Chapter 6

Stallions Gate, New Mexico, June 26, 2000 8:05 AM

Al was in Verbeena's office talking with her about how to handle Bob 
Gordon.  Ziggy found out that after leaving Sharon's and his hometown of 
Greenport, Alabama, Bob joined the army at the tail end of WWII.  After 
the war, they discarged him; and he traveled around the country doing 
odd jobs until he settled in Tucson, Arizona and got married in 1950.  
Ziggy found a newspaper article about his wife being found dead in 1953 
after she was beaten to death by a baseball bat.  Everyone thought it 
was Bob who did it, but he was cleared when the cops found her 
engagement ring and wedding band, that were missing from her body, in 
the apartment of a known felon.  The felon was convicted for her murder 
and the robbery, and the charges placed on Bob Gordon were dropped.  
They discussing some ideas back and forth when Ziggy interrupted them.

"Admiral, there is a telephone call for you."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know.  The woman wouldn't give me her name, but she sounded 
upset."

"Maybe it's Beth.  I'll be right back Verbeena."

"I'll be waiting right here, Al."

Al left Verbeena's office and headed down the corridor.

"I'll take it in my office, Ziggy!"  Al shouted toward the ceiling.

"Very well, Admiral."  The sultry voice responded.

Al arrived at his office and picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Admiral Calavicci."

"Al!  How dare you hang up on my lawyer like that!"

"Maxine?!"

"Yes, it's Maxine!  You rude, inconsiderate... OOOH!  You make me so mad 
Albert Calavicci!  You don't care about me!  You don't care that I will 
be thrown out on the street if I don't get more alimony!"

"Thrown out on the street?!  Maxine, really!  You only drive a 1999 
Mercedes.  I don't think you're hurting that bad."

"Oh yeah!  Oh yeah!  Well, now I've just purchased a brand new 2001 
Mercedes! How do you think I'm going make those payments and plus the 
payments I still owe on the house, huh?!"

"A 2001...?  Oh, Maxine.  I don't even want to hear it... and I don't 
think the judge will either.  Good-bye Maxine."

Al started to hang up the phone, but paused when he heard Maxine's 
response.

"That's it, Al, and I mean it!  I'm going to sue you for everything 
you've got unless you grant me $10,000 more alimony a year!  Everything 
including that ugly multi-colored wardrobe of yours!"

"What?!"

--------------------------------

Meanwhile, back in Washington DC

--------------------------------

The cab pulled up to a little donut shop about 5 miles from the airport.  
Beth got out telling the cab driver to wait while she made a phone call.  
She went through the front door and headed to the back of the shop where 
she found a payphone near the restrooms.  She dug through her purse for 
her wallet and pulled out her phone card and then dug some more for the 
number the Navy lieutenant had given her for Al.  She finally found the 
number after practically dumping out her purse on the payphone's little 
shelf.  Beth then started to enter the numbers on her phone card and 
then Al's number.  She waited as the answering system picked up.

"Good Morning.  How may I direct your call?"  A sultry voice answered.

"Admiral Calavicci please."

Beth listed as "the operator" connected her call to Al's office.

"BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP."

"OH NOOO!  Please don't be busy!"

She slammed the receiver down.
 
"Great!  Now What!"

"Are you alright lady?"  The middle aged woman behind the counter asked.

"I, I'm fine.  Thanks."  Beth responded as she left to go back out to 
the waiting cab and got in.

"Where to now lady?"

"Out of town.  I don't care where.  Just out of town."

"Okay lady.  How about Maryland?"

"That's fine.  Just as long as it's not here."

I have to get somewhere and try to call Al again later.  Hopefully he'll 
know what to do to get me out of this mess.  Why did Dirk have to pull 
this now?  My only hope is that he won't be waiting for me if I do ever 
get to Albuquerque.

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