Tales of the Granger Brothers
Book One: Clyde Larsen
By AmyD, Twisted Evilette with assistance from Suisan, the other Twisted Evilette
"Oh My GOD! LARS!" Margaret Westheimer bellowed for him from the front office.
Lars Granger, Prosecuting Attorney for Billings, Montana, hadn't heard Margaret, his secretary, yell like that since September 11, 2001. Something was terribly wrong. He got up from his desk, leaving the plaintiff's statements on his desk and walked out to the front office.
"Marg?" He asked.
She pointed at the TV set seated on an end table on the far side of the room. On the screen was picture of his baby brother, Colby Granger, the words at the bottom of the screen said 'TRAITOR?' He listened for a few moments, frowning and the longer he listened, the deeper his frown. Finally, he had had enough. He took the remote from Marg and hit the 'off' button.
"Assemble everyone in the main conference room." He told her. "Now."
She nodded.
When everyone arrived, all fifteen people, Billings was not a exactly a hot bed of crime, Lars looked every last person in the eye and said, "I know what's been reported on and I know that probably everyone has either seen or heard about it. I will say this once and once only. My brother is not, nor has he ever, nor will he ever be a traitor to his country. There is more going on than we are privy to. There will be no discussion about this…story in this office." He paused, and then added. "Anyone who feels the need for further clarification or wants to ask me further questions will get the same answer. Understand?"
Silence greeted Lars statement. Then, one by one, the assembled staff nodded.
"Good. Also, there will be no comments made to the press. I don't care who they are. I find out that any one of you have and you will no longer have a job."
Again, silence was his answer.
"You can go back to work now." He said, dismissing the staff.
They filed out, a couple of people snuck looks Lars but most kept their eyes averted. Not a sound was made. It was most quiet the office staff had been since September 11th.
"Marg?" he asked her, before she walked out with everyone else.
She stopped and came back over to him. The last few stragglers looked at her but she shooed them out the door, closing it behind her. "Yes, Lars?"
"When Bob Clayton calls from the Gazette, tell him 'No comment, this is a private, family matter.' When he calls again, say the same thing. And when he calls again...."
"I say the same thing." She finished his sentence for him. "Don't worry, Lars, I got your back. I assume the same goes for whatever other news organizations call?"
"Yes."
She nodded, opened the door and went back to her desk.
He stood there for a moment, his hand rubbing across his forehead. He could feel a whopper of a headache coming on. He shook his head. He didn't have time for a headache. He had other far more important things to do, like contacting his family and seeing how they were doing.
He walked out of the conference room, making a beeline to his office. No one spoke to him. When he reached the office, he shut the door, sat down in his chair and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He didn't trust the office phones for who he was about to call. He dialed a familiar number and settled back further into his chair, ignoring the tightening in his stomach and the rapidly growing headache.
The phone rang once, twice, three times, then his mother answered.
"CeeJay?" she said.
"No, Mama. It's me, Lars. I just saw it on the news. How are you doing?"
"How do you think, Clyde Larson?" She snapped.
He sighed but said, "You and I both know that this is all a big mistake."
"Yes, it is." There was the sound of glass being set down on something. "Your brother is deep undercover and this is part of it!"
"He's what?!" Lars couldn't believe his ears. Their grandfather, his mother's father, had had a long and illustrious career with the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA, and then the CIA itself but Lars had assumed that the spying had ended with Grandpa Bob.
"You heard me. Your brother got sucked into some deep cover assignment and now, its blown up in his face."
"Mama….?" Lars chewed on his lip. How could he ask and not tick his mother off even further.
"What, Lars?"
He licked his lips. "How do you know?"
There was a silence unlike any Lars had ever heard from his mother. For a moment, he thought she had hung up on him.
"Your father told me." When she finally spoke, her voice was ice cold.
"Dad? How the hell does he know?" Mom was well and truly ticked. The only time she ever referred to Dad as 'Your Father' was when she was really mad.
"CeeJay came up here months ago and told him that if his name happened to come up in regards to his being arrested in connection with spying, not to believe it."
"He did?" Lars couldn't believe what his mother was telling him.
"He did but he couldn't be bothered to come out and tell his mother. Oh, no! I had to find out about it on the GOD DAMN 6 O'CLOCK NEWS!"
Lars blinked. He had never heard his mother cuss, ever. He swallowed. "Is Dad in one piece still?"
Silence.
If he pressed his ear to the phone very hard, he could almost hear the sound of liquid being poured into something.
"Mama, did you make Dad sleep in the old school house?" He asked next.
"Lars, it was either that or I'd probably be asking you to recommend a good lawyer right now. The Scot-Irish temper is still hot, ya know?"
Lars sighed. He was well acquainted with his mother's temper. "You realize that CeeJay probably broke a hundred different protocols just to get there to see Dad and that there's no way he could have seen you? You can not hold Dad responsible for this."
"Your father could've TOLD me he'd seen CeeJay, but he didn't." Cat let out a sigh of her own. "Oh, I know all the excuses - far better than you might think, Clyde Larsen - I just never expected to hear them from my husband or my children."
Lars sighed a second time. "Okay, so you know the excuses, why are you pissed at Dad?"
