The Lottery Council- Chapter XII: Arkansas Part 2

richq11 (72)in #fiction • 7 years ago

After a good night sleep, David awoke surprisingly refreshed considering the circumstances, to find Jack already making breakfast. "Biscuits & Gravy... a Southern specialty. Grab some coffee- sleep OK?" David grabbed a cup and poured it full. "Cream and sugar on the cabinet." Jack motioned with his large spoon.

"Black's fine," he replied. "Yeah, I slept great. This is really good coffee."

"Comes from Wisconsin. A little place called Viroqua... the coffee company is Kickapoo. They only buy direct from coop farmers, no wholesalers... all organic. Can't beat it- best I've ever had. This is the Guatemalan, I like it the best." Jack handed David a plate, containing biscuits and a thick cream gravy with chunks of sausage. It was delicious.

"This stuff is great," David said. "You could make a fortune selling it up North."

"Too good for Yankees," Jack said with a grin. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flip phone. He slid it across the table to David. "Encrypted and untraceable. If you need to contact me, this is the way. My number is programmed in already under JM."

David looked intently at the older man. "Can I ask you a question," he asked.

"Sure," the older man replied, "doesn't mean I'll answer, or tell you the truth," he said with a smile.

"Who are you and why are you doing this for me"

"For the first part, you really don't want to know. For the second, I'm just a guy... one of the good guys, I hope- at least I try to be. I'm not just doing this for you. Between two marriages and a little fucking around," he grinned, "I've got about 10 kids and better than 15 grandkids. I want them to have something better."

"How old are you," David asked amazed.

"Old enough to vote," Jack winked. "Let's get down to business. I need to tell you a couple of things and get you back to Little Rock. We've got a long road ahead." They finished eating and cleaned up. They then went into the other room.

"Have a seat," Jack said. "First thing. Assume everyplace you go is wired. The government- and these people are a part of it- have electronic intercepts everywhere. That would include your in-law's home. My guess is that they're already aware that you checked on them and saw the communications stop, so they also know you went dark."

David just shook his head. "How do you know this stuff?"

Jack smiled and went on. "When you talk to your sister, you have to get her out of the house on some pretext... and not in the car. Those OnStar GPS deals are monitored too. Talk to her outdoors. Make sure when she talks to her hubby, she follows the same protocol. When they're convinced of the danger they're in, we'll move. Your brother-in-law will have to start converting some of his banking into something else, precious metals or crypto. It will look like investments- not paper metals but real physical gold and silver. They're going to need new identities... leave that to me when the time comes. First you have to convince them... feel up to the job?"

David wasn't sure at all. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really. Not if you want to live. I'm assuming that they're already on to you. It's important that Jim and Ann- that's their names right? It's important that they don't make the others suspicious." Jack clapped David on the back reassuringly. "You can do it. I have faith."

That makes one of us David thought, smiling grimly. "Anymore good news?"

"Nope... not for now. Let's get you back to Little Rock so you can fly home. When they ask how the interview went, say you think it went well and you're optimistic. Just in case the house is bugged. This is going to take some acting on your part... on all of your part." They were both pretty quiet on the way to Little Rock. When Jack dropped David off he said: "Don't worry too much... it's going to turn out Ok- I have a feeling." They shook hands and David went into his hotel.