CH 27
The Sheriff stood on the front porch with John, Cameron and Delilah. He shrugged as they looked the alligator sunning itself in the yard. "Not sure what to tell ya," he offered. "Being fed, it looks like he's picked this place as his home. You can trap him again, and dump him off anywhere in the lake, and he'll find his way back. Gators got their territory, taken out of it, they will try to come back. Best I can say is drive him to a gator farm, or just shoot him and get leather boots made. That's pretty much your options."
"We really don't want to kill it," Delilah said with a wince. "How far away is the nearest alligator farm?"
"Not sure, Ma'am. I think on the other side of Austin. Transporting live wildlife, I'd have to come with you. Keep you from getting arrested."
"He hasn't tried to hurt anyone, even when he got in the house," Cameron noted.
"That doan mean he's tame, Ma'am," the Sheriff said firmly. "Just wasn't too hungry."
"It's my fault," Joan said weakly from behind them. They all turned to look at her. With pleading face, Joan said, "Please don't kill him! It's my fault, not his!"
"Mighty kind of you, miss," the Sheriff told her. "But that is a wild animal. He ain't your friend."
"I know that," Joan agreed, "But, he came looking for more food because of me. If I have to, I'll feed him every day so you don't have to kill him. Please?"
John eyed her. "Do you know how much an alligator eats?" he asked.
Joan shook her head.
"Bout ten to fifteen pounds of meat a day," the Sheriff stated. "And he's still a wild animal, right here at your house. That makes for a hazardous situation. Even if he is well fed."
"What about a fence?" Cameron asked. "Just fence him out of the yard."
The Sherriff nodded. "A four foot chain link would do it. Course you'd have to have the fence protect the dock too, that is if you're gonna use it."
"We'll do that," John said. "Hardware store have the fencing?"
"No, but I'm sure they'll order it for you," The Sherriff told him.
"We'll try that first," John said. Cameron and Delilah agreed.
.
Delilah and Carol arrived at Joe's garage. Joe had called and said the jeep was done. Delilah went inside with Carol to see the little wrangler sitting on new tires. The hard top was new and the door covers so she had full doors were in place. It was even washed and a few rusty spots were painted. It almost looked new.
"This isn't mine," Carol said, "You got the wrong one."
Joe laughed. "This is yours, all right. Mrs. Connor here already paid the bill. You're good to go, Mrs. Tanner."
Carol looked at Delilah in amazement. "You didn't have to do all this."
Delilah shrugged. "Merry early Christmas," she replied. "Carol, you need a good vehicle. I'm not going to let you drive around in something you need a raincoat to drive in bad weather. Besides, I think it suits you."
Joe handed Carol the keys. "If you have any trouble, don't hesitate to bring it in. Also, keep an eye on the odometer. at 94,000, you'll need another oil change and brake check."
Carol took her keys. "Thank you, very much," she told Delilah and Joe. Getting in, she also saw a small back seat that would fit maybe two people. Carol waved as she drove out.
Delilah and Joe waved back. "You know, that's mighty kind thing you did for her," Joe told Delilah. Looking at Christine, he added, "And you're going to need to get checks done on that fine automobile you got as well. That car's damn near an antique, don't you dare let things go on it."
"I won't, I swear," Delilah replied. "I'd know better when an oil change is due, if the odometer didn't run backwards."
Joe looked at her and laughed. "Whoever rebuilt it got the cable in backwards? That's a hard thing to screw up! Sounds like I should get it in here and check everything out, just to be sure nothing else is haywire."
Delilah grinned. "Thank you, John's been helping me with simple maintenance, and I swear the kids are going to wear the paint off, washing and waxing it. They insist Christine needs to stay new looking."
Joe's smile faded a bit. "Christine, huh? Mind if I check your VIN?"
"Go ahead," Delilah replied.
Joe went over to the driver's side and looked in the windshield. He wrote down the VIN at the inside base of the windshield, then went in his office. Curious, Delilah went with him. She watched him call up a page on his computer. He looked at it, rubbing his chin. They then looked out in the parking lot, then back to his screen. He glanced at Delilah and said, "This is odd. Supposedly, that car was scrapped, we're talking crushed into a metal block awaiting the blast furnace to melt it into something else."
