Benji in Control
by: E Walk
(© 2009-2011 by the Author)
 

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Chapter 54 

The Real FBI

When I got to the bedroom I decided to make a phone call.  I picked up the receiver and started to dial.  I heard a click that indicated that someone was on an extension.  I knew it wasn’t one of the boys; they had been told not to pick up the phone when there was someone on the phone.  I dialed my office and thankfully there was no answer.

I dialed a second number, “This is Clark Lewis.”

“Clark, it’s Doug.  I had a note when I got back that Senators Leggett and Hodges would be coming to visit, today  Would you call Ken Parker and tell him that the senators would like to meet with him?  I’ll have a visitor with me when I get to the office, today.  His wife is going to accompany the boys to school this morning  The visitors want to see how we are able to have so much at the college.  See you in about an hour.”

When I arrived downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Session were conferring.  Mrs. Session asked, “How will we be getting to school?”

Benji answered, “We’ll go to school on the bus, like we do everyday.  Dad, you’d better write a note to the principal and tell her that Mrs. Session will be visiting, today.”

Benji turned to the alias Mrs. Marge Session, “Will you be eating lunch with us, today?  We eat at different times.  We start with kindergarten and it takes almost an hour for everyone to get their food.”

Mrs. Session shook her head, “I’d like to go to lunch with some of you.  What do you do after lunch?”

“We go to the playground for ten minutes after lunch, to get the wiggles out.”

Mrs. Session asked, “That’s a lot of children on the playground at one time, isn’t it. Who watches all of the children.?”

“There are usually at least three classes on the playground at one time, being watched by two paraprofessionals.  They usually stand around and talk”

“What happens if someone walks away from the playground?  It could be sometime before anyone would realize that someone was missing.”

Rocky answered, “It would be rather difficult for someone to get away, since the gates are locked by the ciphered lock which only the staff know the combination to  The classroom teachers come to pick up their classes. The real free time is when we have recess or PE .”

I did as I always do if I’m home; I waited at the Bus Stop until the boys and Mrs. Session were seated.  It was interesting that she had a seat by herself, since the boys had taken seats with their friends,

I was to find out that Clark had called the law authorities and told them that something was happening or had happened, but he didn’t know what.

When we walked into the office, Alex greeted us. Karen is on her way.  She had to stop at the boys’ school.  It seems R. B. and Rocky forgot to take some books on their trips in which they had some major assignments.”

“Are you sure?  The boys worked very hard on a couple of assignments while we were in San Francisco for the game?  There must be some mistake.”

Alex motioned to my office, “Dr. Christiansen, Ken Parker is in your office to talk about a problem you must be having with the two Senators.  They’re due here in about an hour.  They can‘t seem to realize that we people here in Harwood are as smart as or smarter than those in the state legislature.”

Greg stopped in, “Hi boss, it's so nice to have you back where you belong.  We have our first game on Friday night.  We’ll probable get blown out the gym because we’re playing Georgia Tech.”

“Jordan, what have you been drinking?  Georgia Tech isn’t going to agree to play a brand new junior college team.”

“That’s just it, Coach Carpenter is an old friend Coach Lee‘s.  Coach Lee wants the Georgia Tech’s team to make a statement that says they’re back and are looking forward to being in the hunt for the sweet sixteen.”

“Greg, what does Harwood get out playing a team like Georgia Tech?”

“We’re getting our team expenses and an honorarium for going to Atlanta.  Plus, we‘ll be getting experience and finding out what it‘s like to play in the big times.”

“That will certainly get some publicity for Harwood Community Junior College. I’ll talk to you later.  I need to meet Mr. Parker.  I understand that he’s waiting in the office for me, Mr. Session is accompanying me so he can get a feel for the problems of a growing junior college.”

I took the alias, Mr. Gary Session, into my office.  I looked around and turned to the door, “I thought Officer Parker was in here?”

Mr. Session started to the door, but two deputies were blocking it with drawn guns.  Mr. Session reached in his jacket and one of the deputies pointed his gun, “I wouldn’t do that, sir.  I’m not a very good shot and might just hit you in a place that you wouldn’t like.”

