bit surprised when Ana-Bella didn’t show up at his door, wanting to talk.

  Everyone was quiet the next morning at breakfast. But Desiree’s enthusiasm quickly had the others smiling and talking about the upcoming Christmas play that her and Junior’s high school was putting on in December. She was the leading lady and was excited about it.

  Ana-Bella left the breakfast cleanup to the others and silently helped Bandy get his gear down to his truck. Bandy had already said his good-byes to the others right after breakfast. He just couldn’t think of anything to say to Ana-Bella as he opened the driver’s side door to get behind the wheel.

  But Ana-Bella touched his shoulder, and broke her silence. She went into his arms when he opened them and they shared a hard hug. “You be careful, Bandy Hawkins. Now that I’ve found you, I want you around a long time.”

  “I feel the same way, Ana-Bella. And I intend to be around a long time. You just be very careful about things. You and Desiree are going to be Colin’s primary targets, if… when he realizes that Angus has turned fully against him.”

  “You can bet I will,” Ana-Bella replied. She stepped back and let Bandy get into the truck. She continued to stand in the chilly air her arms crossed in front of her chest, and watched the truck until it disappeared around the last turn of the driveway.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A little over a week later Ana-Bella picked up a load nearly identical to the one she had for Angus. This one was for the Sheridan Ranch. She couldn’t stay, even for dinner, and Bandy watched rather forlornly as Ana-Bella pulled out of the loading area and headed down the street.

  It was the same two weeks later, for the second Longhammer load.

  Bandy and Ana-Bella talked regularly by phone as the weeks passed. And Bob and Angus kept Bandy updated on how the construction and other things they were doing according to the plan were going.

  For the first time since he had become a prepper, Bandy got off his budget. Well. He didn’t get off of it. He just did a major rewrite. He went on a buying jag, pulling money from almost every other line item, including the relationship one, to get many of the things that had been on the longer term list. By the time he was done, he had less available cash than at any time since he’d built the house.

  Right at the start of one of the regular Skype sessions with Angus, Bandy noted that he looked a bit better than he had the previous weeks. “Angus, you look awfully chipper this evening.”

  A smile appeared on Angus’ face. “I think the problem may be taken care of already, Hawkins. Colin was arrested this morning. Julie-Ann, Sheriff Broadhearst, picked him up herself about four this morning.”

  “And Sheriff Broadhearst understands the situation fully?” Bandy asked, getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Angus Longhammer was holding something back.

  “Oh, yes! June and I had a long talk with her over Christmas, at one of the local events. Junior was keeping an eye on where Colin was so he wasn’t and isn’t aware of that meeting.”

  “I see,” Bandy said quietly. After a pause, he expressed his feeling. “Mr. Longhammer, I feel there is something you aren’t telling me.”

  “Oh. Well… Sort of, I guess. It isn’t really important now that Colin is in jail.”

  “What is it?” Bandy asked, almost urgently.

  “Well, Colin expects me to bail him out after the initial hearing. I simply won’t and he can rot in jail for a few years.”

  Liking things less and less, Bandy then asked Angus, “What are the charges going to be?”

  “Assault with a motor vehicle, which will be changed to assault with intent to kill,” Angus sounded almost joyful. “It is a clear cut case. He hit a pedestrian in town, and took off.”

  This time it wasn’t his stomach that was affected. Bandy got a sudden chill down his
spine. “Angus, is there going to be an insurance claim?”

  “Oh, yeah! The guy said he was going to sue for ten million bucks. He’ll get it, too. It was very blatant. Colin didn’t even try to stop. Aimed right for the guy. And, quite to everyone’s surprise, Colin had very good insurance that will pay, off, too.”

  “Mr. Longhammer, was the man hurt seriously?”

  “No. Fortunately. He almost got out of the way. A fender caught him and banged up him up pretty good, and he hit a fire hydrant when he went down. Busted some ribs. But he’ll be all right. Just a lot of pain for a while. He’ll get that ten million for sure, and Colin will be in jail for a long time.”

  Bandy said. “Mr. Longhammer, you had better talk to Sheriff Broadhearst. Bail Colin out.”

  Angus was nearly shouting. “What? Are you nuts! This gets him out of the way and solves all my problems!”