Pinochle
by: E Walk

(Copyright 2007 by the Author)
Editor: Will B
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 20 

Meeting the Villain

This is Becca.

After we said our farewells to the University officials, Mrs. Dolan, Beau and I walked back to the hotel.  We went to our suite to discuss what needed to be done.  It was as if Beau’s mind was spinning in five directions at the same time.

Beau pulled out his cell phone and called Sally.  “Hi, Sally, were you able to find an independent appraiser? … Great!  So everyone is meeting at the building on The Commons at one? …That was my next question. Thanks for calling Harley and Gregg. …  Your nephew is excited about meeting someone his own age … Great!  See you at one.”

Beau turned to Mrs. Dolan, “Aunt Kate, would you call your brother-in-law to see if he would be available at 9:00 in the morning?”

Mrs. Dolan made a call, “Hi Hank, I have some friends who are visiting from out of town.  Would it be possible for us to meet with you tomorrow morning about nine? … That's great!  We’ll see you tomorrow at nine in the morning. … Don’t worry, they are scheduled to depart about noon. … Okay, see you then.”

Mrs. Dolan looked at her watch, “Let’s get some lunch. I know just the place to go.  I have a feeling this is going to be a very long afternoon.  Beau, we will take my Town car.  Why don’t you leave the keys to your rental car at the desk, for the guys?”

Beau called the guys’ room and left a message that told them that the keys to the car were at the main desk.  He reminded them that they were to be at Mrs. Dolan’s by 6:00.

We left the hotel with Beau driving.  Mrs. Dolan directed us to a small delicatessen.  When we walked in, an older lady met us, “Good afternoon, Kate.  It’s been some time since you have been in.”

“Why Dorothy, I was here yesterday.  I would like for you to meet Beau and Becca.  Beau and Becca, this is Dorothy Monroe.  Hey Jimmy, come meet my new friends.”

Mr. Monroe came from the kitchen and after the introductions were completed, we were ushered to a table.  Beau looked at the menu, “Mrs. Dolan, what do you recommend?”

Mrs. Dolan said, “Jimmy makes the soups from scratch so they are always very good.  They are known for their sandwiches and desserts, so it depends on how hungry you are.”

Beau looked at the specials, “I think I'll have the cream of chicken with rice soup in a bread bowl.  Mrs. Monroe, is that coconut cream pie?”

Mrs. Monroe answered in the affirmative and Beau without hesitation stated, “I'll have the soup and a piece of the coconut cream pie.”

Mrs. Dolan looked up, “I’ll have half an egg salad sandwich and a cup of the cream of potato soup,”

I looked at Mrs. Monroe, “Ma’am, what would you eat if you were ordering?”

Mrs. Monroe looked at me funny, “Becca, I would probably have a small tossed salad topped with ham, cheese and a hard boiled egg with the house dressing.”

“That sounds very good, that’s what I would like, please and may I have a piece of that lemon meringue pie.”

This is Kate Dolan.

I have known Beau and Becca for less than twenty four hours.  It’s as if they and their son and his friends have taken over my life.  They are all so full of life and they don’t back down from anything or anybody and they are very determined to achieve their goals.  I can hardly wait to see what happens the rest of the day.

I wonder what is happening with Ben and Grant.

This is Ben.

Grant and I went to Sawyer Hall where we were to report.  We went to room 120 and two gentlemen came to greet us and took us to separate rooms.  The gentleman I was with was all business and proceeded to give me an I.Q. test.  When he finished, he announced, “Mrs. Wilcox will be with you shortly to give you the aptitude tests.  It should take a little over an hour.  Just be honest, and answer the way you really feel and not how you might think others would like for you to answer.”

Mrs. Wilcox came into the room, “Ben, would you like to take a bathroom break before we begin?   Would you like something to drink?”

“Ma’am, might I have a glass of plain water?  I do need to go to the bathroom.  I’ll be right back.”

I was coming out of the bathroom and Grant was walking toward me, “Ben, why are we taking these tests?  This is such a waste of time.”

