Chuck
I left Steve, Julie, and Dewey at the outdoor helm and went down two decks to the office. I called the Marshal's station in Miami to get an update. I was advised that a team was being put together and would be making the arrest soon. They had people out at Romano's place, watching so he couldn't leave undetected. They also advised me that Politini's place in Ft. Lauderdale was already being raided. All of this made me feel better, but there seemed to be a loose end somewhere. I was going to have to research this group to find out where one group stopped and another began. There was too much intermingling of the various groups for normal operation. I was missing something.
I called Wanda to see how she was doing. She immediately began, "What the hell are you doing out there? You're supposed to be on vacation. You had that terrible confrontation last night with those drug people and the Bureau just told me you just had a firefight southwest of the coast. What's going on?"
"Calm down, Wanda. With the group that's on this boat, there is nothing to worry about. We have good equipment that gives us ample warning when there is a threat. We know what to look for, and we are watchful. This last group is my fault. That Romano guy that we have a warrant out for contracted the guy who attacked us, or at least was going to attack us. The New York Politini brothers, who apparently were a part of the group Nardelli was with, contracted him. They think they have a grudge to settle. The Bureau is taking the Politinis down as we speak. We should be okay now. We're in the Gulf Stream, on our way out to the Atlantic, sailing to Europe."
Wanda said, "Just be careful. You and Lisa have had too much contact lately. Your luck has been pretty good, so let's not stretch it. How is the trip other than having to shoot your way around the Keys?"
"So far it's been very pleasant, Wanda. How are things at the office?"
"Everything here and stateside is fine. Hawaii had a capture that wounded a deputy, but everything is settled down over there now. John says the only trouble around the country is offshore, where you are. He told me to tell you not to call him, as he would be too jealous to talk intelligently. He did ask that you call him about directions to your island. He said he wanted to go check out the security there for you. He said that he could probably figure out how to make it an office expense."
"I'll give him a call. How is everything at home?"
"Well, my John is the king of the hill right now. Lena and Tina were hanging all over him last night, telling him he needed to make them feel less lonely. I think they were teasing more than anything. Jan and Marie are excited they will be able to fly over to Ireland to meet you guys in a couple of weeks. I am too, and I know my John is anxious about it. You're really going to have a full boat with three more couples joining you."
I told Wanda, "You know, it really doesn't seem to be that many on board now. Six more won't make a difference. When someone needs some space, there are plenty of areas to find some peace and quiet. Almost no one uses the rear weather deck salon. The kids come up through there and I did see one of the triplets reading there. That salon is perfect for the kids if they want to be by themselves."
"Well, the six of us are really anxious to join you guys. Keep in touch. Sarah sends her love."
I hung up and called John, "So you want to go to the island, huh?"
John said, "Could I? The ladies and I could go down there and perhaps figure stuff out for you. I could do a security survey for you and for the service. We could use your island as a place to stash a witness before trial. Who would think we would hide a witness on a foreign island?"
"We could do that, but I would hate to attract some crazies to hurt the people there. We would have to keep it really quiet."
"This visit now would just be a survey, no changes, just a week to look over the facilities. I understand one of Steve Sharp's men is down there doing a survey too."
I told John, "Yeah, a guy named, Mark Robbins, is going down there or is already there, figuring out how many wind turbine generators it will take to supply the island with power. I can save a lot of diesel fuel that way. I'm also going to have him do a survey of the east side of island to see what kind of runway I can build over there. I'd like to be able to land on the island to save the time a boat takes to get back and forth to Limon."
John asked, "Is that how I get there? Do I fly to Limon and take a boat to the island?"
"Yeah, but I'll have the condo girls meet you at the airport in the convertible. You'll love that thing. They'll take you out to the boat and the boat crew will take you to the island."
"Jesus, Chuck, you have it all down there; a condo full of women, a boat, more women, an island, and probably more women."
"No, John, no women on the island." John was laughing at that.
