The Minnesota Candidate (29 page)

Doris hated the idea of having to call them,
too. She thought about Marie’s idea. Now that they weren’t staring
up at the window, it didn’t seem nearly as high. “We should both
practice it. What are we afraid of, anyway? I’d say the reward is
worth the risk.”

“I think you mean the risk is worth the
reward.”

“What difference does it make and why are you
always correcting me?”

“That’s just the way I’ve always heard it. And
I’m not always correcting you. You’re right, what difference does
it make? The point is that we can do this, sister. Are you with
me?”

Doris was still miffed that Marie had corrected
her, but she nodded her head in agreement. She was already thinking
about suitcases stuffed full of money and about how easy it would
be to climb in that window. They could do this, she was suddenly
sure of it.

Chapter 22

Sam and Chona were back in Minneapolis before
noon. Chona made phone calls while Sam drove the ninety mile trip
north. While he drove, Sam thought about what Shari had said to
Chona on the telephone. The apology had seemed genuine, but as hard
as he tried, Sam couldn’t shake the hurt that had come with the
accusation. He hoped that time would help heal this scar. He
listened to Chona as she set about organizing her team. Sam
recognized many of the names and found that he was excited to go
back to work with these people. And while he thought little of
Doris, the idea of rebuilding her house thrilled him.

Back at Chona’s home in Minneapolis, Sam
unloaded the truck while Chona continued making phone calls. Sam
brewed a pot of coffee and sat on the front steps, watching a group
of kids play baseball in the park across the street. Chona
surprised him by handing him her cell phone. “Here,” she said,
“it’s for you.”

Sam took the phone and gave her a confused look.
“Who is it?”

“Answer it and find out.”

Sam was worried it was Shari. He wasn’t ready to
talk to her and he had said as much to Chona. Hesitantly, Sam
pressed the iPhone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Sam, it’s Tom, I hear you’re back in town. How
are you?”

Sam pulled the toothpick from his teeth and
smiled. “Hey Tommy,” he said. “I’m pretty good. Yeah, me and Chona
got back about an hour ago. Hey, I’m sorry to hear about your ma’s
place. That was some tough luck.”

“Yes, it was. Look, I really need to see you and
I was wondering if you could come out to the house?”

“Drive out there? Gee, I don’t know, Tommy. I’ve
got a lot going on down here. Chona has a list for me and it’s a
mile long.”

“I do not,” said Chona, loudly.

Sam sighed and stared up at her. “He wants me to
come out there,” he whispered, cupping the iPhone to his chest.

“So, why don’t you drive over there? I have a
million things to do and I want you to get over there and break the
ice. Just get it over with, honey.”

“But I don’t have a car.”

“Take my truck. I can always drive the Mustang
if I need to go anywhere. Go, make a day of it.”

Sam sighed and shook his head. He pressed the
cellphone back to his ear. “Yeah, I don’t know, Tommy,” he
mumbled.

“Sam, I heard every word you and Chona just
said. Look, Shari is gone for the day. If you like, you can leave
before she gets back. I’d drive out to see you, but we’re down to
one vehicle. I have to talk to you.”

“Yeah… well, she isn’t there, huh?”

“No, and she won’t be back home until dark.”

Sam looked up at Chona. “Sure, okay Tommy. I’ll
finish my coffee and head on over.”

“That’s great. I’ll expect you within the
hour.”

They said their goodbyes and Sam handed Chona
back her phone. “I know you don’t want to see Shari,” Chona said,
kissing him on the forehead. “But the sooner you two put this
behind you, the better it’ll be for all of us.”

“Shari ain’t there.”

“Maybe she isn’t there right now, but she’ll be
there. I’m pretty sure of that.”

Sam got to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure you’re right. You’re pretty sharp.”

“Do you want a sandwich before you go,
honey-bunch? I was just going to make one.”

“Sure, a sandwich sounds good. Thanks
sweetie-pie.”

An hour later, Sam was rolling through the gate.
He didn’t like the idea of driving out here, but Chona was right,
he had to get it over with. Slowly, he drove past the empty brick
mansion. He stared up at the dormered windows and towering columns,
admiring the craftsmanship. They didn’t build houses like that, not
anymore. Sam spotted the chain on the front door and he stopped the
Ford. “What the hell?” he muttered. He pulled the toothpick from
his teeth, just as Doris and Marie stepped out from the side of the
big house. He took one look at them and stepped on the gas pedal.
Suddenly, the chain made perfectly good sense.

