Between Right and Wrong Read online

  “The dog?”

  “Damn Tom, how much surveillance do you have on me?”

  “We have time to discuss that aspect later. Right now I need those pictures and I need to meet back up with Teresa. There is a lot going on. After you are ’in’ I will get you up to speed. I like to duck hunt, you remember, and I don’t have a boat.”

  Phil smiled, thinking how much Tom had changed from that first time he had seen him. “Ok, sounds great. Me and Roo need a hunt, be glad to have you. Will you be bringing Teresa as a date?”

  “Don’t be an SOB Phil,” Tom laughed.

  Phil printed the pictures and gave them to Tom. Sunday he would have to be in Addison, just North of Dallas, to sign some paperwork and swear in. Tom asked Phil to write down all he knew about the Elm Street property and those associated; and be ready to report out on all the information Sunday. Mike would be there.

  That evening found Phil sitting in his den, thinking. The den was the only room of the house that was wood paneled and somewhat dark. Phil thought it was originally designed by a guy who wanted a smoking and whiskey room. A room where a man could go and get away from everything, even his family, if he had one. Phil used it as a study. Pictures of quail and duck hunting scenes hung on every wall. A stuffed duck in flight hung on the wall to the right of the antique wooden roll top desk, along with an old muzzle loading shotgun which was mounted horizontally below the duck. The floors were laid in old style wood, wide and somewhat rough cut yet sanded. The room made Phil feel like he was a hundred years back in time. He could shut the door and relax here like no other place with the exception the woods or the swamps. Roo was at his feet sleeping. He had recovered well from the shot trauma thanks to Pam’s good care. Phil found himself watching the dog snoring in his sleep; wondering how he would cope with one good eye. Watching him play earlier, it amazed Phil that the dog showed no signs of pain or difference to the sight change. Yes, he had to move his head more to find the ball Phil threw, but he showed no signs of anything but the joy of playing. What amazing creatures, he was thinking….when a quiet knocking sound sent him back to awareness.

  “Can I come in? Or am I interrupting a deep thought?” It was Pam. Phil realized it was time for Roo’s last dose of meds and Pam had been coming over to give them since he had been late coming home, recently.

  “Hello Pam,” Phil said softly, still caught in peaceful thought. “Please come in.”

  As she slipped by the partially closed door and into the room, Phil couldn’t help noticing how beautiful she was. She glided across the room and sat across his lap, putting her arms around his shoulders.

  “I’ve thought about you sitting in this chair before and wondered if I could resist you.” She said as she smiled and placed her head on his shoulder, her red hair tickling his face enough to cause him to reach up and gently place it behind her ear.

  Their lips were as close as they had ever been and she slowly leaned closer until they touched.

  The room was suddenly warmer. Phil felt strangely calm and comfortable. He could feel her curves through the dress she wore. She was licking his face…..licking his face. Strange he thought, kinky, weird. He opened his eyes to look at her. “Dang it Roo!” He had been dreaming. Roo must have heard or felt his dream and been curious enough to help him wake up. Funny he would dream about Pam. Up until she confessed the situation she was in, he had tried to avoid his attraction to her. “What would she think of me if she knew all the things I have done? Could she still love me? How am I compatible with a woman that wants to teach children and what of children?” Phil noticed it was not like him have thoughts of worry about such things, but he had never really been attracted to anyone like he was to Pam. Now he was worried about having kids with her?? What in the world was going on in his head?

  Suddenly he was unsure she could understand. “Maybe I need to stop this relationship before it starts.” He thought out loud.

  “What relationship would that be?” This time it was Pam, standing in the doorway wearing tight blue jeans and a sweatshirt. “I hope you aren’t talking about you and me? Or does Phillip Warner have other relationships I need to be jealous of?”

  Phil felt sheepish, “no Pam, I am not that way.” He stood to face her.

  “I couldn’t believe you are, especially the way you avoided my best flirting for so long.” She was smiling that smile that always got to him.

