B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America) Read online

  To everyone’s amazement, the battery compartment was completely devoid of any batteries. The three adults sat for a few seconds in utter shock and dismay. Leo finally put four double-A batteries in the compartment, replaced the screws and pushed the buttons. Just like before when his son had been playing with it, the lights came on and the siren went off.

  Later, Traykie had made his grandmother very uncomfortable when he changed the TV channels with the wave of a hand, and his gift was neither developed nor encouraged. Besides Traykie mentioning moments of deja-vu, and once turning on a light from another room, that was the last known major manifestation of his gift.

  Chris didn’t share this gift, but he was as smart as a whip. He was the one to analyze every statement, in so doing often driving his mother half crazy. He was the one that always wanted to know; why, or what if, how come, and why not? He teetered on wanting to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or Genetic Engineer. He started wearing dress clothes with polished shoes and ties at age eight. He would not be caught dead in an old pair of jeans. Levi’s, he assumed, were for the blue collar workers.

  Sarah, involuntarily jumped when the seat belt light came back on, and the Captain announced the current weather conditions for Austin as well as the expected arrival time. Chris, awakened by his mother’s lunge, rubbed his eyes and asked to trade seats with his brother so he could look out the window. Traykie obliged his younger brother and then tried to distract his mother in conversation, knowing how uneasy she felt at takeoff and landings.

  Chapter 10

  Sarah’s father, Alex, met them at the Austin Airport. He was excited to see his daughter and grandsons. It had been almost a year since he had last seen Sarah, and nearly two years since seeing the boys. Grandpa and his grandsons immediately started their usual horseplay, but this time grandpa seemed to have more of a disadvantage despite his taller size. Traykie had certainly grown up since Alex last saw him, but that alone should not have made the difference Sarah noticed. She finally intervened at the baggage claim and gave each boy, including her father, a suit case to manage. She feared that Traykie in particular would not hold back enough and accidently hurt her father, as he was used to sparring with Leo. Alex was a tall man at six foot three but fairly slender and seemed slightly off balance when the boys would grab him or push him. Although he was in his sixties, Sarah sensed something wasn’t quite right.

  Austin was hot as usual. After finding Alex’s vehicle in the crowded parking lot, they headed home. The air conditioned vehicle felt good to Sarah, even though she was somewhat accustomed to the humid heat, having grown up there. Idaho’s dry heat felt far better than the wet sticky heat. She preferred heat over cold, and remembered wearing her snow suit frequently for the first winter in Boise. Friends had kidded her about wearing it continuously.

  The city had grown substantially since she resided there in the early eighties. The city was so large and spread out now that familiar landmarks were few and far between. Alex’s house at least, was still familiar. His house and neighborhood had not changed much over the last two decades.

  Alex turned to his grandsons and said, “You two unpack the vehicle, and then go change into your swim suits, for the pool is calling your names.” and added, “I had it professionally cleaned as soon as I heard you guys were coming my way.”

  Chris and Traykie thought their grandpa was still pretty cool and hurried to unload the car.

  Sarah visited with her father over a late lunch on the shaded patio overlooking the swimming pool. After catching up on family and local gossip, Alex took Sarah’s hand in his. “So, honey, what’s really going on? Are things not working out between you and Leo?”

  “No, Dad! Everything is just fine with us. It’s hard to explain what’s really going on, and I’m not sure you would believe me if I told you.”

  “Well Dear, I have as much time as it will take. By the way, I arranged for a couple of days off work. Since it is my own business it isn’t that hard to get time off, but I did have to convince my manager to cover for me.” He laughed. “Of course I always think the place will go to hell in a hand basket when I’m not there, but somehow they survive without me.”

  “I know what you mean Dad. We’re lucky to have such a capable office manager too. Our only problem is that the last two times we left, our profits rose 5% while we were gone. Our replacement is apparently more efficient than we are.”

  “You better watch out, Sarah; next she’ll want your business for herself.”

  “Well Dad, that’s not all bad. Perhaps we will end up selling it to her someday anyway. At least we know she will be able to make a go of things.”

  “Okay Dear, you have kept me in suspense long enough. What’s really up?” Alex asked with sincere concern.

  “Dad, in a nutshell, we became involved with an agency that was sponsored by our government, or so it was presented anyway, and now we believe this agency was responsible for the murder of Tim, one of our close friends, and our former business partner. He was the one that introduced us to the agency in the first place. The day before he was murdered, he called Leo up and said that the agency had turned to strong-arming and murder, and he had proof of it. He claimed he had copies of data that would ‘knock our socks off’. He said he traced the trail all the way to the top. He claimed that he was afraid for his life and called to apologize to us for ever getting us involved with the B.B.U.S.A. Organization.”

  Sarah glanced over her shoulder at the splashing sounds coming from the pool, and when she realized her sons were just fine she continued with her story. “He was asking Leo for forgiveness and trying to make it right by sending us a flash drive with all the proof on it. He said that he was afraid that his phone lines might be bugged, so he did not dare tell us what the encrypted password was to access the information on the flash drive, but said the password was very long and would only make sense to Leo and me. He said that the flash drive would be our only hope if something happened to him and they came after us as well. I’m still not completely convinced myself, but almost fear that the flash drive itself may have been the reason for Tim’s death. Tim said that he was mailing copies of the encrypted flash drive to the media as well, in order to protect himself from the B.B.U.S.A. Tim told Leo he would send him a second flash drive the next day with a hint to us about the encrypted password, but of course, it never arrived, as Tim died that night.”