"I heard that too," Delilah said. "I also heard it was found in a junk yard and sold to the dealer who sold it to me."
He brought up another page. "Yeah, this one shows that information. Both can't be true …" He then turned to Delilah and added, "That is, unless the legend is true, and Christine can indeed fix herself."
"I think she can," Delilah said firmly. Nodding towards Christine, she said, "There is something very special about that car. Christine has an … intelligence to her that defies logic."
"Heard that car's dangerous," Joe said.
"She can be," Delilah admitted. "I heard about the legends. Christine and I had a talk, she's part of the family now. We all take care of each other, no matter what we are."
Joe grinned. "Well, anything you need for Christine, feel free to bring her by. Just, if you need work done, hang around while she's here if you would."
.
The day Joan was freed from grounding, she also had an important task. The fence people were coming, and Cameron wanted her to get the alligator out of the yard.
Joan had the perfect plan. Cameron helped her cut a large ham into four smaller pieces. Joan, now with her bikini on, took her mermaid tail down to the dock. She went back in the house and got the ham chunks. By now, the alligator was awake and watching her. passing by it, she tossed a ham chunk at it.
SNAP He grabbed it out of the air and swallowed.
Joan walked a little farther towards the water and tossed another chunk short of him. The alligator got up and grabbed the ham chunk. Just on the dock, Joan tossed another ham chunk right at the shore line. The alligator ambled down and grabbed it up to eat. She walked down the dock, the alligator slipped into the water and floated nearby. Joan tossed the last ham chunk, he snapped it up.
This was working great! Happy the alligator was out of the yard, Joan sat down and put her mermaid tail on as the alligator watched. Zipped up and ready to go, she stood up and dove off the end of the dock to swim away under water.
The alligator followed.
.
Swimming along in a smooth undulating motion, Joan came up for her first breath and found Bob's boat just off to her left. It looked like he had his mother with him. They were floating along, barely moving. She took in a few deep breaths, then held the final one and rolled back under.
Swimming a little faster and deeper, Joan watched out for lures as she approached the boat. She saw one coming up from the right side of the boat. So she wouldn't get hooked herself, she swam under the boat and up to grab the front.
.
Carol felt the front of the boat dip down briefly then Joan appeared to hop onto the front and swing her legs/tail into the boat.
"Hi!" Joan beamed.
Carol let out a short yelp. Bob laughed. "Joan, could you like wave or something first?" Bob asked.
"Sorry if I scared you, Mrs. Tanner," Joan offered. "But guess what, I'm off grounding now, YAY!" she cried thrusting her arms in the air.
Letting her heart settle back to it's normal rythem, Carol said, "Whatever happened with that alligator that followed you into the house?"
Joan was about to explain, then frowned and pointed. "He's right there."
Bob and Carol looked to see eyes and a nostrils poking up out of the water not fifteen feet away.
Carol yelped again, Bob took on a scared look, grabbed the oars and started rowing. "Where'd he come from!" Bob cried. As he rowed, the alligator followed them.
"Why's he following us!" Carol cried.
"I don't know! He must have followed me all the way from home!" Joan complained.
"He followed you?" Carol asked.
Bob shrugged, "Maybe he thinks Joan looks tasty. I can understand that."
Joan giggled, his mother frowned at him.
"Just guessing," Bob offered.
Joan tipped to look past Carol to see the alligator was losing ground but still behind them. "Bob? Mrs. Tanner? I think if I stay, he's going to keep following. I don't want to ruin your fishing trip."
"It's OK, Joan," Bob quickly said.
Carol turned to her, "You can't go back in the water Joan, that gator is right there!" To Bob, she said, "Take Joan back home, it's too dangerous for her to try to swim with that thing right behind us."
"I'll be Ok, really, Mrs. Tanner," Joan insisted.
"NO! You stay put!" Carol told Joan firmly. "Bobby, row us over to Joan's house."
"OK Mom." Bob turned in a long arc so he'd stay ahead of the alligator following them. Constantly rowing, he was getting tired.
