The Three-Day Pass

Driving back to base, a thought flashed into Joseph's mind. He pulled to the side of the road and punched in William Barns home phone number. A female voice answered and said, 'Hello?'

'Hi, is this the home of William Barns?' Joseph asked, and when the party on the line confirmed it, he asked if Bill was at home.

'Yes he is, but he is rather busy right now. May I ask who is calling?'

'Please, just tell Bill that Joseph is calling from a cell phone and that it is rather important that I speak with him.'

Joseph heard the woman call out 'Bill...someone called Joseph...calling from a cell for you.'

'Joseph! Anything wrong?' Bill asked breathlessly.

'No, nothing really wrong...I just had this feeling that I should call in and tell you about something that happened this evening when I got to the Muhammad house. When I arrived, only the girl was home.'

'Well a nice, quiet evening at home together,' Barns said leeringly, 'bet you were thrilled.'

'As a matter of fact, I was, and things were going along as you would expect,' Joseph said. 'However, when I asked where her parents were, Kassie said that Fazzi and Mary were at a meeting of the 'Justice for the Middle East Committee'. It was some sort of executive meeting and Fazzi, as an officer in the organization, was required to attend. At the time, it just did not seem important or unusual. Later, we were interrupted by a phone call telling me to get back to the base ASAP as the base was on alert. Just now, while driving back, suddenly a thought came into my mind. Knowing Arab culture, and Mary in particular, it now strikes me as rather unusual that she would be invited to a meeting of the executives. While it is not unheard of for women to hold positions of importance, it was just a bit out of the ordinary. I thought it might be important...so I figured I'd better contact you.'

'Joseph, can you stay where you are and on the line? I need to go into my den. Give me time to fire-up my computer. I'll be able to access my office files from there and look up that organization. Don't move from there. We have a clear connection and I don't want to loose you.' he said, and started leave.

Joseph screamed, 'Hey Bill I can't wait! I have to get back to the base!'

'Fuck the base! This just may be important. I'll cover for you with the base. Just don't move until I check this out. And that's a direct order coming from the FBI. I'll get back to you right away!' Barns yelled.

Joseph was used to taking orders, so he sat there with the phone to his ear...feeling rather foolish...and waited. He waited twenty minutes 'til he heard the voice on the phone again. 'Yes?' he asked, 'what do you have for me? Give it to me quick. I told the base I would be back in two hours and I'm going to be late.'

'First of all, relax. I will call your Commanding Officer. The alert is most likely just a practice drill. If it were anything serious...I would have known about it. I'll tell him you are working for 'Homeland Security', and that you will be back as soon as I let you go. He'll approve anything I order him to, so you just listen to what I have to tell you...then decide what you want to do.'

'Sure, whatever you say Bill. I just don't want to wind up with a Court-Martial or even a week of K.P. Who the hell do I take my orders from?'

'Look, anything having to do with Homeland Security...I'm your boss and my orders supersede any army orders. The only person who can countermand my orders would be my District Chief. I think I can trust you to know the difference between an army order and an FBI order? As long as you do your job, I will back you up to the hilt,' he said, and continued, 'anyway, I looked up that organization, and it is a cover operation that raises money for 'Hamas'. Are you sure Kassie told you he was an officer? ...Because his name is not listed.'

'That's what she said,' he assured Bill, 'but she might have just assumed that her father would be an officer in any group in which he had a membership.'

'Can you get back there tonight and get me more information?'

After thinking about going back for a while, Joseph told him, 'I could go back now, but I don't think it's wise to do. If I came running back right now, with my base on alert, they might think that was weird, especially, if I started to ask questions about that committee business.'

'Bingo! Anyone ever tell you that you have a nose for this type of work?' the FBI agent said, 'you're right, this may have been a slip or it might even be a way of testing you. You have to play it like you are not interested in Fazzi's meeting. I'm sure you can figure a way of getting more information on the organization in the future. Just play it cool and be careful. This could be the break we need to get 'goods' on them. Our government has finally recognized 'Hamas' as a terrorist organization. Wait a second. You know, I never asked you if you were circumcised.'

