Steve
I woke up several times during the night, hearing things that were normal sounds. Sure wish Chuck had stayed, I would have felt a lot more secure. Funny how a guy like that can make you feel safe. He's just a guy, a one- legged guy with a crooked smile, who is as friendly as a kitten. He can be vicious when he's on the job though.
Drinking coffee at 5:55 in the morning is a good way to enjoy the day. I called down to the gate guard to see how everything was going and he said that everything throughout the park had been quiet. He said that he had heard from the shop, the marina, and the airpark and everything was good.
I reached up and flipped on the lights that caused a nearby door to slam and a figure to walk across the grass toward the patio. Glenda came in, gave me a hug, and poured herself some coffee. She said, "I saw you out here around five thirty, but I figured you had things on your mind. Is everything okay?"
"So far, so good, Glenda. Wish we had more time to go sailing though. We might have to take a week and take a ride across the gulf or something. We're all getting the itch."
Glenda said, "You know, if you guys were to sail to Europe again, I might even talk Martin into going with you. He's really enjoyed going sailing with you and it would be easy on him."
Mercy came out and hugged Glenda. She said, "That would be wonderful, Glenda. You and Martin could have a real vacation. We all would love that."
Mercy gave me a hug and a kiss, sat on my lap, and said, "You know what? Everything is safe. I feel it. We're all safe, Chuck and his folks are all safe and I think the bad guys are trying to recover something in Orlando. Why don't you call Jan so she can alert the people in Orlando?"
Mercy handed me the phone that she had already brought out. I called Chuck's and he answered on the first ring, "Johnson."
I said, "Relax, Mercy says for you to tell Jan to have the Bureau watch things over in Orlando. She thinks they are going to try to get something there."
Chuck said, "I'll tell her, but I'll call over there right now to make sure they know right away. There should be a deputy team assigned to watch the place while the investigation is still on. Let me call, I'll talk to you later," Chuck said, and hung up.
Mercy had a funny look on her face and she smiled. "Chuck is thinking of us and he's trying to feel what I feel from over there. We don't know those people, so we can't get a feel for them. But I've felt this type of thing before and I just feel it. Those men from Miami are over there."
People were coming into the patio, getting coffee, still talking about yesterday's excitement. The cable news was broadcasting about the wild gunfight at the airpark and the associated raids in Daytona, Orlando, and Miami. They even had a one minute piece about how two boats had attempted to hijack a big sailboat, but were beaten off by the boat crew.
The kids had eaten and were getting ready to go up to the rec center for school. The moms were gathering them to walk them up. When that bunch leaves in the morning, there is a vacuum where they had been. The patio is so full of life for that time when they are getting ready for school, then whoosh, they're gone.
I was considering leaving for the shop when Chuck called, he said, "Tell Mercy she was right on. Just about the time I called, the duty men watching the place saw activity and called for backup. They caught two, and two are on their way to the morgue. No one is taking any chances after the wild day yesterday. Anyway, thank the lady and tell her she has to teach me how to do that."
Mercy already knew who was on the phone and what he had said. She said, "He was talking to me at the same time he was talking to you. He's so open sometimes, it's like he's standing right next to me. He hears me the same way, but he tries not to listen since he thinks it's private. One of these days, he'll learn."
"See, right now he heard me talk to you, and he's telling me to hush and to get out of his head. It's amazing how much we can talk to each other." Mercy leaned to me and said for only me to hear, "There's another one over there that has this same gift. Lisa is hearing Chuck and me. She hears Chuck clearly and wonders how. I'm going to talk to her. Hopefully, mom will hurry and get down here as she is so good at talking to someone about the gift."
I smiled, thinking that having Mercy, Missy, Chuck, and now the ever surprising Lisa, with the gift of mind talking will be a definite good time. Chuck is so bashful about his gift that it will be crazy for Lisa to be able to communicate with him the way Mercy does. Juanita was worried that Mercy was too much into Chuck. Well, I want the two of them to be the best of friends, with my blessing. Now with Lisa in the mix, those three are going to be a crazy group to be around.
Hap and Mickey came up to me, and Mickey said, "I've just got word from Orlando that the men that escaped the bust in Miami were caught trying to get something in Orlando. They are looking for whatever it was they went over there for now."
I wonder what it was.
Sue said, "I have to do some things at the old factory this morning. I might have to fly up to DC for a contract talk. They want to change some material specifications, so it might require a group of us. I'll fly, so there's no need for more. I'll probably try to take a King Air. It's perfect for our management group."