Joan looked ahead, They were close enough that she could see another truck at her house. The fence people were here. "Ahh, Mrs. Tanner, I can't go home yet, the fence people are here."
"Fence people?" Bob asked.
"Yes, to put up a fence to keep the alligator out of the front yard," Joan explained. "Lately he's been sunning himself there. At least he wasn't in the pool. Trying to get him out of there was tough," Joan explained. "Sonya had to get in and get under him to clamp his mouth shut and carry him out."
"Did someone try trapping him?" Carol asked.
"Dad did, and it worked. Dad and Mommy One took him down the shore closer to the Young's house, but the alligator got back home before they did," Joan explained.
"So, where do you want to go?" Bob asked.
"Left! towards Gramma and Grandpa's house!" Joan said pointing.
Bob let out a huff and rowed again in a long arc. Joan and Carol watched the alligator. Bob turned, but the alligator didn't. He kept heading back towards the house.
"Ohhh!" Joan whined. "He can't go back yet!"
Bob and Carol saw Joan jump up.
"Joan!" Carol cried as Joan was in the air, out of the boat. She dove in with barely a ripple and swam deep and away as Carol watched in horror. "Bobby, we've got to do something!"
Bob turned as sharply as he could. Carol watched the alligator. It was swimming along, then suddenly it flailed to the side and snapped at nothing. A heartbeat later, the fluke of Joan's tail surfaced briefly to slap at the water directly behind the alligator.
"What is she doing!" Carol cried in fright. Joan was going to get eaten!
"She DOES need a babysitter!" Bob said in a grunt as he pulled hard at the oars.
Carol noticed the alligator was no longer swimming on the surface. There was nothing visible but leftover ripples. About fifty yards farther out, Joan surfaced briefly in a dolphin jump.
"Mom," Bob said as he huffed at the oars, "Joan can swim really fast. I don't think she's in too much danger."
Searching for either Joan, or another sight of the alligator, Carol scanned the water. Joan jumped again, this time far off to their right. She looked, but the alligator was gone. Joan then appeared to jump not far behind them. Carol saw her diving deep just beside the boat, then caught a glance of her coming up. Joan erupted from the water in front of them, grabbed the front of the boat and turned herself to plop into the front seat.
Panting (which was the first time Bob ever saw Joan do that) she beamed, "All set! He didn't like his tail getting yanked on and went down to the bottom to hide in some weeds."
"Joan Connor! That was a dangerous and ... stupid stunt you just pulled!" Carol roared at her.
"Yeah, what Mom said!" Bob agreed angrily.
Joan gaped at them. "But, it worked. So if it's stupid but it works, maybe it isn't so stupid?" she asked hopefully.
"I suppose your mothers won't mind what you did then?" Carol asked.
Joan's face turned scared. Raising her hands, she waved then and cried, "No,no,no, please no! I just got off being grounded!"
Carol frowned at her. "I won't tell them under ONE condition! Bob is your babysitter!"
Joan cast a blank gaze at her. "Huh?"
"Huh?" Bob added.
Joan looked at Bob, then back to Carol. "Isn't that like the fox guarding the chicken coup?" she asked.
"When the chickens are playing with alligators, no," Carol said firmly. To Bob, she said, "It's your responsibility to make sure Joan doesn't pull any more dangerous stunts like pulling on an alligator's tail."
"Ah, OK," Bob said, wondering how he was supposed to prevent that.
Joan thought about that for a moment, then grew a smile. She was OK with that.
Carol then turned to Joan and said, "And if you don't behave, then Bob will get in trouble!"
"What? Now hold on a minute!" Bob cried.
.
A cry of "I got one!" came over the water. John looked out over the lake to see Joan in front of the Tanner's boat holding a pole that was bent deeply and reeling line in. Bob was in the back with his own pole. In the middle, Bob's mother picked up the fish net. They were only maybe eighty yards out from shore. He smiled, Joan was having fun, and not getting herself in trouble. It was good to see.
The fence was going up fast. In a few places, the workmen used forms to pour concrete along dips in the fence line to ensure the fence was even. The steel posts went up, one after the other, even into the just poured concrete, again making sure the tops were the same height. After that, the top poles between the posts went on. By the time they got to putting up the chain ling mesh, The concrete was dry. From in back of the barn, all the way around the house and yard back to the driveway, they now had an anti-alligator fence. A ten foot wide extension even went down to the dock, so an alligator couldn't get on the dock, either.