'I'm not circumcised. Why do you ask?' Joseph answered; trying to figure out what Bill could be getting at.

'I'm glad you're not. If you were, they might think you were a Moslem or an Israeli spy. That just may be one of the reasons they might want you to 'bed' either Kassie or Fazzi. '

'Well, you can stop worrying about that Bill,' the soldier said quietly. 'They both know I have not been skinned.'

'I won't ask you how they know,' Bill laughed, 'but I could guess. Get back to the base. I'll see you Sunday. Have a good weekend.'

Joseph turned on the radar detector and drove at a good clip back to the base, making record time. He pulled the car into the school parking lot and made his way to the Company Headquarters. Soldiers in field dress were scurrying here and there loading up trucks with all kinds of gear. He reported in to the company clerk.

'You're twenty minutes late. I hope that girl was worth it, because this is going to cost you! Where the fuck was you?' Williams demanded to know.

'Didn't a Mr. Barns contact you? He said he was going to talk to the C.O. about this,' Joseph said, just as the C.O. came out of his office.

'Corporal Williams, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you, Benson was on special duty for me,' the C.O. said, and then told Joseph to join-up with his unit in the barracks.

Joseph ran to his quarters and found Ibrahim packing his gear. 'Glad you made it back buddy,' his roommate said, as he continued to pack his duffel bag. 'Get packed. We are moving out.'

'Where?'

'I don't know. All we were told was to pack our field stuff as if we were going out on field maneuvers,' he said. 'We were told to pack for a week in the field. What with the weekend coming up everyone is pissed off. Where the hell were you?'

'On overnight with Kassie in Paterson,' he said, 'we got caught at a most inappropriate time, damn it. Her family had left for the evening and we had the house to ourselves.'

'Oh!' he laughed, 'got caught with your pants down? I still hope you know what you are doing, Joseph.'

'It's gone beyond playing games, Ibrahim. We are talking about a future together,' Joseph said, and then asked Ibrahim, 'If I should need a Best Man would you like to take the job?'

'You don't know what you're getting into, buddy. Are you aware that you might have to convert to Islam? And are you sure you want to go through with that? You would have to be circumcised!'

'I'm not so sure about having my cock cut,' the soldier said as he packed his field kit. 'Her mother was Christian, and we might get hitched in an army chapel. We have not even discussed that part yet...but as much as I hate the thought...if it comes down to that...hell, with the size of my cock, I think I can spare a bit of foreskin for her. Besides, there is still plenty of time to think about that.'

'Well you better start to think about it. No Muslim father is going to permit his daughter to marry a Christian. We don't like losing any of our people to you infidels. Then there is also the matter regarding the restrictions on not eating pork,' Ibrahim jested, 'who will I give my bacon to...to say nothing about those pork chops you love so dearly!'

'Now you Muslims have gone too far,' he jested, 'much too far. There, I have my gear all packed...what now?'

'The usual!' Ibrahim said. 'We wait.'

They sat around until a little after midnight. Then the 'Stand Down' command was heard over the school 'Bitch Box': 'Stand down. The alert is canceled. Resume regular duties.'

A loud chorus of moans, groans and curses could be heard. Typical army shit...hurry up and wait.

'What are you going to do now...go back to Paterson?' Joseph's roommate asked.

'No, I think it's too late for that,' he said; 'besides I need a good night's sleep. I'll just call her and tell her I'll see her Monday night.'

'Not going there over the weekend?' asked Ibrahim.

'No, I have something to do for Kassie's father on Long Island this weekend. She knows all about it,' Joseph told him. 'I'm going outside to give her a 'good night' call before going to bed.'

'Hey you don't have to do that...I would love to hear how you make love to her in Arabic,' Ibrahim said, as he dodged a pillow thrown at him by Joseph while he left the room. 'Come back soon. It's unusual having you sleep here, and it will give us a chance to catch up on things.'

