Don't own Chuck
My granny and I made scones all afternoon. I can still remember the kitchen what a disaster, we got flour everywhere we even got flour in our hair. That was so much fun rolling them out then cutting them with a biscuit cutter. Their fragrance lingered throughout the house and permeated the air. I can remember trying to steal one but got my finger's whack.
"Those are for our guests." She said then handed me one. "Don't let this spoil you appetite. Go find your father I think he's upstairs trying on suits in the guestroom." So I left and went to find him sneaking so he couldn't see me.
"Hey, kiddo what do you think?" said Jack as he picked up two. Sometimes I thought he had eyes in the back of his head. "This one or this one," one was gray and the other one was navy.
"How'd you see me I was quiet, I guess I'm 0 for 2 today. Well, I would say it depends on the color of the suit."
"Maybe you're right. But the gray one I wore in Paris when I fleeced a banker from Geneva and I wore the navy one in Rome, I scammed a Cardinal from the Vatican. He thought I was one of his wayward flock so you could say I pulled the wool over his eyes."
"How about this one?" I asked. It was a golden-yellowish tie that he kept in a box in the bottom of his suitcase.
"That one I wore the time I tried to propose to your mother. Things didn't work out like I planned but I put it aside and one of these days I'll try it on again. No kiddo I think we'll go with the navy."
"But what about the gravy stain."
"What gravy stain? Dad asked as he looked it over.
"Got you, didn't I."
"You little monkey come here," my Dad said as he tried to tickle me. "I was so happy then."
Later on in the afternoon a man stopped by he introduced himself as Henry Brat a native of Norfolk, England. He was working as a fellow at the university where he met his wife Grace. The lab he wanted my father to manage was manned by two students that were studying under Brat. Since the Brats had just gotten married they wanted to spend more time at home and less in the lab but research need to be done to keep up his funding.
"Jack, what I need you for is customer relations," Mr. Brat explained, "I have new products that I'm developing and I need you to handle my clients so my people can work and not get distracted. Some of them can be the prima donna types, especially the defense contractors. They each think their products ought to be at the top of my list but I've got priority. I want to work on my own inventions first. You know you come highly recommend but I need to know you can you do this for me?"
"Sure, I don't see why not. In a certain sense I've been doing this all my life. I even made a trip to Liechtenstein to do something similar." I kicked his foot under the table.
"Well good then I'll see you tomorrow your first meeting is with these DoD people they want me to look over a device one of their engineers came up with but I've got an experiment I need to conduct."
"What do you want me to tell them?" asked Jack whose tone should've warned me he had something in mind.
"Just tell them I'll get back to them. Christ, they have their own people I don't know why they'd want to contract something like that out. Receive it, then log it in and put it in the vault.
"Vault?"
"Yes, I'll give you the tour tomorrow; if you want bring your daughter along I might have some work for her. Judging from what I've seen of this town there's not much going on for young people. My wife wanted me to ask about this fake Girl Scout she heard about trying to scam money for cookies. Have your heard anything?
"No not lately," said Granny as she stared at me. "Besides that girl is probably too old to pull something like off again, but you'd wonder what kind of parents would put a child up to something like that."
"Yes you do. Well, see you tomorrow morning Jack and I hope I'll see you too Sam." Mr. Brat got up and shook everyone's hand even my own then left.
"Are you proud of your old man," asked Jack, "and you granny I could give you a big hug."
"You come near me and I'll pop you one up side of the head. I got my rolling pin handy in the kitchen. Jack you got the job now you have to keep it. I mean it Jack no funny stuff."
"I've turned over a new leaf."
"Just as long as you leave it after you're done turning it over."
"Come on Sam, let's go to the Frozen Moose. Who want's ice cream? Rocky Road three scoops on me."
We drove straight to the ice cream parlor and parked outside. "Hey kid you got something in your hair. Here let me get it out."