"A Lear is about the same and at least thirty to forty-five minutes faster," I said, thinking that speed would be important.
"Yeah, but I like to have a second with me in the Lear. The Beechcraft is quieter anyway. I'll take Chuck's since it is so nice. Anyway, I need to check a bunch of things. If I have to go, I'll call you." Sue kissed me and gave me a big hug.
I was the last one on the patio when my cell phone rang. It was Chuck. "Hey, Steve, how about flying over to Orlando? We might make a few deals over there. Since it was your businesses that were targeted, you might get some preference."
"What do you mean, Chuck? What kind of preference, and for what?"
Chuck laughed and said, "Just fly over there with me and we'll take a look. If you're not interested, I might be. Come on, we'll take John with us to smooth the way. Brandy, Tiani, and the pregnant three are going to entertain Kenisha today, so go with me, okay?"
"Sure, Chuck, do you want to come by for me or should we meet you at the airpark?"
"Meet me at the airpark. Lisa is going with us and maybe we can get that guy, Tank, to ride along. We can use his eye."
"What are you getting me into, Chuck?"
"Relax, it's all good. You always say to take advantage of opportunities. Just meet me out there. DeDe has a 206 for us. It's either that or we take one of your helicopters."
"An airplane is fine. I'll meet you. I'll probably beat you out there."
I didn't beat them out there, as Chuck had called enroute. John, Lisa, and Chuck were talking to Tank in the helicopter shop. They were looking at the way the floor had turned out with a giant S&S logo painted in the middle of it. The two helicopters were sitting there, looking pristine, ready to leap into the air on demand. As I came in, Tank said to me, "You know, Steve, you need this guy as a partner in this place out here. The guy has got some kind of luck going his way. Come on, let's get over to Orlando."
We flew over to an executive airfield between downtown and Disney. When we landed, we asked for and received permission to park at the Alcam buildings. There were still lots of cars and white federal vans parked around the area.
John and Chuck walked into the melee of federal officers showing their badges. The local station chief took them into the nearest Alcam hangar. The rest of us followed along, surprised that Chuck was given so much respect by all of the deputies and agents.
There were three passenger helicopters sitting waiting to be flown, just like the two in our hangar at home. On the other side of the hangar was a giant Sikorsky Skycrane. Tank pointed at the three smaller helicopters and said, "They have two of the Bell 206s like we have, and they also have a 210. The 210 is the military Huey, but it is reconfigured for civilian use. It's a real workhorse."
The Orlando station chief walked up to the nearest small helicopter and said, "Johnson, you've been buying airplanes, and I know your friend here, Mr. Sharp, has just gotten into helicopters. Alcam wholly-owned the aircraft in this hangar. They're the property of Uncle Sam right now, but if you want them, DC says to give them to you at something over fifty percent of book value. They figure if we keep them and try to auction them, by the time we get that done, they'll need more maintenance and they'll lose more value."
I looked at Chuck who looked back at me then the Marshal's station chief, "I don't know what these things are worth."
I said, "A lot."
Tank said, "Yep, they're worth a lot, but if we were to get these, we could use them or market them. We're turning down business now. That 210, the Huey, looks like it would be perfect for that county mosquito gig there's a bid open on. The bid would justify that bird and make a profit."
The Chief said, "In the hangar next door are two older helicopters used for teaching. They are Schweizer 269s. They look pretty good and the records for all the aircraft here are in the office."
Tank asked, "What about that big Sikorsky?"
The Chief said, "The Coast Guard is going to come look at it, but they said that it would be easier if a civilian owned it and they just contracted it. They use them for setting buoys and to lift some of their smaller craft out of the water."
Tank said, "That thing is worth about fifteen million. It costs a fortune to fly it too. It has a five hundred gallon fuel tank that doesn't last all that long."
Chuck was just standing there with his mouth open. I smiled at him and asked, "So what is it going to take to make a quick deal on all of these and the trainers."
"DC told me what to get from Chuck, or in this case, you. You can have the big one for five million, the two smaller helicopters for a million two, and a million four, and the 210 for eight hundred. They said that if you would take all of them and get them out of here, they would give you the two trainers. You can load up all the parts and tools they have here, but there is something DC wants."
Chuck came out of it and asked, "What kind of string did they put on the deal?"