Officer Ken Parker and Clark came in the door that connected Clark’s and my offices.  Officer Parker grinned, “Good morning, Dr. Christiansen.  You’ll be happy to know that the alias Mrs. Session was intercepted as she got off the bus.  She put up an awful fuss as the officers took her away from the school.  She is at the station being fingerprinted.  Mr. Session, you’ll be joining her at the station, but you will have your own private facilities.”

I sighed a big sigh of relief, “Thanks, Clark and Ken.  I realized that we were in trouble when I heard the news about the FBI Agents being locked in the closet at the Los Angeles airport.  I went to make a call from my bedroom this morning and I heard an extension being picked up.  I decided that I had to come up with a way to let someone know what was happening.  Clark, thanks for reacting as I hoped you would.”

Clark laughed, “It was easy for me to pick up that there were big problems here in Harwood, since you mentioned that Senator Leggett and Senator Hodges were coming for a visit.”

Mr. Session glared, “How did you realize that something was going to happen by hearing that two senators were coming for a visit?”

Clark chuckled, “The two senators had been trying to find ways to get their hands on the money that Harwood Community College was fortunate enough to receive.  One the Senators is dead and the other is in jail for misappropriation of funds.  I knew that they wouldn’t be welcomed at the Harwood Community Junior College.”

Officer Parker asked, “Mr. Whoever You Are, why were you sent to Summerhill, anyway?  I’ve already heard what your supposed wife had to say.”

Mr. Session clenched his fists, “That’s none of your business.  Colleen wouldn’t have blabbed.  If the bosses found out we talked, they would eliminate us faster than Superman can fly through an open window.”

Ken shook his head, “Mr. Session, your bosses aren’t going to be happy that you and your accomplice botched this assignment.  Personnel from the Atlanta Office of the FBI will be arriving at the jail shortly, and we’ll be turning the two of you over to them.  You’d better enjoy your time in the hoosegow, because I’m guessing you’ll be on the run for the rest of your life.”

I sure didn’t feel like teaching a class after what had happened, but I had been imposing on the rest of the staff too much with my running around the country.

As I was walking back from class, I looked at the construction of the new facilities.  I went into the trailer and got my hard hat and went to find Logan.  I located him at the site where the new library would be.  I looked at the structure, “Good afternoon, Logan, looks like things are pretty much on schedule?”

Logan turned to me, “Yep, I’m sure that Clark has a chart in his office and he’s making sure that we pretty much keep on schedule.  With any luck, we’ll have the new classroom buildings in the first block ready so you can have a dedication ceremony at Summer Hall before the start of the spring semester.”

“Logan, everything looks great.  Keep up the good work.  I’ll have to drive the boys by, so they can see the progress you’ve made.”

It was about three o’clock in the afternoon when Mr. Morgan called, “Doug, do you have any idea how much money Mr. Burris forwarded for Raymond Lewis, Jr.?”

“Mr. Morgan, I honestly have no idea.  I know that his grandparents left him some funds that couldn’t be touched until R. B. turned twenty one.  His Mother, on the other hand, left him significant money and insurance and property that he is not to touch until he is eighteen.  I don’t know if Mr. Burris has had any takers on the house that he’s going to try and sell for R. B.”

Mr. Morgan asked, “Would it be possible for you to bring Mr. Lewis to Atlanta so that you and he could sit down with one of our investment bankers so he or she can specify what kind of investments are out there that you might be interested in.  I see no records of any accident insurance having been paid yet.  I would think that the studio would have insurance, especially since she was working in the Amazon like she was. You might want to have Raymond Junior’s lawyer check into it.

“I hate to ask this, but could we have the meeting late Friday afternoon.  The guys have missed enough school already this year and there could be more unplanned times that they will need to be gone from school, coming along.  In the mean time, I’ll talk with Mr. Burris so we know what he’s doing on his end, as far as checking on insurance and opportunities to sell the house.  We’ll leave here at 12;30 which should put us into Atlanta in time to go over R. B.’s finances,  Besides, Harwood Community College will be playing Georgia Tech in an exhibition basketball game.  We’ll be staying in Cole’s apartment Friday night.”

“We’ll have to advertise the game, so we can get a whole lot of Harwood people there to provide some support for the guys.  The more I think about it, this is good for Harwood to get exposed.  If we can play Tech close, the media will see how good the Harwood team is. We should be able to get more games and we should be able to get more games with Division I schools.”