Walking outside, the soldier found a secluded spot and called Kassie. He told her the alert had been just a drill, and that he would see her Monday night. She said that since she had the weekend free, she and her mother had decided to visit relatives in the Dearborn area of Michigan. They would not be back 'til late Monday evening. He wished her a safe trip. Then, sounding very disappointed, he told her that he would miss her. 'Please tell Fazzi that I hope to have good news for him about my meeting with Mr. Worthington by Sunday evening.

'Maybe you would like to stop off here on your way back from Long Island?' she asked. 'It would break up your trip. Perhaps you could also pick up the laundry you left. The maid says that she washed and ironed your uniforms and they are waiting for you.'

'Oh yes, I forgot about that,' he said. 'Please thank her for me. I don't need them now, so I will pick it up next time I see you. I'll miss you, 'habibi'. I'm sorry about tonight. Perhaps next time I shouldn't answer the phone!'

'I love you, 'habibi', and I really wanted you tonight, but the army comes first. Coming from a military family I understand, truly I do,' she cooed. 'Maybe next time. 'Til Tuesday then.'

Joseph went back to his room and found his roommate stretched out on the cot, still dressed in his field uniform, sound asleep. Joseph undressed, crawled into his bed and got a good night's sleep.

Saturday, after inspection, he drove the car into New York City to pick up Richard. It was the first time he had driven in a city of that size. At first he was a bit scared. The drive through the tunnel was unnerving, but once he got that under his belt, he was able to find his way about Manhattan. He had studied the city maps, and after a few bad turns, he finally made it downtown to Richard's apartment. He found a place to park within view of the front door and called Richard on the cell phone. 'Hey babe, I'll be up in a few minutes. Are you packed and ready to go?' Joseph asked.

'Yes!' answered an excited Richard: 'I've been ready and waiting for a half hour. We can leave as soon as you get here. That is, unless you have another plan in mind, babe. It seems like years since we have seen each other. I'm so horny for you, that I've been sitting here thinking about raping you the moment you walk in the door!'

'You're going to have to hold that thought until we are in bed tonight, lover. You know how I hate to fuck and run. And we are going to have to run if we are going to catch the train,' Joseph lied...laughing to himself...'besides, I want to make love to you under your parents' roof. It's a real turn on knowing they will be in the same house.'

'That's all well and good, but I just hope I can hold out that long!' Richard screamed into the phone. 'Just get your ass up here fast!'

Joseph closed his cell, got out of the car and opened the trunk and removed his small overnight bag...which he carried into the apartment building. Using the key that Richard had given him, he entered the lobby, found and rode the elevator up to Richard's floor. He opened the door to the apartment and there was Richard, waiting for him. The two lovers embraced each other and kissed.

'I've missed you so much, lov,' Richard said, as his hands slipped down to Joseph's ass...his hard erection grinding against the soldier's groin. 'You sure you don't want to forget about going out to the Island tonight? We could stay here tonight and catch the first train in the morning. I'll call dad and he will understand.'

'No Rich, as much as I've missed you, and want you right now, there are reasons that we have to leave now. For one, you know your family must have prepared supper for us, and that they will be very disappointed if we don't show up tonight,' Joseph said. 'As for the other reasons...I will explain them to you while we are on the way. Just hold that horniness 'til later, my love. I promise you won't be sorry.'

'Spoil sport,' the dejected lover said, as both he and Joseph picked up their travel kits and together they made their way to the elevator. 'Man, do I have a lot to tell you too.' Riding down in the elevator, Rich told Joseph that he had got the 'underwear' job he had told him about. 'The money is enough to pay for my acting school, full-time. Also, remember that small part, the one I told you I was auditioning for? My agent said I'm a shoo-in.'

'Fantastic! I'm really glad for you. No more tables to wait on,' Joseph grinned.

'Well, like they say, maybe I should not give up my day job just yet,' said Richard, as they left the elevator and went out on to the street, 'but at least I don't have to wait tables on the weekends.'

As Joseph started to walk in the direction of his car, Richard grabbed his arm and said, 'Hey, haven't you learned where the subway is by now? It's the other way.'