"There are five pilots and three mechanics that are going to be out of a job," the chief stated. "They want you to hire them. We've run all eight and they are all ex-military and all clean. They have even been feeding us some information to help us build a case against the Alcam people. You hire them and you have a deal."
I walked away from the group and called Tiny. "Do you know if I can afford a little under ten million to buy some aircraft?"
Tiny was quick, "You can and you can't. You can if you strip both your personal and the business cash, but then if you do that, you're going to be short on operating capital. You know who you need to hit up for that, don't you?"
"Who, Tiny? Who has a spare ten million?"
"Your buddy, Chuck, does. Ben was telling me Chuck is really flush lately and needs to use some of the profits his investments have been returning. Look what you just did with only a part of the Hawaiian stuff. The man has the money, so twist his arm. Besides, you two need to be partners in something more than hotels."
"Thanks, Tiny, let me talk to him."
I waved at Chuck and he came over to me. "Chuck, I shouldn't know that much about your business, but I know you can get into this deal. I would be short of capital if I bought this stuff. I can't pass it up as it's over twenty million worth of goods for less than ten. According to Tiny, Ben said you have more than enough. How would you like to help those eight men relocate to Tampa and also be a major owner in a helicopter business?"
Chuck's jaw was dropped again. He looked at me through squinted eyes and pulled his cell phone. "Ben Phillips, please."
We could only hear Chuck's side of conversation.
"Ben, I need ten million to buy something. Can I get that or borrow it?"
"No way."
"No fucking way, Ben."
"Sorry, my mouth can get raw sometimes."
"How hard is it going to be to make that much liquid?"
"I don't carry a checkbook.
"My debit card? Really? This is the Feds; do you think they'll take it?"
"Okay, just make sure the bank will cover it. I'm going to give it to them right now."
Chuck hung up and looked at me and smiled. "Ben says I can do it. Shoot fire, we'll be employing a bunch of people with this much equipment. Now, that's helping someone."
We walked back to the group and Chuck told the station chief, "It's a deal. You can use my debit card and finish the deal."
The chief looked at Chuck, "What in the hell are you doing with that kind of money?"
Chuck said, "It's a long story. Some guy tried to hurt me a couple of times and this attorney in Tampa knows how to separate someone from their money."
"The guy must have been important, or at least rich," the chief said.
"He's a big shot star and has more money than common sense. So far, the money has been employing people. This will do the same. Do me a favor though, and don't talk this up, okay? Something like this will only make those DC clowns get on my case even more."
"Gotcha, Chuck, let's get this done, then I can show you their fixed wing stuff."
Chuck said, "Oh shit, please, no more."
I said, "Don't worry; we'll only take what we need. You know we do have some rental and charter needs."
Chuck gave the station chief his debit card, who then wrote down the numbers from it. He made a call on his cell phone and read off the numbers he had copied. We walked to the office in the hangar where a fax machine was spitting out paper. When it was done, the chief walked over to the copy machine and made two copies of everything.
When he was done, he turned around and handed Chuck and me each a copy and said, "Let me introduce you to your new employees so you can get this shit out of my hangars."
We went into a big lunch room where five men and five women were sitting at picnic tables. The chief announced, "For you original eight, this man is Steve Sharp, owner of S&S air charters in Tampa. He has purchased the four aircraft in the hangar and the two trainers next door. He has also agreed, as I promised you, that you original eight have a job at his place in Tampa. You other two need to ask about whether there are jobs for you there as well."
The chief turned to me and said, "These other two women were not around when we interviewed the employees at first. The one lady, Betty, is the office manager, and was in charge of helicopter charters. This other lady is another mechanic who just started working here," the chief said this, and turned to the lady. "Joy, right?"
The lady nodded.
"Joy just got out of the army and this is her first job opportunity. If you want or need another mechanic, there she is. She doesn't have her own tools yet, but she is a qualified instructor pilot."
I said to Betty, "Tell you what, since you know the ins and outs of helicopter charter, I could use you. Would you have a problem moving to Tampa, or at least out near the airpark where we are?"
Betty said, "No, not at all. Just tell me when and where I need to be at work, and I'll be there."
Turning to Joy I said, "I'm sure we can find a place for you. We're going to be short on space in the beginning, but we can use someone with your skills. Have you done much instruction on fixed wing?"
Joy smiled and said, "I've been doing aeroclub instruction for the last three years. I've done some rotary wing instruction, but all in old Hillers. I'm not even checked out in Schweizers."
