The Conspiracy the Book

. . I woke up. I was surrounded by darkness.
Pitch-black. I was thirsty, so thirsty, my tongue felt
like a dried out old sock, too big for my mouth,
about to choke me. Fortunately I always keep water
next to my bed, I wanted some. That would help, a
sip of water would do…but I was too weak to reach
for it.
I was wondering, who was hammering
something. That fool, he woke me up.
I turned to reach for my water bottle, fumbling
for it in the dark, that’s when I realized that the
hammering was inside of my head…
The short movement had caused all the pain to
center in my head, with a painful sigh I sank back
and was out instantly.
When I woke up again, it was still night. The
pain was still there, too, as was the thirst.
I fumbled for the light switch and could not find
it, neither could I find the water bottle, or my
sheets. I was down right miserable.
I decided to wake up my husband, so he could
take care of me. As I reached over to the left to
shake his shoulder, I felt a cold wall. He was not
there.
There was not supposed to be a wall. I always
sleep on the right side of the bed, close to the door;
Kevin sleeps on the left side. Next to him were lots
of empty space and then the closet. But now,
instead of Kevin, a wall was next to me. I felt
utterly confused. For so many years, ever since we
had been married, Kevin was on my left. This was
odd.
I was too tired and my head hurt too badly for me
to figure it out, maybe, I was not even awake,
maybe I was just dreaming…I went back to sleep,
or into another bad dream.

Chapter 1

“ Daddy, do you know where mommy is?
She does not answer the phone.” Timmy
was angry. She knew that he always called after
school, why could she not simply answer her darn
phone!
“I don’t know, little man, maybe she’s in a
meeting. She didn’t answer my calls either.” Kevin
answered. He had not been surprised, when his
calls had went unanswered, they had argued earlier
and lately his wife had made it a habit not to
answer his calls after an argument. But Timmy,
she always answered his phone calls she was crazy
about the little guy, as was he. He looked at his
son’s lovely face with the freckled nose, the hazel
eyes and the full lips, now in a frown, the full dark
curly hair, he remembered his wife commenting on
these curls when Timmy was a baby ..You know,
my Grandma always said curly head kids are very
creative and every curl will stand for a different
fury. We’ll have our hands full with this boy, just
wait and see!
“I tell you what,” he said, “ we’ll have some Mc
Donald’s and if she doesn’t call by the time we are
done, we’ll go and do something else, like bowling
or miniature golfing, what do you say?”
“Alright, but it still sucks, I have something
important to tell her.” Timmy answered.
“Can’t you tell me? I think that being your
Daddy entitles me to be told important news!” he
challenged his son, his brown eyes shining with
pride.
“Yeah, but it’s not the same.” It was obvious
that the boy wanted to be begged to share his
important information.
“Come on, get in the car” Kevin smiled, “and
then, please, tell me the important news. I think that
I really should know. And, it would feel so good to
know something important about you before your
Mom does.”
“I won the spelling test in school today! I was
the only one who could spell the last four words!”
Timmy’s face was flushed with excitement and
pride. He was twelve years old and had spent most
of his life in Germany, visiting a German school.
He was in fifth grade and had still problems with
some German Grammar, but his English was coming
along well.
His Mom was German, but most of the time
they were talking and writing English at home,
because to this day Kevin never had picked up how
to speak or write German fluently.
They had come to Germany a few years ago, as
civilians, working for the US military. Their
intentions had been to stay about three years and
then return to the States. Somehow, every year
something else had come up and prolonged their
stay.
Considering Timmy’s heritage and his
problems with German grammar, his success in the
spelling test was really great. Kevin was proud of
his son.
“That must have been some awfully hard words,
if you were the only one who could spell them!”
Kevin said with pride.
“Well, it was in English class.” Timmy
answered, hoping to impress his father even more.
“Wow, you are absolutely the greatest! Put it
here little man!” Kevin held out his big, brown
fist and Timmy’s small fist connected with his
Dad’s.
“So, can the best English- word-speller-ever
have a twenty piece chicken nuggets and a milk
shake?” the boy asked with a grin.
“Sure son, what ever you want” Kevin grinned
back.
It was a warm summer evening and they chose a
place on the outside of the crowded McDonalds
restaurant. Timmy was happily dipping his chicken
nuggets in sweet and sour sauce and sipping on his
milk shake.
Kevin was munching on his Big Mac and
sipping his soda.
“You know,” he said between bites, “ I was
thinking, maybe we should drive out to the lake and
rent a boat for an hour.”
“Yeah, and then we will play a round of
miniature golf, that will be fun! I bet you five bucks
that I can beat you!” Tim replied.
“Do you have five bucks?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t need them, because I’m going to beat
you.” The boy giggled.
“Ah, I see. Then eat up and let’s see what
you’ve got.” Kevin challenged him.
They drove out to a little park with a lake, a
miniature golf course, ponies, ball courts and a
beautiful playground.
They went to the little golf course first.
After Timmy beat his Dad by eight points, they
walked over to the lake and rented one of the white
and blue paddleboats.
“She still has not called” Tim complained.
“Probably a bad reception out here” Kevin
replied, paddling the little boat to the middle of the
lake.
They took turns paddling and talked about
Championship wrestling, basketball and the latest
movies. Before they knew it, the hour was over and
they had to turn in the boat.
On the way back to the car Tim pulled his cell
phone out and tried to call his Mom again. She still
did not answer the phone. He left a message on her
answer machine.