'I know, but I just wanted to take a look at that car parked across the street...that white convertible BMW.'

'Yeah, that's real kool,' said Richard, as the two of them approached and circled the car. 'Someday, when I'm a big star on Broadway, I'm going to get my hands on one of these babies. Then I'll be able to take you home or on a date in real style.'

'That someday is now. It's mine...all mine,' said Joseph, to his shocked companion, as he opened the trunk. 'Put your stuff in the trunk with mine, and we will drive out to see your folks in style. In fact I'll even let you drive it. Along the way I will fill you in and bring you up to date. Do you think you can handle this 'junky'?'

'You bet your sweet ass I can. Dad lets me drive his BMW and that's a stick shift...this should be a piece of cake. How did you ever manage to get this 'jalopy'? The government isn't spending my hard earned tax money giving you soldiers BMWs, are they?'

'Nope, it wasn't given to me by our government. A government to which, if I recall right, you don't report some of your hard earned cash,' Joseph jested. After loading their luggage, he handed Richard the car keys and got into the passenger seat. 'Here, you get behind the wheel. Let me show you where everything is and how to start this baby up.'

Richard listened, started the car up, put it in drive, and they started off to the Island. Joseph told Rich how he got the car, and filled him in on what had happened since they had last seen each other. He told him everything...including the parts about Fazzi and Kassie. 'I'm telling you all this, because I want you to hear this from me, and I don't want to hold anything back from you. I don't want there to be any secrets or hidden stuff. I love you and trust you and there will be nothing secret between us. Anytime you feel that it's getting to be too much for you, let me know, and I'll try to pull out.'

'Joseph, you know I didn't want you doing any of this crap in the first place. But, I also know that it has to be done, and that you are probably the only one able to do this. Really, I may bitch and complain, but I'm proud of you. I did a lot of thinking about this, and I must admit, that in the beginning, I was ready to kill you. But then I kept telling myself...over and over...that you are doing this for us, for you, for the fucking country and for me. You I can fight, but I can't fight the entire country, can I?'

'Tomorrow, my FBI control man will be at your parents' house. He will talk to all of us: you, your parents, and me. I already asked your dad to meet with him and your father has agreed. Tonight, I'm going to tell your mom and dad the whole story. If after they hear me out, they agree to work with me, I will continue this...otherwise I will tell Bill that I want out. I'll quit and go back to being an army translator. I don't care which way this turns out, as long as I have you and your family alongside me in the future,' Joseph said, as he leaned his head against Richard's shoulder and kissed his cheek.

'Watch that babe. I don't want to smash up your new car. You have a way of getting me excited at the most inopportune times,' Richard said, as his fingers grasped the wheel to keep the car under control.

The rest of the trip, Joseph filled him in on who Agent Barns was, and explained more or less how his family would fit into the complicated plan. He had planned to tell the entire family together, but the soldier thought it would be better to at least get Rich 'on board' first. This way, both of them would present a united front. Joseph slipped a CD into the slot, and for the rest of the trip they heard music from the expensive sound system in the car.

Richard's eyes spied the 'black box' hooked up to the sun visor. 'Hey is that a radar detector up there?' he asked.

'Yes and no,' Joseph said. 'It is a bug scanner and radar detector rolled up into one instrument. I need it to make sure that no one is listening to what's going on or has planted a tracking device. Agent Barns thought it would be better to be safe than sorry. I'll show you how it works later.'

The drive lasted about two hours. When they were about 30 minutes from the house, Richard told Joseph to call and let his parents know that they were on their way and would be there soon. He wanted them to know so that they would not go to the station to meet them. 'Just tell them we have arranged other transportation and don't need to be picked up,' said Richard.

Twenty minutes later, they appeared at the gate of the Worthington estate. Using the gate intercom, they were let in and drove up to the front door. Both of Richard's parents were waiting with opened mouths. As they stepped out, Rich's father, seeing his son get out from behind the wheel, said aghast, 'Well, if I had known that modeling underwear was going to pay so well...I would have done that myself years ago. I would have been saved from all the ups and downs of the market.'