"I'm sure we can fix that." I looked at all the men and other women and said, "Go into the office and have the office manager, what is your name again, Ma'am?"
"Betty, Mr. Sharp."
"Ah, it's Steve to all of you." I smiled at them then added, "Have Betty write up your names, social security numbers, current addresses, and send it to this fax number. My HR lady, Ruth, will begin processing this so you can get put on the payroll. You all need to get a bus or something and go over to Tampa to see where you might want to live. The company will pick up moving expenses, so you're not going to be out that. Now, if the pilots would stick around, I want to get some of these aircraft over to Tampa."
The chief said, "Good deal. Now let me show you what else you might want."
We walked over to another big hangar to find four Cessna 172s, a King Air, an Eclipse business jet, and an Embraer Brazilian business jet. I said, "I'm interested in the little Cessnas and the King Air, but these other two are aircraft I'm just not knowledgeable about."
The chief said, "It's a package deal, you take all or none. We should be able to auction these. If you want all of them, you can have them for an even million."
Chuck and I looked at each other and I asked, "Do the jets fly?"
The chief said, "Go get those men and women from the lunch room and bring them in here."
Chuck said, "I'll get them."
He walked away and came back leading all the pilots, mechanics, and the office manager. The chief looked at me, and I asked the men, "How good are these aircraft in here?"
The mechanics said, "We don't have enough men to cover all the aircraft that well, but we haven't been that busy. Everything in here is in good shape. Both of the small jets have had recent annuals and the King Air is pristine. As a matter of fact, the interior is copied off one of the aircraft over at your place in Tampa."
One of the pilots said, "I fly the jets on charters and they are both nice. The Embraer Phenom 100 is the fastest, but can be awkward in a crosswind. It's pretty efficient and so far hasn't had many problems. Parts haven't been a problem so far, either."
I turned to Chuck and he handed me his debit card again. I said to the chief, "We'll do these too, anything else?"
"No, that's it. Get this junk out of here as soon as possible. I want these hangars stripped bare to the walls quickly so the landlord can rent them again."
The chief left to finalize the deal on all the fixed wing aircraft, so I turned to Tank and asked, "How many of the helicopters can our hangar hold?"
Tank said, "If we take the rolling platforms with us, all of them. We can put the five in our hangar right now. The problem is going to be the monster in there."
I said, "We still have the empty hangar in back of the maintenance hangar. We can put the Sikorsky in there with the two business jets. I think if we were to move all our King Airs into the new hangar, these four 172s will fit. We can shuffle them around later. Okay," I turned to the pilots and asked, "How many of you are rotary wing qualified?"
All five raised their hands, including Joy and two mechanics. One of the pilots said, "You really need two in the Sikorsky, so you have enough to get all of them out of here now if you want."
I asked, "Okay, are either of you two other mechanics pilots?"
They both nodded their heads. "Okay, who all flies these two jets?" Only four of the original pilots raised their hands.
"You guys will have to make two trips. Once over with a helicopter, then come back to take the jets over. Joy, you take the Bell 210, you should be the most familiar with that one or else you take one of the 172s. Lisa, you fly the King air, and Chuck and I will each fly a 172. That should get them all over there. Let me call Jimmy, he'll go crazy. We'll get someone to fly us back so the jets can get there. Lisa, you and Chuck should fly with the other pilots to get checked out in the business jets. Looks like we all have a learning curve in the near future."
The chief came back with all the papers and receipts and said, "Now get this shit out of here. How soon do you think you can clean out the place?"
I told him, "This week. I'll get some labor and trucks and move this stuff as soon as possible."
It took us about forty five minutes to get organized and to ensure all the aircraft were fueled and prepped. Since we were getting everything from the business, I assumed we were getting the fuel trucks as well, so at least that was a bonus.
The Sikorsky took off first, with the other five helicopters following along carrying their rolling pads. Lisa flew out in the King Air, then the rest of us flew out in the 172s. Jimmy said he would have the new hangar open and would have the King Airs moved. The 172s landed shortly after Lisa, and Jimmy had us line all the aircraft up in a row facing the maintenance hangar so he could begin going over them.
We soon heard the big Sikorsky coming. Man, that thing could make some noise. The helicopters all looked strange as they all had their rolling stands strapped onto their runners. The Sikorsky has wheels, so it can be pushed or towed with a tow motor. Jimmy stood out with wands to guide the aircraft to where he wanted them to set down.
