Big Leather Couch

Lee rode Sheik hard for about a mile but did not think he was TAXING the horse, so was surprised when, all of a sudden the horse stopped and began shaking violently. Lee climbed down and almost immediately the horse collapsed. Getting down on one knee, it did not take long to tell that Sheik was dead. Foam forming at it’s mouth.

Looking at his watch, Lee was still unaware that this was more than a game of “hide and seek.” He grabbed the rope, ax and small folding shovel he found in the saddlebag and began walking further into the woods. His mind was focused on the money and car he knew he could win by just avoiding an old man and his servant.

Jogging away from the horse, Lee began to think about the tricks his grandfather had taught him about deer hunting. Seeing a small pond, he slid his body in and began to rub the silt from the bottom all over his body.

Once done, he climbed a nearby tree and situated himself on a large branch about 15 feet above the ground. That was when he realized he had not eaten that morning, expecting a nice meal from his host and his stomach grumbled its complaint.

That was when he heard it. The sound of horse hoofs from somewhere in the forest. The hoofs were making their distinctive sound against the dirt and rocks. They were coming fast. There was another sound, but Lee could not recognize it.

He was sure that they would never find him where he had positioned himself and just sat quietly. The sounds came closer and closer and then he saw the first of the dogs. There were three of them. Dogs? Did Jonathan mention he was going to use the dogs?

He breathed a sigh of relief as the leaders moved past his tree. His scent being blocked by the silt and mud he was covered in. Then he saw the two riders and his blood curdled as they came into view. Both were holding shotguns. Why would they need guns for a simple game of hide and seek?

The two riders pulled up their horses just below the tree Lee was hiding in. He froze, thinking they may have spotted him.

“Well sir, Sheik should have gone down by now. We gave him just enough of the poison to let him live for only about 15 minutes. I certainly will miss him, he was a good mount,” Simon spoke.

“Yes, Simon, he was and I was sorry it had to be him, but our quarry would have wondered why we would give him a different horse, it was an unfortunate choice last week. By now the prey should be on foot and the dogs will run him down soon,” Jonathan responded.

Simon looked over, “Shall we call the dogs back and let them have at the clothes?”

“We will wait a while longer to give them the clothes he wore last week. Let’s see how well they do without his scent. I do want to make this last more than an hour. What fun would it be to hunt him down so quickly?”

The two men kicked their horses and cantered away.

Lee realized he was holding his breath for that entire exchange and slowly let the air out of his lungs. What had he gotten himself into? Well, he would just avoid them and the dogs for the next nine hours and collect his money and car and be done with this old codger.

After about another half hour, Lee climbed down from the tree and began searching for things he would need. He remembered seeing raspberry fields from the last week and began to move through the woods look for familiar signs. When he had left the stable he began to ride in the same direction they had gone on their hunt, but after about ½ mile veered off the trail to avoid falling into a trap.

A short while later, he came into a clearing and recognized an old Oak tree that stood a solitary sentry apart from the forest. They had passed that same tree last week, so he was able to orient himself.

The sun was hot, and Lee began to sweat in his camouflage and mud suit. The mud on his face had dried and formed a crust which became itchier by the minute. He wanted to rub it off, but knew that, with the dogs, that would be a sure fire way to get caught. He stayed low and moved quickly toward the raspberry patch.

Sitting there he began plucking the little red berries off of the plants and shoveling them into his mouth. When he had enough, he put some into the pockets of his jacket and moved on.

That was when he stepped on the branch causing it to send the covey of quail from their resting site. He froze in his tracks listening.

He began to make his way back to the forest and just as he got to the tree line, the trunk of the tree to his right exploded into splinters.

Lee turned and saw Jonathan astride his horse aiming about 80 yards away, aiming down the barrel of his gun. He saw the smoke puff from the end of the rifle and the tree to his left exploded and then he heard the report from the gun.