Kevin could not help, but to wonder if
something had happened to her. It was after 9pm.
She should be home by now and wondering, where
her guys were. He pulled out his cell phone and
called his oldest stepson, Frank.
“Hey Frank, have you heard from your Mom?”
he asked
“Nope, I have not been home all day. It's going
to be a few more hours ‘till I get there.” The boy
answered. He was twenty years old and more out on
the run than anywhere else. If he was not at work he
was meeting with his friends
“Alright, later.” Kevin hung up the phone and
put it back on his belt.
“Maybe she went out with friends or to the
gym” he offered.
He knew that she would not really go anywhere,
without checking with Timmy and letting him know
where she was. Actually, he was pretty sure, she
would let him know as well if she had some plans.
It was not like she had been all that mad in the
morning. And even if, she definitely would let
Timmy know, where to reach her.
When they got home, her car was not there.
They went upstairs to their apartment; no sign of
her, no message on the answer machine, no
indication that she had been home since she had left
for work in the morning.
“Do you have any home work to do for school
tomorrow?” he asked his son.
“No, all done.” He answered.
“Then how about, if you put on your PJ’s and
we watch a movie, your choice.” Kevin
suggested.
“O.K., let’s watch a Jackie Chan movie” those
were Tim’s favorites.
While the boy changed and brushed his teeth,
Kevin put in the movie and got two sodas out of the
refrigerator. Then he sat down on the couch. Timmy
sat right next to him, bringing his pillow and his
blanket with him.
Through the first half of the movie he stayed
awake, checking his phone frequently to make sure,
it was turned on and he didn’t miss his Mom’s call.
Then he finally fell asleep.
It was almost midnight when Frank came home.
Kevin still had not heard from his wife and had
not been able to reach her.
“Hi, where’s Mom, sleeping already?” Frank
greeted his stepfather. He was very tall, over six
feet, with short blond hair and dark blue eyes, the
same eyes as his Mom.
“No, she did not come home. And she did not
call either. I need you to do me a favor and call all
the German hospitals in the area and maybe the
police. I already checked with the MP’s and the
military hospitals.” Kevin replied.
“Shit!” was Frank’s only comment as he picked
up the phone and started calling around.
An hour later they still had no clue about what
had happened and where she was. But they at least
had reason to believe that for right now she was not
involved in some accident.
“That’s weird, man” Frank said, shaking his
head, “I think, I’ll jump in the car and go looking
for her.”
“Where do you want to look?” Kevin wanted to
know.
The only place he could think of was the air
base where she worked as a detective for a civilian
company. He doubted that she would be there, she
didn’t like to hang out there after work.
“I don’t know, I thought I’ll check the air base,
the two gas stations where she likes to stop and
maybe Eddie’s place.”
“I already called Eddie, they haven’t seen her all
day. I called Sonja and Marla too. They have not
heard from her either.” Kevin felt beat. This was the
first time ever in eighteen years that he didn’t know
where his wife was. He was worried.
“Well, I will go and check all the other places
then. If she shows up, give me a call, and don’t
worry, she’ll be fine.” With this Frank turned
around and left.
Kevin stayed, hoping that his wife would show
up any minute now, safe and unharmed.
Somehow it did not feel like she would.

Chapter 2

I woke up again, still surrounded by darkness,
still thirsty and still suffering from a splitting
headache.
This time I managed to sit up. At least now my
head was clear enough to realize that I was not at
home in my bed.
I still was wearing my clothes and I was lying
on the ground.
I reached in my pants pocket and fumbled for
my lighter. I found it and flicked it on.
The weak light revealed a small dirty room with
shelves on one side and a heavy door across the
room.
I crawled to the shelves and found a bunch of
dirty, dusty wine bottles. I opened one of them and
smelled on it. Is seemed to still be all right. I took a
long swallow.
I felt a little better. More light headed, but not
all that thirsty anymore. The lighter in my hand got
hot and I dropped it.
Carefully I put the bottle down and felt the dirty
floor, hoping to find my lighter. There, that was it. I
flicked it back on and looked for my purse.
Finally I found it. I looked for my cell phone. It
was not there. The lighter burned my hand and I
dropped it again. Ouch! I crawled on the floor
fumbling for the lighter. There, finally.
I sat on the floor in the dark, wondering, how I
got here and what I wanted here.
I could not remember. The thinking made my
head hurt worse. I flicked the lighter back on and
got my purse. I found my pain pills and grabbed the
wine bottle.
Great, I had to let the lighter go in order to get
the pills out of the container. In the dark I wrestled
with the top of the pill bottle. I poured some of the
pills into the palm of my hand. Four. Good, could
not come much worse, if I took four of them with
wine. I dropped them into my mouth and swallowed
with two big sips of the wine. Then I put my lighter
back into my pants pocket.
I decided not to think about where I was and
why I was here any more. It was too much trouble
to figure it out. I would leave it up to Kevin. As a
matter of fact, he could just figure it all out, while I
was sleeping.
“Let me know, what you come up with, hon.’.” I
said and laid back down. “Give me back my
pillow,” I said and then I was asleep again.

Chapter 3

Frank returned after about two hours.
When Kevin heard the key turning in the lock,
he jumped up, hoping his wife was coming home.
He had gone through all the stages of worry,
anger, and fury now, he was just worried sick,
willing to forgive anything and everything, if she
just came home, alive and well.
“No. And I guess that means, you did not find
her either” Kevin replied, his hopes crumbling.