  “Pam.” Phil hesitated, for the first time in years he was unsure of himself. He felt vulnerable. He felt weak in some way.

  “Yes Phil?” She whispered as she came close to him.

  Phil placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her, setting her down in his desk chair. He was pacing back and forth thinking.

  “Ok Phil. Whatever this is looks serious. So, before your head explodes thinking about whatever you are thinking about, let me say this…” Pam’s brow was furrowed. “I went way out on a limb to tell you about my situation. You could have kicked me out, you could have called me a liar for pretending to be someone I am not; you could have done all sorts of things. But, you were understanding. You were kind and humble. Just like I knew you would be, and it didn’t surprise me, because I could see all those things in you. I could see past that armor you wear to keep people at a distance. And, you gave me space. You don’t even know my real name, but you didn’t push me to tell you anything more than I was willing.”

  “Pam”

  “Wait Phil. Please let me finish. I only know you from our talks and taking care of Roo. But I have really fallen for you. Do I know anything about your past? No. I know you were in the military. I know you lead a strange life, going out at odd hours and driving a truck sometimes that I never see here for long. And, before you say anything; I see that look on your face. Yes, I am that nosy.”

  They both laughed.

  “Phil, I think I know you. Not your past, but you…I see your heart. I see how you love that dog. I see you jumping in a swimming pool without thinking of yourself to save someone. So, no matter what you are worried over, I can’t imagine it would make a difference to me.”

  “Pam, let me ask you something.”

  “Ok?”

  “When you are free to tell me your real name, do you also plan on telling me all about your past?”

  “Yes” she said without hesitation, “I thought about it a lot, and yes.”

  “There are some things I can’t tell you.” Phil was searching her face.

  “I hope someday you can trust me enough to.” Pam was surprisingly soft. “But if you don’t, it won’t change the way I feel because I think I know your heart and that is what is important to me.”

  Roo was sitting watching them talk. Looking back and forth at them when they both noticed him.

  “I think Roo is ready for his last meds and to eat.” Pam giggled as she petted the lab.

  “I think he has a way of keeping everything in perspective.” Phil smiled at the dog and gave him a rub.

  “Pam, I have to do some things that I am not comfortable with. I’m not sure how it’s going to end or how long it’s going to last, but, I have to do it. Can you have patience with me for a while until I sort it out?”

  “Phil are you trying to tell me you have another woman?” Pam was giving him that smug school teacher look, her arms folded across her chest.

  Phil laughed, “NO, nothing like that. This is work related and complicated. Just a direction I wasn’t expecting. When it’s over, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Pam hugged him quickly, as if to keep from doing more. “Ok Phil I will be patient. Besides, it’s not like my situation is cleared up either.”

  “How much longer? Do you have any idea?”

  “Don says he hopes it’s a done deal in three weeks. I hope he’s right. I do have some plans about you and me you know.” She was smiling that smile again.

  CHAPTER 10

  Sunday morning found Phil and Roo on the lake with duck decoys out, awaiting the legal shooting time. I
t gave Phil time to reflect on the last few weeks. He had already sent the Gent a cancellation of his magazine description which was the agreed upon method of quitting that service. The relationship had started quite absurdly. Phil had been at a conference for work and had gone to a training class offered to ex-military only. An envelope had been left in Phil’s briefcase that provided the offer. Phil had been restless and was missing the excitement and fulfillment of special ops. From the beginning it was clear the program was to rid the world of unrepentant child molesters. From the beginning it was clear there would be lots of work and expectations of full success. Stranger still, Phil pondered, was the quiet confidence the ‘Gent” had always exuded and the unthreatening way he communicated and reacted the few times they actually talked.

  Phil’s attention was re-directed by the quieted alarm from his phone that told him it was legal to shoot. Roo was on his dog stand over the water, looking up in the sky for ducks flying over and wagging his tail. The lake had a calming serenity, an ancient feel that touched one’s soul and let the rest of the world disappear. The smell of the dirt and the trees agreed with the skin and bone of one’s body. The water’s gentle rustling and tiny waves seemed to tie a human and the earth together in a way that was meant to be from the beginning of time. It did not matter whether the ducks flew or not; time spent in this solitude had an effect on the mind like no other experience.

