started edging for the back of the crowd. People made way for him as though he were a leper – which, I suppose, he was. I turned to the news people, and nodded my thanks. Every one of them smiled in return.
Clara broke the remaining tension by telling the news people 'In addition to his obvious good taste' – they laughed at that – 'Dan also has a Masters degree in computer science from M.I.T. It goes well with the degrees he got from Princeton in Mathematics and Philosophy, and the medals he earned as the leader of a team that was the prototype for the Delta Force.' That last part resulted in a few murmurs, and several of them giving me a closer look.
Clara went on to introduce Lucy, who got a wolf whistle from somewhere in the back. Clara laughed, and said 'Don't get any ideas – she's engaged to Dan!' A moment later, we all laughed when someone said 'Uh, never mind!'
When the laughter died down, Clare told them '*FOR BACKGROUND ONLY*' – the magic phrase that said 'hands off!' in media-speak – 'the two young ladies that Dan is so protective of are Robyn' – she smiled and gave everyone a little wave – 'who is Lucy's daughter, and Sandra' – she smiled and waved, too – 'who is Robyn's friend.' I noticed that the camera people went so far as to point their cameras at the floor while Robyn and Sandra were being introduced. Lucy saw it, too, and squeezed my hand under the table we were sitting at.
Clara continued by telling them 'In a gesture of goodwill, they've agreed to be present at this conference. Lucy has agreed to answer a FEW questions; when she's done, let it go, okay folks? Dan has indicated that he's willing to answer them until his patience runs out. That would be a good time to stop.' she told them, to general laughter.
When the laughter faded, she told them 'Actually, Dan and the rest have been surprisingly patient with all that's happened to them. We were concerned about possible involvement by organized crime, and had assigned them a protective detail. They've been very cooperative with the detail members, and shown great patience with having to live their lives in something of a fishbowl. At our people's request, Dan here made a pass through our combat pistol range. His expert pistol rating in the Army served him well – he set a new course record on his FIRST and ONLY try. A record, by the way, that was set by one of the members of his protective detail. We've already made available to you a brief description of what happened in this case, and approximately when. One of my agents will be handing out additional information on Dan and Lucy. We ask that you do NOT ask about any security arrangements or precautions, for obvious reasons. That said, we'll open the floor to questions.'
The first was a reporter from a local paper, who asked Lucy 'Ma'am?
What was it that got you here in the first place?'
Lucy briefly told them that one of her company's clients had requested an audit; she went on to explain what had happened that had gotten her concerned enough to contact me.
Next was a TV journalist, who asked me 'Mr. Andrews, is it true that you had to show the FBI's people how to see what you'd found, and explain it to them?'
I told him that the FBI had a fine technical department, but that not all of their experts could be everyplace at once; the people I'd dealt with had been skilled professionals that simply didn't have the time or resources to stay on top of everything.
I caught the next question, too, when a reporter asked about my military background. I told him what I could, and when he tried to press for more, I told him that he'd have to ask the people in charge – I was just a line grunt that did as I was told. He got the message, but didn't like it.
For nearly an hour it went like that – Lucy catching a few questions, but most of them being directed at me. I was getting tired of it when Clara and I locked eyes. She understood, and jumped in to tell them 'Okay, folks, one last question, then we have to call it a day, okay?'
There was a brief clamor before one of the print guys managed to make himself heard 'Mr. Andrews, how much are you being paid for what you did? From the information, the FBI is crediting you with the recovery of over three hundred million dollars.'
The rest of them quickly quieted down to hear me answer him 'I'm being paid a percentage of the money recovered.'
'What percentage is that, sir?'
I smiled, and told him 'That's for the people signing the check to say. Ask them.'
Lucy and I stood up then, and at the request of some of the photographers, assumed a couple of poses for them. Then Clara got in on the action for another round of photos. But all of it stopped dead when Robyn and Sandra left their places at the side and moved to join Lucy and me.
As we were leaving, I told them 'Thanks, folks.', and heard one of them reply 'Thank YOU, Mr. Andrews.'
As we were making our way out, Clara told me 'Thank you, Dan, for answering the questions about our people the way you did. You could have made us look like a bunch of bumbling fools, but you didn't, and we appreciate it.'
I told her 'Clara, you've got damn good people here. I'm not going to shaft them for*anyone*.'
By that time, we'd reached the door we came in, and Clara wished us a safe trip home. The news people were still bunched up at the front of the building, so the four of us were able to make our escape unnoticed. On the way back, I suggested that we might want to stay in our room that night; Lucy and the girls understood immediately, and quickly agreed. At Sandra's suggestion, we made a quick stop at a convenience store to load up on snacks and munchies, then continued back to the hotel.
We'd been in our rooms only a couple of minutes when the early news came on – featuring the news conference as the lead story. The network news followed, and we were again the top story. Back to the evening news, where we again got top billing. The phone rang, and I answered it, half-afraid of who it might be, and what they'd want.
Lucy was listening in when we heard Muddy say 'Damn, Boomer, but you're some kind of*ugly* on TV!'
I laughed, and told him 'I don't understand it, Muddy – I'm just so *cute* in person!', and hearing him laugh in response. Lucy just sat next to me, grinning.
When he stopped chuckling, Muddy told me 'Boomer, I knew you were into something serious when all those FBI people showed up. Didn't know it was gonna get*this* serious, they go showing your face on TV like that.'
'Well, they had to have*somebody* to push out in front of the cameras, and you know how MY luck runs.'
He sniggered, and asked 'All those FBI people that was watching out for you – what are you doing to take care of them?'
I told him that Clara had told me about their Emergency Fund, and that I'd be making a contribution to it. He asked if I had anything in mind for my protective detail, and I told him I wanted to, but hadn't thought of anything yet.
He sighed, and said 'Damn fool. You send 'em on out here, and*I'll* take care of them for you.'
I thought it over, and told him 'Only if I can pay for it.'
And the argument started.
It finally ended when I told him 'Dammit, Muddy! I swear to God, I'll give every last one of them a McDonalds gift certificate before I send a single one of them out there for you to feed!'
There was dead silence on the line for several seconds before we heard him say 'And you would, too, wouldn't you?'
'Damn right. Muddy, it was US they were watching out for, and it's damn well gonna be ME that thanks them. If you want to help, that's fine, but*I'M* covering the tab on this one. This one's MY payback, not yours.'
We heard him sigh, and he gave in, telling me 'Okay, Boomer, this one's yours. You find out how many, and write me a check, and I'll take care of them when they get here.'
'You've got a deal, Muddy. But I'm telling you right now, if you don't cash the check, I'll come back here and kick your ass, you got it?'
He laughed, and said 'You know, I think you could, too. You're right tough, for a white boy. Best pack a lunch, though.'
'Lunch, my ass. I'd be packing everything I could carry.', I answered, laughing.
He told me to be careful, and I assured him I would; that ended the conversation. Lucy looked at me, and