Turning on his heels, lee ran into the woods. It was about that time that he heard the barking of the dogs. Running in a zigzag pattern Lee moved further and further into the woods. He had to find a place to hide before the dogs made up the distance. That was when he crossed the pond he had been at earlier. He slid into the water and stayed still, only the top of his head exposed in some reeds. The dogs came running. He could tell they did not have a scent by the way they moved, snouts in the air, trying to pick up on his odor.

The passed the pond and close behind came the two riders. They were gone quickly. And Lee put his head up a bit higher. He heard Jonathan’s voice bellowing “WHERE COULD HE HAVE GONE? DAMN WORTHLESS DOGS!”

A rifle shot echoed through the forest. Lee instinctively ducked under the water, expecting another shot to pierce the surface. He held his breath until his lungs were on fire, and then slowly came out of the muck and took a long deep breath.

He did not move for what seemed like hours, but by his watch was only about 10 minutes, then came out of the water slowly.

Listening, he heard only the birds in the forest and the wind blowing.

Lee began following the trail along where Jonathan and Simon had gone. He came to a dry riverbed and there was one of the dogs, lying dead; a bullet hole in its side.

He stood there staring. This was nuts. This man was hunting him like a dog and now he killed one of his own. It finally hit Lee that even if he did last the time limit, this hunt might not be over. He began to realize this was not a bet he could ever win. There was no money or car in his future. The only things in his future were death, or finding a way back to civilization and freedom.

He then heard panting. Slowly he turned and saw one of the other dogs looking at him. The dog’s eyes moved between Lee and the body. Slowly, Lee reached into his pocket, pulling out the pocket knife he had there and slowly opened it waiting for the dog to attack.

The hound walked over to its dead friend and lay down next to it, whining and licking at the wound.

Lee slowly backed away and moved away from the area. As he walked he picked up a branch which was about four feet long and 3 inches in diameter. As he walked he used his knife on the end of it, sharpening it into a point. Along with the ax, it would give him another weapon, though he knew that neither would do any good against a rifle at long range.

Over the next two hours Lee worked hard, getting ready. He had made a decision that there was only one way he was going to succeed and last the day. His preparations took as much energy as he had ever expended in his life.

When he was finally done, he sat and ate some of the berries still in his pocket. Now he needed to put his plan into action.

Reaching into the top pocket of his jacket he withdrew a book of matches. Lighting one he set the flame against a small pile of leaves and branches he had gathered and waited to ensure it caught.

Then he moved into position. He climbed the tree he had selected and waited. The sun was about to disappear behind the mountain to the west when he heard the whiny of horses coming down the trail. He could barely make out the silhouettes, but could see Jonathan in the lead.

He was coming at a trot when his horse hit the spot Lee had worked on. Its front leg fell into the hole which was camouflaged by twigs and leaves and Lee could hear the snap of the bone from his position. His heart was pained to see the horse tumble to the ground, but knew he had no choice. Jonathan also went falling over the horses head as he lost his balance. This sight did not sicken lee in the least.

Behind him, Simon reined his horse and began to reach for the rifle which was in its sheath on his saddle. Lee moved quickly and slid down the rope he had tied to his branch and before Simon could react the sharpened branch had found its mark.

The wet sound of the branch pushing into Simon’s stomach sickened Lee, but he pushed again and could see the tip come out Simon’s back as he tumbled from his horse.

Lee grabbed the rifle which was dangling from the sheath and turned quickly toward Jonathan.

The old man was just gathering his wits, and turned to see the barrel of the rifle inches from his face.

“It was all a game boy. We were never going to hurt you.” Jonathan blurted.

“Old man, tell me why I shouldn’t pull the trigger and leave your brains on the ground?” Lee retorted.

“Money. You want the money, don’t you?”

“You were never going to give me money. You were going to blow my brains out, now get up.”

“What are you going to do?” Jonathan asked. His eyes were on the body of his man-servant, his lips trembling and tears in his eyes.