  In this place far from street noises and buildings, a person could hear the birds fly before they could be seen; their acrobatic turns and dives practiced perfectly. With grace, these international travelers weaved through the trees and the brush to land exactly where they aimed. But with power could they launch their bodies back out of the water and into the air, reaching full speeds in a matter of seconds.

  It was a successful day of hunting. By noon Phil had put the boat up, cleaned the ducks, put the meat in the freezer, and taken a shower. Roo was in the back yard curled up by his favorite tree sleeping off the hard work he had done. Knowing he could not avoid the inevitable, he dressed for the drive across town to meet Tom and Mike.

  Phil arrived at the building early and was escorted to Mike’s office by Tom, who met him with a hand shake and a smile. “Glad you made it Phil.”

  “You think I would change my mind?” Phil looked for a facial reaction from Tom but didn’t get one.

  “No, I didn’t. You were always the most reliable one, even when we were first recruited. But you never know.” His voice trailed off as if he were sorry he said it.

  Mike’s office was innocuous. Eggshell paint in pastel colors, non-descript carpet, and dropped ceiling. It was not much different than Phil expected, remembering how the government loved the plain and boring. Mike had aged but still looked in great shape. He was dressed in a two piece grey suit with the same old pointed cowboy boots he wore back in the military after work. Only now the boots were alligator or some exotic skin and polished. Mike had some grey in his brown hair and kept it short. His glasses looked to be military issue. Clark Kent’s, as Phil remembered them referred to in the service. Phil remembered that Mike had grown up on a ranch and would practice roping in his spare time. He had been in many high school rodeos and kept pictures of his rope horse on his dresser. This office was not much different; possibly harboring the same pictures. With Mike was a thin faced, grey haired man who wore large thick glasses, a worn dress shirt that appeared to have been slept in; with wrinkled faded blue jeans and expensive brown leather tennis shoes.

  Mike stood up and came around the large wooden desk. Phil expected a hand shake but Mike swooped up to him and gave him a bear hug. “Great to see you, Bub!” He seemed genuinely excited.

  “Good to see you too, Mike.” Phil was hoping this was as friendly as the meeting was to get. Never comfortable with close contact with other men, Phil stepped back after the embrace to gain some room between the two.

  “Phil this is Lowell Thompson. He is our local Contracting Officer. I’ll explain why he is important in a while. For now though tell me, how you have been? What happened to you after the service?”

  “Well Mike, I got out some years back and immediately went to work for the firm I am with now. They started me out working as a junior engineer, reviewing designs and doing a little structural consulting. Since then, I have been working, reviewing buildings the firm looks to purchase and helping with evaluations of renovation work.”

  “Family? Oh yeah, not married, right?”

  “No, Mike, not married. How about you?”

  “Yep, got a wife and two daughters. Best thing for an ego is two daughters. They will bring you down to earth quickly. Though I don’t know if I will survive the high school years. Damn boys. I mean, well you know how teen age boys are. Good thing the wife is tough, I would have already hurt a couple of um.” Mike chuckled at himself. Just as Phil remembered him, Mike spoke in quick short sentences with pauses between. He seemed to always breathe out of his mouth and perhaps that caused this funny quirk.

  “Anyways,” Mike sat down in his oversized chair, “Phil, I am really glad you agreed to come on board.”

  “You really didn’t make it much of a ponder, Mike.” Phil was serious.

  Mike looked up and smiled, “Would you have agreed otherwise?”

  “Not so quickly”

  Mike smiled again, “Time is not on our side Phil. I needed you right now. I know your skill set and you were right where I needed an operative. It’s as if it was meant to be. Let me get down to the quick, that Elm Street building …” He was interrupted by Lowell clearing his throat. “Oh, sorry Lowell. Phil, Lowell is here because of the deal I want to offer you. It’s a really good deal for you and it’s really our only avenue. If I had my say, I would get you to quit that engineering firm and come to work for me outright; but, the government has rules and procedures and Lowell is here because, well hell, you tell him Lowell.” He sat back in the old wide leather chair as if to smoke a pipe and wait on his turn.