People were pouring out of the buildings to look at all the aircraft that had come in. Jimmy had the 1900D out for me so we could ferry everyone back to Orlando. We took time to introduce everyone and for them to have a tour of the facilities.
There was someone in the charter office that was out of place. "Hey, Terrell, what's up?"
"Tiny told me to come out to see if you want another couple of hangars. I talked to Paul and he said we could build a couple more across from the two new ones."
I was grinning, thinking that Tiny was already figuring on growth. "Do it. How long will it take? We could use them today or tomorrow."
"How about four to six weeks total, and if you're real lucky, three weeks."
"That would be great, Terrell, do what you can but make them perfect just like always. Make sure you have enough open conduits to link all of the hangars together with both data and voice."
Chuck was showing off his newest Learjet when I went out to gather everyone. I told Tank, "You stay and begin making sure the new aircraft are ready for work. You'll have more help soon, but in the meantime, let's get ready for some business."
Betty came up to me and said, "I have some contacts over here for the big helicopter. The Coast Guard is looking for a contractor now for buoy placement. I know we need to keep the big one working since it's so expensive to keep."
I said to her, "Betty, what would it take for you to get over here? I need you to be here to work."
She said, "Not a lot. I'm divorced with no kids. I live for my job right now."
"Tell you what, if you can run home while we're back in Orlando, get a bag packed and I'll put you up in our hotel. You can eat with us and we'll get you out here in the morning. You can look for somewhere to live and then we can get you moved. I know some of the guys are going to have families to move, and that will be more difficult. You be the leader and help everyone get going."
"I can do that, Mr. Sharp, er, a, Steve," Betty said.
Joy heard what I had told Betty and asked, "Can I come too. I need to find a place and I can help out here. I don't have any tools yet, but I'm a damn good mechanic and if you need an instructor, I can do that to."
"Can you get some clothes real quick?"
Betty said, "I can have almost everything I own in my car and at the airport in an hour."
"What else do you have, Joy?"
"I have a motorcycle that I'll need to get over to Tampa, but first I need to find it a home."
"You'll fit right in, Joy. As soon as we get to Orlando, pack and come back. You and Betty will be the first over here."
We all flew back to Orlando where we had left the 206 we came in originally. The Marshal's Station Chief had a couple of movers waiting to talk to me. I showed them everything that needed to be moved and the one mover said, "Are you saying that if isn't attached to the building, it's going?"
The chief said, "That's the deal. He'll pay you to sweep the place one last time when it's done."
"Hey, what's the hurry? We need to move this stuff intelligently. We need to mark it for where it will go or be stored. They can't just jam everything into a truck and dump it on the ground over there." I looked at the two men and said, "I'll meet you here at ten tomorrow with some other men, and we'll begin tagging everything. You can then pack intelligently and unload where we can get at everything."
I asked the mechanics to mark all of their personal tools and get them together in one area. They began doing what was needed, as they were told they were already on the clock. The pilots for the two jets took off quickly. I waited until both Joy and Betty came back, then flew back in the 1900D to drop them off. I had called Sue to get her to meet me out at the airpark so she could get the two ladies checked in at the hotel. I told them both, "Tomorrow, Betty, you'll go back over with me to help tag and direct the move. Joy, you'll work with Tank and Jimmy getting the birds here ready to make us money."
Ruth met me out at the airpark to begin meeting everyone. She said, "This is like we used to be, always hiring a bunch at a time. This is fun."
She had the pilots there and said, "You men need to find places over here and then let us begin getting you moved. We can ferry you daily as we need you for a week or so, but you need to get moved. Let us know how we can help. Now, we'll take you back to Orlando and you can go home, enjoy your evening, and plan to move."
I made the flight over to Orlando again, and with Chuck and Lisa, we made a trip through the three hangars. There were several deputy marshals watching the buildings as they still had not come up with what the four men had been looking for. Chuck and I went through the two fancy offices in the administrative area, but didn't find anything special. We didn't even find a safe.
Chuck and Lisa flew the other King Air back to Tampa and I took the 1900D back. I noted that there were two big fuel trucks, along with a group of pickups and a van. They had two tow motors that would be heavy, so I would have to get some folks from the shop to get the vehicles and rolling stock to Tampa.