The silence from her end was becoming disturbing - especially since he could hear the incessant ringing of the house phone in the background now. When she did answer, her voice wasn't as pissy sounding as it had been. "Lars, when - and if - you ever settle down, you might understand. In our 43 years of marriage, your father has never, ever, kept secrets from me. Not big ones like this."
"Believe it or not, Mom, I do understand, really. But..." He didn't finish his thought, he didn't want to tee his mother off more than she already was.
"Lars, don't worry about us. We've weathered far worse than this. Gigi will be back in the house, all snug and warm in our bed, probably tomorrow night." She let out a small chuckle. "That is, if I don't drag his butt back in here before dawn."
"Okay. Just...just keep in mind that this was probably killing Dad that he couldn't tell you. That he probably wanted to tell you and just couldn't." He added a chuckle of his own. "I've got enough press here as it is...I don't need to cover my mother killing my father too."
"Oh, pish! You know I wouldn't really hurt Gigi ... don't you?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I did. You and your Irish temper, remember?"
"Like you don't have the same temper, dear. Watch out for the vultures, Lars. Sgt. Huston's already had to post a patrolman at the end of the drive, along with a deputy from Sheriff Leland, to keep the more ... adventurous journalists at bay."
Lars grinned, even though his mother couldn't see him do so. "Me??? A temper? Why I don't know WHAT you're talking about."
Cat Granger let out a laugh that almost sounded like her usual self. "Lars - I've seen you in action in the courtroom. It was rather impressive, but scary at the same time."
"I come by it honestly. I've watched the master at work. I've got Margaret guarding the place here."
"She's a good woman, Lars. If you weren't such a tomcat, you could do worse for a mate."
Lars rolled his eyes. Leave to his mother to try and match make now of all times. "Yes, Mother, as you keep reminding me. Are you and Dad going to be okay? I can come down, it's not a problem, really."
"We'll be fine. After I calm down a little more, and your father braves me possibly flying off the handle again and comes back inside, I'm going to break out the reloader and get the rock salt specials loaded."
"Mama! Don't even kid!!" Lars said.
"Lars, trespassing is trespassing and you know it's posted all over the land out here." Her voice was steady and Lars knew she meant it.
"God, that's all I need. Turn on the TV and have a news bulletin that you put rock salt in some reporter's hide. I will never hear the end of this. All right, Mom. I'll let you go. You need anything, anything at all, like bail...just call, okay?"
"I will, sweetie. Let's see ... he's been out there for ... yup. Right on time. Love ya, Lars. Bye."
Lars hung up the phone, shaking his head. He looked at his watch and thought about contacting Cody but decided against it. He'd wait until Code got home and then pounce on him. As for Cliff? Well, Cliff was on his own, for the moment.
5 weeks later...
"Lars Granger..."
"Lars, it's Doris Speeck ... are you where you can talk?"
Lars frowned. "Yes Aunt Dee...what's going on?" If Doris Speeck was calling him at work, it couldn't be good.
"You have to understand, I don't have 100% of the information but ... Lars, your folks are heading down to Los Angeles and the FBI is sent a jet to pick them up. Something about CeeJay being in Critical Condition?"
Lars nearly dropped the phone. "Aunt Dee? Could you repeat that?"
"Lars ... you heard me. I'm not real sure what the hell happened to CeeJay but the FBI sent a jet to take your folks to him. You might, you might want to be home in Cascade soon." She let out a sigh. "Just in case."
Lars stomach dropped into his toes. He had thought something ugly would happen but…He sat there for a long moment, not saying anything.
"Lars?" Doris' voice sounded extremely old, not her usual spunky self.
"Yes, Auntie Dee?"
"You might want to see what information you can get from your local FBI contacts ... the way Gigi ran out of here..."
He nodded, and then realized that Doris couldn't see him. "Sure..."
"Call me back if you find out anything, Jamie and I are going to take care of the house until your folks get back."
"I'm coming down Auntie Dee. I'll be there tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll make sure your old room is ready. You have my cell number handy?" Doris had broken down a little over a year ago and finally joined the Digital Age.
Lars dug his cell phone from his pocket and flipped through the directory. "Yes, ma'am. I've got it. Do you know if my brothers have been told?"
"I suspect they were next on the notification lists...How would we get a hold of Cliff anyhow? Red Cross? They still do stuff like that?"
Lars frowned again. "I have no idea."
"Want me to look into it? I'm sitting here at the station with nothing to do but worry."
"Would you?" He shouldered the phone and started clearing his desk so as to see the calendar. No matter what, he had to be at the house for when his brothers came. And they would come, for CeeJay they would be there.
"Certainly. I've got access to the Chief's Rolodex so I know how to get a hold of you. You call me back with an ETA for your arrival, you hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
After speaking with Doris, he headed for his apartment. It was only a ten-minute drive but the whole way there he tried calling his parents, first at the house, then on both cell phones.
Nothing.
Reaching his apartment, he flicked on a couple of lights, dropped onto the couch and continued to try reaching his parents. No success. Every time he tried, he got 'The subscriber you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message.' So, it was quite a surprise when his father finally answered his cell.
"Hello, Lars." His father's voice was not the normal, strong confident voice Lars was used to hearing.
"Dad…Thank God.... I've been calling you and mom repeatedly since the moment Doris called me. What happened to CeeJay? Is he going to be all right? Should I come out to LA?"