“No. Not her, not her car. The guy on the little
gas station saw her, this morning, when she stopped
for cigarettes. He worked a double shift last night,
so he was still there this morning. He said she
wanted to stop after work to wash the car and
already bought the ticket from him.
He called the guy from the day shift, but he has
not seen her. Then he checked the surveillance tapes
for me. She did not show up again.”
Impatiently Kevin was pacing the floor.
“Look Kev, she was pretty pissed this morning.
Maybe she wants to teach you a lesson and spends
the night at a friend's house. Why don’t you lie
down and get some sleep. I’ll stay on the couch, just
in case she calls.” Frank suggested.
“Yeah, maybe you are right. But, then again,
maybe I should go and check at her Mom’s..” Kevin
wondered.
“I’ve already checked. She’s not there. And you
know, that would be her last choice anyway. I think,
she would rather spend the night in her car.” Frank
stated and stretched out on the couch.
“O.K., good night. Make sure to wake me up
if…”
“Sure. Now go, get some sleep” Frank picked up
the remote and started switching channels on the TV.
Kevin went to the bedroom. It was past 2 am and
he was tired. He looked at the alarm clock and
wondered, if Sandy had it pre set. Normally she did.
He laid down on the bed, the light on his nightstand
on and his cell phone in his hand, just in case.
“Daddy. Wake up Daddy!”
Kevin opened his eyes and looked into his sons face.
Then he turned his head. Sandy’s bed was
empty.
“She did not come home, did she?” Timmy
asked.
“No, son” Kevin sat up.
“Frank said I need to go to school anyway.” Tim
said.
“He’s right. What time is it?” Kevin replied.
“Time for school. Frank is taking me. Bye
Dad.”
Tim left and Kevin got up. He went to the
bathroom and took a hot shower. By the time he
shaved, he heard Frank coming back.
When he was finished he found Frank in the
kitchen, with a steaming hot cup of coffee.
“Still no news?” Frank asked.
“I just wanted to ask you the same.” Kevin
answered and got himself a cup of coffee. He still
felt drained.
“I think you should go to work. It will help to
keep your mind off Moms practical jokes. And, you
can check with her office, maybe they know
something, or she is even there.” Frank advised and
lit up a cigarette. Then he got up.
“I’ll go see my grandma and check the towing
companies, maybe her car had to be towed. If we
don’t hear from her by this afternoon, I think we
should call the police. Don’t worry about Timmy,
I’ll pick him up from school and entertain him.” He
patted Kevin on the back, picked up his car keys
and walked to the door.
“I’ll let you know, if I find out something!”
Frank called on his way out.
Kevin sat down and stared at his coffee.
Frank was right, he could find out more, if he
went to work.
The coffee tasted bitter and burned. He
wondered, if Frank had just heated up left over
coffee from the day before. He poured his coffee in
the sink and washed out his cup.
He decided to get dressed and go to work early.
It was hot outside; just the way Sandy liked it.
He turned on the AC and the radio. He tuned it to an
American Forces Network station. At least there
were no reports on fatal accidents or another
terrorist attack.
He parked his car in front of his office. He
stayed in the car, not turning the engine off. He
reached for his cell phone and dialed his wife’s
number. Temporary not available is all he heard.
Finally he left the car and went to his office. He
was some what relieved when he shut the door
behind himself.
It was a small place with eight monitors and one
computer. The rug on the floor was old and worn, as
were the furniture. But the room was cool, the AC
running.
He was a detective for a retail company that
served the military overseas, as was his wife.
He worked together with two guys and a young
woman. They were more than just co-workers they
were reliable friends.
Don, one of them, ten years older than Kevin,
was already there.
“Hi Kev, what’s new” Don greeted him.
“Hi Don, nothing good, nothing good at all.”
Kevin replied and decided to tell Don about Sandy’s
absence.
Don sat still and listened, occasionally raising
an eyebrow.
When Kevin was finished talking, Don looked
at him for a moment. Then he finally got up and
said: “Well, my friend, I don’t want to deepen your
worries, but I’m sure that something must have
happened. I can see that she would be mad to the
point that she would not want to see you for a day
our two, but I’m sure, she would stay in touch with
the boys!”
He went to the water dispenser and filled a cup
with water. After he drank, he looked at Kevin
again. “What about your other stepson. Did you
check with him?” Don wanted to know.
“No, he is on a trip with friends, in Italy. We
don’t expect to hear from him until the day after
tomorrow.” Kevin got up to get a cup of water for
himself.
“Maybe he ran into some trouble and she went
to pick him up?” Don offered.
“I don’t know, she would have left a message, I
think.” Kevin kept thinking about the possibility.
There was a chance that Tony had needed her help.
Those young people always got into weird
situations. But, it was not likely for her to run off to
Tony’s rescue without letting anybody know.
Most likely she would at least have made an
attempt to take Frank with her, so he could do some
of the driving.
“Could be that her phone broke and she did not
have a chance to call with another phone.” Don
suggested. It did not ease Kevin’s worries. Even if
her phone were broke, she would have called from a
public phone. She knew all the phone numbers by
heart, something she had always done, all her life,
memorizing numbers.
“I will call her partner. He should be at work by
now. Might be, she told him something or left a
message with him.” Kevin walked over to the phone
and dialed the number to his wifes office. On the
second ring Joe answered.
