The Big Guy Chapter 7

The Big Guy
Chapter 7

I was going to drop Lucy off with her mom, and then they went to Memphis to shop for a wedding dress. I had learned that they were Methodists and that the church would be available whenever they wanted. I guess that happens when you build the church and contribute thousands yearly. I had no idea what was available for a reception, but it would have to be significant. Lucy says Jonathan Bascomb had hundreds of business associates and a large family. I even had a few relatives and friends I wanted to invite.

I was also driving to Memphis but was going separately because I had semi-official business to conduct, and I had yet to learn how long it would take. My only concern was to be back in Bascomb’s Creek by 5:30 so we could go out for dinner before a brief executive session with the City Council before their official meeting.

Max and I arrived in Memphis just before ten, and I stopped at a gas station to ask for directions to police headquarters. The attendant took one look at me in my uniform and another at Max before stuttering out an explanation I was barely able to follow. I did find the building, but only after asking for directions again. I parked in the restricted lot, placing a placard saying U.S. MARSHAL on the top line and OFFICIAL BUSINESS on the bottom. Locking the doors, I led Max up the steps and through the entrance.

Of course, I was challenged immediately by an officer at the information desk. “You can’t bring that animal in here, Marshal.”

“Okay, if you can get him to leave, that’ll be fine.” He was barely out from behind the desk when Max growled and bared his fangs. The sergeant was back behind the desk in a flash.

“Just tell me how to get to Paul McCormick’s office.”

“Do you have an appointment? I don’t see you on my list.”

“Don’t worry about that. Paul will see me. I saved his life twice when he was a Marshal; besides—it’s official business.” He pointed me to the elevator, and I got off on the fifth floor, turning right and walking through the double glass doors.

A receptionist met me, and I could see that the door to Paul’s office was open, so I said in a booming voice, “Tell that big jerk Paul McCormick to get off his fat butt and get you women some pastries to go with your coffee.”

As I expected, Paul came to his door and laughed. “I’ll let you know I took the entire group out for lunch last week. You’re even uglier than you were the last time I saw you. Come on in, Matt. Hi there, Max.” Max loved Paul from when we were partners, so he jumped the little railing and ran to be petted by Paul. I shook his hand, we hugged, and then he escorted us into the office.

“It might be a good idea to close the door, Paul,” I spoke again once we had privacy. I explained about the Bascomb family barbeque and the theft I had uncovered.

“That’s pretty high society up that way, Matt. How’d you ever wangle an invitation to something like that?”

“I proposed to their daughter, and she accepted.”

A huge grin came to my buddy’s face. “You lucky S-O-B, you. Even here in Memphis, the Bascoms are big-time. They are one of the biggest businesses in the state. How on earth did you manage that?”

“I got lost in the rain about two weeks ago, and she opened the diner where she was supposed to give me a snack and a Coke. Then she took me to a mobile home so I’d have a place to stay. I slept in the same bed with her, but nothing happened. I thought at the time that she was the owner of the diner, nothing more. I told her I liked her a few days later, but it was too soon to say it was love. Then, a couple of days later, I realized I was wrong. I was in love with her; better still, she told me she was in love with me. That’s when I found out who she was, but that’s not why I came to see you. I’ll be appointed as Chief of Police tonight and have a problem I will need help with. I’m hoping you can point me in the right direction.”

I explained about the theft of liquor and the bartender’s comments. “I’ve also seen this cop eat food at a coffee shop and leave without paying. At least that comes to a couple hundred bucks a month. I have a feeling that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If there’s drugs involved, I want it shut down, and I want those responsible in prison.”

“You could go to the County Attorney, but I think the State Attorney here in Memphis would be a better choice.” I agreed, and five minutes later, we had a lunch date with Julia Adams of the State Attorney’s staff. “She’s the best criminal prosecutor on the staff. You’ll see. Other than that, what do you see as their biggest problems?”

“Well…to begin with, almost half the town is black, and guess how many black officers I’ll have?”

“None?”

“That’s what they have now, but there will be one after tonight. We’re hiring Daryl Evans as a lieutenant. I need someone I know I can trust.”

“Good choice; I was thinking about him for the department here.”

“I’m also setting up the same performance standards as the Marshal’s Service. Lucy is on the City Council, and she’s cleared the way. I anticipate we’ll look for at least eight new officers…maybe more, and I know where to find many of them.”

“Good thinking; sounds like you’re going to hit the ground running.” We laughed and then laid out our plans for our meeting at lunch. That went very well. Julia Adams was a woman in her late forties, and I could tell from her questions and responses that she was as tough as nails. She had some great ideas, beginning with a thorough interrogation of the bartender Perkins and, from that, perhaps a search of his dorm room to find the drugs he claimed his roommate had there. If the search were successful, she would try to flip the roommate and possibly others. She had told me that I had made her day. She was looking forward to a big case, and one about police corruption would be one of the biggest. Lucy had given me additional food for thought. Jeremy Haynes, at age 31, still lived with his parents. Did that mean his father knew about his allegedly illegal activities or was involved? I had a feeling we’d know in a month or less.

I arrived at the Bascomb residence at 5:25 and was shown into the house by Samuel, the butler. Lucy’s parents were in the library having a drink.
Knowing I’d be in a public meeting later, I declined their offer. Lucy joined us a few minutes later, greeting Max and me with a quick kiss and ruffling his head and ears.

“That’s a police dog, Lucille. Are you sure he’s safe?”

“Mother, I couldn’t be safer than with Matt or Max. Watch this.” She knelt next to Max and pushed her arm into his mouth. The worst thing that happened was that her arm was slobbered on. She hugged Max and returned to the powder room to wash her arms and hands. We left a few minutes later, Max’s head resting on Lucy’s shoulder.

We returned to the barbeque restaurant, where we had brisket and beef ribs with a big tossed salad. I would have preferred their barbequed beans, but I abstained out of consideration for those in the large meeting room. We left and arrived at the City Hall just before seven. Lucy and I walked into the same small room I had been in last Friday evening. Lucy had explained that this room was used for executive sessions and small group meetings while the Council’s open meetings were conducted in the large auditorium in the front of the building.

Carl Haynes called the meeting to order, and Martin Albright was asked about my contract. He briefly summarized the contract and the changes I had requested. Only Haynes had any questions. I answered those directed to me—why I felt they were essential and what purpose I was trying to accomplish. Several others criticized his comments and strongly suggested that we move forward.

Lucy then passed out sheets of Daryl’s resume to the Council members. I gave them a few minutes to review it before speaking in support. “I’ve known Daryl Evans for the past eight years, and we have worked on dozens of cases together. He has the highest integrity and is a natural leader. He also has one more advantage in that he is a black man. We need some black police officers to reach out to the black community.” Suppose Haynes was upset before he showed his true colors now. He was an avowed racist. He ranted and yelled for five minutes before I interrupted him. “Ms. Bascomb will present him for approval, and the final decision will be presented to the Council. If they want him—fine. If they don’t, I’ll have to find someone else.”

Then Lucy brought up the performance standards I had reviewed with the Council at my interview. “I also intend to ask the Council to approve the standards formally Matt brought to our attention on Friday.”

“I don’t believe that is necessary,” Haynes replied.

“I do, Mr. Chairman. I feel our approval will strengthen Matt’s enforcement of them with the police officers. We all want our officers to be physically capable of conducting their duties. That’s essential to the officers but more critical to the citizenry.”

“I understand you are engaged to Mr. Cahill, Ms. Bascomb.”

“That’s right, Carl. I’ve not tried to hide it, and that’s also why I will abstain from the vote for his appointment.” That was all the business to conduct because we stood and walked into the main room a few minutes later.

Lucy had assured me that the whole thing was a fait accompli, and it was. My appointment was approved by a vote of 7-1 with one abstention, which Lucy explained to polite applause. A vote of 8-1 approved Daryl’s appointment. The same ballot approved the performance standards. The rest of the meeting was routine—read “boring.” It broke up before 10:00, and the Council members congratulated me and many of the public present. Lucy, Max, and I left for our last night in the mobile home a few minutes later.



Up early the following morning, Lucy packed her mostly dirty clothes into her suitcase while I dumped mine into my duffel bag. A few minutes later, I had the clothes, toiletries, and gun bags in the back of the SUV with Max standing guard. I never made assumptions when it came to the handling of weapons. Lucy had cleaned the refrigerator and cupboards and placed everything into cardboard boxes and paper bags. I followed her next door, and we left everything with an elderly black woman who thanked Lucy profusely. Lucy explained that she had been a household servant for many years, and now she lived here rent-free, courtesy of her parents. I drove away a few minutes later, wondering what our change of residence might hold for us.

We ate breakfast at the diner, and afterward, I had to walk Max, so I took him out behind the building. We were there for only a few minutes when Max’s ears stood straight, and he turned suddenly before running at top speed around the building. I turned the corner just in time to see Lucy accosted by her erstwhile suitor from the barbeque. I barely had the time to yell, “Max…hold,” a command that could have saved that idiot’s life.

Max ran beside him and leaped forward, his 130 pounds of muscle and sinew knocking him flat onto the pavement. Max clamped his jaws around the man’s neck less than a second later. I walked up slowly, taking my bawling Lucy into my arms. After soothing her for several minutes, I crouched next to Donald Craig to speak to him in the lowest possible voice. I’d learned years ago that it was far more menacing and powerful than yelling.

“I’m guessing that you haven’t quite learned how to take no for an answer, so let me explain it to you in terms you will understand. Lucille and I are engaged to be married. That means that I’m now responsible for her safety, and it’s a job I take extremely seriously. I could just as quickly give Max the command to kill you, and I doubt that anyone would object given what I saw from the corner of the building and, I’m sure, numerous patrons could see from the windows. You had Lucy backed over the hood of my car and were standing between her legs while she was crying out for help. I could easily make the case that you were trying to rape her.

“So here’s your only warning—leave Lucille alone. Even her mother, who encouraged you in the past, has welcomed and encouraged our relationship, so you’re completely on your own. The next time I see you threatening her as you were today, I will arrest you for violation of her civil rights and sexual assault. By the time you straighten it out, it will have cost you thousands of dollars, and you could be branded a sexual predator for the rest of your life. Max…back.”

Max released him, and I strongly suggested he get out of town—the sooner, the better. Lucy hugged Max to thank him, and we drove off, not to Lucy’s house, but to see her parents. Once again, Samuel opened the door and showed us into the parlor, where Mr. and Mrs. Bascomb drank coffee and read the morning’s newspapers.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise, Lucille…Matt.”

“It wasn’t one we planned, Jonathan. We had an altercation with Donald Craig outside the diner.” I explained what had occurred, and Lucy filled in the blanks, including how terrified she was until Max came to her rescue.

I could see the fire in Jonathan’s eyes as the story unfolded. “I’ll be glad to straighten him out, Matt.”

“I hope you do, Jonathan, because if it happens again, I’ll leave him to Max. Only my command that Max ‘hold’ him saved his life. Max has been trained to act on his own to protect me, and he will, but he knows how I feel about Lucy, so she also falls under his protection. Craig would be well advised to leave town.”

“He will. He works for me and is about to be transferred to Wyoming. I have a mine out there in God’s country. It’s forty miles from the nearest town and would be perfect for him. Of course, he could resign, but then I’ll handle him differently.”

“Don’t do anything illegal, Jonathan. I’d hate to have to arrest my future father-in-law.”

He laughed, but he also knew that I was dead serious. He showed that he understood because a few seconds later, he told all of us, “I did tell you I liked a direct man, didn’t I? I wouldn’t respect you if you were any different.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. Lucy and I left a minute later after her parents had petted Max. I had held each of their hands just as I had with Lucy. They were surprised at how gentle he could be. I hoped that was all they would ever see of Max.

Lucy directed me to the middle of the three garage doors and jumped out to open one. She stood aside as I drove my SUV into the ample space. Sure enough, to my left was a new red Mercedes convertible. Laughing as I let Max out, I said, “I can see you’ve been slumming over the past two weeks.”

“I’d ride in an old clunker if it meant I could be with you, Matt. Come on, let me show you the house. Mi casa es su casa!”

“Be careful; Spanglish is my native language.” She laughed again, then kissed my lips for a long, hot, and wet kiss. Breaking it, she took my hand and led Max and me through the door to a mud room with a washer, dryer, ironing board, laundry sink, and a long coat rack and shoe rack beneath. At the time, I thought this room was almost as big as my studio apartment in Carolina Beach.

Lucy led me into the kitchen, where the aroma of a baked pie assaulted my senses. I was introduced to the cook/maid, a Scandinavian woman named Ingrid. I was surprised to see a set of blue ceramic bowls on a rubber mat. Both said, “Max.” She showed me the dining room, living room, library, and family room at the rear of the house, with two sets of French doors leading to a considerable stone patio and pool with a hot tub that looked like it could hold ten people.

“Now we’re coming to my favorite part—our bedroom.” She whispered as we walked up the stairs. I was sure Max would have been capering at Lucy’s feet had he not been told to heel. There were more rooms here than I wanted to count. Lucy showed me where her home office was and said she’d have a second desk, comfortable chair, and computer in place before I could return. The smallest room of the six bedrooms was more significant than my studio by far.