JJ did bring up a question as he too saw Joan pull in a good sized fish. "Dad, can we go fishing too?"
"Yes, we can. In fact we need a good boat too."
.
Once the fence was up, John went in to check the net for boat prices. He got a sticker shock. Anything beside a row boat was almost up there with car prices. Delilah coaxed him to going into town to see if anyone local sold boats.
Of course, it was an excuse to drive Christine again.
John liked the ride this car had. Bumps seemed all but non-existent. He could hear the tires going over them, but the car itself just floated along.
"I don't think a rowboat will do us," Delilah noted.
"No, if we hope to get everyone in, we're going to need something bigger. How big, I don't know," John agreed.
Delilah frowned, then said, "Out in back of Joe's garage, I saw a big boat. If anyone, he should know who has them."
"Let's go see Joe."
Delilah drove to Joe's Garage. Joe was out front, waving to a customer who was just leaving. Delilah stopped, Joe came over.
"Christine need work?" Joe asked.
"No, we saw you had a boat out back, may I ask where you got it from?" Delilah asked.
"Built it." Joe said firmly. "One of the boys, Mark, did most of the work. Want to come take a look at it?"
"Yes, please," Delilah replied.
"Head out back around this way, I'll have Mark meet you."
John and Delilah walked around back. The boat was a pontoon boat, eight feet wide and John figured 12 long. He noticed it wasn't on a trailer, but had what looked like landing gear the full sized car type wheels were attached to.
"Now that's inventive," John said, bend over studying the struts the wheels were on.
"Hey folks!" a deep voice said. John stood up to look up to a tall, dark haired man, like Sonya tall. His dark shirt had some grease on it, he wore a smile as he came over.
"Hi!" Delilah beamed. "I'm Delilah, this is my husband John."
"Mark? it's good to meet you," John offered. "You made this boat?"
Mark bobbed his big head. "Sure did. I take it you like how I put the wheels on?"
"It's a stroke of genius," John told him. "You never need a trailer."
"Cuts the overall cost," Mark said and motioned to the pontoons. "Same with the pontoons, I went and ordered the sheet aluminum, bent and shaped it. It was half the cost of buying them already made. Plus, in the center here, see that pipe in the middle? I filled the pontoons with that foam house insulation. You can also pull the cap and check for any water getting in. Saves you from sinking if you got a leak. I also put four inches of house insulation under the platform, except for where the wheels come up. Extra protection against sinking if a pontoon is holed. My sister's family and Joe's usually take it out on the big lake out on the other side of Driftwood."
John looked over the retractable canvas cover, the polished wooden rails and deck, comfortable looking benches along the side near the back, the fishing seats on swivels towards the front, and the 'gate' in the rail off the front. Going around to the front, John saw the ladder coming down where the gate was. "Damn fine job." he said.
"Thanks," Mark said with a smile. "In the middle of the open area there, the deck's metal so you can use a grill and not be afraid of burning the deck. There's plenty of room for coolers, more seats or just stretching out on blankets. You folks interested in something like this?"
"We are," John agreed. "How long did it take to build this?"
Mark shrugged. "Few weeks after I got the materials in." He ginned and added, "Making the pontoons was the worst part, Ain't no one else in town has the reach to help me with those."
"Sonya can help you!" Delilah said quickly. "Are you married, Mark?"
Mark looked at her and laughed. "Naw, ain't found the right one." With a smirk, he added, "Most women are way too short."
"Can Sonya come help you to make another boat?" Delilah asked with a big grin.
"Sonya," Mark said in thought. "Is she the tall one I been hearing about?"
"She is!" Delilah said happily.
Mark chuckled. "You trying to hook me up?" he asked.
"I think Delilah's trying to hook Sonya up," Joan said with a chuckle. "Most men are too short for her."
"Really?" Mark asked.
"At seven four, she intimidates most guys," John told him.
Mark's eyes widened. "Damn, I'm only seven one."