“Walk…we are going back to your mansion and calling the police. I am not an animal like you.”

They began walking and the entire time Jonathan continued to beg. “Lee, listen, you can have two of the cars, three of them, and I have cash at the house. Much more then I had promised you.”

Lee did not respond, only poking the old man in the back with the rifle whenever his pace slowed down.

“Who is at the mansion old man? And if you lie, you will pay and so will they.”

“No one should be. I sent them all home.” Jonathan responded. “I did not want anyone around for this, um…”

“Yeah, you weren’t going to kill me were you? You sick old bastard. You will pay for this.”

The mansion looked deserted with only a few lights on. The walked into the kitchen area and Lee said “OK, now, you said there was money here, where is it?”

“I thought you were calling the police? But no, you will take the money, won’t you? It's always about money with people like you.”

The rifle shot filled the room and Jonathan stumbled against the counter grasping his left arm where the bullet had ripped into his body.

“The next one goes into your head, now do you want to show me where the money is?” Lee growled.

Jonathan moved away from the counter holding his arm. The burning sensations making the room spin slightly. Looking down he saw that Lee had only grazed his arm, the blood making it look much worse then it was.

They moved down the hallway, droplets of blood being left behind like the cookie crumbs of Hansel and Gretel, only these not to show the way home.

The entered the room they had first met in, and Jonathan walked to the wall behind the desk at the far end.

He reached up with his right hand and grasped the edge of the painting there. Tugging on it the painting swung to the side, Lee noticing the red bloody hand print left there as Jonathan let go.

Behind the painting was a wall safe. Lee stood five feet away, the rifle pointed at Jonathan as he watched as the combination was dialed in. He could hear a faint click and watched Jonathan turn the handle and pull on the door of the safe.

He began to think about how much could be in there, and of just taking it all and jumping into the Cobra and driving far far away. He knew he would not be able to leave Jonathan alive and would have to get rid of the Pinto so when the police finally discovered the old man dead, they could not tie it to him. He hadn’t been in the house earlier that day and had not touched anything since they had entered.

The thoughts had taken his attention from Jonathan and when the old man turned his eyes widened in shock.

In the old man’s hand was a gun, and the last thing Lee saw was the puff of smoke from the barrel, reminding him of the smoke from the rifle earlier that day. He never heard the sound the gun made as the bullet ripped through his heart and everything went black.

Still standing in the room a short while later, Jonathan, with tears in his eyes, was saying to the assemblage there, “Yes officers, I had tried to help the young man, trying to be his friend. He had come to visit before and then today, as we were out doing some quail hunting, he just became irrational. He killed one of my dogs and my man-servant Simon. He then forced me back to the house and was going to rob me and, I presume kill me too.”

Looking up from his notepad, Detective Morgen spoke, "It all seems cut and dry sir, lucky thing you had the pistol in your safe, or it might be your body they are taking out."

They turned to watch the body of Lee Hamilton, encased in a black bag, was being wheeled out of the room by the medical examiners staff…

As Lee took a step, the SNAP of the branch underfoot caused a covey of quail to scatter from their resting place in a nearby meadow. The sound of their taking off caused Lee to stop in his tracks.

He knew that any stray sound could be his undoing and reminded himself to watch where he stepped.


As his eyes opened, it took Lee a few second to remember where he was. Looking around the room he noticed things that had escaped him the evening before. The paintings on the wall, the figurines on the dresser. This room was bigger then his parents entire house.

As he got out of bed he saw his clothes neatly folded on a chair by the door. When he picked up his shirt he realized it had been washed and ironed. Shaking his head, he padded to the shower.

Inside the shower had 15 different heads. This amazed him. Turning on the water the different heads each began pulsing on his body. For someone who normally showered in less then 2 minutes, Lee spent 15 minutes letting the shower massage his entire body.