"When are you going so I can have the condo girls meet you? Let me give you the number there so you can tell them when your flight comes in. Oh yeah, there will be a chubby customs guy there. Tell him you're my friend and give him a nice tip. The man can be a helpful friend."
I gave John the telephone number and said I would call the condo girls, as well as the island. The condo girls would talk to the boat crew. John was in for a surprise.
As I hung up and called Costa Rica to talk to the condo girls, I realized that both Mark and John would get the chance to stay out on the island more than I have had a chance to. The girls in Costa Rica told me they would take care of John. They also said they would call Miguel out on the island to let him know more people were coming. They were excited that I trusted them to take care of my friends.
I gave the condo girl my satellite phone number, and asked her to give it to Mark and to have him call me. They are so eager to please; you just want to hug them.
When I got up from the desk, I thought I might lie down for a few minutes in the cabin. When I went up a deck and opened the door to the big cabin, I found that some of the two families had gotten together. The Fab Five and Maria were all tangled up with Mickey, Sue, Mercy, and Juanita. The only person who saw me was Mercy. She grinned at me, blew me a kiss, and reached down to scratch her fuzzy place. She motioned me over, pointing at the recently scratched area, but I shook my head, gently grinning. Mentally, I heard, "Come on, join in, this is fun."
I answered her with a smile, "Enjoy, I have enough entertainment of my own. Let me catch up on them first."
Mercy was mentally laughing with me, as I silently closed the cabin door and turned to go back up to the main salon. Up there, Lisa was sitting at the keyboard with a pile of handwritten charts. She was following them, trying to get the feeling the composer had intended. She looked up at me, "So you found the girls? Mercy was trying to get me to come to them. This is more fun to me right now."
I asked, "Are those more of Pop's stuff?"
Lisa said, "Yes, and I have a couple that Rags gave me, too. Rags has some that are more earthy than Pop's. You are the one to play Rags stuff on your Les Paul or the SG. When you look at what Rags has written, you'll hear and feel what he was thinking. The man does get deep."
I pulled out the Blues King case, but Lisa said, "Get out an electric. I want to hear how you interpret what Pop has here. He has a note that this is to be played with a standard R&B blues bass progression. Play it through before you get a bass out to record a sample. The way I hear this is with a strong keyboard in the background, perhaps even some B3 sound. I haven't done any of that, but I know what would sound good. No time like the present to experiment."
Looking at Lisa, I said, "Remember, we have to do Georgia with the kids this evening. They are looking forward to showing off again."
Lisa smiled, "No problem, we'll do that for them. When are you going to teach them "When a Man Loves a Woman?"
"How do you know about that?" I asked, wondering if she had been in my head.
"You left all of the parts on top of the printer and left the midi queued up for it," Lisa said, accenting what she said with a kiss.
"Tomorrow," I said, with a plan in my head, "We'll work on it and play it tomorrow night. We have to keep playing what they've learned each night so they won't forget the tunes. It will be good for them. I'm going to switch them around on the harmony parts so that each of them gets a chance at the melody. We'll practice singing as a chorus, too. That should really be cute."
"Oh my, you really are going to teach them. They don't know what they're in for do they? You're really doin' it."
Lisa told me to try to get the feeling of Pop's chart, so I plugged in the Gibson and began playing. I had to stop to tune it better, but that only took a minute. I was soon feeling what Pop had written. While I played, Lisa began putting in full keyboard chords, and then she snuck in the B3 organ voice on the keyboard. She was grinning because it did sound good.
We had been lost in the music for a few minutes when I realized Mercy and one of Steve's kids were standing there. Mercy said, "Liz wants to ask you two something. Go ahead, Liz."
Liz was Sue's second tier kid. I called the kids of Sue, Mercy, and some of the ladies at the park, first, second, and third tier kids. They seem to be born in cycles. Like Stevie, Greg, and CJ were first tier. Liz and Mike were second tier, and Sue's twin boys and Mercy's triplets were third tier. I guess that made Bonita fourth tier. Anyway, Liz was the same age as Mike, about eight or nine.