"So, can Sonya come help you make us a boat?" Delilah asked with a wide smile.
Mark laughed again. "Tell you what, figure out the layout you want and the dimensions of the deck, then come back, and I'll give you a good estimate on the cost."
"Sounds good to me," John said.
"I'll send Sonya down with it as soon as we know what we want," Delilah said firmly.
John had a feeling Mark could be very be good for Sonya. A hell of a lot better than fur-faced George.
.
A couple days later, Mark was pulling the transmission on a truck for Travis. The truck o a lift, he had most of the bolts out and the frame mounting bolts out.
"Mark! Ya busy?" Joe called.
"In the middle of this transmission," Mark called back. "Give me a few!"
"Need help?" a female voice asked.
Mark glanced that way. He meant to say he had it. He ended up staring. The woman was tall, and she looked perfect. Slim, but not skinny, a beautiful face, a nice pillowy chest, long legs atop perfectly shaped hips, and long red hair that seemed to shine.
"Sonya?" he asked weakly.
"Yes," she beamed. "I'm Sonya Conner."
Holy mother of God! Tall, beautiful and a body to die for. Briefly, he forgot he was holding up a transmission. The transmission tipped and started to fall, reminding him. It hit the stand and knocked it over. Before he lost it, Sonya was on the other side, and had a hold of it.
"I got it," she said, holding it up with her hands.
"Thanks, I have to do..." he then noticed a couple bolts had snapped off, making the transmission fall.
"Do what you have to do, I'll hold it up," she assured him.
She was strong too? Despite himself, he asked, "Did you come from heaven?"
Sonya laughed. "No, just up by the lake. You're Mark?" she asked, smiling at him.
"Yeah," he said, grinning at her like a fool. Realizing he was standing there, helping her hold a transmission up, he tried to focus on something besides her face. Luckily the transmission was hiding her chest, giving him the will to remember what they were doing. "Can you put this over on that table there, on that stand?" he asked, glancing that way.
"Sure," she said.
Sonya took the whole weight of the transmission and walked over to set it down, giving him a great view of her perfectly shaped ass. Damn, was it ever getting hot in here! Before he lost his mind completely, he forced himself to look at the snapped off bolts. They were rusty, but had broken with enough material he could get a small pipe wrench on what stuck out. He focused on getting them out so he wouldn't be completely befuddled.
"Anything else I can do?" she asked.
Mark knew better than to look. "That was a huge help, thanks. I'll be out in a few minutes." Getting his brain working again he asked, "You here about the boat?"
"Yes, John said I should come. I have the plans."
"Great," he said not adding, 'And I can look at you better and maybe you will stay work with me ... for the rest of my life.' He did get out, "Have Joe show you the break room, I'll meet you there." He left out, 'and beg on my knees for you to marry me!
When did it get so friggin hot in here?
.
Sonya went to the break room. Joe showed her the coffee machine and the cold drinks before he went back out. This break room was basic and sorta-clean. it was worn looking and the refrigerator looked old. She picked a seat on the low bench so she was fairly at table-level. The bench also looked sturdier than any of the chairs. Taking out the paper they had made on what they wanted the top of the boat to look line, including dimensions, she spread it out and waited for Mark to come in.
Twenty minutes later, Mark came in sweating heavily. He grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and paused, looking at the chairs.
"Come sit by me. I found those chairs aren't good for Amazons like us," she offered.
Mark chuckled. "Amazons?" he asked as he settled down beside her.
"That's what everyone calls me," Sonya said with a blushing grin. "Some people don't know my name, they just look at me and say, "Jesus Christ!"
Mark burst out laughing. Planting his arms in the table, his head followed as he laughed. It took him a few minutes to slow down and wipe his eyes. Sonya liked his laugh.
"That's good!" Mark chuckled. "That really happens?"
Sony nodded. "The first time Christy The Crusher saw me, she looked at Marcie and asked, "You want me to do battle with THAT?"
"Christy the Crusher, the wrestler?" he asked.
"Yes, I did a couple shows with them. Marcie begged me to stay on, but that wasn't really my thing. It was all acting, and I did plenty of that with my family. What I'd like to do is something substantial," Sonya explained. "You know, like you do. Fix cars or build boats. Something that I can look at and say, I did that."