"Lars ... we're at the hospital right now. I can't tell you too much, we're not fully sure what the hell happened, but the ER Doc is pretty confidant CeeJay's going to be all right. Eventually."
"Eventually?" Lars' stomach dropped back into his toes.
"Lars...CeeJay's in the Critical Care Unit."
"What? Oh My God." Lars closed his eyes and tried not to picture his brother lying in some hospital bed somewhere.
"He was undercover - trying to smoke out the real traitors, something went wrong...." His father's voice hitched, like he was trying not to cry out loud, before he continued. "He was tortured. Badly. His heart ... Lars, Colby's heart stopped. Twice."
Lars dropped the phone. It hit the carpet with a soft thud and lay there for a few moments until he summoned the where with all to pick it up. He blinked, leaned over and tried not to throw up.
"But...but...he's alive still?"
"Yes, Lars. He's still with us. Your mother won't leave his side. She's like a Cairn Terrier about it."
That almost brought a smile to Lars face. "That's why I'm talking to you and not her, huh?"
"Yeah. I stepped out to grab some coffee and turned the cell back on just as you called."
Lars licked his suddenly dry lips. A thousand thoughts flew through his head but he couldn't give voice to any of them. All he could think about was his father's world 'Tortured badly...heart stopped.' He must have made some noise without realizing it.
"Lars... Colby, Squirt, will be okay. You know what a fighter he's always been. Keep that in mind."
He swallowed. "I know Dad. I know." He blinked and tried to pull himself together. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, you know..." Again, Lars couldn't help but hear how strained his father's voice was. "Excuse me a moment." The phone didn't go completely silent though, he could hear a door open, then click shut. Then he heard something he never thought he'd hear. Crying. He closed his eyes and sent a prayer skyward, asking for strength to get through this crisis. The crying abated before his father came back on the line. "Sorry about that, Lars. Been a rough day."
"Dad? Dad, I'm getting on the first flight out there. I can be there tomorrow morning."
"Lars ... No. We're fine. We're staying with the Eppes while we're here. You really want to help me and your mom out?"
Lars stared at the phone. "Of course I want to help."
"Get the house ready for CeeJay's return. This is going to probably be worse than when he was home last...He hasn't even been awake for more than a minute before he's asleep again."
"Yes, sir...when's that going to happen?"
"I'll let you know. Oh, Lars?"
"Yes, Dad?"
"Another thing you should know ... due to whatever was done to him, CeeJay's senses are wonky. When you get to Cascade, ask Doris where I stash the emergency credit card and buy the softest damn sheets you can find for CeeJay's bed."
"Yes, sir. I will. When he's able, get Squirt to call, okay?"
"Oh, you bet. I'll let Mom know you're taking care of the house, she'll be happy to know that."
"Thanks, I'll call again, real soon." Lars didn't want his father hanging up. He had the totally irrational fear that if his father hung up, he might never hear from him again.
Gigi let out a chuckle. "Not too soon, Lars. I'm walking back into CCU and will have to turn the phone off. How about I call you tomorrow with an update as soon as I know something new?"
"Okay.... Dad?"
"Yeah, Son?"
"Tell Mom I love her and you too. Tell Squirt I love him."
"I will. Love you too, Lars. Try to get some sleep."
"Yes, sir." Lars hung up the phone, dropped it on the coffee table and, for the first time in a long time, wept.
A knock on his apartment door brought him out of his crying jag.
He swiped face with his hands and went to the door. "Look...whoever you are...just come back later."
"Lars ... it's me. Marg."
"Marg, it's not a good time." Lars called through the door. The last thing he wanted his secretary to see was the mess he'd become.
"Clyde Larsen, you open this door right now before I kick it down."
Something in the back of his mind made him unlock the door and open it. Marg sounded just a little too much like his mother right then.
"I had to check on you...." She didn't wait for an invite, just stepped right in and pulled him into a hard embrace. "Your father's secretary called the office and told me ... have you spoken to your parents? Is your brother--?"
"He's alive." Lars choked out. His father's words kept playing in his head; 'tortured … badly … heart stopped … twice'
"Oh, that's good news!" She moved him deeper into his place without releasing him and kicked the door shut. "So why do you look like a wet dish mop?"
"I just got off the phone with my dad." He looked down at her. "It's real bad, Marg, real bad."
"Can you ... do you want to talk about it?" She let go of the embrace, settling for just holding his forearms as she peered up at him with warm toffee-colored eyes.
He looked away from her. "I don't want to burden you with it."
She reached out and touching his chin, turned his face back toward her. "Lars, a burden shared is a burden lightened."
He looked at her, his mother's words echoing through his mind. 'She'd be a lovely choice if you'd stop tomcatting around.' He waved at the couch. When they were settled, he laid out the whole ugly story, including Colby's heart stopping twice and his father crying.
"I've never heard my father cry, Marg. Never." Lars said, tears springing to his eyes again.
She'd reached out to him about halfway through his tale of family misery and taken up one of his hands. Now she lifted that hand from her lap and used it to pull him into another embrace.
"Lars... this is the second time your family has nearly lost your youngest member. I think that gives your father every right to bawl his eyes out." She let him go and gazed into his eyes. "That he didn't try to hide that from you..." A gentle smile pulled at her lips. "Lars, he's looking at you like the man you are, not the son he knows you to be."