“Grant, Dad must think we need to do this; so please just do the best that you can.”  I whispered,   “Just remember I love you.  I’ll meet you in front of the building when we finish the tests and then we can go meet Sammy.”  I wanted to hug Grant but I controlled my urges.  Gees, this is going to be difficult.

It was 11:45 when I finished the tests.  I was beginning to think Dad was way off base.  Why was I being asked all of these stupid questions?  When I walked out of the building, Grant was sitting on the wall at the side of the steps, “What took you so long? I have been sitting here waiting for two minutes.  Now let’s get going, so we can meet Sammy and the two ladies.”

I started to laugh, “Oh, no!  You are starting to sound like my Dad.”

We went to the Student Union and were met by Inga, Maria and Mr. Cochran, a very beautiful woman and a teenager who had a sports travel bag with him.  Mr. Cochran made the introductions and announced, “Ben, we’ll leave our derelict son with you to get him straightened away.  We’re going to go get drunk.”

This is Grant.

Ben was so quick, “Make sure that you get rid of your hangovers before dinner tonight; otherwise we might have to take this punk back to Fremont with us so he can learn to milk cows and feed the chickens.”

That brought Sammy to life, “I ain’t going to milk no cows or feed any chickens.  I will not be a slave for anyone.  Dad and Mother, you probably should take me home now.  I don’t think I like these people very much.”

Mr. Cochran was so cool, “Sorry Sammy, your Mother and I have plans.  You will just have to fend for yourself.”

The Cochrans left and we found a table and went through the cafeteria line and Ben paid for the meals.  We were laughing as we were eating and other patrons kept looking at us.  Finally Ben said, “Let’s bust out of this place.  It is like a morgue in here.”

We went outside and sat in the sun until it was time for me to go to take my tests.  Ben arranged for Inga and Maria to meet Sammy and him at the tennis courts behind the hotel.  I felt as if I was being abandoned. 

As Ben was leaving, he said, “We’ll meet you in the room when you finish your tests.”  He passed me a signal that told me he loved me so I was on my own.

This is Ben.

Sammy and I walked back to the hotel room. I found out that Sammy was 15 and would be turning 16 in a month and was going to be a junior in high school.   When we got to the room, Sammy suddenly stiffened, “Ben, why am I here?   I don’t understand why my parents wanted me to meet you.”

“Sammy, your Dad thought you might like to talk to Grant and me about being gay.  Unfortunately, Grant has tests he needs to complete this afternoon, so you are stuck with me.  Sammy, neither Grant nor I will try to do anything with you.  We will answer whatever questions you might have if we can?  We are not exactly professionals in the art of man to man love.  We are learning ourselves.”

Sammy started to get tears in his eyes, “Ben, Dad must have told you then that I think I am gay.  When I told my parents that I thought I was gay, it was like they went ballistic.  Then they bring me here to be with you this afternoon and you bring me back to your hotel room.  What was I to think?”

“Sammy, let’s get dressed and go meet the ladies.  I can’t very well play tennis in my loafers.”  Sammy stood and took off his Bermuda shorts that he was wearing and the dress shirt. 

Sammy giggled, “I am already dressed.  I wasn’t about to change in front of the world.” 

I stood and took off the slacks and shirt that I had been wearing.  I was standing with only briefs.  Sammy’s mouth dropped open, “Holy mackerel, you are either extremely well endowed or you have a lot of tissues stuck in your briefs.”

I started to pull on my tennis shorts.  Sammy asked, “Aren’t you going wear a jock strap so you don’t flop all over the place?”

I pulled down the front of my briefs, “I am already wearing one.”

Sammy was having a field day, “I guess that is to control your monster when you get a hard on.  It sure must make going to bathroom fun.  Speaking of which, I think I had better go to the bathroom before we leave.  I wouldn’t want to embarrass you by lifting my leg at the nearest fire hydrant.”

“I’ll go with you to make sure that you don’t drip on the seat.”

