Chapter 34

February 8, 1998

'A key? A key! What does this go to? What's it for?' I ask when Wilson shows me the "surprise" that dad left for me for my sixteenth birthday.

'There's a note with it too' Wilson says, pulling a Post It note out of the box. He hands it to me to read.

Randy, if you're reading this, then that means that something has happened to me. If so, tell your mom and brothers that I love them, and be sure to thank Wilson for doing this.

But anyways, take this key down to the First Bank on Main Street. Tell them that you need to get into safety deposit box number 899. The teller should ask you for a password. The password is "Toolman". There'll be another note in the safety deposit box telling you what to do from there.

-Dad

'I guess we'd better get going then Wilson' I say.

All during the drive to the bank, I keep wondering what the surprise could possibly be.

Once we get to the bank, we get in the shortest line, which is made up of at least five people. When it's finally our turn, I tell the teller what we're here for, and just like dad said, she asks for a password. When I tell her, she looks at me skeptically. Then she enters it in the computer and the look of shock is obvious on her face. After we get the box, the teller leads us to a small room that is similar in appearance to a changing room at a department store, only without a mirror.

We open the box, and inside is another key, and another Post It. Wilson takes the key out, whereas I immediately make a pounce on the note.

Okay, that's two steps down. Now take this key to the storage center on North Jefferson, and use it to open unit number 7. There'll be another surprise there, and another note that will explain a lot to you. I do expect you to keep the last note secret from everyone except for Wilson. You're doing great Randy, keep it up.

-Dad

P.S. When you get to the storage unit, think about me.

I pocket the key and the note, and we put the safety deposit box back and leave the bank.

'I think I'm honestly more anxious to read this note than to get this surprise' I comment on the way over to the storage lots. Wilson just kind of nods upon hearing this.

The attendant at the storage lots uses the second key to open up the garage door to unit number 7.

My jaw drops when I see what's inside. I can't even speak, I'm so shocked. Sitting right in the middle of the unit is a blue Jaguar XKR. I walk over to it, still amazed. This was dad's big surprise. I love it. I try to open the door, but it's locked.

'How am I supposed to get into it? It's locked up tighter than the Menendez brothers' I say. I scan the room looking for a shelf, a hook, or anything that could possibly be the resting place of a key, and see nothing but a thermostat.

'This sure is one cool car Randy' Wilson says.

'Yeah, but that doesn't solve my problem. It doesn't matter how great it is if I can't get into it' I say.

'What I mean is, you'll look very hot driving down the road as fast as lightning in this cool, cool car' Wilson says.

'Ah, gotcha' I say. I walk over to the thermostat and discover that it's actually a wall safe. Apparently I'm supposed to enter in a three letter code to open the safe. What did that last note say, think of dad when I get here? Maybe…just maybe that's it. I try entering in "TIM" on the device. It swings open, and inside is what I'm assuming is the key to the Jag. I take the key from the blue satin pillow it's resting on, and walk over to the driver's side door of the car. It opens.

I get inside, and immediately discover that the seat is pushed back way too far for me to be able to drive it. I reach down under the seat to adjust it, and feel two plastic bags. I pull both out. One has a piece of legal paper folded up inside of it. Both are crammed to the brim with money.

'Wilson., what's all of this?' I ask, suddenly afraid to be sitting here. Afraid that this is all illegal.

'I honestly have no idea. Your father never mentioned any of this to me' he says.

I unzip the bag with the piece of paper in it, and take the note out after looking around to make sure that no one is around to see the huge bags of money.

Randy, I know what your first thought is going to be when you see the plastic bags. You're going to think you should contact the authorities about everything. Please don't.

The car is a gift from one of my friends who is (or perhaps by now was) an executive with the company that manufactures Jaguars. It's a new kind, called the Jaguar XKR. My friend owed me a favor, and this is what I requested. I hope you like it.

Now your biggest question right now is probably about the money. For that, I need to give you the whole story.

Back in 1975, I got hooked on pot. I still consider that to be the biggest mistake of my life. For three years, I was one of Detroit's best known dealers, even catering to celebrities and athletes. Then in 1978, I made what seemed like a mistake at the time, but actually wound up saving my life. I sold drugs to someone I believed to be an ordinary man, but was in fact a detective from the Detroit PD's narcotics department. I wound up going to jail and serving a small sentence.

After I did my time, I got out and immediately went to a McDonald's to celebrate. There, I had the unfortunate experience of hurling on a young lady's shoes due to an undercooked hamburger. That lady was your mother. We got together and had a whirlwind engagement and got married in February of 1979.

Even with a lovely wife at home, a baby (Brad) on the way, and a great job as the number one tool salesman at Binford, I still couldn't stay away from drugs. Then one day in 1985, I woke up on the front porch, completely naked, high as hell, and in a puddle of my own urine. It's then that I realized that I had to stop. I had two kids and a wife, and I couldn't be going out and doing this. I had an amount of money left over from drug sales that day when I went cold turkey. I don't even remember the amount. That money is the money in these plastic bags.

Now I want you to read and understand this. This money is for you; and you only. Not your mom, not Brad or Mark, but for you.

You might be asking why I'd leave all of this only to you. That morning, what sealed the deal for me was when you came downstairs with your mother and Brad and saw me out on the porch, naked, stoned, drunk, and lying in my own pee. Brad never saw it, and Mark wasn't born yet. In my heart, I know nothing could ever make that up to you, but you still deserve this money. Spend it wisely.

Now, there's only one problem in all of this. What will you tell your mother? Tell her the truth about the car. Tell her that the money was in a special bank account that I opened specifically for this purpose. Hopefully she'll believe you.

The last thing I need to address to you is why I'm not here. Chances are, either something happened to me on Tool Time, or some old drug business went awry. In the case of the latter,

-Dad


A/N: Just so you know, the part at the end of Tim's last letter is intentionally blank. I can't let you all know everything about Tim's death. (Yes, Tim is still dead).

So, anyways, I'm happy to report that this is the longest chapter (and my favorite) so far for this story.

Please read and review, it's much appreciated!

Thanks for reading.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor