Chapter 51

Chapter—51 James and Jerry 

arrive for meeting

5:52 p.m., Thursday, December 29

Just as James suspected, he and Jerry reached the cottage later than he had hoped. They were, however, still the first ones to arrive.
“You’re still parking way out here?” Jerry asked, “This is hard on my poor old legs.”
“You’ll survive. It just makes security so much easier.”
Jerry reached in his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and tossed it on the seat. “You’re gonna lock this thing up?”
“I am,” James replied, “but who do you think is going to steal your cell phone—Smokey the Bear?”
“You just can’t be too careful,” Jerry said, not totally joking. “Maybe some Mossad spook followed us, and he wants the numbers stored in my cell.” Jerry paused for a moment. Then looking back down the trail they had just motored up, continued, “you didn’t see anyone following us, did you?”
“Actually I did, Jerry, but I think it was an exterminator. He must have heard about your critter-infested rat hole. … Too bad I lost him.”
Jerry appreciated James’ good-natured humor, and simply smiled at his friend.
James then followed Jerry’s lead, and tossed his cell phone into the middle console. He then walked to the rear of the car, opened the trunk, and removed the scanner.
“Still using that?” Jerry asked, rhetorically.
“You bet,” James responded. “Have to find out what you’re trying to sneak into the meeting.”
“You can use me to test it,” Jerry said, as the two men walked toward the cottage.
“Never mind the hidden key,” Jerry said. “I’ve got one on my key chain.”
“Just hold on, let me go ahead,” James said. “I’ll make sure no one planted anything while we were gone.” James then removed a separate piece of equipment from the case, initiated it, and walked totally around the cottage. Jerry just smiled and shook his head.
When James emerged from the other side of the cottage, Jerry asked, “okay if I unlock the door, now?”
“No,” James said, “the cottage appears clean, now I have to wand you.” Just as every time before, when James held the wand close to Jerry’s head, the sounder emitted a distinctively positive signal.
“Looks like your penal implant is getting excited,” James quipped.
“Here, let me see that thing,” Jerry said, reaching over to remove it from James’ hand. “I’ve gotta check you out, right? I have to be sure you’re okay.”
“Sure, check me out,” James said, handing Jerry the wand.
“How does this thing work?”
“You just squeeze the trigger, and hold it in,” James informed him.
Jerry turned it on and started wanding James. “I don’t think this thing is working,” Jerry said. He then held it to his own head, to be sure he was doing it right. After the wand sounded, he said, “Looks like it’s working okay now. Let me wand you again.”
Jerry then proceeded to walk around James a second time. When he got behind James, he grabbed the wand with both hands, and rammed the end of it unceremoniously into James’ backside. James figured he had it coming, so he simply removed the wand from Jerry’s hand. “That’s the last time you get to handle this piece of equipment,” James said. “Al would not think much of that behavior.”
Jerry then unlocked the cottage, and the two men began to enter. Just before James could close the door, he glanced back to the parking area, and observed an unfamiliar car approaching.