Phoenix, December 1969
It was unusually hot for a December, and Bill Maxwell wasn't used to hot winters anymore. But after almost five years in Detroit, he was happy to move back to a warmer clime. He had been doing well as an agent in the Motor City, but he was always concerned that the town was too tough for his beautiful and precious wife, Lillian. When the opening for a field agent opened in Phoenix, he immediately put in for the transfer. Not surprisingly, given his superior track record, his application was pushed to the top of the pile.
As he walked into his new supervisor's office, he was greeted with a warm smile and a firm handshake.
"We're glad to have you with us, Maxwell!"
"Well, thank you sir, Mr. Klein! I'm glad to be on board!"
Klein sat down in his chair, and motioned for Bill to sit down too. He was friendly, and wanted to make sure his new agent felt at home. Klein picked up the phone and dialed.
"This is Klein. Come to my office." After hanging up, Klein pulled out a cigarette, lit up, and offered one to the younger agent. Bill accepted, and pulled out his own lighter. The two men shared an ashtray, as they made friendly small talk.
"Have you settled in yet, Maxwell?"
"My wife is setting things up. We found a nice place in town. Fireplace, a pool. My wife's all excited. You know how excited dames get, hanging up new curtains..."
Klein smiled knowingly. "Well, she's gonna love Phoenix. It's a great town!"
"Well, sir, I'm just lucky the position came open."
"Yeah, we all sure miss Smitty. But remember this, Maxwell. Luck had nothing to do with it. There were plenty of guys ahead of you, most with a lot more seniority. But I saw your record, Maxwell, and decided you were the one."
Bill smiled, confident that he had once again been recognized as a shining star in the Bureau. He sat up straight, at attention.
"I've been hearing good things about you, Maxwell. Lots of good things.You'll fit in here just fine. Just stick by me, and things will go nice and smooth."
"Well, you can count on me, sir." Bill's enthusiasm was surpassed only by his obvious sense of loyalty and duty.
"That's what I thought, Maxwell."
There was a knock at the open door. Bill turned in his seat to find an older man walk in.
"Mark Campbell. This is your new partner, Bill Maxwell. He's just in from Detroit. I want you to show him the ropes, get him used to how we do things here. And show him around Phoenix a bit. Have him help you on some of your cases, while we break him in."
The older man was quiet and more than cooperative, as he nodded at everything Klein said. Bill held out his hand to his new partner. Campbell accepted it, and firmly shook it.
"Now Campbell, I want you to take care of Agent Maxwell, here. I have a feeling he's my new shining star."
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"Well, it's good to know you too, Larry!"
Bill Maxwell held out his hand and accepted the handshake of the used car salesman. New in town, Bill had been shaking a lot of hands lately. Larry looked back at Bill and his wife, standing closely besides him. He tried to figure the couple out. After all, he was hoping to make a sale to the man in a suit and his perfectly manicured wife.
"So, what are you looking for, Bill?"
The tall agent looked straight over Larry's head. He was at least a half foot taller. As Bill scanned the car lot, trying to gauge what the salesman had to offer, Larry looked passed Bill, gazing at the woman standing next to him.
She was about the same age as Larry, and exactly the same height, although that was aided by a pair of proper brown shoes with two inch heels. She wore a neat, handmade rust colored polyester pant suit with flaring leg openings. Tidy, and put together, the only daring part of her wardrobe was a white polyblend blouse, distinguished by a large bow tied neatly at her collar bone. Her hair, blonde and neatly coiffed, sat just above her shoulders. She was the model of the modern, but conservative woman; and she stood confident, so long as it was part of her husband's plan.
"Well," Bill responded, hesitantly, after thinking for a moment. "Maybe a second car. You know, something for the little lady here. Something..."
"Something pretty...?" Larry added, finishing his sentence. He smiled at the woman, hoping that she would be able to influence the sale.
"Oh, yeah, sure. You know how the girls like a pretty car. But something, you know, reliable. A good engine. Easy on the pocketbook."
Larry knew what that meant. The cheapest car on the lot. He had to bring it around to her court.
"So, Bill, will you be bringing your wife by to look at the cars, or will your daughter here be making the decision for her?"
It was the oldest line in the book, but it worked every time. Bill groaned and rolled his eyes. He shook his head as he thought about every cheap line a car salesman would go through to make an extra buck or two. Turning his back on the salesman, he didn't notice that Lillian began to blush.
"Oh, no, Larry!" Lillian Maxwell began, with a giggle. "I'm his wife. Fifteen years, last October."
"Really? No kidding! You must have married just out of high school...!"
Bill, not interested in either waxing sentimental, or in watching the salesman's little game play itself out, had already started walking through the lot, checking out paint jobs and kicking in tires.
"Hey, Lillian. What do you think of this one?" Bill pointed to a white Chevy, about 7 or 8 years old, whose main selling point was the sticker price. He put his hand on the roof as he circled and inspected it, like a rubber ball tethered to a paddle with string.
"Wow. Lillian, would you look at this? Back in Detroit, a car like this would have rusted out years ago!"
Larry looked at Bill pop open the hood of the white Chevy. It was clear that he knew what he wanted, so the salesman decided not to waste his time.
"So, Lillian... Can I call you Lillian? You just moved here from Detroit?"
The woman was a bit taken back by Larry's attention. Over the past 3 months, it seemed that Bill had been too preoccupied with his new transfer to pay much attention to his bride. And here, in Phoenix, she hadn't had time, nor the transportation, to make new friends yet. She was glad to at least have someone new to talk to.
"Yes, we were there for a few years. And Los Angeles before then. It seems we are always moving these days."
"Oh, yeah, Lil! This is nice!" Bill called out in a voice muffled by the inner workings of an engine.
"It's really very different here..." Lillian continued, as she looked at Bill, but talked to Larry. "Everything is so spread out! You can't really walk anywhere. "
"Something you just jump back and forth to the grocery store in!" Bill had no idea that Lillian was beginning her own conversation across the lot. "You'll make some new friends. You can go play bridge with, whenever you want! "
Larry and Lillian looked at each other, and both smiled. Larry leaned down and whispered "I could try to talk him into something else, but I think he has his heart set on that one."
"Well, I've learned something about my husband over all these years. When Billy gets his mind set on something, he usually gets it."
Continued
