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[Auth Note] I got a notice congratulating me on four years on Steemit/Hive and I want to thank my many friends and supporters for their friendship and help over the years. It's been a great journey! I'm sure than many of you have noticed that I don't post as often as usual... I'm afraid that my years of dissipation are catching up with me. In the time I have left I want to finish this book and also complete the sequel to The Night Gods (it's about 3/4 done). These, along with The Night Gods and my autobiography will be my legacy. I'll continue to write articles, and I thank all of you again for taking this journey with me -- may God Bless and keep you.
2010 brought about many changes for the Merrill family, Ray was in med school and Jill was playing the part of breadwinner as well as stay at home mom. She had gotten her MA in computer programming and turned down many lucrative offers from Silicon Valley for the flexibility of working from home. Baby Sean wasn’t a baby anymore and he was joined by a baby sister Leah, now two. They had moved from Ray’s parent’s house into a home of their own on a tree lined street in one of Fairfax’s nicer residential areas, one with an immense back yard for the kids to play in. Jill’s salary was still substantial, even though she had opted to work from home, she had several corporate clients and a government contract or two. Her specialty was computer security, something always in demand.
Ray’s brother Dennis was still at home, running the garage now and looking after Chet and Angela. Ray and Jill stopped by as much as they could, but both were busy, Ray taking an enormous class load and Jill with work and the kids. They tried in vain to convince Chat and Angela to move into their spacious new digs, but both refused to give up the home they loved. Jill had her office and Ray had set up one of the extra bedrooms as one of his own, somewhere he could spend evenings studying undisturbed. It was one such night when he got an unexpected phone call.
“Hey stranger,” the voice on the other end said in a distinct Southern drawl. “I bet you can’t guess who this is.”
The voice was familiar, but Ray couldn’t place it. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“You probably don’t even remember me,” the voice said. “It’s Jimmy Fox, from boot camp, your old buddy.”
“I’ll be damned,” Ray blurted out. “How the heck are you doing?”
“I’m fine buddy,” Jimmy said. “I’m in Washington meetin with some folks and I hoped we could get together.”
“That would be great, Jill would love to meet you,” Ray said excitedly. “I’m in Fairfax, can you get out this way?”
“I’ve got some meetings in the morning and I can head that way after lunch,” Jimmy told him. “Keep this under your hat, but I’m going to be the next representative from my district. Seems nobody else wants the job.”
“Wonderful,” Ray replied. “We’ll throw an extra cup of water in the soup and you can stay for dinner.”
Better make that two,” Jimmy said. “I’ve got the wife with me.”
“Sounds good,” Ray said. “Is that the one whose picture you had in boot camp, the one that looks like a movie star?”
“Yep,” Jimmy said proudly. Now what about you, Ray, what are you doing with yourself these days?”
“I’m in med school, I’m going to be a doctor,” Ray told him.
“Well, I’ll be damned, Jimmy said. “I figured you’d become a lifer in the Navy being a SEAL and all.”
“I got wounded in Afghanistan,” Ray replied. “I always wanted to be a doctor anyway.”
Ray gave him directions to the house and they hung up. Then Ray went to give Jill the news.
Jill was finishing the dinner dishes when Ray burst in. “You’re never going to guess who that was,” he said excitedly. “Jimmy Fox, my old rackmate from boot camp,” he blurted out before she could say anything. “He and his wife are coming for dinner tomorrow.”
“How long has it been since you talked to him?” She asked.
“Since boot camp,” Ray informed her. “I can’t wait to see his wife.”
“And why is that?” Jill asked, arms folded across her chest, her foot tapping.
“It’s nothing like that,” Ray laughed. “Jimmy had a picture of this beautiful girl that he told everybody was his girlfriend. Nobody believed him, wait until you see him, you’ll understand.”
“I’d better,” Jill said, still tapping her foot feigning annoyance. “Well, I guess I’d better go to the store tomorrow. What should I get?”
“Why don’t we throw some steaks on the grill,” he suggested. “The kids can have burgers. We can throw together a salad to go with it.”
“Steaks it is,” Jill replied. “And you better stay away from his wife, mister.”
The weather couldn’t be better for Ray and Jimmy’s reunion, the mid-September Virginia sun kept the temperatures in the 70s and the leaves were just beginning to change from green to their Autumn colors. The Fox’s showed up at around 3 and Ray and Jill greeted them warmly at the door. Diedre Fox turned out to be even more beautiful than Jimmy’s boot camp photo had revealed. After the usual banalities, the Merrills and their guests set about with the cookout.