'Sorry dad but it's not mine...it belongs to Joseph, and he did not steal it either,' he joked. 'He will explain it all to the both of you in due time.'

'From what Joseph tells me, we all have an interesting weekend in store for us,' Richard senior said.

Rich's mother hugged both boys and said, 'Come, let's go inside. You boys must be famished.'

After they had eaten supper and were sitting around in the living room, Joseph and Rich told the Worthingtons as much of the story as they could. When he was finished there was a long silence. Mr. Worthington, stern-faced, got up and began to pace back and forth.

'Now, let me see if I read this right,' he said, while still pacing, 'you want this family to use our position, to say nothing of our honor, to help you in what may well be a wild-goose chase? And with no evidence other than this Fazzi is an Arab?'

'Well sir, there is proof that at one time he was a Syrian agent,' Joseph said. 'I will admit that it all sounds rather 'thin' to say the least, but there must be something there. The fact that he is involved with 'Hamas' should be proof enough to at least investigate. With the record of that group alone, I would think that the possibility that we might be preventing another 'nine-eleven' would be reason enough.'

'And what if there is nothing there?' asked Rich's father. 'The very fact that my firm helped you persecute an innocent Arab would kill any chance of my getting a share of that oil money....'

'Oil money?' his wife asked. 'Is that more important than preventing another 'nine-eleven'? Dear, do you remember how frantic I was that day, not knowing if you were alive, or if you had been buried under one of those collapsed buildings? Your business took you in and out of that area every day, and your office on Wall Street was not far from 'ground zero'. Richard, this family lost a lot of friends that day, and if there was anything we could have done to prevent it, you'd better believe that we would have done it. If there is even a slight chance....'

'You're right, my dear,' Richard senior said, looking as if he had been slapped in the face. 'I should not have needed you to even remind me. It's just that I guess I've forgotten that we are at war. Joseph, we will help you in any way we can. What do you need us to do?'

'Well, I just want you to listen to Agent Barns tomorrow,' the soldier said. 'He will outline a plan that we have been working on. I think we will be able to work this in such a way that you may attract a lot of legitimate 'oil money', as well as help the country. One thing more, neither Barns nor anyone else knows about your son and me. I think it would be better if we kept it that way...for now.'

'What if you have to marry that Kassie girl?' Mrs. Worthington asked.

'I don't think it will come to that. Both Barns and I now believe that, not only Fazzi, but also his wife, and possibly his daughter, are Agents...that they may be using me in order to get something other than a husband for her,' Joseph said. 'What that is...we don't know yet, for sure.'

'I'm sorry I sounded so cold before,' Worthington senior said. 'We will all help. And let me say how proud of both you and Rich we are! You, Joseph, are the best thing that has happened to Rich, and to our family, in a long time. Be assured that we will do 'our duty'.'

'Not only that, sir, but just think of the sales commissions,' Joseph said.

'You mean I get to keep them?'

'Well I hope so. Why not? We will have to ask Barns about that...along with whether or not I get to keep that BMW,' Joseph laughed.

'Now let's have a drink on it,' Richard junior said. 'And then, James Bond here and I have a few maneuvers to go over in private. Just don't try to wake us too early tomorrow. We have a lot of time to make up for. If you hear unusual sounds coming from our room...don't call the E.M.S....at least not until you get the word from either of us.'

'A little too much information, junior,' replied Richard senior.

It was eleven in the morning when Joseph opened his sleepy eyes. He was having this really hot dream of the two of them in bed. Richard was under the covers, between his legs, his nose buried deep into the soldier's pubic hair. His throat encasing Joseph's rock hard cock, Squeezzing it! Then he realized that it was no dream. Peeking under the blanket, there was Richard...sucking away like he was looking to suck all of Joseph's insides out through his cock.

