The Lottery Council- Chapter XIII: While The Cat's Away...

richq11 (72)in #fiction • 7 years ago

It was a beautiful day for a BBQ... one of those perfect Autumn days in the mid 70's, low humidity and a high sky. The Masters' couldn't have picked a better day to invite Jim, Ann and the kids over to cook out. David was still on his job interview and it promised to be a relaxing Saturday afternoon. The men had promised their wives, no talk about business- just fun and relaxation. It was T-bones for the grown-ups and burgers for the kids who were out by the pool. The coals were finally perfect and it was time for the steaks.

"How do you want your steak Jim?" Leyland asked.

"Wipe its nose, wipe its ass and throw it on a plate," Jim replied.

"A man after my own heart," said Leyland.

"That's disgusting," said Ann who was approaching with some cold beers, "why not just eat them raw?"

"Good idea," said Jim grinning broadly.'

"Make mine medium well," Ann said.

"Mine too," it was Leyland's wife, Margaret.

"Coming right up; two on the hoof and two fit for shoe leather."

By the time they finished up eating, the Sun was just beginning to disappear behind the trees. The women were clearing the table, putting the trash up and the kids were already inside with their video games. Leyland turned to Jim and said; "wait right here, I've got a little something for you." He went to the house and returned a few minutes later with a giftwrapped box. "These are just a small token to show our appreciation for all you've done, Jim, both at work and for the council."

Jim took the box and asked, "open it now?"

"Absolutely," said Leyland.

It was a box of cigars. Jim had enjoyed them in college but given it up when he got married. After his sudden affluence, he had taken them up again- in place of golf he had told Ann. He didn't smoke them often but when he did, he enjoyed a good cigar. He removed the wrapping and read the box... Gurkha Black Dragon, it read. "Cuban?" Jim asked.

"Connecticut," Leyland replied with a wink.

"Hmmm, Connecticut," Jim mused, "must have cost a fortune."

"If I told you how much they cost, you'd put them in a safe deposit box and not smoke them," Leyland said grinning widely. "Are we going to have one, or what? The girls are in the house and Margaret won't let me smoke inside."

Jim lifted the lid and removed two of the glass tubes inside. They lit up savoring the pungent yet mild character of their smokes. The aroma was magnificent. "Connecticut, you say?" Jim asked.

"Just the wrapper, it's a Madura grown there, aged for years, five I think. The inside is Dominican and Cameroon. Wonderful aren't they?"

"And expensive, you say," Jim said. "Just how expensive?"

"Do you really want to know?" Jim nodded. "That box right there was almost $25,000," Leyland said with a smile. Jim nearly dropped his cigar.

"$25,000?" he gasped.

"I... we think you're worth it, my boy," Leyland said. "You've been a stalwart at work. Sales have increased over 30% since you took over your department. In case you haven't guessed, that translates into a lot more than $25,000. You've also made great strides at the council- even Metzger is impressed... and he doesn't impress easily."

Leyland's phone rang and he flipped it open. "Yes," he said. "Ok then, see you later." He hung up. "Business never ends."

"Important?" Jim asked.

"Not very... just routine."

"Well, it's getting late. Ann and I probably should be going. We've got church in the morning and Ann wants to work in the yard afterward."

"Surely you can afford somebody to take care of the yard," said Leyland. "You're making plenty of money now. Nobody in our position does their own lawn."

"It's not the lawn... we have a lawn guy. Ann and I are going to stay there for good now and she likes to do the flower beds herself and I enjoy helping her. It gives us a chance to have time together."

"I almost envy you Jim," Leyland said. "Perfect wife, perfect marriage... You've got it all. By the way- what are you hearing from David about his new job... any word yet?

"Not yet. He's still in Arkansas. I hope for his sake he gets it. He hates having nothing to do. But we'll all miss him if he moves away- he's become a fixture at the house."

"Well, maybe he'll give up on all that conspiracy stuff," Leyland was observing Jim through narrowed eyes.

"Oh, I wouldn't take that seriously," Jim said. "First it was JFK, then it was Jimmy Hoffa, then 9/11... it's the conspiracy of the week for him. He goes until he hits a dead end then moves on to the next one. He's harmless and with him it's more of a hobby than anything else."

"It could turn out to be a dangerous hobby if he sticks his nose in the wrong place," Leyland laughed. "Some of those people get kinda nasty. Just because something's a conspiracy theory- doesn't mean there's nothing there." Leyland winked.

"I guess," Jim rose to shake hands and gather up the family and head home. "Thanks for having us over, Leyland. We really enjoyed ourselves... and I'll put these in my safe deposit box," he said raising the cigars.

"Just enjoy them," Leyland said.

Meanwhile, not far away at the Nolan residence, they had unwelcome visitors while they were away. Metzger and his team of dirty tricksters had made good use of their time to plant surveillance devices throughout the house and adjoining property. The Nolan's were wired for sound- and video. Metzger was amazed when they got there to find Jim's expensive security system disabled. "Fools," he chuckled. He couldn't help but marvel at how naive and trusting people were.

His crew had even put surveillance cameras in the Nolan's bedroom... they could observe Jim and Ann's most intimate moments. Metzger waited in the van down the street as his team finished up and after a sound check to make sure the mics were on, he checked to make certain the cameras were operational. After calling his crew out, he phoned Masters.