We left and flew home to park in our usual spaces. Jimmy had aircraft already arranged in their spots. He told me, "When we're using 172s for rental and instruction, I have one row for rental and the next row for charter. I can get them five deep, and I only have them four deep now. Being in rows like this works out fine. The two 206s are in front over here and the 150s are in rows on this side."
We walked over to the helicopter hangar and looked at seven helicopters. The two little trainers were in front, as Tank said, "I think there are several of you guys that need to begin training in these birds. We're going to need backup pilots for charters and utility work. You guys might even need to go to the Sikorsky school."
Chuck and I looked at each other with a frown, but Lisa looked excited to learn. We noticed that Joy had found her way back out to the airpark and was working with a couple of men on a customer's King Air. Nice that she was comfortable with the other men.
I looked at my watch and said to Chuck, Lisa, and Jimmy. "It's past beer thirty guys, how about we hijack Joy and get home for a beer?"
Everyone agreed. Back on the patio with drinks in hand, I said to Chuck, "Did you know what we were getting into over there when you called me?"
Chuck said, "Nope. I knew that they were possibly going to sell a couple of helicopters cheap, but I didn't think we would do what we did."
I told him, "You know, I think you own as many aircraft now as I do."
"No way, I only have my 206, the King Air, two Lears and, oh yeah, six helicopters, two more jets, and four 172s. You'll buy those from me right?"
"Sure, Partner, we'll work something out," I said this while I winked at Tiny.
Chuck looked at me and asked, "Tell me truthfully, was this overkill? This is really too much, isn't it?"
I took a big gulp of my drink and said, "Maybe, but if we open up rotary wing service in Hawaii, we have one or two that can go over there. I think the Sikorsky will pay for itself if we market it right. The big helicopter can work throughout the state doing the big lifting jobs that it is capable of. If we don't limit the work area very much, I'm sure it will be busy. The two little helicopters are for training. Both are inexpensive to operate and you have to think the price was right." I had to laugh at that since Chuck got those as a bonus.
After another big sip of my drink, I said, "The two jets are needed. If they are dependable and are good to fly, we'll keep them. If not, we'll market them and can sell them cheap. The King Air is always usable and rentable. The four 172s are gold. We can use them for rentals or ship them to Hawaii. Actually I'm almost disappointed we couldn't pick up more. A G5 cheap would have been nice."
Chuck said, "If you don't buy this stuff from me, I'm going to have to hire someone to just keep track of them. Your staff is busy keeping up with what you have."
I told Chuck, "That's why we hired Betty. She's used to handling charters, rentals, and lessons for helicopters. We're just adding a couple more of your aircraft to the inventory we have now. The pilots we're picking up are all both rotary and fixed wing instructors. You tell me, will they go to waste over here? The mechanics are the same. We'll still be short mechanics for our increased activity."
Chuck sat back in his chair, with his head still buzzing from the day's activity.
Ben and Beth showed up for supper and Ben came over to us. After shaking hands all around, he sat down near Chuck and leaned toward him and said, "It's good that you're re-investing money in real goods. By investing in a lot of equipment, we can incorporate a holding company to handle aircraft investments just like I created the holding company for the Hawaiian investments. You know that until recently, you were not using any of your gains, and to keep your money active, we were investing a good chunk into some risky ventures. You're like Steve, though. You can throw a nickel into the toilet and quarters come out of the faucet."
"So, Ben," Chuck asked, "How close am I to being out of money now? That was a lot of cash to spend all at once."
Ben answered, "Without my ledgers to quote you exactly, you still have your original cash invested half in stable mutual funds and half in ventures. Half of those are risky and have been profitable so far."
Ben got up poured himself a drink then sat back down, "You know the Hawaiian properties have been showing a hell of a profit. The airfield is a ways from making a lot of money, but so far that place has been in the black and that includes with all the building going on. Crystal and Bear have the place producing as far as lessons, rentals, and charters. Since Steve is going to add helicopters over there, who knows what the margins will look like."
"You still have cash available, Chuck. If something good comes along, call me and let me advise you."
I told Chuck, "Just listen to Tiny and Ben. Between the two of them, they know what to do with a buck. We've been very lucky around here making money, almost like we print our own. Collectively, we're paying so much in taxes that we should be receiving citizens' awards. Ben, Tiny, Henry, and the accounting firm are constantly busy hedging our tax liability, but we're still paying a lot. Like I said, relax and let someone else figure out what to do with the money. You just keep using it for investments and to keep more people employed."