“Hello, this is the Black Sheep Squadron, Joe
speaking” making fun of the critics on the proactive
and highly criticized way this small two-person
office was working, he had made it a habit
to call their office the Black Sheep Squadron, most
of the time, getting in trouble for it.
“Hi there, black sheep, it’s Kev.”
“Hi, how are you?” Joe answered.
“Well, that all depends. Have you seen Sandy,
or do you know where she is?” Kevin asked.
“Well, she’s not here yet. Probably running late.
Would you like her to call back?” Joe answered.
“Yes, of course. But, did you see her
yesterday?” Kevin inquired.
“I was out sick yesterday. I had tried to call her,
but her phone was off. What’s wrong?” Joe replied.
“Shoot! Sorry, it’s just that she’s disappeared
ever since she left for work yesterday. We can’t
reach her and we can’t find her.” Kevin admitted.
“Oh, that’s unusual. I’m really sorry that I can’t
help. But, if I see her, I will make sure she calls. Let
me know, if you hear from her.” Joe offered.
“Alright, thanks.” Kevin hung up the phone.
“Sorry.” Don said.
“Yeah, I don’t understand it, where can she be?
I think, I’ll try the clinics again and the police”
Kevin picked up the phone again.
He called all the MP stations in the area and all
the US hospitals in the area with no success.
When he finally hung up the phone for the last
time he rested his head in his hands, his elbows
resting on the desk.
“I just don’t know what to do anymore, Don. I
am not good at this. Where can she be? Why can I
not find her?” he mumbled.
“Sorry Kevin, I really don’t know, what else
you could do. Have you checked the German
hospitals yet?” Don replied.
Before Kevin could answer, the office phone
was ringing. He took the receiver and answered.
“Hi, it’s me, Joe. Look, I’ve checked the
recordings from yesterday. Your wife was at work, I
saw her on the monitor coming in at 09:30 in the
morning. About three hours later she leaves. The
fun part is that she is not getting in her car.
Someone is waiting for her in a grey car. She gets in
and the car takes off. I checked the recordings all
the way through until about fifteen minutes ago, she
never returns, at least not with the car that picked
her up, but her car leaves in the afternoon, right
before the store closes.”
“What? She left and then her car left? Who
drove the car?” Kevin asked, almost not able to
breath anymore.
“I don’t know, man. You can’t see that much.”
Joe said on the other end of the phone.
‘”Who picked her up? Who was in the car that
picked her up?” Kevin wanted to know.
“Sorry, I don’t know. I can’t see, it’s too far
away from the camera. I can’t even make out the
license plate.” Joe admitted.
“God dammit! Look, if there is some other guy,
just tell me. I need to know!” Kevin yelled into the
phone.
“Not to my knowledge. You know, she’s not the
type for that kind of shit.” The response came.
Don put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder to calm
him.
“Sorry, I’m just worried out of my mind, didn’t
mean to yell at you” Kevin apologized, “look, Joe,
I’ll come over and look at the recording, alright?”
“Sure, no problem, I already burned a copy for
you. I’ll be here!” the prompt answer came.
Kevin put the receiver back and gestured toward
Don.
“Joe was able to see her on yesterday’s
recording coming in to work and leave a couple of
hours later, getting in the car with someone. A few
hours after that her car leaves, but she never shows
back up again. I have to go and look at the
recordings. Will you make sure to answer the
phone, just in case she calls?” Kevin asked.
“Sure, I’ll stay and wait. Let me know, if you
find something out, alright?” Don responded.
Kevin snatched his car keys and left the office.
He crossed the parking lot and got in his car. He
was so occupied by the thought of finding out,
who’s car had picked up his wife, he didn’t even
realize that the heat had increased. Automatically he
turned on the AC and the radio and headed for the
Air Base, about 20 miles north of this military post.
The traffic had increased and he crept through
the city, trying to reach the highway.
On the third red traffic light he picked up the
head set for the phone and called Frank.
“Hello, heard anything?” Frank answered his
phone.
“Joe called me. His recordings of yesterday
show her coming to work and leaving a few hours
later, getting into a car, not hers. Hours later
someone picks up her car. I’m driving out to the Air
Base right now to watch the recording.” Kevin
reported.
“Someone picks up her car? I really can’t
imagine, unless it’s a mechanic. She barely lets you
drive the car, she would not really trust anyone with
it. It doesn’t make sense to me.” Frank replied.
“I had not thought about it, but you are right.
There is no way, she would let anyone drive that
car, unless he’s a mechanic and she’s sure, he
knows what he’s doing.” Kevin realized.
His wife had gotten that car just a few months
ago, a brand new Pontiac Grand Prix, fully loaded,
and all available extras she could think of. She had
put every penny aside for a long time to afford that
car, after she had lost her twelve year old Grand
Prix in an accident and drove one piece of junk after
the other, refusing to spend a penny more than
necessary on any other car then the one she wished
for.
They both were silent for a moment.
“Do you think, someone just stole the car?”
Frank finally broke the silence.
“Not without a key. She got a good alarm
system, if someone broke into the car to steal it, it
would have made a lot of noise.” Kevin replied.
“Right. Look, I have to go and get Timmy. Call
me as soon as you have a clue, alright?” Frank said.
“Sure thing.. Do me a favor and try the German
hospitals again and the Police. I’ll call you back
from the Air Base. And, see if you can get in touch
with your brother. Don thinks that something might
have happened with him and she went to get him.
Bye.” Kevin clicked the head set off and finally
reached the highway.