'Oh yeah, it don't get any better than this baby,' he said, and then spun himself around into a 69 position and took Rich's cock into his mouth. The two of them spent the rest of the morning sucking and swallowing each other's dicks or fucking each other like a pair of wild lovers on a honeymoon. Finally there was a banging on the door.

'Hey you two, are you going to spend the entire day in there? Are you both OK?' Richard's mom yelled out. 'At least come up for air and a bit of food other than...'

They both started to laugh so hard that they rolled around on the floor. Richard yelled out to his mother, 'Neither of us asked you to call the E.M.S. yet mom! We'll be out in time for a late lunch.' Then to Joseph he whispered, 'We'd better get up. She's liable to call the fire department and have them hose us down like two rutting dogs.'

'Yes, I guess we had better. Barns will be here in a few hours,' Joseph said-laughing at the thought of the fire department hosing them down.

The two lovers got showered and dressed and then came down for a late Sunday brunch. After lunch they took a short walk along the beach. It was difficult to realize that only a few weeks ago they were walking along the same white sand...barefooted. The weather had quickly changed from summer to late fall. This afternoon the wind was very cool...almost cold. Winter was coming. You could almost smell the snow in the air. They walked hand in hand for a while, enjoying the change in season, and then turned back to the house. There they found Mr. and Mrs. Worthington waiting for them on the back porch.

'We were watching the two of you walking together,' Rich's mom said. 'It reminded us of the times, many years ago, when your father and I would walk along that same stretch of beach. After you were born, Richard, we dreamed that someday you might walk with the one you loved along this beach. Today we saw that. Even though it wasn't exactly how we originally visualized...it was still the same. Joseph, what my husband said...last night about you being the best thing that has happened to our family...was only partly right. Rich was the best and you are the second best. I'm so very glad he found you.'

'Well, I just don't know what to say,' Joseph said, choking up a bit, 'your son means the world to me and....'

The sound of the buzzer from the main gate interrupter their conversation, 'That must be your Mr. William Barns.' Sarah said. 'Let's meet this man and see what he has planned for all of us.' Moving to the front of the house, they opened the gate by the remote control and waited as Bill drove his car up the driveway. Joseph opened the car door for him and as he got out shook his hand and introduced him to everyone.

'Bill, I want you to meet Mr. Richard Worthington, his wife, Sarah and their son Rich,' Joseph said. 'Folks this is Agent William Barns, my boss.'

'It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I assume that Joseph has told you why I'm here,' Bill smiled as he showed them his identification. 'You can call me, Bill. Let's go somewhere private where we can talk.'

'I think the library would be the best place,' Sarah said. 'Richard, my dear, take our guest there and I'll put on some coffee and join you men there. Bill is coffee OK or do you wish something else?'

'Coffee is just fine and that's very kind of you,' Bill said.

They all followed the senior Richard into the library and got comfortable around the coffee table. Bill opened the large file he had brought with him and withdrew a few sheets. 'Mr. Worthington, besides your butler-chauffeur John Lang, his wife Emily Lang the cook and Peter Devons the gardener, do you have any other household help?'

'Why no! How did you know that?' Richard asked flabbergasted.

'We are the FBI, Richard, and I had to check out anyone that might be privy to anything we say or do on this matter. You can be assured, that your servants, as well as the rest of your family are what we call 'good' security risks. However, I would still be careful about what you say in front of anyone from now on. It might also be a good idea to remind them that, 'what they hear here stays here.'

'Just what is this all about? And what is it that you wish us to do?' asked Sarah, returning to the room wheeling a cart loaded with coffee, cookies and light refreshments. 'I hope this is enough Mr. Barns, I did not know if you had lunch or not. I could have our cook prepare a sandwich, if you prefer.'

'Oh my God, no thank you. I already had lunch and what you have here is more than enough for me,' said Bill, taking the cup of coffee from her hand and looking over the sumptuous spread laid out on the tray. 'It is not often that the recipients of an FBI visit welcome him with a catered affair,' he jested.