He nodded.
"I know...I know...I just..." He couldn't continue, the tears very close to the surface.
Margaret must have understood, for she pulled him close again, this time laying his head on her shoulder even as she started to run her hands across his back in a soothing motion. "Shush, darling. It's okay. It'll be okay. You have to believe that. Shush."
He closed his eyes and didn't say anything for a long time. "Marg?"
"Yes, Lars?"
"I'm putting you in for a raise."
She huffed a little laugh. "You'd better. Or I'll put it out and about that the toughest damn prosecutor in Yellowstone county - hell, all of Montana - is a woose who actually loves his family."
He sat up and grinned. "And I'll deny it, you have no proof."
"Lars - three letters. D.N.A." And she lifted up the shoulder of her blouse that was still a little damp. "Remember, I know more folks in the crime lab on a first name basis than you do." Her smile was sweet, lighting up her eyes with a merriness he didn't often see at the office.
He rolled his eyes. "I never thought you'd pull a Monica Lewinsky on me. After all these years.... I'm hurt, Marg, really hurt." A grin accompanied his words.
"You want a Lewinsky? We'd have to do something other than bawl on each other's shirts. Don't you recall case history? Sheesh!" Margaret smiled a wicked, wicked grin.
Lars colored. "Mom said never on the first date."
"Date?" Her voice squeaked.
"If we were to go out on a date, that is."
"Oh. Well, yes, your mother is absolutely correct. Never on a first date. Second ... now that is another matter entirely."
That got a little laugh from Lars.
Marg joined in the laughter even as she stood up and straightened out her slacks. "Well, I'd best get going now that I know you're okay. I suspect we'll be busy over the next few days clearing your case load...."
He stood and saw her to the door. "Yeah...I'm going to be heading for the house in Cascade."
"Thought you might."
He reached opened the door and enveloped Margaret in a hug. "Thank you. You didn't have to come and check on me but you did and I thank you."
"Silly Bear ... of course I had to come check on you. You're a good friend, as well as my boss. Why shouldn't I check on you when I know you're probably not at your best?"
"Um...it's dark and kinda cold out?" Lars was at a loss for words for once.
"And I grew up in Barrow, Alaska. This is nothing! I laugh at this that you call 'kinda cold.' Ha!"
He shook his head. "Drive safely, okay? Please?"
"I will, Lars. After all, who would take care of you, if something happened to me?" She turned quickly on her heel and practically ran down the walk, throwing her jacket on as she went. He watched as she reached her car - a 68 Impala - got in and turned over the engine.
He watched her pull away from the curb and shut the door. He thanked God that he had such a person as Margaret Westheimer looking out after him.
Lars picks up Cody at the airport
"They made me pack my gun in here, but I was able to carry the bullets in my damn pocket!" Cody groused. He ripped the bright, Day-Glo orange sticker off his suitcase that stated CAUTION! UNLOADED FIREARM! "Talk about advertising 'steal me'!"
"BMW, Cody." Lars said, watching his brother hoist his suitcase into the SUV.
Cody stared at him. "BMW? What the hell does the Bavarian Motor Works have to do with this shyte?"
"Bitch Moan Whine." Lars replied. "A talk show host I listen to uses that phrase."
"Lars... bite me. You weren't seated next to someone who reeked of reefer and like he hadn't showered in years - all the way from DC mind you! I thought I'd lost him at Denver, until he boarded the plane just before they closed the gate."
"Sorry, bro, you're not my type." Lars grinned at his brother.
"Yeah, yeah..." Cody closed the rear cargo area of his brother's Escalade, feeling whole again now that he was properly attired once more, only to nearly jump out of his skin when no less than three patrol cars screeched to a halt and three officers hopped out, guns drawn, and ordered him to the ground. "Jesus!"
"ON THE GROUND!! NOW!!" One cop bellowed at Cody.
Not trusting the locals not to shoot, Cody did as instructed. Lars held his hands up and did not move.
"I'm an FBI agent." Cody snapped, kneeling on the pavement with his hands on his head, the fingers interlaced and locked. "I've got my ID in my left coat pocket."
One of the cops, a corporal if the two stripes meant the same thing here that they did in Billings and DC slowly approached as the other two kept the Granger men 'covered'.
Finding the ID portfolio and comparing the photo with the face of the man on the asphalt ... the Corporal waved his backup off. "Sorry, Agent Granger. We got a report of a man with a gun and, well, you know how jumpy people have been." He helped Cody back up and handed him the ID back.
Cody nodded and stuffed the folder back in his pocket and retrieved his gun from the Corporal as well. "Yeah, I know. No problem - nice to see someone was on the ball. No one even twitched when I had to unload and pack the gun back east."
The Corporal snorted. "Not surprised. They probably get way more of this than we do."
Lars chuckled. "Except during hunting season - but a handgun isn't a rifle and its not hunting season, right?"
"Depends on what you're hunting." The Corporal said, with a grin.
"True enough. We free to go, Corporal? We've got to get up to Cascade and I'd like to get there before sundown." Lars asked, watching the time, expecting their mom or dad to call to see how things were progressing.
"Sure. Have a safe trip." The Corporal said, turning and walking back to his car.