‘Thank Germany for no speed limits’ he thought
and put his foot heavy on the accelerator. The car
surged forward, he jumped to the very left of four
lanes and still picked up speed, turning on his lights
and passing everything on the remaining three
lanes, occasionally using his bright lights to demand
cars in front of him to give way.
Six minutes later he reached the Air Base and
got to the ID checker.
The German soldier that guarded the Base
against intruders and Terrorists seemed to check his
ID for a long time. He walked all the way around
the dark blue Mercedes, checking out the tinted
windows and checking the license plate in front and
back against the registration.
‘Funny how it can take less time to cover ten
miles on the highway then to get through the gate’
Kevin thought, almost laughing about the ironic
situation.
Finally he was free to pass and he drove straight
to his wife’s office.
He parked, illegally, in front of the back door,
got out of the car, rushed to the door and knocked.
No one opened the door. He pulled out his cell
phone and dialed the number of the office phone.
No answer. He searched his phone for Joe’s cell
phone number and dialed it. After four rings the call
was answered.
“Hello, this is Joe speaking”
“Joe, Kev here, where are you, I’m at your
office door.”
“I’ll be there in a minute. I’m inside the store,
someone called on the DSN line, I was hoping it
would be Sandy. I’m on my way” Joe hung up.
Kevin waited, looking around. Only a few
people were at work in the small warehouse through
which his wife’s office was entered. He only knew
one or two of them, but none of them well. He
wondered, if one of them might know, who had
picked up his wife the day before. Behind him,
outside in the parking lot, a car took off with
squealing tires. He looked out the door, but could
not see the car it must have passed already.
Joe came through the door that separated the
warehouse and sales floor.
“Hey there, sorry for the delay. They told me a
lady is waiting on the DSN line up front and it
would be absolutely urgent, so I rushed off to talk to
her. By the time I got there, the call was gone. As
soon as I walked back, she called again and then the
call was gone, when I took the phone. Funny thing.
I don’t think it was Sandy, though, she would at
least have left a message, I’m sure.” He explained.
“That’s alright. Can I see the recording now?”
Kevin could barely cover his nervousness.
Joe unlocked the office door and they entered
the small room.
This office was even smaller than Kevin’s. Only
three monitors were available to oversee the daily
activities in the building and outside the back door.
Two chairs were placed in front of the shelf
with the monitors. Kevin and Joe sat down and Joe
took the mouse to get into the computer of the
camera system.
He clicked on the search icon and selected the
date and time they were looking for.
‘No data available.’ blinked on the screen.
“I must have made a mistake with the date, hang
on” Joe said and clicked the mouse again.
‘No data available.’ blinked on the screen again.
“What the heck!” Joe called out and clicked the
mouse, selecting another option.
“It’s gone, everything has been deleted! How
the heck could that happen, it was right there, just a
minute ago, I was looking at it, what happened?”
Joe called out, obviously shocked.
Kevin watched him, not sure what was going
on. He was afraid to ask.
“Let me try something else. Here, I’ll just start
with right now and rewind the recording from now,
until we get where we need to be.” Joe explained
and worked the mouse, rolling it over the mouse
pad and clicking it.
The screen in front of them started showing
reverse movement of people. They came to the
point of Kevin walking through the back door.
There the recording stopped.
“It’s not possible. It can’t stop there, no way.
Where is everything?” Joe sounded almost
desperate by now.
“Maybe that was the time where you reviewed
the recordings, that’s why it did not record.” Kevin
offered.
“No, no, this camera system is absolutely
computerized. It is different from your system that
depends on videotapes to record the facility
activities. Here you can record without break,
twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, thirty
days without a pause. By the end of the thirtieth day,
the first day is deleted and the thirty-first day
becomes the first day of the new recording, erasing
one second at a time, which means, you can go back
in time 30 days at all times. It never stops recording.
Never. Even if you play back any recording or burn
any recording on a disc, it still keeps recording,
without a break. The only way a recording ever
leaves is by being the first of thirty days or by being
manually deleted.” Joe explained.
“Meaning?” Kevin asked.
“Meaning that while I was up front attempting
to take the DSN phone call, someone was here,
someone with a key and with knowledge of this
system and deleted everything.” Joe explained.
“But if that's the case, you should be able to pull
up the recording then and see, who came out of the
office?” Kevin suggested.
“No. Look, here” Joe pointed at the screen.
It showed dates and times, nothing that meant
anything to Kevin.
“I don’t know what you mean. It’s today’s date
alright, and the time is a little while ago, what does
it mean?” Kevin inquired.
“It means that someone deleted the recordings
and programmed the computer to restart recording a
few minutes ago. Just at the time you got here.
Strange, very strange,” Joe wondered.
“But, why?”
“I can only guess, but I think, it has something
to do with Sandy’s disappearance. Why else would
someone go through the trouble of deleting all the
recordings, right now?” Joe guessed.
“That would mean that we might never find out,
who’s car picked her up. Now I can’t even see it.
Dammit, I really hoped, to find out something from
the recordings!” Kevin hit his fist on the table.
“Well, I’m sorry man. But I don’t think, the
recording would have helped that much anyway.
Come on, I'll walk you out.” Joe said and got up.
Kevin followed, his newfound hopes crushed.
Without a word he left the small office and
followed Joe to the outside. He opened his car and
got in. Joe leaned down and Kevin rolled the
window down.