Sammy started to laugh hard, “I guess you would do anything to perve on my body.”

While Sammy was going to bathroom, I realized the message light was blinking on the phone.  It was a message from Dad, “Hey guys, I am leaving the keys to the car at the front desk for you.  Why don’t we plan to meet you at Mrs. Dolan’s at 6:00?”

Sammy returned from the bathroom and I decided that I had better take advantage of the opportunity to relieve myself.  We picked up our gear and stopped at the desk.  I went to the young lady who was working, “I believe there is something in my mailbox.”

The young lady looked up, “Sure is, Mr. Benson.  You sure do look like your father.”

The lady brought the keys and a note.  I opened the note.  It was from Mrs. Dolan, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.  See you at 6:00.”

I showed the note to Sammy; he shook his head, “That sounds like Grandma Kate.”

As we were walking to the courts, Sammy asked, “Ben, does Grant know how big you are?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Sammy, Grant and I are rather identical in that department.  It is a long story.  We’ll tell you about it later.  There are the ladies.”

We decided that Maria and I would be partners.  It turned out the two teams were very equally matched.  It seems that Sammy was the number two singles player on the high school tennis team and both ladies were very accomplished tennis players.  We played two sets and it was getting very warm so we decided to go get a milkshake at some ice cream store that the ladies had found.  We sat and visited until nearly four o’clock.  We walked the ladies to their dorm.  They were going to meet us in the hotel lobby at 5:30.

Sammy and I went to Grant’s and my room.  I spoke up, “I’ll take my shower first.”  I started to peel off my clothes and was standing there naked.

Sammy was shaking his head, “You certainly don’t need any tissue in your jock strap.  Poor Grant.”

When I came out of the shower, Sammy started to take his clothes off.  I looked at him, “Not bad for a little boy.”

“Don’t rub it in Ben.”

“I’m just giving you a difficult time.  You look to be right on track to me.  I have a brother who is so straight that he could serve as a bridge across a stream.  He is a year younger than you. I know he would gladly exchange with you.”  Why I did what I did, I’ll never know.  I went and hugged Sammy even though we were both naked.

Sammy pulled away, “Ben, stop please.  I am starting to get a hard on.  I know that is not what you want.  I know that you were just showing that you loved me like a brother; but this is all so new to me that I am on overload”

I pulled away, “Sammy, I am sorry.  I didn’t mean to upset you.  Why don’t you go into the shower and let your frustrations float down the drain?”

“Why don’t you just say, go jack off?”  Sammy disappeared into the bathroom. 

I had just gotten my briefs on when Grant came in and threw himself on the bed.  “Ben, do we have to go to the dinner tonight?  I’m mentally exhausted.”

I climbed on top of him and started to kiss his face and play with his pelvic area.  Grant started to struggle, “Ben, be careful or you are going to start something that you might not be ready for.”

I kissed him and he pulled me close, “Benji, I think you'd better do that several more times.”

We were kissing again when Sammy entered the room, “Why wouldn’t I have guessed that you two couldn’t control your hormones any longer?”

Grant looked at me and sent me a message.  We got up and threw the naked Sammy on the bed and started nibbling on his ears, “Guys, please stop I starting to get another hard on.  Ben, you said you and Grant would never do anything sexual with me.  What do you call this?”

Grant started to laugh, “Oh my dear boy, we just making sure that your sexual apparatus worked and that your ears were clean.”

I stopped any more nonsense, “Grant, get ready, Inga and Maria will be here is 25 minutes.  I will lay some clothes out for you while you take a shower.”

Grant took off his clothes and Sammy was watching, “Oh my goodness, Ben you weren’t lying.  You are like bookends only with different color hair and eyes.  You are both beautiful.”

Grant glared at Sammy, “Men aren’t beautiful.  They’re either rugged looking or dashingly handsome.”