Liz held up a Hohner harmonica in one hand and another one that I didn't recognize in the other. She said, "Can I play my harmonica with you when you play the blues? I won't play loud, but I want to follow along with you to see if I can harmonize like you said, Chuck."
Lisa held her hand out to look at Liz's harmonica and nodded. "This is the same kind I have, Liz. Have you been playing very much?"
Mercy pointed at Lisa and said, "She heard you play yours in Hawaii, and bugged Sue endlessly until we got her this one. The other is a Hohner Blues Harp. She does pretty well on it too. Now mind you, everything you hear is self-taught. We bought her some CDs, a couple of instruction videos, and a lot of music. We asked her if she wanted us to get her a teacher but she didn't want one. She's done this all on her own."
Lisa asked, "What do you want us to play so you can play along?"
The little girl said, "What you were doing sounds good. I like the feel of that one. I've been listening to nothing but old time blues on my Ipod and playing with it. I really like the way it makes me feel."
Lisa looked at me and grinned, "Let's just do Pop's another couple of times through to see if we can get the feelin' again. When we get going again, join in whenever you want, Liz."
Lisa led in with the piano keyboard so I could pick up the thread. Almost as soon as I began, Lisa switched to the B3 voice and we all heard a real funky harmonica come in with us. Liz had a feel for the key we were in, and seemed to be able to blend in with us, giving some real feeling to the music.
I stopped, held up my hand, and said, "We need the bass. Let me get the back beat going with the R&B boogie bass background, and let Lisa lead us in again." I hit the controller button so a synthesized basic bass beat began. Lisa came in again with the keyboard on piano and I began. Lisa switched voices and Liz began again. She really did have a feel for the music.
Lisa, Liz, and I were lost in the music for ten minutes or so, giving Lisa an opening for a breakout solo, followed by breaking for me to get weird. When Lisa and I nodded to Liz, she didn't even see us, as her eyes were closed, but she wailed, I mean really made that harmonica crawl and growl. Holy smokes, another talent discovered.
Someone yelled "Hey! Suppertime."
All three of us stopped playing and looked up at a dozen smiling faces that surrounded us. Liz almost looked embarrassed that we had been lost in the music. Juanita was standing at the top of the stairs with her hands on her hips. "Come on, you guys. You can play for us later. The kids are already at the table. That is, all of them except Lizzy."
Lisa and I grinned at each other as Liz ran down the stairs to join the rest for supper.
I told Lisa I was going to relieve Steve at the helm so he could eat. She said she wanted to stay with me. Steve protested for less than ten seconds before he left for supper. Today's schedule had gotten messed up with our confrontation, since the next up was Dewey. Steve was trying to make Dewey's tour only two hours before I went on tour at eight. We closed the outdoor helm and moved inside, so whoever was at the controls could be a part of the fun.
Lisa asked me, "Did you know Liz could play the harmonica?"
"No, I didn't know. She's not said anything to me. No one else mentioned it to me, either. I guess she's learned and played on her own." After pausing a second, I said, "She's really good."
Lisa said, "She has a better sound than mine, I'm jealous. The little girl has a great feel for the music. Wait till Pop and Rags hear her. They're gonna wrap her up in their big black arms and love her to pieces."
With a laugh I said, "Wait till Pop and Rags hear you doing a B3 imitation. They're gonna go nuts."
"That was luck," Lisa said. "I decided to try it and the sound just came out. If you hold the Keys down when you're playing the B3 voice, it automatically sustains. Really cool."
"As usual, Lisa, we sounded pretty damn good. We should have had the controller set to record so we could have sent Pop a recording of us playing his music."
With a grin, Lisa said, "I did. I used the aux circuit to record while you were using only the first set of channels for the bass back. You know that thing has six sets of channels. That means you can sync six separate channels and play along while recording everything."
"Well, pull that out and let's send it to Pop right away. He and Rags have to hear this new kid on the block."
While I checked over the gauges, radar, and Internet weather, Lisa went to the controller and pulled a CD. She brought it over and said, "We need to have the laptop on the keyboard connected to the internet."