"Ouch, that hurt." He pulled out a couple strands.
"Dad no, not again, please."
"You want three scoops of Rocky Road, don't you then come on in."
'What'll it be?" asked the girl behind the counter.
"Three scoops of Rocky Road in a cup, please." She filled our order and handed it to Jack who reached in his wallet to pull out money to pay but as he did he dropped the hairs in the ice cream.
"Hey, what's this? Hair. That's disgusting. Hey, everyone look here they serve ice cream with hair in it. Christ, I should call the health department."
"What's the matter," asked the manager so my father explained. "I'm so sorry we have a hairnet policy but I see some of our workers aren't following it so your ice cream is on the house and would you like a milk shake to go with that."
"Vanilla, if you don't mind."
We went over to our booth lucky booth number five, "Okay darling eat up. I wish they'd do something about these ugly flowers. They're still here."
"Jack one of these days you're going to go to some place that has all bald men and then you're going to get in trouble."
"Never fails works like charm. Now you're sounding like granny."
"Okay, Jack now tell me what you want?" Even then I knew my father and he had something in mind.
"I was thinking Henry mentioned the vault which means he's got other things just lying around that aren't being used so I could help him out by relieving him of some of excess inventory."
"You're talking about the Liechtenstein again aren't you?"
"Better a whole factory full. Think about it if I don't log everything in, it would be my word against theirs that we received it, even better if they mailed it in. Then I take the goods and sell them. I, we could make a fortune and you'd have enough money for Harvard."
"But if you get caught granny will kick you out and I'll be alone again. If you do this I've got to go with you or I'll tell granny."
"Kid you wouldn't blackmail your old man would you?"
"No but desperate people do desperate things and I'm not living in that house alone anymore." Looking back now that was my first step on the road to perdition.
"Okay you can be a distraction. You know like pretending to be hit on your bike. You know you were really good, you had me believing you."
"Jack I was hit and I broke my wrist. The doctor said so in the E.R."
"See how good you were. You pulled it over on the doctor too. You've got the noise for this just like your old man."
The next morning Jack and I show up at the lab. The building looked like it used to be a slaughterhouse, a one story block building with large industrial doors in the front and a slab floor poured from concrete with no windows.
"Jack, Sam," said Henry, "I want to introduce you to my two student assistants Josef and Karl. They're foreign exchange students from Germany. Can't understand a word they say but they do good work. Sam how'd you like a summer job, I'll even pay you five dollars above minimum wage?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to be the company hostess. While your father is getting our clients sorted out you can serve them food and drink. We have a small cafeteria that I have stocked so you can get everything you need there. You two can make this a family affair as you wine and dine our clients. Just please keep them out of my, our hair."
"Okay, I'll do it." It sounded good almost too good but at the time I needed the extra cash.
"Jack our first clients will be here in about two hours. I put together a brief for you on who they are and what I think they want." He handed my father a file. "Now Sam come with me, I'll show you what to put out." Wouldn't you know the clients arrived an hour late. The ice in my tea all but had melt and the sandwiches I made were starting to go stale I didn't know what to do except hope my father could stall for a bit while I started over.
"Follow me in here," I heard Jack say down the hall. I had to think fast so I popped hotdogs in the microwave and threw them on buns with relish on the side. I worked as fast as I could and served fruit juice, prune is a fruit.
"Colonel Smith and Jones, this is my daughter Sam." My father introduced me as I held a tray of food.
"Nice to meet you miss but we're in a hurry. We need to leave this case for Dr. Brat." The one Colonel had a medium size metal suitcase.
"Sirs would you like something to eat or drink?" I asked after I took all the time to redo everything I was about to force feed them down their throat.
"No thanks, like I said we're in a hurry."
"If you're in such a hurry, you can leave that with me. I'm Dr. Brat's new assistant," Jack said. I swear I could see the squirrels running around in his head.
"What's your security clearance? We can't let this out of our sight if you don't have at least a level six."