When I arrived at Summerhill, there were two vehicles that I didn’t recognize.  Four men were talking to the boys.  I went up to the men and shook their hands, “I’m Doug Christiansen. I‘m the boys’ father.”

They were four FBI people who told me their names.  Agent Ron Strickler was the leader of the group   He announced, “We want to clear up exactly what happen over the weekend. The agents in Los Angeles who were to accompany you wound up incapacitated and locked in a closet.  The fake Sessions took the real Sessions’ place.  Fortunately, you realized the Sessions weren’t who said they were and the imposter Sessions have been immobilized.”

Mr. Strickler approached Benji and J.R, “Gentlemen, it would be good for you to go on television to make it clear that the list of the films that Benji made was turned over to the FBI after he was certain that all the films were accounted for.  We have made arrangements for the television news team to be here at seven o’clock.”

Benji asked, “Do we gotta get dressed up for when the television people are here?”

Mr. Strickler shook his head, “I think it would be best if you wear what you have on, so people see that you are just regular boys.  In fact, it would be interesting if you could be riding horses with your brothers when you talk to the television people.”

I questioned, “Mr. Strickler, wouldn’t that be sending the message that the boys were rich, if they were all riding appaloosa horses?”

“Doctor Christiansen, if your house were to appear in the news clip, wouldn’t that be a signal that you’re not exactly poor, so what’s the difference?”

I shook my head in agreement, “Maybe the best way for the interview to be conducted would be to have all six boys sitting on the fence.  There is no sense advertising that the boys aren’t exactly poor.  The crazies out there might get ideas if they were to be riding thoroughbred horses or sitting in front of the house.”

Mr. Strickler announced, “We’re going to disappear until the interview has been completed, and then I will appear and announce that we have captured two of the hit people from the Tomasek mob.”

The interview went fine and the boys had been riding their bicycles when the television people arrived, so they looked like any other farm boy.  Benji did most of the talking, because he was the person whom the Sessions were told to take out of circulation, since he was the person who had seen the names on the films.

Benji was very professional as to how he handled the newscaster’s questions, “Quite frankly, sir, I don’t remember the names on the labels of the films.  They didn’t mean anything to me.  I didn’t see any names that I recognized, like Willy Wonka or Charlie.  I just wrote down the names that were on the packages and gave the list of films to the FBI when I was sure that all of the films we found were placed in the vault at the Los Angeles headquarters of the FBI.  I immediately forgot about the labels on the films.”

After everyone had departed, my paranoia still persisted and I made sure the house was secure.  I went to Cole’s and my bedroom to await a call from Cole.  I was grading some papers when the phone rang.

“This is Doug Christiansen.”

“Doug, it’s Dale Burris.  I have a buyer for the Lewis house.  Is there any way that you can be here to sign the paperwork this week?  The buyers would like to take immediate possession,”

“Dale, the earliest we can be there is on Saturday.  I do have a college to run, and we just had a narrow escape with members of the Tomasek gang.  Harwood has a basketball game on Friday night in Atlanta, against Georgia Tech, that I feel obligated to attend.  I’ll call and see what kind of flight arrangements I can make and call you back.”

I had no more than hung up when the phone rang again, “This is Doug Christiansen.”

“Good evening my sexy one.  I trust you had a quiet day.”

“Cole, the last two days have been wild, we had two bogus FBI agents staying here at Summerhill.  It seems they were going to try and kidnap Benji and R. B.  Fortunately, I caught on to the fact that they were bogus agents and they were taken out of commission before they could do any damage.”

“I saw the boys' interviews about the incident.”

“Cole, Mr. Burris wants us to be in LA on Saturday, so we can sign the paperwork for the sale of Ray Jr.’s  house.”

Cole laughed, “Great, I’ll get you some tickets for the game in San Diego on Sunday, and we’ll have at least a couple of supporters in the crowd.”

“Cole, I’m not sure if Matt, Mark and Mikey will want to fly across country and back, two weekends in a row,  I’ll have to check with them in the morning and let you know how many of us will be coming.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow night. I love you.”

To be continued... 

Editor's Notes:  Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice.

I am glad the fake FBI people got taken out of commission.  I wonder what is so special about R. B.'s house that someone wants to take immediate possession. 

Will Harwood win the basketball game with Georgia Tech?

I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 02/11/11