“Look Kevin, someone went through quiet some
trouble to erase the recordings. I’ve learned a long
time ago that in this job, I could trust no one but
your wife. I’m afraid that someone bugged the
office. Meet me at the Military Police Station in
about thirty minutes; I will get copies of the hidden
recordings. I didn’t think they would act so fast, but
they did. Only, I was faster.”
“Joe, I don’t know what to say. Sandy was right;
you are pretty sharp. I’ll meet you there in thirty
minutes.” Kevin answered, new hopes coming to
life.
“Wait, don’t go straight there. Take a detour,
make sure, you are not being followed and just
don’t trust anyone.” Joe cautioned him.
Kevin drove off and Joe went back inside the
building, cautiously looking over his shoulder.
Pimp My Profile. ...

. . June Bear Adventures – The Missing Pies

Chapter 1

He was now six years old and just had started school. He liked school and it was fun. He
could already read little books and when he showed his homework to the teacher, she always gave him a little star for it. Mrs. Pohl, that was his teacher, she had lots of stick-on labels with stars in her desk. Every time they did something well, she gave the school kids in her class a little yellow star. The stars were put inside a little book; twenty of the little yellow labels could fit on
one page. Mrs. Pohl had told them that when Christmas came, she would count everyone's stars and the kids with the most stars would receive the best Christmas surprise. She was really nice. She wore her curled hair short and loved to wear flower print dresses, her voice was soft, but clear, even when she was a little angry with one of the kids in her classroom. As long as you
did not lie to her, she would not get too mad. She had never gotten angry with June and he would try his best, that she never would find a reason to be angry with him.
He lived with his Mom and Dad and his Grandma 'Tee' in a pretty house with lots of friendly neighbors. One of his neighbors, down the street, at the end of the block, was his uncle Roggie. He was his favorite neighbor. His uncle Roggie owned an arcade with a snack bar in the city and always would let June play and eat for free.
His Mom and Dad were at work all day. Mom worked for the military and Daddy for a computer
company. That was the reason that Grandma Tee had moved in with them, so she could take care of him, until his parents came home.
As far as he was concerned, it was the best thing ever. She was full of cool ideas, always had time for him, cooked the best food and baked the best cookies and pies ever. Life with Grandma was great!
Ever since he had been a baby, people called him 'June'. He had no clue, why, but he did not mind at all. Lately they added 'Bear' to his nickname and called him 'June-Bear'.
His Mom had told him, that was, because he was strong and tough! He did not look very strong or very tough, his arms and legs seemed skinny and slinky. Often it seemed like there was only room for bones under his dark skin and no room for muscles. But Mom had very thin arms and
she was strong too, so it could very well be that his strength just did not show, but was there.
His real name was Derrick, but only if he really was in trouble, did his family call him by his real name. Of course, just like in school, he always tried to be good, most when Christmas came around. You could never be sure, if there was not a real Santa Claus somewhere, after all.
When he was little, and he remembered very well, he had seen Santa one night.
But, right now he did not have to worry about Christmas and Santa, there was still plenty time to be good.
He jumped off the big yellow school bus and ran toward the house. Grandma Tee was standing in the door, waiting for him. He gave her a big hug.
"How was school, June, did you get any stars today?" she asked.
"It was good. Mrs. Pohl told us about the 'Mayfever' and I got three stars!" he told her.
"Do you mean she told you about the 'Mayflower'?"
He looked up at her with a puzzled expression on his little face, squinting his clear brown eyes together and thought about it for a moment.
"I guess that could be too. It was a big ship with May."
"Yeah, child, that was the 'Mayflower'. After you eat something, you have to show me what you learned about it."
They went inside, where a plate with his snacks and a glass of milk were waiting for him.
Nana Tee went over to the stove, where she was working on their dinner, while he sat at the kitchen table and ate.
"I got great news, sweetie" she announced and poured some more seasoning into a pot on the stove.
He looked up, waiting on her to continue, returning her smile.
"Your Great-Grandfather is coming! Isn't that exiting?" she offered.
"Yes, Ma'am." He replied dutifully. He didn't know what else to say. To him it did not sound like
great, exiting news at all. He remembered the first time the old man had been here: very old, white hair, where he had any left, a big brown cane tightly held in his dark bony hand with yellowish finger nails. Most of the time he spent sleeping, in his bed, on the rocking chair by the fireplace, in a chair on the porch. There was really nothing exciting about this visit. Every time the old man had talked to him, he had fallen asleep before he had finished or he had forgotten about the little boy standing in front of him and stopped talking, his old eyes looking at an imagined place, somewhere far away.
"But that's not all, honey!" Grandma Tee went on, "we are going to have a big party. Cousin Miranda is getting married, and she will have the reception here, at your Mom's house! We will have to decorate, cook lots of food, bake lots of cakes, it will be so much fun!"
Now she was talking good stuff: Food! Cakes!
"Now, go on to your room and do your homework, so I can get some work done. Your Mom and Dad will pick up your Great Grandpa from the airport and I still have a lot to do until they come back." Grandma Tee ordered him and he hopped off to his room.
Sitting on his desk, doing his homework, he wondered, if he had to give up his room while his Great Grandpa was staying here. He better hurry up so he would have time to put his most valuable belongings in a safe place.
The afternoon went by, June did his homework, put all his Spiderman figurines in a backpack, along with a few other things he cherished. He placed the backpack in the hallway closet for easy access.
It was already getting dark, when his parents finally made it home with his great grandpa. June had already had his bath and was watching cartoons.
"Hi Mom, hi Dad" he called as he rushed to greet them.