After dinner Jimmy took Ray aside. “Is there somewhere where we can talk?” He asked.
“Oh boy,” Diedre exclaimed to Jill, “he’s off to talk politics. We’ll be lucky to see them again tonight.”
Diedre was holding Leah on her knee. “Jimmy and I are trying to have kids of our own,” she said wistfully. “The doctor says there’s no reason why we can’t, it just hasn’t happened yet.”
“I’m sure it will happen for you,” said Jill, not knowing what else to say.
While the wives were talking kids, Ray steered Jimmy into his makeshift office, stopping to grab a couple of beers from the fridge on the way.
“What’s so important?” He asked when they were out of earshot.
“I’m not really sure where to start, or how much I can tell you, Jimmy began, an earnest look on his ruddy face. “There are a lot of really bad people running this country, Obama, Hillary Clinton, a whole bunch of them. Like your father-in-law, he’s not a good man, and he’s one of them. Yeah, I know who you’re married to, and he doesn’t like you. He’s about to be appointed to the Federal Appellate Court -- he’s a really bad man.”
“How do you know this stuff?” Ray asked, an amazed look on his face.
“When I was in the Navy, they got me into Intel, plus people tell me things, really powerful people, patriots like you and me. The folks where I live, they don’t trust the government so much, hell, I don’t either. They’re sending me to Washington because they think I can make a difference. This government is corrupt, rotten to the core. I’m hopin to do something about it… and there are others like me.”
“You sound like my dad,” Ray smiled. “He’s always telling me not to trust the government.”
“Your dad sounds like a smart man,” Jimmy said, his face turning serious. “Ray, when I tell you these people are bad, I don’t just mean corrupt, but evil. They have some really bad plans for America.”
“What do you mean by bad plans?” Ray asked, he was getting nervous. “And what can I do to help?”
“By bad plans, I mean destroying America as we know it,” Jimmy said, his face still serious. “You were a SEAL, we might need your expertise, nothing right now, but maybe in the future.” He reached into the pocket of his sport coat and pulled out a cell phone. “This is encrypted, my encrypted number is programmed in. If it rings it will be me or someone I work with.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Ray said, looking his old friend in the eyes. “I’m in med school, I don’t know what I can do to help.”
“Look Ray,” Jimmy went on, “right now knowing you’re on my side is enough. What we’re up against is monstrous. You think the government runs the country? We don’t, it’s all the big corporations. The government is run by their lobbyists on K St., they write all the legislation, Congress just passes it. Sooner or later they will try to take over, that’s when I may need your help. Hell, it might not be for ten years or more.”
“I’m with you,” Ray said, extending his hand.
“Thanks, buddy,” Jimmy said gratefully, taking Ray’s hand, shaking it vigorously. “I knew I could count on you, I knew back in boot camp. You’re a good man, Ray, I mean that.”
“I guess we’d better get back to the girls,” Ray said, relieved the conversation was over. “By the way, that wife of yours is everything you said back at Great Lakes.”
“Yeah, she’s something, ain’t she,” Jimmy replied with a wink. “The perks of being a country lawyer. That wife of yours ain’t nothing to sneeze at either my friend.”
“She’s one of the good ones,” Ray said. “I’ve truly been blessed.”
The Fox’s said their good nights and the couples promised to get together often once Jimmy and Diedre moved to DC. After they left, Ray and Jill went through their nightly routine getting the kids ready for bed. When all was done Jill asked Ray what the secret meeting was all about. Ray was unsure how much to tell her, especially about her father. After Ray had been discharged they had promised each other never to keep secrets.
“That’s classified, above your pay grade,” Ray laughed, putting his arms around her waist pulling her close.
“Oh it is, is it,” she said, arching an eyebrow, cocking her head.
“Mostly political stuff.” Ray told her, omitting anything about her father.
“Obama’s a bad guy?” She asked. “I voted for him, he promised change, to bring people together.”
“I know you did, babe,” Ray said softly. “But according to Jimmy, the change he was talking about during the election isn’t what you think.” Ray went on to explain about how the corporations run things.
“It sounds a lot like that conspiracy stuff your dad is always talking about,” Jill mused.
“He also told me that just because something is a conspiracy, doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” Ray told her. “My dad is a pretty smart guy, honest too… he’s been studying this stuff for years. I saw things in Afghanistan, things I can’t tell you about. Things aren’t always like they tell you on the news.”
“And what about your friend Jimmy,” She asked, a troubled look coming over her pretty face. “Do you trust him?”