“Okay, so you and Ben are rugged dashingly handsome men.  Now get your shower or I will need to jack off again.”  Sammy started to get dressed.  I was dressed and I laid Grant’s clothes out for him.  Grant came out of the bathroom and Sammy started again, “I still say you and Ben are both beautiful specimens of what a man should be.  Now would you please get dressed?”

Both Grant and I were laughing as Grant put on his clothes.  We went to the lobby to meet our young lady friends.  I had a backpack with the things that Grant and I would need.  Sammy had his sports bag and tennis racquet.  Maria and Inga came in with backpacks and we left for Mrs. Dolan’s house.

I wonder how Mother and Dad made out this afternoon.  I guess we will find out.

This is Beau. 

After our quiet lunch, which Mrs. Dolan paid for, we went to The Commons and met with Sally, Gregg and Harley.  We had just entered the building that Gregg was thinking of buying.  A distinguished looking gentleman came in.  Sally introduced him as Mr. Bob Wainwright.

Mr. Wainwright looked confused, “I heard that Mr. Petrillo had gotten this building condemned.   Why would you want me to appraise it?”

Mrs. Dolan looked surprised, “Mr. Wainwright, I own this building and have not been informed that it has been condemned.  It appears to me that Mr. Petrillo is trying to scare off other buyers.”

Becca spoke up, “Mr. Wainwright, would you please look through the building and give us you best estimation as to the value of the building?”

Mr. Wainwright was very thorough.  When he saw the elevator, he was really impressed.  When we went to the second floor, he looked at the two apartments, which were immaculate.  When we got to the third floor, Gregg and Harley showed him a plan of what they had in mind.  Mr. Wainwright was nodding his head in approval, “I have no idea why anyone would want to condemn this building.  It has been well maintained and it is a free standing building unlike many structures in this area.  Can we go to the roof so I could look around?” 

We went up the fire escape and Mr. Wainwright looked around, “The drainage system seems to be working.  The roof is in very good condition.  I think Mr. Garrison’s idea of making this into a hideaway makes very good sense.  I still cannot imagine tearing down this old, wonderfully maintained structure.  I’ll go back to the office and make up a formal estimate of my evaluation for you.”

Mrs. Dolan shook her head, “Mr. Wainwright, we would also like for you to appraise my residence on Hudson Street.  We can leave as soon as we are assembled on the first floor.”

Mr. Wainwright and I went down first; Harley and Gregg were on the second load and the three ladies were going to come down on the third trip.

Harley and Gregg had just arrived and the elevator had gone back for the ladies when a pompous gentleman walked in.  “Wainwright, what are you doing here?”

“Mr. Petrillo, I was asked to make an evaluation on this property if it is any business of yours.  I cannot understand why you think it is necessary to condemn this building?  This is probably one of the most structurally sound and well maintained buildings on the Commons.”

The elevator landed on the first floor, “That is beside the point.  The old battleaxe who owns this building refuses to sell it to me, so I going to get the building condemned and then she won’t have any choice.”

The three ladies appeared and Mrs. Dolan said, “So now I am only a battleaxe.  After I turned down your last ridiculous offer, I was a bitch.  At least we are making progress.”

Becca interrupted, “Mrs. Dolan, here is a $1.00.  If the building is condemned, I will raze the building, but I will still own the land that it was located on.  I’ll make sure that you don’t get you hands on it Mr. Petrillo.  I will even have it secured so that if you or any of your minions try to enter it, alarms will be sounding so that the entire area will know that you are doing your devious best to make this your personal venue.  Beau, call Bill Everett and tell him we need as much information about Mr. Giulio Petrillo as he can get and we would like it ASAP.  Why don’t you also call Mick and see if he can do anything to take down this jerk.”

I called the Everett Agency, “This is Beau Benson; may I please speak to Bill? … Hi Bill, Becca and I are in Ithaca, New York and we need your help. … We need as much dirt as you can find on a Mr. Giulio Petrillo as you can find and we need it now. …Thanks.  You have my cell phone and I have my computer with me and have access to the Internet.  We are staying at the Statler Hotel, so you can fax any reports to me there. …Thanks again.”