Sam parked in front of the open garage door.
There were no vehicles parked inside and that made him feel better.
He climbed out of the truck and stretched.

“You made it,” said Tom, walking around the
pickup to greet him.

“Yeah, I made it,” repeated Sam. They shook
hands and he gazed off at the lake. “It sure is beautiful out here.
So, what’s on your mind?”

Tom looked up the driveway and saw his mother
and Marie headed in their direction. He motioned for Sam to follow
him. “We need to talk. Can I get you something?”

“No thanks, I’m good. Look, Tommy, I think I
know what you want to talk about.”

“Actually Sam, you have no idea what I want to
talk about. All I ask is that you’ll hear me out. At first, you’re
going to think I’m crazy. Just promise me that you’ll keep an open
mind and that you won’t pass judgment on me until I’m
finished.”

Sam studied Tom’s face. “Yeah,” he said, “okay,
I guess we’ve had enough people passin’ judgment around here.”

Tom grimaced, but he still managed to smile. He
looked over Sam’s shoulder and saw that like an approaching storm,
his mother and Marie were still moving in their direction. He waved
Sam toward the house and they began to walk. Tom led Sam into the
house and up the stairs to the master bedroom and he closed the
door and locked it. He then turned on the television for some
background noise.

The journals were open and on the bed. Tom had
given them all a quick scan and found them to be fascinating. Each
contained what he thought must be years of research. With nothing
to lose, Tom decided to tell Sam everything. With the television
talking over him, Tom began telling the story of how he ran out of
gas in North Minneapolis. Sam sat on the edge of the bed, while Tom
sat across from him in an arm chair.

Sam couldn’t believe his ears. “Those rotten
sons-a-bitches,” he mumbled. “You should see what’s goin’ on down
in Rochester. They’re trying to take over.”

Tom nodded his head and continued with the tale.
He was worried that something would stop him before he finished
telling Sam the story, so he ignored most of Sam’s many comments.
He told Sam everything, including everything that Mrs. Kindersley
had said. When he finished, Tom handed Sam one of the journals.
“It’s all in there,” he said. “She wasn’t making it up, I’d bet my
life on it.”

Sam’s head was spinning. He didn’t know what he
had expected Tommy to say, but it certainly had not been this. He
stared at one of the many diagrams that had been drawn in the
leather book. “This looks like a tripwire,” he said, pointing to
the open page. “And the ceiling is filled with bowling balls. And
you’re telling me that the whole house is filled with these
booby-traps?”

Tom shrugged his shoulders. “I never said it was
going to be easy.”

“And they use these chip things to control
people, huh?”

“That’s right, Sam. Think about it. How else can
you explain what’s going on? The whole world has gone crazy.”

Sam crossed his arms and sat back on the bed.
“But this ray gun kills the chips. So, all we gotta do is get
inside Fort Knox, dodge a couple hundred land mines, find this
hidden ray gun, and come out blastin’, huh?”

Tom sank back into his chair. “You’re right,” he
said. “This is crazy. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

“You’re damn right it’s crazy. Don’t get me
wrong, Tommy… I’m not doubtin’ ya. The world has gone completely
nuts and someone has to do somethin’. I just won’t be dishonest
about it. Do you feel me?”

Tom stared at Sam and thought he understood.
“You don’t mean that you want to tell Shari, do you?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Tom stood up and began to pace around the bed.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Mrs. Kindersley thinks she’s been
chipped. And do you know what? I think so, too. Look at how
protective she is of that house. That isn’t normal behavior, Sam.
What if she tells the CIA what we’re up to? No way, we’re not
breathing a word of this to her.”

“She ain’t gonna say a word to nobody.”

“Forget about everything I just told you. I’ll
take care of it, myself.”

“I can’t forget about it. Tommy, if there is one
thing that I’ve learned in my life: it’s that honesty is the best
policy. Now, we’re goin’ to sit Shari down and start tellin’ her
everything we know. You’ve got to trust me, man, she’ll see the
light.”