After he dressed he opened the bedroom door and looked to his left and then to his right and realized he did not know how to get downstairs. He decided to go to the left and passed a total of 6 doors on either side of the hall, before he reached a dead-end. Shaking his head, he turned and walked the other way. Laughing under his breathe he knew that he could not pick the room he had come from as he passed door after door and then finally, turned a corner and saw a staircase.

When he reached the bottom, Simon came out of nowhere. “Do you sleep well Mr. Lee?”

“That is some bed. I have never slept on a mattress that soft. And thanks for cleaning my clothes, but ya didn’t have ta.”

“Mr. Jonathan would have it no other way Sir. Please follow me in for breakfast.”

When Lee walked into another room he had not yet seen, he saw Jonathan sitting outside on the porch reading the paper. When he was Lee walking toward him, he stood and held out his hand.

“Lee! I hope you slept well and that Simon took care of your clothes. One thing I hate is to put on dirty clothes in the morning. Come, come, and take a seat. Coffee? Juice? Some eggs perhaps? Mrs. Natalie is here this morning and she makes the best Western Omelet in the world.”

“I don’t drink coffee, thanks, but some juice and that omelet sounds super.”

Jonathan looked over at Simon and the later silently slid back into the house.

“So, Lee, I was hoping you didn’t have anything to pull you away today and would spend the day. I was planning on doing some quail shooting out on the back forty acres. Have you ever gone on a quail shoot? It is so invigorating to watch as the dogs flush them out and then swinging your gun into position and squeezing the trigger hoping to hit your mark.” As Jonathan spoke his face lit up with a satisfying grin.

“I do some deer huntin’, but I ain’t ever shot birds before. I am not sure I am dressed for a hunt.”

“Oh, my boy, I am sure Simon can find some things to fit you” Jonathan looked down. “What are you a size 11 shoe?”

As he said this, Simon appeared with juice and an omelet and placed it in from Lee. “Simon, can you did up some camouflage in Lee’s size and … size 11, Lee?”

“Actually 10 ½, but I could wear an 11 iffen that is all you got.”

“OH, I am sure we have a size 10 ½ boot for you sir.” Simon spoke. “Is there anything else you need Mr. Jonathan?”

“Just put out my camouflage and get Lee set please.”

As they spoke, Lee watched and thought he saw something in their eyes, a sparkle, but he was famished and the aroma of the omelet drew his attention and he grabbed a fork and began to shovel the eggs and accompanying home fries into his mouth.

“Didn’t I tell you she was a wizard with three eggs and some peppers, onions and ham?” Jonathan spoke.

Lee responded with a mouthful of the omelet, “Ummm yeah so good, I ain’t ever had one so good. And these home fries are even better.” He reached for the bottle of ketchup which Simon had also left, and began to bang the bottom to put a pile on top of the potatoes.

“I am glad you have decided to join me today. It is so boring to go out on a hunt by oneself. They have begun to get so boring of late. I so have thought of going over to Africa to do a hunt against something more challenging. The birds, well they are so dumb. They get flushed and all tend to fly in the same pattern. Oh what I wouldn’t do for a more exhilarating challenge.”

“You should try deer,” Lee said, “They can smell ya half mile away. You need to be so much smarter. I got a 10 pointer last season. We are still eating meat from that kill. Do ya like venison? Momma makes the best chili with black and red beans. I could eat that three times a day, I could.”

“I have never had a venison chili, but in New York I have the most delicious Roast Rack of Venison with Creole Mustard. It was divine.” Jonathan answered. “So, Lee, are you a gambling man? I enjoy a good wager on occasion.”

At that moment, Simon reappeared. “Sir, both of your outfits are laid out. I placed Mr. Lee’s in the lower bedroom for him. Mr. Lee, are you done with this?” Simon asked, noting the plate which was as clean as when it emerged from the dishwasher.

“Yes, thanks. Please let…ummm….Mrs. Natalie know it was the best I ever ate.”

“I shall Sir. Would you like to follow me and I will show you where you can change.”