Mark nodded. "I can understand that. Mechanics isn't easy or glamorous, but it is good, honest work, and like you said, when a vehicle I did rolls out of here, I can say I put it back together."
Sonya glanced down at the paper. "So, can I help you build us a boat?"
"You certainly can," he said sincerely. "Let's look at these plans."
In the time they sat and discussed the boat, Mark told her Joe usually bought the parts and material. Sometimes he was slow about it. He also said, if done on company time, Joe would charge her for the time he worked on the boat.
"That's fine," Sonya assured him. "If you want, I'll buy the parts and material. Can they be delivered here?"
"They can. I'll let Joe know what's coming in for your boat and get it around back when it comes in. Some stuff, we can get locally. Lumber, some steel, the insulation, stuff like that. Motors and long metal, like the aluminum for the pontoons, has to be trucked in. The Tractor supply depot down the road sells axles, bearings rims and tires, they're a few miles down the road, if you don't mind the trip."
"Not at all," Sonya assured him. "If you can get a day off, will you come with me? Make sure I get all the right stuff?"
"I'd be happy to," he said eagerly. He was happy just sitting next to and talking to Sonya.
Going over the plans, Mark made a materials list and told about the order things had to be done. Sonya listened intently. What had started out as a quick meeting to see what she wanted, ended up to take until 4 PM.
Normally, Joe would have gotten upset if anyone took a five hour break, but seeing Mark sitting close to that red haired wonder and the way they gazed at each other, he decided to let it go. He also didn't have a wrecking bar to pry them apart. They weren't that busy today anyway.
.
John hung out in a chair on the front porch, just watching the lake, and the alligator that was now half out of the water on the other side of the fence. Jackie and JJ were in the pool, playing and showing Louise how to swim with her tail. So far Louise had graduated to swimming to the deep end and back. Off across the lake, he saw Joan jump, heading this way. It was late in the afternoon, and their yard was their own now. Not an alligator hang-out.
Cameron came out and settled down in John's lap. "I've got some news for you," she said in a sexy tone.
"Oh?, good news?" he asked and kissed her.
"Good and bad," Cameron said.
"Let's have the good news first," John told her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Sonya just got back from town, talking to Mark at the garage about the boat, and she is giggling and blushing like a school girl. I think her and Mark are getting along very good. They are going to build the boat together."
"That is great news," John agreed. "I think Sonya was getting a bit lonely."
"She does need her own man," Cameron agreed.
John frowned and asked, "So what's the bad news about that?"
"It's not about that," Cameron explained. "General Watson and John Henry have identified a terrorist group that likes to burn down areas, and tracked them to not far north of here. If John Henry's right in his intel, this group is looking to completely destroy a small town to prove that no one is safe from them."
"Awww, hell," John grumbled. "They're coming here, aren't they?"
Cameron nodded. "General Watson has a mole in the group. No town has the police force to stop them, and if any external help arrives, they scatter. Watson wants us to meet them when the come to destroy Driftwood. He says, no limits, make them all disappear."
John's frowned deepened. "How long we got before they show up?"
"John Henry says best estimate is four to five days. General Watson wants all the members there before we move to clean them up."
"Has the Sheriff been told anything?"
Cameron shook her head. "There is no certainty they are coming this way. Originally, the intel suggests they were going to hit Austin, but police and National Guard are waiting for them. They have been discussing hitting small towns to 'utterly destroy' them, then when help comes, they will move into Austin."
"Watson said no limits?" John asked.
"Only one, don't get caught. There are two reporter teams with this group. They should be taken out first."
"And here I thought we were done with shit like this," John said with a sigh. "I suppose we need to go scout them out and any route they can take. Doing anything tomorrow?"
"Scouting out bag guys," Cameron said with a crooked grin.
"We'll start early," John agreed.
Noise of the fence shaking got their attention. they looked at the fence in the lower part of the yard. The alligator was half on the fence, one front claw up in the chain links. He was wiggling and trying to get higher.
"Alligators climb?" John asked.
"That one's trying," Cameron noted.