“Yeah,” Ray replied. “Yeah, I do. What he said is pretty close to what my dad has always told me. Besides, I trust my gut. I liked him right away when I met him.”
“That’s good enough for me then,” Jill replied, getting up on tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips. “I’m going to finish cleaning up and I’ll meet you in the bedroom. By the way, what did you think about his wife?”
“She seems nice enough,” Ray said. “Honestly, I just wanted to see if she looked like the picture he showed everybody. Nobody believed it was really his girl.”
“She is really pretty, I like her,” Jill said back. “Just remember who you’re married to.” She winked and walked off toward the kitchen swinging her hips provocatively.
It was a little less than two weeks after the cookout that Ray got a text message at class that his father had been taken to the hospital with recurring chest pain. Ray skipped his next class to rush to meet Jill and his mom who were already there.
“Will you two quit fussing over me,” Chet said crossly. “I’m fine.”
“Stop being such a crab,” Jill said with a smile, knowing he was enjoying the attention.
“Hey Dad,” Ray said upon entering the room. “Are these two giving you a bad time?”
“Maybe you can get these two to leave me alone,” Chet replied. “By the way, where are my grandkids.”
“They’re with the sitter,” Jill said. “I’ll bring them by tomorrow when I know you’re ok.”
“I’m fine I told you,” Chet said with a frown. “The quacks want me to stay a couple of days for observation. I’m ready to go home now.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Angela cut in, before kissing Ray on the cheek. “How’s my doctor?” She asked.
“A long way from being a doctor yet, Mom,” Ray smiled, kissing her back. “How are you, we don’t see enough of you now that we’ve moved.”
“I’m busy taking care of this one,” Angela said smiling. “He’s harder to raise than both of you boys.”
“Why don’t you two go down to the cafeteria and get some coffee,” Chet suggested./ “I want to talk to Ray for a few minutes. Guy talk, you know.”
When the women were gone, Chet told his son to grab a chair and sit down. “I don’t know how serious this thing is and there’s some things I want to talk to you about.”
“The doctors said it wasn’t that serious,” Ray told him. “This is just precautionary, but if it happens again, they might do a bypass and a pacemaker. Before you start there’s something I need to tell you.” Ray told his dad about his visit with Jimmy and what they had discussed.
Chet listened patiently before replying. “Your friend is right Son,” he finally said. “THere are some really bad people running the government. They’re just shills for the corporations and international bankers that run the Federal Reserve. The CIA and intelligence agencies work for them, not to keep the people safe. They’ve been running drugs for years and now they’re into human trafficking, harvesting organs, and other things we don’t even know about. Quite a few of them are pedophiles, they traffick children for sex. Your friend was right.”
“He says that Jill’s dad is one of them,” Ray said.
“He is, Son,” Chet said, reaching for Ray’s hand. “These people will stop at nothing to get what they want. Listen to me Ray, if something ever happens to me I want you to go down to the basement and open my old footlocker. There’s a false bottom, just pry up the plywood and there’s a bunch of documents from when I was in Vietnam… pictures too. It’s time to tell you the truth, I wasn’t just a grunt, I ran black ops into Laos and Cambodia. They were running drugs from Thailand into Vietnam and smuggling them home. The CIA ran it but the military was involved too.”
“But what does Jill’s dad have to do with it?” Ray asked.
“The whole judicial system is rigged, corrupt as hell,” Chet informed his son. “Bob Shepherd, Judge Graham, the whole bunch of them. The more corrupt they are, the higher they rise in the system.”
Ray told his dad what he had seen in the poppy fields of Afghanistan.
“That’s why we’ve been there so long,” Chet told him. “I wanted to tell you this before you enlisted, but you were so proud and determined to go. Wars are to promote the military industrial complex like Ike warned about, that and keeping the black market going.”
Jill and Angela came back into the room just as Ray was promising Chet he would come back the next day so they could talk more.
“Well,” Jill asked, “what are you two conspiring about?”
“My son’s promised to break me out of here,” Chet said laughing.
“Well, Jill and I are going to get out of here so you can get some rest,” Ray said. “Can we drop you at home Mom?”
“No, I’m going to stay with your dad, son,” Angela replied. “I’ve got my car and I’ll head home in the morning. You two go ahead.”
Jill brought Sean and Leah by in the morning, something that cheered Chet up to no end.
“Are you going to be ok Grandpa,” Sean asked, taking Chet’s hand.
“I’m going to be just fine, big boy,” Chet smiled.
“What are all of these?” Sean asked, pointing to all of the tubes and sensors.