After everyone had helped themselves to coffee and snacks, Bill continued, 'First of all, and this is just supposition, we believe that Fazzi Muhammad and his family are terrorists. And not only that, but we also think that Fazzi is the head of a ring that is planning another undercover operation perhaps as big as the World Trade Center one. And that they plan to add insult to injury by using American money to pay for it! If this is so...it could mean that our efforts to close down their financial sources are beginning to pay off.

'If you really think that is so,' the elder Richard said. 'I join with my wife in asking you...what can we do to help?'

' It remains to be seen if their sources of money are drying up. I hope so, but in the meantime here is what I would like you to do for us. Mr. Worthington, you will do and act the same as if this was just a regular new account. It may well be a very large account and we would like to know the amounts and where the money came from. We would also like to know to where and to whom the money is going. We do not expect Mr. Muhammad to come right out with this information. However, he might slip and any information you can gather would be of help to us. Don't push Fazzi too far. We don't want him to get suspicious. When funds are withdrawn from the account we want a record of the amounts, to whom they are given and how the money was transferred. We want to be able to establish and follow the money trail.'

'Is that all? ' Richard senior asked. 'Joseph made it sound like we would be involved in a real 'James Bond' operation here. What you are asking us to do is nothing more than SOP, (standard operating procedure). I thought we would be involved in cloak-and-dagger stuff.'

'That's Joseph's job, and we do have other paid professionals for that sort of stuff,' the FBI agent said. 'Joseph does get a bit 'Hollywoodish' at times. But taking that into account plus a few other faults, he has the makings of a great agent. He really has the dangerous part in this operation. But, for some reason, he gets the job done, and at times, even better than our regular agents do or even could do.'

'Is there anything else we can do to help?' the younger Richard asked. 'Something that would make it less dangerous for Joseph?'

'No,' Barns answered. 'The one thing we do not need is a amateur getting in the way. Joseph is one hell of an agent and there is no need to worry about him. There is really nothing else that I can think of offhand. You will all have my card with my telephone numbers, at work and home. If you should have any questions or need help, just call me either at the office or at home 24/7, and I do mean 24/7. I repeat: For now, Mr. Worthington, just act as you would with any other client.'

'Well, if what Joseph has told me about this man is true, this man will not be any other 'ordinary' client. He may have lots of money to invest and that will demand special handling,' the Wall Street financier said.

'Special handling? Yes, that's true,' said the FBI agent. Since I myself have never been involved with Wall Street or the big money boys, I have no experience in how these things are done. Mr. Muhammad may want to develop social as well as business relationships with you. I leave that up to your judgment. I would think with your larger clients, co-mingling and socializing are the norm. There could be a lot of money involved here and you should expect some handsome sales commissions.'

'Talking about the commissions...last night, after Joseph told us about this operation...my husband and I talked about this commission business,' Sarah said. 'We decided that, after deducting expenses, we would like to have any leftover profit divided between The NYC Policemen's Widows and Orphans Fund and The Firemen's Widows and Orphans Fund.'

'Madam, this is very generous of the two of you,' the agent said. 'I don't know what to say, except, thank you.' Then turning to Joseph he said, 'Who said, 'there weren't anymore class acts around'? Well, unless there are any other questions, I'll finish my coffee and leave you good people and return to my own family. It's now up to you, Joseph, to get things rolling with Fazzi. Go get him, tiger!'

Bill finished his coffee and again thanked the Worthingtons for their help and hospitality. Joseph then showed him out. As he got into his car, Bill said to Joseph, 'Your friends are good people. I don't want to see any of you hurt. Be careful. What I said in there about you having the rough part is true. Just watch your backside.'

'I will Bill. On the way back to base I'm going to stop at Fazzi's and start the ball rolling. You take it easy driving home.'

After Bill left, the soldier rejoined the family in the library, and they talked about setting up the first meeting between Fazzi and Richard senior. The talk continued throughout the evening meal. After supper, Joseph and Rich packed, said their good-byes and took off for the city. Joseph would drop Rich off at his place, and say good-bye to him, and then continue on to Paterson to pickup his laundry and perhaps a meeting with Fazzi....

To be continued...