Tom couldn’t believe his ears and he growled
like a caged lion. “We’re not telling Shari!” he shouted.

His timing couldn’t have been worse. The
television station was just finishing a commercial break and the
room had gone silent. The door suddenly crashed open and Shari
charged inside. Her face was wild with anger. She thrust her index
finger at Tom’s nose. “The hell you’re not!” she roared. “You’re
not telling me what?”

“I don’t like it,” said Marie. “I don’t trust
Sam as far as I can throw him. You can bet that he came back to
break in here. He is a felon, ya know.”

They were back behind the big house, staring up
at the open window. Doris nodded her head in agreement. “Why else
would he be out here?”

“He wants it all to himself. I think we should
take him out.”

“Take him out, where?”

“Take him out of the picture. Take him on a long
walk down a short pier. Take him to swim with the fishes. For
crying out loud, Doris, don’t you ever go to the movies? I think we
should kill the worthless bastard.”

“I don’t know,” said Doris. “I don’t think I
could be part of that. He’s still family.”

“No one will miss him. Come on, you hate him as
much as I do. I say we whack him.”

Doris shook her head. “I’m not going to risk
going to hell to get some money. I just won’t do it and that’s my
final answer.”

“Whatever happened to you? You used to be
cool.”

“What happened to me? What happened to you?
Since when is killing my own cousin considered cool? You need to
get a grip, woman. You need to stop taking those goofy pills.”

Marie shook her fists and stomped the grass. “My
pain pills have nothing to do with this. Okay, we won’t kill your
precious Sam. Are you happy? When is that ladder supposed to be
here?”

Doris checked her watch. “Ten minutes ago.”

“Oh shit,” growled Marie. “We have to get out
there. If they see it, they’ll know what we’re up to.”

“That would be a bad idea,” said Doris. She
followed Marie and they strode around to the front of the big
house. When there was no sign of the delivery truck, Doris pointed
up the driveway. “Maybe we should go meet the guy up at the
gate?”

Marie nodded her head. “That’s a good idea. Why
didn’t I think of that? Come on, sister.”

Doris wished Marie would stop calling her that,
but she tagged along. She had never felt so alive and she supposed
that Marie had something to do with that. The afternoon sun baked
down on them and Doris wiped sweat from her brow. Her flea-bitten
thighs were chafing under her nylon slacks, but she barely noticed.
Dollar signs danced in her eyes and cabana boys swam in her dreams.
They were so close to the money that Doris felt she could taste
it.

Marie stopped and leaned heavily against the
gate. “I think I’m going to have a heart attack,” she panted.

Doris was also exhausted, but she wasn’t about
to let Marie know that. She forced herself to run in place, raising
her knees until they nearly touched her bosom. “I feel so good,”
she said, huffing and lying at the same time.

“My God… sister,” gasped Marie. “Will you stop?
You’ve got to… save some energy… for tonight.”

Doris did stop and she fought to keep her
breathing even. “You should really start taking better care of
yourself,” she said, knowing how much she hated it when anyone said
the same thing to her.

Marie glared at her. Like a boxer coming out for
the fifteenth round, she staggered away from the gate. “What are
you talking about? My body is a temple.”

“Yeah, maybe the Temple of Doom. Look at you,
Marie, you’re wiped out.”

“I didn’t sleep well. You know I have a hard
time sleeping in someone else’s bed.”

Doris was about to reply when the little flatbed
delivery truck pulled into the driveway. The driver stopped at the
gate and parked. He then checked his paperwork and nodded his head.
Marie and Doris walked around the gate to meet him. He was a big,
potbellied man with short white hair. “Are you going to open the
gate?” he asked.

“I wish we could,” said Doris, “but the darn
thing is broken. I’m Doris Picacello, the woman who called to rent
the ladder.”

“This is a big ladder,” said the fat man. “Do
you want me to help you carry it up to the house?”

“Thank you,” said Marie, “but that won’t be
necessary.”

The fat man stared at her. “Are you sure about
that? If you don’t mind me saying so, you look like you’re going to
have a stroke or something. Are you okay?”

Marie let the poor man have it and two minutes
later, he was back in his truck and heading down the road. “Did you
see how rude he was?” growled Marie. “I can’t believe the nerve of
some people.”