I said, "It is, just pull up Mozilla, click on Yahoo, and send Pop the piece. I have both his and Rags' address on my Yahoo account."
Lisa asked, "What's your Yahoo account?"
"Think about it, sweet thing." I paused a few seconds before saying, "ChucksBlues at yahoo dot com. That's all it could be for the music side of my life, isn't it?"
Lisa messed around at the laptop on top of the keyboard for a while and came back. "You're funny. You're the go-getter in the Marshal's Service, the dirty deeds dude for the USA SS, and you even have a place in the hearts of blues lovers everywhere with an e-mail address like that."
Steve came back up, telling me that he was taking Dewey's spot until eight when I was to be on duty. Steve said, "I don't think Dewey's in any shape to pull your duty. I, or someone else, will spell you for your playtime with the kids. I want to hear Lizzy play some more. That was awesome to hear her so wrapped up in the music."
I told Steve, "The boys have shown a lot of promise with the guitar so far. You have a family full of potential musicians. All of the kids are talented. We just have to nurture what they are best at and set them free."
Lisa and I quickly ate and called for the kids to come up to the salon. I explained to all of them that I had to go on duty at eight, so we were going to play last night's Tom Petty song and do Georgia. Lisa had practiced singing it, so we were going to do it several times, switching harmony parts so they all had a chance to play each part."
You could see panic in their eyes. I told them, "Come on, Guys. You can all read music and you're all familiar with the piece. We'll play it through unplugged for practice the first time after each switch, then go ahead from there. You're gonna be surprised at how well you do."
As soon as the adults were finished cleaning up in the galley and were in the salon, I made the announcement to everyone. "The kids have learned, and are learning, another part of being a musician. They are learning harmony. We're going to play last night's piece again for fun and so they have that song in their heads. Practice makes perfect, you know. Then we're going to play something we learned today."
We did Mary Jane's Last Dance with the kids singing the lyrics, and most of them playing rhythm all the way through. The country music fan adults all sang with them and enjoyed the kids' efforts.
I announced, "The kids wanted to learn blues, so we decided to make their learning session really meaningful. We found a decent blues piece and printed out a four-part harmony for guitar. To add to the piece, the kids have asked Lisa to sing. We'll do the piece through once, then add my vocals the second time around."
I paused and continued, "Now, don't panic when we change parts and play the piece again. Each of the kids will get to play all four parts. That way they can practice reading music and practice harmonizing with other musicians."
The lead in for the song, "Georgia," was soft and delicate. The acoustic guitar band did an excellent job giving the piece some flavor and soul. When we came back to the beginning, Lisa began singing, "Georgia" and kept right on going.
Lisa indicated that I should sing the piece the next time through, so I let the kids do it through once, then began singing. It did sound good with the kids playing. It was easy to sing the piece, as the background was so full. I was letting my fingers wail a little, Lisa was doing her B3 imitation and Liz was playing her harmonica for us. We really sounded good.
I brought us to a close and said, "That was a lot of fun. We almost sounded a little like some early Allman Brothers. I'm going to let the kids play for you for a while, but I'm going on duty at the helm. Enjoy the kids, they are our generation's next entertainers."
I clapped and everyone applauded.
I put my Les Paul in the case and stowed it in the cabinet. I pinched cheeks and ruffled the hair of all the kids. I gave Lisa a squeeze on the arm and headed to the helm."
Steve said, "That was awesome. You and Lisa are really bringing the talent out in those kids. Did you hear Lizzy? Man, she can play that harmonica. Sue said she was practicing, but I didn't know she was doing so well."
I checked all the navigation instruments and the course heading. Steve said he would tour the deck to make sure everything was as it should be. I almost didn't want to punch up the radar and the history. There were targets, but none were pacing us or intersecting with us this time. It was calm for a change.
I punched up the solution for our speed and history and saw that we were sailing along at almost fifteen knots. The gauges were all within tolerance and the small wind turbine on top of the rear mast was turning at its maximum speed, charging the storage batteries. When I checked the generator, it showed that the motor was off line as the wind turbine was taking care of our needs.