Lars and Cody both let out relieved sighs before climbing into Lars' Cadillac. "You getting tired of being asked 'you related to that guy on the news'?" Cody asked.
Lars shrugged. "Billings is so small, it spread real quick that I wasn't going to listen to any of those kind of questions. No one asked."
"Lucky bastard." Cody said.
Lars jumped when his cell phone started playing Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. He handed the phone to Cody. "You answer it. I'm one of those who tries not to talk and drive at the same time."
Cody flipped open the phone. "Hello?"
"Cody? Why are you answering your brother's cell?" Cat Granger's voice sounded concerned, worried and tired all at the same time.
"Because he likes to keep both hands on the steering wheel." Cody replied. "How's CeeJay?"
"Resting. And kicking me out of his room."
"He's awake now?" Cody asked. Lars glanced at Cody, then back at the road.
"Sorta. He woke up when he heard me arguing with his doctor and told me to get my butt in a real bed, then went right back to sleep."
Cody snorted. "Sounds like CeeJay. Where are you and Dad staying?"
"We've been invited to stay at Alan Eppes' place. Well, technically it belongs to his son, Charlie, but ..."
"It was his to begin with? Wait, isn't Don Eppes CeeJay's boss? His bosses father invited you to stay at his house? Wow."
Lars reached a stop light just off airport property and held out his hand.
"It's not the first time for your father ... he stayed there the last time Squirt ended up in the hospital."
Cody nodded. "Yeah, I remember Dad saying something about that. I'm handing the phone to Lars. We're at a stop light."
"Okay."
"Mama? How's everyone?"
"As well as can be expected ... CeeJay woke up enough to tell me to leave, your father is hovering over me and the nice young doctor assigned to your brother -for some reason - sided with your little brother in kicking me out of his room for the night."
Lars swallowed the laugh that threatened to come out and cleared his throat. "How's your back doing?"
"It's working its way through a Waltz and gearing up into a full Samba. Other than that, I'm doing okay now that CeeJay told me where to go." Her smile was evident in the tone of her voice.
"Mama, he's just as worried about you as the rest of us." The light turned green. "I'm handing the phone back to Code." He did and pulled through the intersection.
"Mom? You aren't going to believe how Cliff is getting here." Cody said.
"He's been notified? Good, we hadn't heard anything about that. What do you know about it, Cody?"
"Um.... Director Atwater told me that Cliff had been notified and was being shipped home courtesy of the Dept. of State. As a favor to the Bureau, I think that's the way he put it."
"The State Department? Oh joy! We'll be lucky if he makes it home before its time for Colby to head back to LA after his medical leave."
Cody shrugged even though his mother couldn't see him.
"Oh well, at least he's been told and is slowly making his way home." Catherine Granger admitted, albeit rather reluctantly. "Gar, wait a second ... oh, all right. Cody, talk to your father."
"Yes, ma'am."
Cody shot his brother a look but Lars simply shrugged, his attention on the road.
"Cody, Doris called me a while ago ... you and Lars are going to be drafted into a 'crew' come morning. I suggest you get some sleep tonight and play catch-up with Lars, Auntie Dee and anyone else later."
"A crew?" Cody asked, mystified.
"You got me, that's all Doris would say."
Cody sighed. "Oh, Lord...maybe we should hide. No telling what Auntie Dee has in store for us."
Lars mouthed "What?"
"Auntie Dee is putting us to work, Lars." Cody said.
"Tell me something I couldn't guess..." Lars groused as he turned north onto Hwy 55.
Cody snorted.
"How's Mom?" Cody asked his father.
"Honestly? Your mother is more stubborn than the worst Army Mule from Missouri ever dreamed of being. She wasn't going to leave CeeJay's bedside until he told her to get out of there. I think the idea of him trying to get up and physically remove her is the only reason she capitulated."
Cody started to laugh and in the background he could hear a smacking sound and then his father saying, "What, woman? It's true and you know it."
"What's happening?" Lars asked his brother. Cody relayed the tale as it was and Lars started to laugh.
"So, you two are going to...the Eppes' house now?"
"Yeah. Alan's coming back to take us, we'll get a cab or rental car in the morning."
"Wow, that's really nice of him. Alan is Don's father?" Cody asked.
"Yes. Sorry, I keep forgetting the rest of the family hasn't met the Eppes clan."
"Well, it's not like you haven't had anything else on your mind. Did Mom rip Don into shreds about CeeJay?"
Lars eyed his brother but couldn't do much more than that, it was rapidly growing dark and he needed to stay focused on the road.
"I'm not sure exactly what she said to him ... but he looked like someone had kicked him in the ... gut ... when she was done."
Cody's eyes popped open. "Jeez...well, it couldn't have been too bad, could it?"
"Cody, what is going on?" Lars demanded of his younger brother.
"I guess it depends on your point of view, Cody. Look, Alan just arrived. We'll call you again tomorrow - give you both an excuse to get away from Doris and whatever she's got planned."
"Yes, sir. Thank Alan for both of us and Cliff too. Love you." Cody said.
Cody relayed his question and their father's answer to Lars who only shook his head in response.
"Oh Jeez ... Mom tearing into an Senior FBI Agent ... why do I feel sorry for the man?"
Cody closed the phone and dropped it into one of the multiple pockets in the console in the Escalade. He leaned back against the cushy seat and tried not to yawn but failed miserably. It had been a REAL long day for him.