I could see that Chuck was thinking about something, and he leaned over to say something in Ben's ear. Ben said, "Call me tomorrow, we'll talk about it."
There was a commotion at the front doors. We all turned to see Chuck's women, along with Mercy and Kathy, Tom and Zena Parks, and Terrell come in. Chuck's girls all came to him and gave him some hugs, and Brandy said to us all, "Come over to the tables, we want to show you the house that Tom and Zena helped us plan. This is really going to be something."
Brandy began, "This almost got out of hand, but there is a reason. All of us girls enjoy being together, but we each like a private area just for ourselves. Chuck needs the same and he needs an office area."
Brandy pulled out a floor plan and pointed to one side of the house. "This whole side of the house is for Chuck and all of us girls. This is the big bedroom with the giant custom bed. Down this wing are rooms for all of us girls. We may never need as many rooms as there are, but you never know. Each of the rooms is like a giant walk-in closet. It's designed to be a closet, with a private sitting room, bathroom, and sleeping area. We were going to only have a small bunk, but we decided that each room should at least have a double bed. You can see how efficient the space is with the built in drawers, and each area will have a sitting cosmetic area, plenty of light, and a wall mirror.
"Now, adjoining the big bedroom is the nursery for the little ones. Next are rooms for the kids as they grow older. At the entrance to the wing are Chuck's office and a sitting area, in case he needs to have business meetings. His office is next to the big family room and, of course, near the kitchen.
Brandy continued, "We really didn't want formal living and dining rooms, but Tom and Zena said we should have one in case us girls become busy with women's groups. I think a big busy family room, connected to a kitchen is more fun, but we went along. So, up by the front door, are a formal living room and the dining room. But see, you can see straight from the front door into the family room and kitchen area. Look here, off to this side is another wing of the house that is important to the rest of our group. This wing will have two floors. On the main floor will be Wanda's and John's apartment over here, further down a little is Don's and Jan's. Over here is Dennis' and Marie's, and here is where Lena and her sister, Tina, will be.
Upstairs will have four more apartments, similar to downstairs. One will be for Lisa, and one will be for Tina, in case they would prefer an apartment instead of a private room off our bedroom. If they go empty, we can use them for visitors.
Outside the family room is a big covered patio, complete with a wet bar and grille for private parties. Then out from there, the full-sized screened pool. Off to this side is Chuck's and Lisa's studio. You'll have to look at those plans separately. Off to the other side of the pool is what this family really needs. Note that everything on the other side of the grassy area on the side and behind the pool is made up of pavers. They are in front of a twelve car garage that really isn't big enough, so if you go around to the other side of it, there are another twelve stalls. That should take care of the family for a while. We should probably just have a long open covered garage but we're going to make this building do double duty too. Upstairs, over the huge garage is going to be another home. That home is for any of our parents that may need to live with us in the future. We won't finish it yet and we have planned on an elevator in the event it's necessary. The space can be used for one, two, or even four, apartments. That's what we wanted to do, to provide a place for our folks in the event they need caring for in the future."
"Since there is more than enough room, us girls thought we should have two guest cottages back here. They will only be two bedrooms each but will be nice to have for visiting guests or in the future for our parents if they wish to stay with us."
Brandy flipped a bunch of drawings of what the house and various areas would look like and asked, "What do you think?"
Chuck said, "That's really a big place."
I told Chuck, "You only think it's big until you fill it with women, friends, and kids. It gets small real quick. With all your women and friends, it's definitely not too big."
Dennis said, "I didn't think you were going to make it that nice for us. This is more space than we have now, and it's going to be a wing of the house so we will be more a part of the household."
The couple that I wondered about was John and Wanda. Wanda was smiling, "See, John, this is even better than the big bedroom we have now, an entire apartment, just for us."
John commented, "Yes, I think this will be perfect. Plenty of room, lots of privacy, yet we'll be a part of the family and we'll be right here in the park."
Tom Parks pulled one of the sheets out and was showing it to Chuck. "This is just off the end of the family room. You see the offset of the family room from the bedroom wing. That's for cart parking. You're probably going to end up with six to eight carts, or even more. This will keep them under cover, easily accessible, and quick to get out on the street."
I told Chuck, "You're going to have one hell of a place. You're worse than I am by having all those apartments for people who stay with you."