"Well, aren't you luck because I have a level seven so just hand her over and you two can be on your way." They were really luck alright.
"We need you to sign for it, if you don't mind." The words don't you mind were just pure courtesy. I watched Jack sign away knowing full well he didn't even know what a level seven or six security clearance was. However, I did notice that he didn't use his own last name Burton but my mother's last name. With documents sighed they handed Jack the case and left.
"Jack, why did you use Mom's surname and not your own?" I asked but I should have known.
"I guess force of habit," he said like it was nothing.
"So you have used her name on other scams? Didn't you think that would ever come back on her?" I was starting to wonder also on me, but he was my father.
"Don't worry pumpkin; Old Jack here has got all the bases covered. How'd you like your first Liechtenstein? Now all we have to do is find a buyer and we're in the dough. If anyone asked it just got misfiled."
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"Hey, Jack how'd it go with those DoD people?" asked Henry, later on that afternoon. "Well, I didn't have to see them so you did something right."
"Got you covered Henry, everything went well. I logged it in and put it in the vault like I was supposed to. I think I'm going to really like it here."
"I'm glad to hear that because I really needed someone I can rely on." Then Henry asked for me. He wanted to know where I was because I needed to fill out some tax forms so I could get my W-2. Henry said, "You know Uncle Sam wants Sam to give him his cut. Get it?"
"You're a real comedian there Henry." Replied Jack then he told him I was in the cafeteria cleaning up.
When he found men he said, "Hold up Sam, you don't need to do that. You're responsible for the receptions there's a cleaning crew that does all the big stuff."
"I just didn't want to sit around and do nothing. You're paying me so I should be working. Beside I noticed things were out of place."
"I appreciate the work ethics. More young people ought to be like you. Here I need you to fill out these forms for your W-2 that's for taxes. You know Sam you have to pay Uncle Sam." You can't imagine how many times I've heard that joke.
"Right, funny, ha ha ha, here you go."
"Isn't your last name Burton like your father's if you don't mind me asking?" Henry read it off the form.
"It's a long story you can ask my grandmother or Jack if you want." I just didn't want to get into it again but looking back the man was just trying to be nice and I was rude.
I was quite the little hostess. I even had my grandmother teach me how to make scones so I could take them for the receptions. She told me some of her secrets. First it was important to sift the flour to aerate it this would make them come out light and fluffy. Another one she called the Etna in that she made a volcano from the flour and in the center she added the milk and soft butter before mixing. They were a big success.
It was a week later and everything was going fine. I was there serving tea I think to some oriental businessmen when Henry came in looking for Jack.
"Sam have you seen your father," Henry asked and I noticed he was covered with sweat.
"No, as a matter of fact I haven't seen him all day. We rode in together this morning." I started to get worried because this was what he did when left. "I'll go look for him if you want?"
"Please, I've got some people who are looking for that box from the DoD and I can't find it. They're the type you don't want to get upset if you know what I mean." I ran outside to find his car was gone so I started to panic, what was I going to do? I had only one choice and that was go talk to Henry and try to clear everything up on my own.
"Mr. Brat, I can't find my father and his car isn't out front," I said as I went into his office.
"Then I guess we're going to have to find him," said a man with a gun. There were three men in the office with pistols along with Mr. Brat and his wife, Grace. "Little girl we're all going to go outside and get into the van then drive to your house. You'd better hope your father is there for everyone's sake." We went outside through the lab and I saw both the assistants slumped over their work stations in pools of blood. This was a nightmare. Where was Jack was all I could think.
They loaded us up in the van and we drove straight to my grandmother's house. I was scared but I think looking back Mr. Brat and his wife were even more scared than me. We parked the van around behind the house and came in through the back door.
"Granny, granny," I called but for the first time I can remember she wasn't home and neither was Jack.
"I think the kid's been making fun of us," said one, "I think we need to teach her a lesson about what happens to liars."