Lars shot a glance at his younger brother and then chuckled. "Go ahead and nap, Code. I'll wake you if I'm going to do something exciting - like crash."
Cody looked at his brother. "Well, gee, thanks." He swallowed and asked, "CeeJay's gonna be all right, isn't he?" It was a question that had lurked in the back of his mind ever since learning what had happened, seeing the video tape hadn't done anything to alleviate that worry.
"That's what everyone keeps telling me, including Mom and Dad, so I'm inclined to believe it."
"Okay. I am too." He yawned again. "Night, Lars." He closed his eyes and went to sleep.
"Nighty-nite, Younger-But-Not-Youngest."
Lars picks up Cliff at the airport
It was well past midnight when Lars' cell phone started to play 'Stars and Stripes Forever.' Without hesitation, he leaned over and picked it upoff the nightstand. 'Stars and Stripes...' was his 'emergency' ring tone. It was loud enough to wake him from a dead sleep. He glanced at the CallerID but didn't recognize the number. Unbidden, his stomach clenched in worry.
"Lars Granger." he answered.
"Lars? It's Cliff. I'm at Vandenberg Air Force Base. I should be in Cascade by 03:00. Can you fetch me from the air field?"
Lars held the cell away from him for a moment and looked at it. Had he heard his brother right?
"Lars?" Cliff's voice echoed across the cell's speaker. "I don't have a lot of time. Can you pick me up at the airfield or should I make arrangements with Aunt Doris or Sgt Huston?"
"Of course I can come get you. What the hell are you doing in the States?" Lars replied.
There was a dry chuckle from Cliff's end. "I'll tell you when I get there. See you soon." Cliff hung up, leaving Lars listening to the dial tone.
Lars closed his phone and frowned. Cody had told him that Cliff had been notified about Squirt but had he told him that Cliff was coming home and Lars just missed it?
He shook his head. No matter. Cliff was on his way and Lars had to go get him.
Summer in the mountains, at night anyway, was cold. No matter the temperature during the day, at night it was just plain cold. Lars stood next to his Cadillac Escalade; hands stuffed in his pockets and stamped his feet. He pulled one hand free of the pocket and looked at his watch before stuffing his hands back into the pocket. 2:50 a.m.
Cliff, supposedly, would be arriving in ten minutes but Lars wasn't holding his breath. The Cascade Airfield was locked up tighter than a drum and still as a tomb. The minutes ticked by. Then at 2:58 a.m., the runway lit up. If Lars squinted real hard, he could just barely make out a glowing dot off to the North. As he watched, the dot got bigger and bigger.... morphing into a corporate jet. The jet landed and taxied close to where Lars stood. As it turned, Lars was able to read the lettering on the fuselage and got the shock of his life.
'United States of America' was printed in Columbia Blue paint. The seal of the State Department was emblonized on the tail.
His mouth hanging open, Lars watched the jet stop, a door in the fuselage open and his brother, Cliff, stumbling down the stairs, duffle slung across his back.
"What the f...?" Lars started to say. He walked forward, grabbing Cliff in a bear hug, his eyes watering slightly from Cliff's too ripe flight suit. Behind them, the engines wound up on the jet, it taxied back to the runway, then took off, becoming only a smudge against the night sky in a matter of moments. The runway lights were doused, plunging the airport back into darkness.
"What the hell?" Lars asked.
"Can we talk in the car? It's freezing out here." Cliff replied.
Lars obliged, taking Cliff's duffle from him and guiding him to the Escalade. One push of a button on the key fob and the tailgate opened smoothly. The duffle was stored, the tailgate closed and both brothers got into the SUV. Lars spared not a word, cranked the engine and headed for home.
"Strip. Before I let you in the house, strip and toss that crap toward the burn barrel."
"You come into the house stinking like that and we'll never get it out."
"I can't -- issued -- not mine --- oh hell... Right. I reek." Cliffton started stripping out the flight suit he was wearing like it was some sort of living beast he was trying to get away from.
Lars took pity on his brother, made him sit down and helped him to take off the flight suit. After a couple of minutes, he finally wrestled the suit off Cliff and left him in his uniform. "Now,I think you can handle that don't you?"
"Yeah ... Maybe. I mean, yes. I have gotten from my quarters to CiC without recalling how I got there ... So I am pretty sure I can undress and shower in my sleep."
"Uh, huh...the uniform goes too."
"Whaaa? No ... Just let me launder it. I can't afford to replace a full uniform just yet."
"Okay...but it comes off before you go in."
"Fine . . . " Cliff started shucking the uniform off, his speed increasing the more he removed, until he was buck naked and darted into the house out of the chill breeze coming across the lake. "Damn! I don't remember it being this cold the last time I was home!"
Lars started to laugh. He sat down on the porch steps and laughed some more. He laughed until he had tears coming down his face. He wiped the tears away, collected his brother's ripe attire and went inside, dumping it in the washing machine.
Cliff was digging through the cabinets. "Where might mom have hidden the vinegar? Ah! Here it is." He walked over to the machine with the bottle of white vinegar and started dumping it into the tub until he'd put about a cup in. Then he tossed in about a half cup of baking soda and that was before he tossed in the detergent.