I called another number.  “Hi, this is Beau Benson; may I speak to the President? … Hi Mick, sorry to bother you, but Becca and I are in Ithaca and we have run into a problem. … There is a gentleman who thinks he owns this town.  Becca and I both have very bad vibes about him. … His name is Giulio Petrillo. … We’re staying at the Statler Hotel if you need to get something to me and you have my cell phone number.  We would appreciate any help you can give us. … Oh, you are going to talk to the FBI and have them look into the matter?  Thanks Mick, we’ll see you over Labor Day.  Are you coming to Fremont? … Oh, you want us to join you at Camp David?  … I’ll be talking to you, my friend.”

Mr. Petrillo was so cocky, “Benson, you were bluffing.  You don’t know the President, and you are so going to go down for this.”

“Oh Mr. Hot Shot, Becca and I do know President Michael Smith.  I even lived in the same house as he did for almost a month.  He was one of my biggest supporters when I was young.  He and I washed windows together and worked in an antique shop together.  Mickey is one of the fairest most even tempered people you will ever meet.  That is probably why his maternal grandparents designated that he was to be the steward of their vast holdings.  Now, if you will excuse us.  We have other much more important things to do.”

Becca wasn’t finished, “Mrs. Dolan, do you know the Mayor?”

“I know Mary rather well.”

“Why don’t you call her and ask her to join us for dinner, tonight?”

Mrs. Dolan dialed a number, “May I speak to Mayor Hawthorne please?  This is Kate Dolan. … Thank you. … Hi Mary, this is Kate Dolan.  We would like for you and whoever, to join us at the club tonight for dinner about 6:30.  It is very informal and it will be an informal buffet outside.  I guess you could say it is a big swim party. … Great, we’ll see you then.”

Mr. Petrillo was not looking too well. We started for the exit.  I looked at Mr. Petrillo, “Don’t even think about doing anything illegal.  I have the entire conversation with you on tape, so that if you try to take any legal action, you will go down faster than a bison with a hundred arrows in him.”

I turned to Mr. Wainwright, “Okay Bob, let’s go to Mrs. Dolan’s house so you can appraise it.  Harley and Gregg are you going with us?”

Harley spoke up, “I think we'd better, so we know what lies around the next corner.”

When we got to Mrs. Dolan’s house, Mr. Wainwright announced, “This property has been zoned commercial.”

Becca asked, “Does that mean people can’t live here, even if there is a business being operated on the property?”

Mr. Wainwright thought for a moment, “I don’t know why someone couldn’t live here if there was also a business operating in the facility.”

I took over, Mr. Wainwright, “If our sons, who you have not had a chance to meet and their friends occupied two rooms, and Mr. Gordon had an office of the Benson Consulting Company in one of the rooms and managed the rest of the facility as a bed and breakfast, do you think there would be a problem?  I guess you had better look at the facility to see what I am talking about.”

Mrs. Dolan, Harley and I took Mr. Wainwright on a tour of the house and I explained what I had in mind.  We rejoined the others in the parlor.  I looked at Mr. Wainwright, “Bob, why don’t you and your significant others join us for dinner tonight and you can give us your final appraisals of the two properties then?  We are meeting at the Country Club at 6:30.”

Mr. Wainwright shook his head, “I have no significant others.”

Mrs. Dolan said, “It’s a swim night with a gala outdoor buffet.  We’ll see you there.”

Becca decided we needed to go, “Aunt Kate, we’re going to go back to the hotel to get our swim suits.  We’ll be back by six.”

Everyone left.  I watched as Sally and Bob Wainwright left.  They were walking down the sidewalk to their cars.  I watched as Harley and Gregg walked to their car.  How interesting is this? 

To be continued...

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Editor’s Comment:

A few words from Will:  Ed has given us another wonderful chapter.  His characters are well written and the plot is thickening nicely.  I must confess I was a little enthused at the thought of Ben and Grant “rubbing it in” to each other. He he he!

Posted: 01/11/08