  Alex looked very concerned. He glanced over to the pool to ensure his grandsons were okay, then looked back at his daughter. “Where is Leo now?”

  “He decided it would be best to distract the agency and draw them away from us so that we could escape unnoticed. He was supposed to meet with the leader last night in a public restaurant and see if they could work things out. Leo wanted to sell the properties that we bought in conjunction with the B.B.U.S.A. back to the agency with a considerable discount, and sign any affidavit necessary to insure our secrecy and simply sever all ties. We even discussed selling our real estate office to our manager Natasha, and moving elsewhere to ensure our safety.”

  She paused for a second and then continued, “I’m really worried, Dad. I’ve never seen Leo act this way. He is paranoid. He is like a cornered lion. I don’t know what he would do if they could not come to an agreement.” Trying hard not to cry, she dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Dad, I have sensed something went wrong last night. I fear that Leo got hurt. I could feel it. He is supposed to call me here tonight. I don’t even know if he can.” Sarah wiped at tears streaming from her eyes.

  Alex reached over and placed his rough hand on her shoulder, trying to sooth his daughter. “Honey, if all of this is true, let’s just call the cops, or the FBI, or whoever might handle this sort of thing.”

  “That’s just it, Dad; we have no proof. The whole story sounds like such a whack job. The authorities would think we were just a couple of fruit cakes.” Sarah glanced at the pool again and hoped her sons did not notice her crying. She took in a d
eep breath and slowly let it out. “Leo was adamant about not involving anyone till we either worked it out with the B.B.U.S.A. or could crack the password and have proof to take to the authorities. Tim told us the agency was sanctioned by our government and to be very careful who we trusted. Leo planned on recording his conversation with Bob, the agency leader at dinner last night, but of course I have not yet heard from him so I really don’t know the outcome. For all I know it could have been settled and Leo might just show up here tonight with news that it has all been worked out and we have nothing further to worry about. I guess that is the optimist in me, but truly, my senses tell me things went very wrong and Leo is hurt.” She paused, reached up and patted her dad’s hand, glanced at the swimming pool and noticed both boys were standing next to the pool drying off. “I’m sure in a few days everything will be all right.”

  Alex removed his hand from Sarah’s shoulder, smiled at her and stood up on somewhat wobbly legs to address his grandsons. “As soon as you guys are dry come in the house and we’ll get you a sandwich, chips and Dr. Pepper.”

  “Thanks, Grandpa; that sounds awesome! We’ll be there in a second,” Traykie hollered back.

  Sarah and Alex walked inside to prepare the snacks. Sarah again got an uneasy feeling watching her father move on somewhat wobbly legs. Something wasn’t right.

  “Where is the flash drive now?” Alex inquired while preparing sandwiches.

  “Leo mailed it to his best friend who is a Major in the Army, stationed in Colorado. He has a plush job investigating fraud in the Army. He is very good with computers and used to work in the intelligence department. He hoped that his friend Doug would be able to break the encrypted password.”

  Alex laughed. “There’s a new one, an Intelligence Officer investigating fraud using government computers to break your password. That should go over well, don’t you think, honey?”

  “Dad, lately I have not had an abundance of time to think things over. It all happened so fast. I’m sure Leo does not intend for his friend to use the government computers to help break the password, just to use his skills and knowledge,” Sarah retorted.

  “Well, you know you are most welcome to hang out here as long as you need to.”

  “I know Dad, but I am not sure how safe it will be if things really went wrong. I surely don’t want to involve you in this matter.”

  Alex smiled. “Remember Sarah, no matter how old you are, your business and safety is my business also. I’m friends with a pretty good investigative reporter at the Austin Daily Herald. Perhaps we should give him a call and start a little media attention.”

  “Thanks Dad, but no thanks. Not until we have some proof to take to the media, however that is our exact intention when the time is right.”

  Sarah and Alex had just placed the sandwiches on the table as the boys burst in for their snacks. The four of them sat at the table sipping soda, snacking on chips and sandwiches, and catching up on old times. Alex was particularly interested in his grandson’s school, sports activities, Traykie’s modeling and martial arts training, and whether or not either of them had a girlfriend as of yet. Alex joked and teased his grandsons while they devoured anything edible on the table, including the tray of grapes Alex had put out after seeing how quickly the sandwiches disappeared.

  The boys received permission from their grandpa to relax in the family room in front of the big screen TV and watch a movie on HBO.

  Alex and Sarah cleaned up the kitchen and stacked the few used dishes in the dishwasher. When finished, she turned and faced her father. “Dad, we already purchased tickets to Africa.”

  “Africa? What in God’s name did you do that for?” Alex questioned.