"Good evening sir, welcome to our home" he greeted the old man that was shuffling across the floor, supported by a big brown cane.
"Hello child. Who are you, should you not be home at this late hour?" the old man replied and shook his hand.
June looked at him. Did he not remember that June lived here? That he was the son of his granddaughter?
"Grandpa, this is my son. You've met him before, don't you remember?" His Mom asked friendly.
"OH, oh, yes, yes, the little one. I know. He must have grown an awful lot, for me not to recognize him. How are you, young man? Are you doing well?"
"Yes, thank you, I'm fine" June replied. Then he turned to his parents. "May I go to bed, I'm tired."
"Of course, June-Bear. Are you alright?" His mother asked and touched his forehead to check for a temperature.
"I'm fine, just tired."
"Grandma has put a mattress in our room for you to sleep on. Good night." His Mom said and kissed his cheek.
June called 'Good night' and went upstairs. He went to his parents' room to lay down on the mattress his grandma had put there for him. He cuddled under his blanket and was asleep in no time at all.

Hours later his parents' and Grandma went to bed as well. And another hour or two after that, the
floorboards were slightly creaking under the weight of someone walking through the house. Green eyes glowed in the dark, peering in every corner. Hairy feet crept carefully forward, rainbow colored dust followed. Then it all was quiet again; only occasionally a slight whisper could be heard.

The next morning came quick and with it the usual rush. He got showered and dressed, ran downstairs to the kitchen to eat a quick bowl of cereal.
Mom and Grandma were already there, Mom drinking a cup of tea and going over some paperwork, Grandma was busy with peeling and cutting apples.
"Are you making pie?" June asked her, almost able to taste her delicious apple pies just by thinking about them.
"Yes, honey. By the time you get home from school, you can have some. Now hurry, the bus will be here any moment." Grandma Tee answered and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"You will turn from my June Bear into a pie monster, if you keep chasing after Grandma's pies!" his mom said and made him giggle.
Then she put her paperwork into her little briefcase. His Dad was just coming down the stairs, ready to leave the house.
"Love you, Bear" Mom said and kissed his forehead.
"Bye, big guy, see you later!" his Dad called and was out of the door, Mom close behind him.
June put his bowl in the sink and hurried to drink up his juice.
"Go, go, go, and don't miss the bus!" Grandma said and ushered him toward the door. On the way he grabbed his school bag and waved at her as he rushed down the street to catch the bus.
He found an empty seat next to his best friend Mark.
"Hey June, what's new?" Mark greeted him with a happy smile, showing the big gap where two teeth were missing.
"Hi Mark, my great-grandfather arrived yesterday. He's got my room now. No more playing at my house for a while." June sighed as he sat down.
"That sucks. How is he?"
"Who, my great grandpa?"
"Yeah, that's who you were talking about, right?"
"Old. I don't think that I've ever seen anyone this old. His skin is more gray than anything else and soooo wrinkled. Sometimes it looks as if it would just break, like old thin paper. And he is really boring. All he does is sit around and sleep." June explained and sighed.
"Maybe we can hang out at your uncle's?" Mark suggested.
"Yeah, maybe. I'm just afraid that they'll try to keep me at home to show me around to every family member they can find. Some cousin is getting married and it will be at our house."
"Yuck! The worst thing, that it brings lots of pinched cheeks and wet, sticky kisses from old aunties; trust me, nothing to look forward too. Any cool people coming, like our age?" Mark inquired.
"Don't think so. My cousin A.J is way too young, all the other cousins are old, like sixteen and over, no one cool!" June sighed again and was glad that he had started school and would be spared the pinched cheeks and wet kisses at least while he was in school.
After the short trip with the bus he finally arrived in school and enjoyed the classes, most the ones with Mrs. Pohl, his favorite teacher.
When he came home after school, grandma Tee was already waiting in the door, like every day. At least that had not changed.
"Hi sweetie how was school? Have you been good?" She asked and hugged him.
"It was good and of course I was good." June replied, sniffing the air.
"Are the pies ready, can I have some?" he asked, squeezing past his grandma into the house.
"Hey, you little pie monster, slow down!" Grandma called and chased after him. She chased him around the kitchen table and through the hallway, past the dining room and back into the kitchen. Finally she caught him and hugged him tight. Then she straightened up and, still trying to catch her breath got a plate out the refrigerator with a big slice of her delicious apple pie.
"You do know, that you are supposed to eat this for desert, not for lunch?" she asked.
"Well, if you insist, I will eat this now and then have one for desert." June giggled and put a fork full of pie in his mouth.
"Oh, you think that you are a smart little bear?" Grandma said and laughed. She got a plate out and went over to the stove where she started filling it with vegetables, rice and fish. She placed it in front of her little grandson.
"You better make sure this plate is empty when I come back. I'll go upstairs and do some laundry. If you want something from me, you'll have to come up and be quiet, your great grandpa is taking a nap."
June nodded his head and pulled the plate closer. Now he even had to be quiet, so this old man could sleep. As if he would hear anything. He already couldn't hear a thing when he was awake. He hurried up with his lunch and put his empty plate by the sink.
Then he grabbed his book bag and went upstairs to do his homework in his room. Halfway up the stairs he could hear his great grand father snore. June realized that he had to go back down and do his homework on the dining table. His room was taken.
He sighed deeply and put his books on top of the table and started his homework.
He was done when his Grandma came down the Stairs, a stack of neatly folded kitchen towels in her hands.