“Those are to make Grandpa feel better,” Jill answered. “You have to be careful not to touch them.”
“Grandpa,” Leah chortled, holding her tiny arms out.
“Come sit with Grandpa,” Chet said, smiling down at her. Jill lifted her gingerly, setting her on the edge of the bed.
Jill and the kids stayed until just after noon when Ray came to relieve them. Angela would come later in the evening after finishing the bookwork for the garage. Dennis was a fair mechanic, but the books were beyond his abilities.
“Hey, Dad,” Ray said after Jill and the young ones departed. “I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday. What do you think those people are up to -- what do they want?”
“Power, Son,” Chet began. “They want the country. Sooner or later there will be a false flag, something like 9/11 that they’ll use to take away more of our rights. Eventually there will be something bigger, the final power grab.”
“How does Jill’s dad and Judge Graham fit in?” Ray asked, a puzzled look on his face.
“The courts are the ultimate arbiter of power, the last check against government,” Chet told him. “If they have the courts in the bag, there’s nothing anybody can do to stop them short of armed revolution.”
“Sounds like you two are out to take over the world,” said the doctor who had been reading Chet’s chart outside the door.
“When can I get out of this confounded place?” Chet asked impatiently. “I want to sleep in my own bed.”
“You don’t like our hospitality?” the doctor said, checking the readouts on Chet’s telemetry..
“I don’t like hospitals,” Chet said with a scowl. “And I damn sure don’t like the food.”
“I can’t argue with you there,” the doctor said with a smile. “We’re going to keep you one more day and then you can go home the day after tomorrow. I’ll leave now so you two can continue your plot to take over the world.”
Jill had taken the kids down to the hospital cafeteria for lunch when Leo Graham showed up at Chet’s room dressed in hospital scrubs. “You know too much for your own good,” Leo growled, puncturing the feed on Chet’s IV with a syringe. “And you damn sure talk too much.”
Ray got off the elevator just in time to see Leo scurrying away. He was confused, Leo didn’t work there, why was he dressed like an orderly? He rushed to his dad’s room, but he was too late. Chet’s eyes were glazed, a stream of spittle running down the side of his mouth. There was something in his father’s hand, an identification card with a picture of Leo Graham and a false name. He took it quickly, putting it in his pocket before yelling for a doctor. He managed to intercept Jill and the kids as they exited the elevator -- he didn’t want them to see his father in the state he was in.
“You need to take the kids and go home,” he instructed. “Stay there until I get there. Don’t call anyone, or let anyone in except my family.”
“Why?” Jill asked. “What’s going on?” Her eyes were wide with fear and confusion not being able to fathom why Ray was acting so strangely.
“My dad’s dead,” Ray told her, taking her into his arms. “I don’t think it was an accident -- I’ll explain when I get home,” he whispered into her ear.
Jill gathered up the kids and did as Ray had instructed. He was a level-headed man not given to flights of fancy, there must be something to what he was saying, she was sure.
The next few days were hectic, there was a funeral to plan and arrangements to make. Ray went to the doctor in charge of his father’s case and asked for an autopsy, only to be turned away. The doctor informed him it was unnecessary, the cause of death was clear; his father had died due to complications from his heart attack.
Ray insisted that his father had been getting better, not worse and that he suspected foul play. The doctor reassured him that his father was well liked in the community and no one had a reason to want him dead. Ray saw that he was getting nowhere so he took the next step and went to the police.
“I’d like to talk to a detective,” he told the sergeant at the desk.
“What’s this about?” The sergeant asked.
“I think my father was murdered,” Ray replied.
The detective, a burly man named Stubbs, listened patiently as Ray told his story before replying. “You’re telling me that Leo Graham murdered your father?” Stubbs asked incredulously. “You know that the Grahams are one of the most respected members of our community, right? What reason would he have to kill your dad?”
Ray thought better than to spring the conspiracy on the detective. “I don’t know,” he said. “But why would Leo, who’s a lawyer, be in the hospital dressed in scrubs?”
“Are you certain it was Leo?” The detective asked. “Do you have proof it was him that you saw?”
“There must be security cameras at the hospital,” Ray returned. “Can’t you ask for those”
“I will,” Stubbs promised. “But I can also tell you that both the doctor and the medical examiner signed off on the cause of death. I doubt very seriously that you will get an autopsy.”
Ray could tell by the look on Stubbs’ face that he was lying. He was beginning to understand just how deep the conspiracy ran. He headed home to warn Jill… and to call Jimmy Fox.
