From: "Scott Ryktarsyk" Crummton Mortuary. Lovely place in the moonlight - if you like keeping company with stiffs. I had too many memories in parts of the cemetery to feel comfortable here. No, there wasn't much chance of Elias Tanner keeping the girl here, but the hill was the only place to keep an eye on his safehouse without being spotted. I spared a few moments to wonder how Hack had found out about the place, because Tanner's people weren't likely to talk. Those that did usually ended up taking a dirt nap somewhere near where I was sitting. Inside information? I gave the house a once-over. Nice little two-story. Average suburban home - white picket fence . . . 2.3 kids . . . and one mean mother of a dog in the backyard. My first indication of something a little off; no normal family has a dog that looks like a cross between a hairball and a meat grinder. No idea what breed, don't really care. If I do my job correctly I don't get anywhere near it. Time to get to work. First thing is to make certain that the girl is there. Not a great idea to go barging into a place and then find out that my target is missing. Hmmm . . . OK, upper story has 5 rooms and a central bath, ground floor has four rooms. Living room has one goon, stupid enough to wear a shoulder holster without a coat near an open window. Kitchen can't be seen from this angle, but no one has gone in or out for the last 15 minutes. Dining room is empty. If the girl's here, she's going to be upstairs. I can only see two of the upstairs rooms, and the lights are off. Not much help. I don't really have the time to sit here and do a professional case, so I'm going to have to go in fast and hard, and hope for the best. To do that, I'm going to need some help. Jarhead's an old friend of mine. He makes his living as a bouncer at a bar on the East side of the river, but he's always willing to help out an old Marine buddy after hours. I try to use his services as little as possible, but when I need help I know enough to ask for it. Unlike an old colleague of mine, who is now very late for his next appointment. I met Jarhead outside of O'Grady's, after closing time. "I can't believe the story you're handing me! You're actually helping someone recover their little girl? No divorce pictures anywhere in this one?" "Yeah, Jarhead. We're going to be real white knights on this one. You in or out?" "No way I could stay away from this one, even if I didn't owe you. I'm in! Besides, I've been needing a way to blow off some steam after the way the customers have been tonight." Jarhead remembers me so fondly not because of all the times we spent drinking together; it's due to the time I saved his life back during the war. I didn't carry 10 miles on my back or anything nearly heroic. He got himself into trouble with the local mama-san, and she had him held down and was ready to perform some household surgery until I stepped in and smoothed things over. I got him out of the bar, and enough black coffee into him that he realized what was happening. After that, things got a little easier. In any event, Jarhead brings along his own party favors, so I didn't need to outfit him. He made a quick trip home, and we headed back to the cemetery. He agreed to take the front as a diversion while I crept up the back and tried to get the girl out without anyone the wiser. It took us maybe 15 minutes to get setup in place without being seen. Showtime. Plan was to give me maybe 10 minutes to get as far as I could without being seen, and then Jarhead would start making all kinds of racket coming in the front. Yeah, it wasn't the greatest plan, but it was the best we could come up with between us. I started up the back porch with as much stealth as possible. ===== META 1 Chapter 1 Scene 3 http://www.chaoseed.com/btr/meta/ 3/28/00