My two hours passed quickly, especially with the kids playing the songs they knew. Bonita was leading the group, telling Lisa what to play as they performed for us. I found it funny that a kid not seven years old had the Moxie to perform and lead her older siblings to perform. She did love her music. One thing she did was to put Liz in front so she could play both the harmonica and the guitar. A little after nine, the kids began going below to put their guitars away and get ready for bed.
At ten o'clock, Sue came up and said, "I'm going to take Lisa from you for an hour. She wants me to show her how the autopilot works on the boat and how the GPS updates the console. Have a drink, play some music, or do nothing. Relax, enjoy yourself."
It was difficult to think I would be able to relax and sleep all night without being interrupted. We had enough problems so far, and I was apprehensive we could have more. I really didn't feel any impending threat, but I still wanted to be cautious.
While I sipped a drink, Mercy came up to me and said, "You should have joined us down there today. I think most of us girls are going into maintenance for a couple of days. You might want to think about your two oriental girls too. They were worried since you haven't selected any of them for intimacy since we sailed."
"Wow! They tell everything to everyone, huh?"
Mercy grinned, "No, they tell me because I tell them in their head to tell me and to tell Lisa or Brandy. That way I know how the winds are blowing for your family. It looks like every female on the boat will be bleeding tomorrow."
I was nodding my head when Mercy said, "That doesn't include my mom, Beth, Julie, Maggie, Glenda, and your pregnant trio, so you still have lots of women to choose from."
She was laughing as Sue gave me a hug. She said, "I've got the helm. Go take a walk around the rigging and check it out. The tensions all look correct, but go check them anyway. Take Lisa with you so she knows what to look for."
As we walked around the boat, checking the lashings and the sail rigging, Lisa said, "Tonight was neat. We played with the kids and we played with each other. That was neat. I think you and I need to find something we can play as a duet. Our voices will probably blend really nice. You know what, we can both sing the melody on a piece and see how they blend. If it works, we can divide up the parts. I sing alto real well and you can probably sing a harmony part as well. Let's look for something. I'm going to e-mail Pop to write us something. Pop and Rags know our voices and I'll bet they can figure something out."
When we went back into the salon, almost all of the adults were still up. Dewey held the bottle of Beefeaters up for me and I smiled. He scooped up a glass of ice and poured the clear liquid into the glass and handed it to me. He said, "You know, if you get a drink, the bartender can tell you to go play something for us. Come on, entertain us. I want to hear some cool tunes from our Deputy."
I felt pretty squirrelly so I looked up Mel Tillis, checked the tempo, and set the controller for a bass back and began. "Hey, Baby, let me see that brand new,,,, saddle. Let's put that thing up on my horse. We don't want you to be falling off."
The country music fans laughed and sang as I strummed the Gibson acoustic. This was perfect for keeping all of us in a good mood.
When I finished that naughty piece, I remembered a really strange song by Roger Miller and began "You can't go roller skating in a buffalo herd." I knew all the words and the strange sounds Miller made during the song. I really enjoyed the way that man could entertain. When he was straight, off drugs, the guy was great.
Before I played the last chord people were hollering "King of the Road."
Everyone knows that one. "Trailer for sale or rent. Rooms to let, fifty cents. No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes. Ah, but two hours of pushin' broom, buys an eight by twelve four bit room. I'm a man of means, by no means, King of the Road."
Everyone was singing along with this ageless song. Most of us can relate to how someone could be in that same situation.
Now I was in the mood, so I pulled up Hoochie Coochie Man and did the Muddy Waters version, wishing I could have set up the R&B bass boogie beat. The surprise was little Lizzy. She was right there with me playing her harmonica. Bonita was sitting at the keyboard doing the bass chords to back me while singing. Can you imagine, the little girls in their pajamas jamming with me.
Now I was out of control and began doing a SLASH imitation. This led into doing some Hendricks' riffs and I continued with some Clapton riffs that always make me crazy. I ended with some Santana that really makes me nuts. I stopped playing, totally finished, satiated with music.