"Toil, toil, toil and trouble, cauldron burn and cauldron bubble." Lars quipped.
"Laugh all you want, bro ... just one wash with this concoction and you'll never know I wore it for WAY too long." Cliff started the wash and then, with all the dignity a naked man could have in his parent's house, he walked out of the kitchen, into the living area and up the stairs to the bathroom he used to share with Lars.
"Don't use all the hot water!" Lars shouted after him.
"God Damn it." There was a snarling sound from upstairs. Cody stormed out of his room, his service pistol in hand, just in time to scare the beejeebees out of Lars as he topped the stairs in Cliff's wake.
"Damn, Code! Put that away before you shoot a family member."
"It's 4 fucking o'clock in the morning!!! What is wrong with you?"
"Cliff's home. And if your nose worked, you'd know that." Lars pointed in the direction of the bathroom. "I'd better check on him in a few minutes. He's so damn tired he's likely to fall asleep standing up and drown in there."
Cody muttered something about not making enough noise to wake the dead and went back to his bedroom, slamming door behind him.
Five minutes after that, Lars barged into the bathroom and, sure enough, Cliff was sitting on the floor of the shower, snoring.
Lars shook his head, rolled up his sleeve, leaned in and turned off the shower.
He reached for a towel and draped it over Cliff's shoulder than shook him awake. "Wakey, wakey bro."
"Huh? Lars? HowinthehelldidyougetontheBigE?"
"Bro...look around." Lars said gently.
Cliff did just that, his eyes blinking against the water streaming from his hair. "Okaaaaaay. How did I get home?"
"Dept. of State jet, about an hour ago."
"Oh ... right." Cliff scrambled to his feet and scrubbed his body dry before wrapping the towel around his waist.
"To bed with you." Lars said, pointing at the door.
"In a minute ... what's the latest you heard on Squirt?"
"I got a call from Mom this evening and Squirt's doing much better. They're about to transfer him to a regular room."
"Really?" Lars nodded in affirmation of Cliff's question. "Great. Okay ... bed...." And Cliff stumbled from the bathroom, barely missing going over the railing at the top of the stairwell, and tumbling down the steps, before he managed, somehow, to get back on track and crashed into his old bedroom and collapsed on the bed.
Face down.
Sprawled.
Boneless.
Lars again shook his head. He followed Cliff into the bedroom and yanked the quilt out from under him, spreading it over him.
He then turned and left the room, headed for his own bed.
Lars gets a call from CeeJay
"You want me to go to an early grave, Squirt? You trying to scare 10 years off my life!?"
"Hey, it's not like I planned this!"
"You never do!"
Colby started to laugh. "Damn, it's good to hear your voice, Bro."
"And yours too. When you get back here, I am not letting you out of my sight."
"Oh shit, Lars. You too? Mom's already threatening me with a real ball and chain...."
"I'll help! Damn, fit you with a GPS collar!"
"That might have actually been a great help earlier."
"Not funny, CeeJay. Not funny."
"Who's laughing?"
"That Squirt?" Cody asked Lars. "Give me the phone, I got a couple things to say to him."
Lars relinquished the phone without letting Colby know.
Colby was still talking. "... It's not like you're the one sitting here with bruises on your chest."
"Squirt? What the hell? Bruises?" Cody asked.
"Cody?! Damn it."
Lars did not respond, he hadn't told anyone what his father had told him.
"CeeJay, what the hell did you get yourself into?"
"Cody, your clearance level is probably high enough ... find a secure high-speed line and pull the reports. No... wait." Colby took a deep breath.
"That's not what I mean and you know it."
"Yeah, I know - give me back to Lars for sec, 'kay?"
"All right." Cody handed the phone back to Lars.
"Yeah?" Lars asked.
"Lars, Dad said he told you? What happened?"
Lars frowned. He turned away from Cody and walked over to the kitchen sink, looking out the window toward the barn. "You don't remember anything?"
"I remember some ... what I want to know is - did Dad tell you I died? Technically anyway?"
Lars swallowed. "Yeah, he did."
"Have you told Code?"
"No, and I'm not going to either."
"No, you're not. Before you hand the phone back to him ... tell him to sit down."
"Okay." He turned back to his younger brother. "CeeJay says that before you talk to him again, have a seat."
Cody's eyes widened but he sat down on one of the high kitchen chairs set around the breakfast bar.
"Okay, he's seated."
"Hand him the phone, Lars."Lars did.
Cody accepted the phone with a sense of dread. "CeeJay? What's going on?"
"Code ... Cody, the reason I'm bruised up is because I had to have CPR done on me."
Cody swallowed. He didn't answer for a long moment, when he did, he said, "I figured that. How are you doing now?"
"Doing okay. Sore as hell but otherwise okay." He smiled over at his latest watchdog, who'd been there when he had fallen asleep after Bradford had left and was still sitting there. "Plenty of friends here making sure I don't do anything too stupid before I'm back to my old self."
"Good. They deserve hazard pay keeping up with you." Cody said.
Colby relayed his brother's words to his watchdog and Cody could hear feminine laughter on the other end of the phone.
"Wait...is that the looker on your team? The profiler?"
"How in the hell do you know what Reeves looks like, Cody William?"
"I've got my sources, Bro. Dad said she was a looker."
Lars shook his head.