  “Remember Dad, I told you a few years ago that Leo’s mother returned to Namibia? She took back her half of a business she owned twenty years ago, and then bought out her partner. I told you that Leo had spent many years in Africa when he was growing up. He still speaks Afrikaans, Dutch, and German today.”

  “Yes, I vaguely remember something about it, but you really think you will be safer in Africa with elephants, lions, and poisonous snakes than here with me?”

  Sarah smiled at her Dad’s concern. It hadn’t always been that easy growing up with him as her father. Alex had always been a perfectionist and had extremely high expectations of his children and wife alike. She was pleased to hear the genuine concern in his voice. “Dad, from what I understand it’s not all that bad in Swakopmund. I’m positive that there are no elephants, lions or poisonous snakes in the town. Swakopmund has about twenty-five thousand people and has all the modern conveniences you would expect in a city of comparable size here in the U.S.”

  “Okay, but what about the political situation? You know that country has been in a political uproar from the time they changed from apartheid to democracy and elected Mandela. The value of the South African rand just continues to plummet. People of all races are nearly up in arms due to the corruption, and the state of the roads and infrastructure. Many big foreign firms have pulled out of the country. AIDS is currently rampant and devastating the country. I recently read that the life expectancy in neighboring Botswana was 33 years of age. I really hate for you to go there right now. The country is going wild over the upcoming FIFA World Cup Soccer Championship held in Johannesburg. Security is on heightened alert. Rioting is taking place in outlining areas claiming that all the tax money is just being spent on the upcoming World Cup, and everything else is being ignored. I’ll truly fear for your safety if you are adamant about going there.”

  Alex surfaced for air, but just as Sarah thought she might get a word in edge wise he started up again. “You know how it works in those third world countries. First it starts with rebellion and peaceful marches, and then it escalates into rioting, and looting, and then they get organized into a revolution or civil war, followed by chaos, unspeakable atrocities, and finally tyranny.”

  “Whoa there, Dad; you are getting a little far out now. We are going to peaceful Namibia, not Soweto. Leo said that most of the riots were in the poorer neighborhoods and old townships, not in well-populated big cities. He also said security in Southern Africa is vamped up way above what we have here, and if anything starts it is quickly squelched. We really should not have any problems. Namibia is a separate country. It is no longer an apartheid government and they are not experiencing any unrest at this time.

  As a matter of fact, Joyce’s last letter stated that Namibia’s economy was thriving and had been for many years. She said that even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie felt Swakopmund was so safe that Angelina gave birth to her first child in The Cottage Hospital in Swakopmund, and named their daughter Shiloh, meaning ‘The Peaceful One,’ after the calm, peaceful, relaxing environment.”

  Alex was staring at his daughter in near disbelief. When had she become so knowledgeable? He thought he was the only one that read and retained interesting obscure bits of information about far away people and places. He had to admit that his daughter had lodged a sensible and articulate rebuttal. He smiled at her and then attempted a little humor. “Great. My daughter and my two grandsons are moving to Namibia, to go live in a grass hut with dirt floors in the middle of the bushveld to avoid the B.B.U.S.A.”

  “No,” Sarah lamented, and then realized she had already convinced her father and he was just teasing her now. “Dad, Joyce said that Namibia had actually strengthened their economy by increasing imports and exports, while neighboring South Africa struggled with unrest. And no, we won’t need to stay in a grass hut. Joyce owns a small hotel and restaurant. She said there is plenty of room, as she has nine individual rooms and six apartments, as well as the restaurant which has a day room, and two large night time dining rooms. I have seen pictures of JJ’s and it is pretty nice. The style of the buildings in the pictures Joyce sent us were that of gorgeous authentic turn of the century German architecture. In a way I’m kind of looking forward to seeing it first hand, and I’m sure Chris and Traykie wil
l have a blast exploring JJ’s and the surrounding city. Leo has told me so much about Swakopmund; I’ll finally be able to fully relate to what he says about his upbringing. Don’t you worry, Dad, we will be fine.”

  “Oh I know Honey. I’m pulling your leg a bit. It just bothers me knowing that soon we may be an ocean apart, with you on a different continent of which I obviously don’t know enough about yet.”

  “Relax Dad. Perhaps Leo will call tonight and have worked everything out, and there will be no need to leave.” Sarah wished desperately that her expressed statement could be true. The fear of not knowing how her husband was and anxiously awaiting his call was literally causing her stomach to burn. She exhaled, trying to calm herself, knowing it would still be several hours before she could even expect to hear from him. She turned to her father. “Well, Dad, what do you say we go for a swim? I need to work on my tan anyway.”

  Alex agreed and they both went to their separate rooms to retrieve their swimsuits. Sarah needed a distraction in order to get her father to confide in her what was physically going on with him. She sensed it was serious.

  Chapter 11

  Leo felt an overwhelming need to get out of the city. He knew that his false leads would not go undiscovered forever. He had learned early in life not to underestimate an opponent. As a slightly overweight boy of twelve, his mother, who had just divorced his father and had custody of him, thought that it would be a good idea to enroll him in a martial arts class. Leo had been excited about enrolling at the local dojo that was teaching Tension Khan Karate. It was during the first week of training that he learned to respect any opponent.