  Lowell was obviously a by the book employee. “Phillip Warner, I am a duly appointed Contracting Officer who has vested authority to obligate the government through contracts. I am offering you a contract to work for the Department of Homeland Security. I have printed and provided that contract in this folder for you to read and sign. This contract is binding for up to one year with five option years. The offered yearly price is on the second page. Your signature binds you to the conditions of this contract, however there is a stipulation where after a period of time, either the government or you can agree to cancel the contract. I would read it carefully. Under this contract you will have authority to carry a weapon if your supervisor, Mike here, so deems and he swears you in.”

  “Ok Lowell, anything else?” Mike seemed impatient.

  “Mr. Warner, you will work under contract, for Mr. Brumbage who will be your supervisor and I am over your contract, Mike can ask to extend the contract, but I have to do it, understand?”

  “I understand,” As he signed the contract, Phil was reminded of the sometimes silly formalities of the US Government. “I had contractors under me in the Military, I assume it is the same rules.”

  “Ok, ok, Lowell, if you are done, I need to get Phil briefed and on his way. This is overtime you know.” Mike opened the office door to let Lowell out.

  Lowell seemed to object, then closed his files and walked out.

  “Ok Phil, now that the nitty gritty is done. We are investigating corruption that may include a couple of very powerful people. Your involvement in that Elm Street property was the best of luck. We needed someone like you on the inside. I know you re-conned the place. What do you know?”

  Phil held nothing back. He told of getting hit on the head, how he got Mickey to be his informant, and the shooting at the lake. He also told of the suspect and the tattoo. The mention of the double triangle tattoo raised eyebrows.

  “First off Phil, no lone ranger stuff. I know your training but this is full teamwork and you are the silent partner here.
We can’t let anyone know you are working with us. Is that clear?”

  “Clear. But one exception”

  Mike looked up from his desk at Tom then Phil. “And just what would that be?”

  “The guy who shot at me.” Phil didn’t explain further.

  “Phil, I know how you feel, but let the justice system take care of that.”

  Phil showed no emotion and said nothing further on the subject. “Are you going to tell me more about what is happening to garnish an investigation and all this attention?”

  “No,” Mike was emphatic. “The less you know the more natural this will pay off. What I need from you is copies of building drawings. Old and new if you got them. And I need to know that that building is reasonably sound and really on the market.”

  They continued to discuss contact information and scheduled meeting days. The weekend hunts Phil and Tom had joked about turned out to be a perfect way to meet and discuss information. As Tom walked Phil out of the building and to the parking lot, out of the blue Tom asked, “So, Phil, what do you know about that pretty red headed neighbor of yours, except that she is sweet on you?”

  Phil stopped and faced Tom. “Why do you ask?”

  “I can only say, she is an interesting person.”

  “I know what she told me, Tom. I know her name is not Pam. Anything else I should know,” Phil felt strangely defensive but tried not to show it.

  Tom smiled, “Nothing bad, but nice to know you are privy to some info.” Tom waved goodbye and turned and walked away.

  Phil was curious. What could all that mean? And what could Tom know?

  Phil went back to his old routine. He never wanted to be out of shape or at any disadvantage. In the back of his mind was always the thought of whomever shot at him and damaged Roo. Phil was up to five miles of jogging every other day and had gone back to the gym where he practiced self-defense. He would have preferred to use his old acquaintances, since they typically practiced single fight ending moves and strikes. In a public gym he had to seek out the Krav Maga practitioners whose aim was to finish a fight with one blow, though not as polished as his old friends were. He was taught from the when his training began to use multiple disciplines, realizing he also missed practicing Aikido with a trusted partner. He would have to use his shadow as a foe for now.