"Yeah, right. And Dad wonders where we get the flirt genes ... Yeah, that was Megan you heard cackling like a hen."
*THWAP!*
"Hey, injured agent! Watch it!"
Cody laughed. "You asked for it, Squirt. Hey, put her on for a moment."
"Sure. Megan? Meet Cody - the other FBI agent in the family."
"Megan? May I call you Megan?"
Lars eyebrows went up. "What are you doing?" he asked his brother.
"Certainly, Agent Granger." Her voice was warm and filled with mirth, Cody got the impression she was still tickled at CeeJay.
Cody shook his head.
"Okay, in that case, call me Cody."
"All right, what can I do for you, Cody?"
"I wanted to thank you for keeping my baby brother out of trouble for the moment. He's a handful but we've gotten used to having him around, ya know?"
"I second that notion ... Colby, behave. For some reason your brother still wants you around."
"Brothers..." Lars chimed in, in the background.
"Excuse me ... Brothers." Megan relayed.
"The next time I get to LA, which may be sooner rather than later, Colby will have introduce me to everyone on his team. It would be a pleasure to meet all of you."
"I think we could handle meeting another Granger -- after all, we put up with two Eppes."
'Now, Megan, Charlie's not all that bad...' Colby could be heard in the background.
"I wasn't talking about Charlie..." Megan replied, holding the phone away from her.
'Oh, well, yeah - but that's just Big Brother Syndrome happening.'
Lars motioned for Cody to hand him the phone.
"Um...Megan, do you mind talking to yet another Granger? My brother Lars wants to put in a few words."
"Lars? The oddball of the bunch? Sure."
"Is that what CeeJay says??? Man!!! I'm going to have to let Lars know."
'Megan!'
"What? You didn't tell me you had a brother named Lars - I thought you all had C names?"
Lars took the phone from Cody. "My given name, Agent Reeves, is Clyde. I prefer Lars. May I call you Megan?"
"Oh. Uh, okay. Yeah, Lars is a lot safer and, yes, feel free to call me whatever you want."
'She's spoken for Lars!' Colby could be heard in the background. 'And he's the jealous type!'
"Tell CeeJay I remember that from the last time his skinny butt was in a hospital bed, Megan?"
"Yes, what can I do for you, Lars?" She asked once the message relay was done.
"Like my brother, I just wanted to say thank you. I know it's not easy working with..." Lars had to stop himself. He almost called Colby 'Squirt' in front of a non-family member. "...Colby but yeah, he's good to have around."
"You're welcome ... I'm just glad we were in time to--" She stopped, then recalling what she'd overheard. "Well, save his skinny butt."
Both Lars and Cody laughed.
"One of these days all of us Grangers are just going to descend on L.A. and bring embarrassing pictures with us."
"Oooh, promise? I'll provide snack foods!"
Megan teased, enjoying watching her teammate blush as he overheard everything, she had placed the phone on speaker a while back."Hey, we might even bring the baby pictures!" Lars promised.
"Lars!" Colby protested finally.
"Hush, CeeJay or I'll tell her what Mom used to call you." Lars said, grinning at Cody.
"Dirty pool, bro." Cody said.
"Oh, now that has to be good - I've never seen Colby blush quite that shade of red?"
Lars snickered. "Yeah, it's good but I'm not going to use that threat just yet. Seriously, thank you, I hope my brother realizes how fortunate he is to work with people he has on his team. Not everyone is that lucky."
"I think it's sinking in." Megan said as she looked sideways at Colby from where she sat on the edge of his bed. "I know I've been lucky to have him as a teammate - he's one of the few who actually lets me be me."
Lars smiled. "He's good that way. Okay, we won't take any more of your time. Just know that we owe all of you a huge debt of thanks. Put my baby brother back on the phone, will ya?"
"Certainly." She punched the button that put the phone back on private and handed it to Colby. "I'll be right outside for a few minutes, okay 'CeeJay'?"
Colby nodded.
"Bro, I'll get you go, I know you've got to be tired but man, thank you for calling. Really."
"That goes for me too!" Cody said, in the background.
"Yeah, I'm tired but - you know, this is the longest I've managed to stay awake since waking up in CCU?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Once this is all over and done with - if I can get the okay from the higher-ups - I'll tell you the full story, Lars. If you want to hear it."
"Man," Cody said, shaking his head. "Waking up in the Critical Care Unit, that must've been a real WTF moment."
"Waking up here was a damn sight better than not."
"I didn't say it wasn't, bro."
"I know, Code, I know." Colby tried to stifle a yawn. "Damn it. I wish this would hurry up and quit."
"In due time, Squirt, in due time." Lars said. "Get some rest now while you can. We intend to run your ass ragged when you get back here."
"Just leave me my old chores in the barn, I'll get to them." Colby muttered, trying to fight off a sudden onslaught of the sleepies.
"Hang up the phone, Squirt. We'll talk later. Love ya' bro." Lars said, with Cody echoing his sentiments.
"Luv ya too." Colby barely managed to say as he disconnected the phone and fell straight to sleep. He didn't realize it, but Megan came back in the room, removed the phone from his hand and actually 'tucked' him in. She then returned to the chair she was keeping warm for either his mother or Chief Granger.
~*~ END ~*~
~*~ Book One ~*~
Book Two To Follow