Finally, she led me to our bedroom. It was huge, at least 400 square feet, with two ample walk-in closets and a big main bathroom with a separate commode room, twin basins, and an oversized Jacuzzi. “This is my favorite, Matt,” Lucy said as she entered the shower. It was the new kind with multiple heads on four walls and no door. “I can’t wait for you to do me in here,” she whispered.

I met the other maid and the gardener and insisted they call me Matt rather than Mr. Cahill. Lucy giggled when they called me Mr. Matt, and I let it go. It wasn’t worth arguing about. However, there was a significant discussion when I was asked what I wanted for dinner. “What do you have,” I innocently asked. Lucy giggled again, but it was more challenging than she had earlier. I looked at her and asked, “What?”

“What would you like for dinner, Matt, if you could choose anything,” my bride-to-be asked.

I thought for about twenty seconds before answering, “It’s been a while since I last had chicken. Could I possibly get it southern fried?”

“Yes, my love—you can and will have chicken, which will be southern fried. I like it that way, too.” She sent the cook away, then tiptoed up to kiss me. “I can see you’re not accustomed to living like this—with a lot of money and servants. All you have to do is ask; it will be done if possible. Did you notice those two big stainless-steel doors in the kitchen?”

“Sure, but I figured they were for a big refrigerator.”

“Well, the one on the left is for a walk-in freezer, and the one on the right is for a refrigerator. We always have a lot of food available, and our beef is dry-aged for more than three weeks before it’s served, just like at Carter’s or any other big fancy restaurant. Why don’t we put on some bathing suits and go for a swim?”

“I don’t have any trunks—only a pair of running shorts. I’m afraid I’ll hang out of them.”

She laughed like hell, and then she whispered, “Goody!”

She was leading me upstairs when I told her she was incorrigible. Then I laughed when she agreed. I expected to find my bag on the floor, but it was empty in the closet—a large set of drawers along one wall and an open shelf with a mirror. I checked the drawers and saw that my clean clothes had been folded and put away. “I’m sure your dirty clothes are in the wash along with mine. Don’t worry; you’ll get used to being spoiled soon.”

“Let’s not forget that I still work for a living, and, hopefully, you’ll be pregnant soon. Being a mother will make you plenty busy, even with servants.” I closed the door and began to strip out of my clothes. I laid them carefully on the bed and then shrugged into my running shorts. Lucy did the same, donning a relatively modest bikini. I had a close look at her, and I had to admit—money or not, she was looking better every day.

“I know what you’re thinking, Matt. I was dowdy when we first met because I had no reason to look any better. You’re bringing out my best. Come on, let’s go get wet.” She took my hand and led me down the stairs and back through the family room. There was a fiberglass locker there with dozens of towels. Lucy grabbed two and handed them to me as she opened an electrical box and turned a dial. The hot tub sprang to life. I dropped the towels on a lounge and stepped into the hot, bubbling water.

We sat there for several minutes when I saw Lucy doing something I couldn’t quite make out. A minute or so later, I realized and was shocked when a gray-striped piece of cloth fell from her hand to the pool deck. It was her bikini bottom. “Here? In the middle of the day, where can we be seen?”

“Yes—right here, and if anyone sees, they’ll just be jealous. I don’t care. I love you, and we’re engaged, so we’re allowed some liberties. Besides, servants are supposed to be mostly invisible. Don’t worry, okay? I’m hoping we’ll be doing this a lot.”

“I’m not going to argue. I love you, and making love is nothing less than spectacular. This will take time for me to get used to. I have a tiny studio apartment in Carolina Beach, about four blocks from the beach. Max and I love to run on the beach even though I’m not supposed to take him there in season. I do it anyway, and I get away with it because I’m a marshal, and we go early. Speaking of Max….” I called him to me and pointed him to a place in the shade. He went immediately, curling up on the excellent stone. “You might not know this, but dogs can get badly sunburned…even worse than people.”

While I was talking, Lucy had run her hand up the leg of my shorts, finding my rapidly engorging cock quickly. She stroked me, then slipped onto my lap, spearing herself in a flash. I could see the rapture in her face as I began to thrust into her. We were into it only a minute when I saw the door from the house open, and my future mother-in-law emerge. I tried to push Lucy off, but she clung to me as though for dear life.



To be continued