"Can Mark come over and play with me?" He asked.
"No, sweetheart. That would be too much for your old grandpa. He can not have kids running through the house and making noise." She answered and put the towels on the table, leaning over his shoulder to check his homework.
"Oh now, don't look so sad. Roggie called and said he would like to pick you up and take you with him to the arcade. I'm sure he won't mind if Mark comes along. Go call him and ask him if he wants to go." She kissed him on the head and started to put his books inside the bag.
June jumped up and went to the phone. He called his best friend and returned with a big smile.
"Mark is coming. We will pick him up on the way. Can I have some more pie?"
"No, no, tonight, after dinner. Now go and do something else, so I can get done with my work. I still have so much to do. Soon, the rest of our relatives will arrive and I have to make a few more pies and cook a lot of food." She ushered him out the room.
June went to sit on the front porch and waited for his uncle to pick him up.
"What are you doing, young man?" a voice said to him. He turned around and faced his great-grandfather, who was sitting in a rocking chair, looking out on the street.
"Oh, hi, I'm waiting on my uncle Roggie to pick me up. He'll take me with him to his arcade." He answered politely.
"So, he's picking you up, hmm. What are you doing there, at this arcade?" the old man wanted to know.
June wondered what this man was thinking; of course he would play computer games, that's what you did at an arcade. But, being well mannered, he answered.
"We'll play computer games and sometimes I'll help Roggie to clean up and stuff."
"Computer games, hmm, I don't think that we had any when I was your age, I'm not sure, can't really remember." Then June's great grandfather closed his eyes and soon he was snoring softly.
Finally June could see his uncle's car come up the street. He jumped up and ran down the stairs, anxious to get away before the old man would wake up again and ask more questions.
"Hey Bear! How are you? Come on, get in!" Roggie called and pushed the passenger door open.
"Hi, I'm glad you came and got me. Can we pick up Mark and take him with us?"
"Yeah, sure. Buckle up, here we go" Roggie turned the car, blew the horn and took off. He drove the car back onto the main street and then turned right to pick up June's friend Mark.
They were entertaining June's uncle all the way to the little arcade, not once being quiet during the twenty-minute drive. Finally Roggie pulled into the parking lot of the little shopping center where his arcade was located.
"Alright guys, we have arrived. Let's go and open up for business!" he said and got out of his blue
Chrysler. With fast steps he went to his little business and unlocked the doors. He switched on the lights and the two boys entered behind him.
"You two can go ahead and turn on the machines, I'll go and get us some sodas." He called over his shoulder. Quickly June and Mark ran past him and turned on one video game machine after the other. Then they turned on the four computers at the end of the small store, where people could surf the Internet for a small fee or print out reports. Some even brought their own computer games and played with their friends for hours. By the time everything was turned on, Lena,
Roggie's employee, and friend, arrived. "Hello everybody, you guys look like you are
having fun. Did you try out the new video game yet? It just arrived two days ago and it's a lot of fun!" she greeted them and then went to the kitchen to turn on the fryer and the grill. Until six o'clock in the evening they would serve fries and burgers to the customers. After that all that you could eat were cold cuts, which Lena would prepare before she went home.
"You've got a new game in? I had no idea. Can we play?" June asked his uncle.
"Sure, here take a few coins, it will take you a while to figure it out. I have tried it on the first day and it took me more than two hours to get the hang of it." He handed each of them a hand full of tokens to put into the machine. Happily they bounced off and started to play the new game.
They spent almost all afternoon playing games and only took a break for hamburgers and fries. Shortly after six in the evening Lena was ready to go home.
The little arcade had been crowded with kids all afternoon and slowly business was winding down, only the big kids, teenagers with cars, stayed around.
"Hey guys, I'll drive you home, say bye to Roggie and let's go." She called over to Mark and June. Being the good boys they are, they obeyed immediately.
"Bye Roggie thanks for letting us being here!" Mark said on the way out.
"Bye Roggie, thanks, I had lots of fun. Can I come back tomorrow?" June said and hugged his uncle.
"I'll have to check with your mom or grandma first, but I'm sure that you can come back one of these days before the week is over. Take care and tell your mom and dad that I loved for you to be here!"
June rushed out the door and got in Lena's old Ford. It had been red at one time, but now it was mainly rusty and gray. Just like with Lena, age had not passed without leaving its mark.
"Miss Lena, will you ever get a new car?" June asked as he looked out the rear window at the smoke the old car was blowing out the pipes.
"June, honey, I'm seventy-eight years old. I will not waste any money on a new car until my eightieth birthday. Until then, a few screws, some duct tape and new sparks plugs and a good oil change every now and then will have to do. The day I bought this car I started saving up for my next car, a very special car." She explained and smiled.
"What kind of car?" Mark asked.
"A Jaguar, midnight blue. That's something I have wished for all my life. And on the day I turn eighty, it will be parked in my driveway, you can bet on it."
"How long ago did you buy this car?" June inquired and wondered if it would really keep running all the way to his home.
"That was, let me think, aah, I remember, twenty three years ago, when I retired from my job." She answered with pride.
"But you are still working your job." June countered.
"Oh, not that job, sweetie, my job at the factory. The job with your uncle is different. I work there
because it is fun and because it gives me the chance to save up some extra money. Just in case something should happen, you know."
June sat quiet and wondered if she would really have enough money to buy the car she longed for. It seemed advisable to start saving up for a rainy day early. He decided to start saving h