Lee followed Simon to another of the rooms in the mansion and when he was alone, looked around in awe. This room was as big as the one he had slept in upstairs and was filled with paintings and figurines. He went to a case and examined the figurines in it. His mom would love these things, he thought.

Then he looked closer and realized that all the paintings in this room had the same theme. They all depicted a man, standing over another man in a pose of triumph. Some were soldiers over Indians, others Indians over soldiers. Some appeared to be men from back in the Roman times, wearing tunics and holding swords. One painting looked like that mad-man Genghis something-or-other wearing animal skins hold the head of some guy, blood still dripping from where it had been cut off the body.

One picture on the far wall was the strangest Lee had ever seen. It showed a man holding a ling leash and on the other end in a spiked collar was a man. Not an animal. Lee was looking at this as he slipped into his camouflage and tying his boots, all of which fit perfectly. Something about the picture was so familiar, but he could not quite decide what. He knew for sure, he had never seen this painting before.

When he was done he walked closer and when he was about two feet away he studied it closely. His head began to shake slowly. Nah, it must just be my imagination, he thought. The man holding the leash could have been Jonathan when he was Lee’s age. They had the same eyes.

His examination was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Mr. Lee, does everything meet with your approval?” he heard Simon speak.

Lee walked back to the door and opened it. Simon was standing there, also wearing full camouflage. “Yeah, thanks, these things could have been made for me they fit so well. Hey, that picture in there, the one with the guy holding the leash…”
“Mr. Jonathan is waiting for you out by the dog kennels, please let me show you the way.”





He turned and began walking and Lee followed along. They went out yet another set of glass doors and sitting there was a golf cart. Simon climbed in and Lee got in on the passenger side. They drove for about 5 minutes through some trees on a paved path.

As they came into a clearing Lee was amazed at the size of the kennel. He has presumed it would house 3 or 4 dogs, but here, in front of his eyes was a kennel that had to house, at the least 30 hunting dogs of all breeds. It also surprised him how silent they were.

All of the doges were standing around Jonathan as he passed out treats to them.

Off about 200 feet was a large barn and Lee would see two men saddling horses.

“Come over and meet our hunting partners Lee” Jonathan called.

Lee walked over cautiously. He had never been a dog person and these dogs looked as if they could do some damage if allowed. He walked into the gate and joined Jonathan. Some of the dogs immediately began to sniff around Lee’s legs and one pushed his snout into his crotch. Lee jumped back quickly and the dogs all came to alert.

“The one thing you can never show around dogs is fear Lee. Here feed them some of these.” Jonathan handed Lee some of the treats.

Lee put his hand out with a treat in it and one of the bigger dogs came over and took the treat. “That’s Max; he is one of my better hunters. We will be taking him with us today. Are you ready?”

“Well, I guess so, like I said, I never done this before.”

“Can you ride a horse? The area we are going hunting is out a-ways.”

“Yes sir, I been riding since I was a young man. My granddaddy had a farm down in Alabama.”

Jonathan said something to the dogs and they all sat. Lee was amazed at this feat and watched as Jonathan tapped 5 dogs on the head, including Max. Those five dogs proceeded to get up and scamper out of the gate. The others stayed still.

Jonathan walked out the gate with Lee following and then closed it, shutting the other dogs in.

“How did you do that, with the dogs I mean?” Lee asked.

“Many years of training son, come let’s check out our mounts.”

They walked over to the barn with the dogs selected following behind quietly.

When they got to the barn, Jonathan said “This is Sheik; I think you will like him. Not knowing if you had ridden before, I had the stable boys saddle a western for you, is that ok?”

“Yes sir, I have ridden English, but I prefer western. That probably ain’t what you are supposed to wear on a hunt, but it is what I know best.”

They mounted their horses and Jonathan took the lead with Lee next and Simon trailing behind. The 5 dogs took positions around the group. Lee could tell that this was something they had also been trained to do. The group took off at a gallop and were soon deep in the woods following a winding trail.