Little Tiani defended Chuck, "We want the new place to be the same as the house is now, but better. All the people who live there now make our house, Chuck's house, a home. This is the best way to get us girls out of our place and with Chuck permanently."
Chuck's cell phone was ringing in his pocket. He looked at who was calling and walked away from the group. You could see him becoming anxious, then I heard him say, "I'll be right there. John will come too. If anything happens, be careful."
Chuck turned to us and said, "John and I have to go take care of something. We'll be right back."
Chuck gave his women a quick hug and told them to take care of John's Kenisha and was gone.
My cell phone began ringing. It was the one of the guards out at the airpark. He said, "The U.S. Marshal's office has about five cars out here and had us shut all of the doors and turn off all the lights. Do you know what's going on?"
I said, "No, but the Deputy in charge just took off from here after getting a call. I'll get Hap and we'll be coming too. Just do as they ask."
Hap heard me and followed me out of the patio as I hurriedly left. All I could think of was, now what?
Mercy came running after me and told me, "Steve, you need to be careful, I'm not feeling good about this, and I can feel Chuck is nervous about this too. Please, let them do what they have to do and be careful."
I stopped and said to Hap, "You're not carrying either? Go get what you need. I need to get mine, too. We can't go out there naked."
Hap took off and I went back into the patio then into the bedroom to get my Glock and a holster. I did remember to pull an extra two magazines from the closet drawer. I looked down at the aluminum gun cases and pulled one out. Quickly opening the case, I assembled two ARs, grabbed six magazines, and walked back out through the now hushed patio. I smiled at everyone and met Hap as he was running back to my truck.
As I got into the truck, Hap said, "My guy said the men out there were setting up all around the buildings with our guys spotted to watch the main entrance. I called some more men in. Hopefully, all the activity will drive anyone trying to get at the equipment away."
I used my cell phone to call Mickey. "Mickey, can you track down your dad to tell him we may be having another problem out at the airpark similar to what we just had. I'm not sure exactly what's up, but he may be able to contact the FBI or the Marshal's Service to find out what's going on."
Mickey said, "I'll call him right away. I think he's off today, but I'll call."
When I drove into the airpark, I used my electronic gate opener to slide the gate open, and when I was through, I pushed the button to close it. As soon as I saw it closing, I drove across the tarmac to our charter office and parked.
Our guard was right there when I opened the door and said, "I told them it was you when you drove up. They are really nervous about something. There are a dozen of them and Chuck Johnson and the other guy are making sure everyone has vests and rifles. Neither of you have vests, so get out of here. Go into the charter office. DeDe is about to have a cow in there. She was working on tomorrow's charters. She's probably in the break room, still working. The mechanics have shut down as the deputies wanted all the lights out."
Hap and I were both cursing for not thinking of vests. The deputies were right though, we didn't need to expose ourselves without the proper equipment.
We went into the break room, where DeDe had a stack of work orders and charter orders in front of her. She said, "Thank goodness you're here. Stay with me so I know I'll be all right. You know I hate to say this, but I'm going to have to have a second person to keep up. The days of planning everything on the fly are over. We're maxing out our rentals and lesson aircraft, as well as our charter aircraft. Tomorrow everything we own is going to be flying. Jimmy passed the four 172s that came in today, and they are committed too. The King Air that came in is chartered and that takes care of all of our pilots. We need to get those new men over here as we could charter those two little jets. I passed the business on to another company. That's how busy we are. How am I going to handle the charter for the helicopters too?"
"You're in luck, DeDe," I said. "We're bringing over the office manager from Orlando to handle the helicopter charter, rentals, and instruction schedules. She will work out of another office right now, until we do something that can accommodate both groups. You two will work together as you're going to be sharing a lot of facilities."
Thinking about moving all the equipment, I asked, "Does the airpark have any empty hangars we can use for a while? There doesn't seem to be much activity from the hangars behind us."
DeDe said, "They're both empty right now. Paul consolidated his hangar space to the four hangars on the end. You can probably lease them from him if you want. I'm sure he could use the income. His mechanics are busy, but he's not exceptionally busy with rentals or instruction like we are."
"Thanks, DeDe, I'll talk to him tomorrow."
"Well, Hap, I guess we stay here and watch out for DeDe and the two hangars right here. Let's make some coffee then go upstairs so we can use those windows to look out. As long as we keep the lights off, we'll be inconspicuous."
Hap and I made coffee then went up the dark stairs to watch the airpark from there.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious
Last one through — Deenara2000