"No please don't," I begged, "Jack will be back soon if we wait. Just a few more minutes, please." I was crying and scared. They shot Grace in front of me. I saw her fall back and Mr. Brat ran to checked on her and said she was dead.
"You animals," he screamed as he charged the men and in the moment of confusion I ran. I hit the door as fast as I could and I never looked back but I swear I heard the sound of gun fire. I just ran and I ran. I don't know for how long or where I went. I ran until I saw a car coming at me that I recognized, it was Jack with my granny.
"Stop, please stop," I yelled as I wave. I was frantic.
"What are you doing all the way-" I cut Jack off with a slap. I slapped him so hard I though his head was going to spin round. This was the first time I ever hit my father.
"Where have you been?" I yelled at him. "Do you know what you've done? Those two lab assistants are dead in the lab and the Brats were shot dead in our home. My God what have we done."
"You poor thing, come here." I collapsed into my grandmother's shoulder and for the first time Jack didn't have anything to say. "Child you need to get away from here they could come back for you."
"I can get you a new Identity then I can take you to California where you'll be safe."
"I don't want to live with you. You got those people killed. They were nice to us and you, you, Oh my God what have we done." Suddenly I realized this was the finale of all my father's schemes if no had gotten killed up until now it was out of pure luck and I had helped him do this one. The Brats' blood was on my hands too.
"Okay, this is what we'll do," Jack said, "you're old enough to live on your own but I can still come round and help out."
"Granny, what about you, I can't leave you here on your own." I thought how selfish I had been this poor woman had taken care of me and now I was going to have to leave her all by herself. But then it hit me I was going to be alone too. I had not one, no one at all. The truth that was when I knew I had to harden my heart if I were to survive. I swore then I'd never be the one to run from a fight again.
"Child I'm too old and besides no one is going to harm and old woman like me. Try not to be too hard on you father. A leopard can't change his spots. Child your father is what he is."
She died two weeks later of an apparent heart attack. I can't help but feel I was at fault. I broke her heart. I was a monster just like my father callous and cruel. I killed all those people.
We caught a bus and went cross country until we reached L.A. I enrolled in James Buchanan as Jennifer Burton and graduated in 1998. About halfway through the school year the ATF raided our home Graham Langston had my father arrested. Actually, he's the one who gave me the alias Sarah Walker. Then I went to Harvard on a scholarship for four years like my father wanted. After I was in the secret service for a year before I was asked by Graham Langston to come work for the company where I have done various jobs as his enforcer you know about before being assigned to you.
"Sweetie, you can open your eyes now," said Sarah with a voice that sounded like that of a small child. "Do you hate me? You can tell me the truth. I wouldn't blame you if you did."
"Love, I told you I loved you and I didn't care about your past. Nothing has changed you're still the girl I want to share a cheeseburger with."
"Extra pickles?"
"Extra pickles and all but I do have some questions, if you don't mind."
"Like what? It seemed pretty cut and dry what we, I did. Those poor people paid the price for our good time."
"Well for one why wasn't your Granny at home that day and how was it that she was with Jack when they found you? I mean she obviously hate Jack."
"I assumed they came looking for me."
"But why would they come looking for you if they didn't know anything had happened. You said those men drove straight to your granny's house how'd they know the way did you tell them?
"No, I assumed the Brats had."
"Okay why was Langston Grahman with the ATF when the arrested Jack?"
"I guess it was an interagency operation."
"Could be. Why did he give you the alias Sarah Walker? I mean you still finished out high school as Jennifer Burton. When did Sarah Walker start? In what name did you get your scholarship to Harvard?"
"Sarah Walker and I was recruited out of there. Why? What are you thinking?
"I don't know could be something or it could be nothing. Why don't we order in and stay in bed all the way home."
"Mr. Bartowski are you making an indecent proposal to me?"
"Put like that, yes."