The trail opened wider and Jonathan called Lee up to ride alongside. “So, Lee, you never had a chance to answer my question earlier, are you a gambling man?”

“Well, I have been to the track a few times, and I play the lottery and my friends and I play poker sometimes, so if that makes me a gambling man, then I guess I am. Why you asking Jonathan?”

“Well Lee, I thought we could make a little wager today. Whoever bags the most birds will win the wager.”

“Well Jonathan, I really don’t have money enough to bet against you. I mean, I make minimum wage at the Highway Department.”

“OK Lee, I’ll tell you what. If you get the most birds I will give you $15,000.00. If you get the most birds, you have to do something for me. Now, don’t give me that look, I told you that I am not into anything kinky with men. So what do you say?”

Lee thought about it. $15,000.00 could really put him on easy street. Really, what could this old guy want? Maybe some company on the weekends? That would mean some good meals and maybe a nice bed to sleep in.

“So what is it that you would ask me to do?” Lee finally asked.

“Look that is part of the bet. If you don’t want to make it we can call it off right now.”

Without thinking again, Lee spoke, “OK you are on.” He was counting on Jonathan’s age working against him, and Lee had not mentioned the three medals he had won at the shooting range just last year. He could feel that $15,000.00 in his pocket already.

They finally came out from the forest into a large meadow. Jonathan reined his horse and in one motion alighted to the ground and pulled the double barrel shotgun from its sheath on the saddle.

Lee climbed down and grabbed the gun that had been on his horse. Simon followed suit, staying behind them at all times.

“OK, now we will let the dogs do their thing and the bet starts now.”

Over the next hour the dogs flushed out coveys of quail and the three men did their best to shoot them out of the air. Lee found it tougher then he thought in the beginning but then began to learn the technique of leading the quail as they took off.

He tried to keep track of how Jonathan was doing against his own tally but in the frenzy of the hunt it was not easy.

At the end of the hunt Simon took the three sacks filled with birds and the three mounted their horses and began the ride back to the mansion.

“Come on Lee, $500.00 says you can’t beat me back to the stable” Jonathan shouted as he kicked his horse forward. Lee kicked Sheik and took off after him. They were neck and neck as they made it into the forest when Lee took the lead. On the narrow trail it was almost impossible for Jonathan to pass him.

They pushed their horses hard and when the trail narrowed did not let up. As they came out into the open with 200 years to the barn Jonathan began to gain but Lee beat him by a neck.

The stable hands came out and took the reigns from both men and walked the horse into the barn to unsaddle and cool them off.

Jonathan was laughing hard “I have not had someone beat me on that race in at least two years, well done!”

Lee was feeling good about the $500.00 and felt real confident about the $15,000.00. He was sure he had taken down at least 5 more birds then Jonathan.

Just about then, Simon came trotting into the barn area followed by the dogs. He tossed the three bags onto the ground at their feet and then climbed down off the horse.

The three bags were a different color and Lee immediately grabbed his orange bag and dumped it out. The dogs began coming forward and Jonathan yelled a command and they all scurried back over toward the kennel and sat at the gate.

Jonathan grabbed his green bag and Simon the blue one he had used.

Lee counted his birds and then counted again. He had thought he counted 15 quail drop from his gunfire, but there were only 14 in his bag.

He looked over and counted Jonathan’s, and his eyes bugged out. Jonathan looked over and said “OK, 15, how many for you Lee?”

“Ummm I could have sworn I had 15, but there are only 14 in my bag, so I guess you won.”

“Well, you both beat me, I only bagged 10.” Simon chimed in.