This last jam had lasted for over thirty minutes, and when I finally stopped, there was dead silence. Everyone was captivated by reliving those moments of guitar blues history. Lisa began yelling and clapping, which caused the others to yell and clap with her. I picked up Lizzy and held her a second. "You really did well. We sounded good together. Thanks for playing with me."
Lizzy was grinning as she ran to Sue, her mother, and said something to her.
I hugged Bonita telling her how great she did on the piano. She whispered to me, "I'm going to learn the organ too, so I can play like Lisa did."
People were asking for more, but I waved them off and put the guitar in its case. I was done, and what I could do tonight, was done too. This had been a real good time.
The kids that had migrated back to the salon were all kissed and hugged, but sent to bed. Taiying and Sing shooed them all below, following them.
I carried my glass to the bar and filled it with ice and just a little more clear liquid. Lisa came to me and said, "You were out there tonight. I've never seen you get so lost in the mood. Damn, I wish I could have recorded what you played. You expanded on every one of those riffs by great players."
I smiled at Lisa and gave her a kiss. Kathy came up to me and said, "You know I had a hysterectomy and I'm not on the rag tonight. How about you and Steve make me a happy woman?"
I laughed, "Oh, Kathy, you're too much. How about I take a rain check on that for tonight? Actually, if I didn't get so emotional from playing, I'd love to keep on playing. Music can be way up there sometimes."
Lisa put the CD from our night in Atlanta into the player. The first thing we heard was Pop tinkling, followed by us picking it up and playing a perfect closing riff. The CD continued with one of the pieces Pop had written for us. I listened and sipped my drink.
Nancy came to me and asked, "Want to go to bed? How about we put you to sleep tonight? We're not all disabled, but I'll bet we all know how to make you happy."
Tiani came to sit on my lap. She said, "Is this pregnant slut trying to get you off to herself. Just because the three of them don't have menses, doesn't mean they get you to themselves."
Judy was listening and said, "Tough tookies, Runt. You're broke and we're not. We're manufacturing the next generation while you just wish you were."
I said, "All right, Ladies, I'll go to bed, but it is kind of crowded down there."
Nancy said, "So what. There are only four of us that are in working order. That's Judy, Frieda, Julie, and me. Now, come put our fires out and get a good night's sleep."
Lisa waved at me as I went below to become the victim of these wayward women.
As soon as I was in the big cabin, the girls had me stripped down and flat on my back. Nancy crawled up on me, and said, "I'm first tonight. We drew straws and I won. You get Judy next, and Frieda's last, that is unless you wanted to include Julie."
I didn't see Julie, so I assumed she was bunking with Maggie, Beth, or Missy.
The two oriental girls were sitting cross-legged on each side of my head. Taiying said, "We not broke. We have special implant that work five years. Only two years so far. When implant done, you give baby, okay?"
I frowned at the sing song English the two were using. "What's the deal, Girls?"
Sing said, "We were given these implants so we wouldn't become pregnant and bring more dissidents into the world. The government really was worried about us. That's why we took the chance to sneak out when we heard our husbands had died. They said they died from pneumonia, but it was probably from lead poisoning."
I laid back and grinned, thinking that I was going to be taken care of whether or not I wanted to be taken care of, regardless of everyone's condition. I really wasn't that horny, but the naked girls had my motor cranked up. With Nancy sitting on my ego and the two cute oriental dolls sitting next to me displaying their playground, how could I not be turned on?
It seemed like many hours later that I was kissing Frieda and thrusting into her after satisfying all of the women that were capable of being loved by me. The twin Orientals were almost sleeping as Frieda wrapped me up in her arms and legs, kissing me, almost squealing her release as I jetted into her.
She said, "See, that's why I wanted to be last. I knew I would get everything you had left. It was mine. You have made your harem happy again tonight. Thank you, Chuck. I love you."
As I snuggled with Frieda, Lisa hugged my back and kissed my neck. Man, I sure am lucky.