Lee felt a pain in the pit of his stomach. His brain started circling around on itself; ‘what would he be asked to do? What if this old geezer did want to do something sexual with him? No stop, if he had wanted something he would have tried already. No, you jerk, he was setting you up for this, now he will lean over and kiss you. No, he won’t do that out here in the open. What if he wants you have sex with Simon and watch? Yes, that’s it; he never said it had nothing to do with sex, just not sex with him…:’

Lee looked over at Simon who was staring at him. ‘Oh god, that is it, he is going to tell me to have sex with Simon…well I am not going to do it and I will walk away. I don’t have to come back here again, who is to say he is going to offer you any more money after today anyway?’

“Lee? Lee, is there something wrong?”

Lee looked up and realized that Jonathan had been talking to him the whole time. “Oh, sorry, I guess I was just thinking about losing and…”

“…and what was I going to ask you to do?” Jonathan finished his sentence.

“Look, it is late and you have to work tomorrow. Why don’t you just plan on coming back next Saturday afternoon and this time plan on staying for the weekend? We will do some more hunting, only this time on Saturday and we can eat what we kill that night for dinner. I will let you know the favor then, and please, stop thinking it has anything to do with sex.”

They walked back to the mansion and Lee changed into his own clothes, leaving the camouflage on the floor as Simon instructed.

He drove home with $500.00 in his pocket and some questions ruminating in his brain.



“Do you think he has any clue that I took one out of his bag along with four birds from mine sir?”

“It doesn’t matter. He will be back next Saturday morning. I will bet you $1000.00 he pulls up to the gate before 9:00 AM. I told you he would be perfect for what I need. He is perfect, a lowly tollbooth clerk with a yearning for the almighty dollar. Do you think I had you spend 6 months watching him because I wasn’t sure he was the right one?”

“He is perfect. Next weekend I finally get the one thing I have been waiting for.”

That week Lee could not keep his mind on work. ‘What would Jonathan ask him to do?’ Well it didn’t matter. The one thing about Lee is he believed, as his grandfather told him “A bet is a debt of honor.” As long as it was not something like robbing a bank or killing someone, Lee would honor his debt.

It did bother him that he had miss counted the number of birds that he had shot and could not believe that Jonathan had shot as many as he had. The old guy struggled at one point and didn’t get a bird out of two of the coveys the dogs had flushed.

On Wednesday morning after he got off work he stopped at McGhees bar, as was his custom and used some of the $500.00 he had won in the race buying drinks for the crowd that was gathered.

These were the guys and gals that worked the overnight shift at the local lumber mill.

“Hey Lee-boy, where you getting money ta buy drinks? You never have more then $5.00 in ya pocket.” This from Jason Conway, one of Lee’s oldest friends. Lee was two years older then Lee and was a big time basketball player in high school, but had blown his knee out his senior year thus losing out on his full-ride scholarship to college relegating him to working the debarker at the mill.

He didn’t even play pick-up games after an accident two weeks after he started when he lost the thumb on his left hand while not paying attention.

“Got a little lucky this week Jas, but if you aren’t interested I don’t have to buy you another shot of Comfort” shot back Lee.

They both laughed and wandered over to a booth with their shooters and beers.

“So, really, what the hell are you doing, dipping into the till at the toll booth?” Jason asked as they sat down.

“God, Jas, ya think I would be that stupid? Nah, hey you know that old guy lives in the big mansion up on Applebie Way? Well, he came to the toll booth a couple of weeks ago and gave me a tip when he paid the toll. In fact he did it a few times and then he invited me to dinner last Saturday. On Sunday we went quail hunting and he challenged me to a race back to his stable and I beat him.”

“Ah, Lee, you talking about Jonathan APPLEBIE? What were you born yesterday? You didn’t even know who the guy was? He just owns most of the land the lumber mill leases. What were you born yesterday?”

“Hey man, he never told me his last name and how the hell would I know that? I had only been up that way once in my life and you were there with me, when we got chased away by that rent-a-cop, remember?”

Lee turned around and signaled the waitress for another round of drinks for the two of them.

“So, did the old geezer ask you to suck him off too?” Jason said laughing.

“No, you ass…like I would even do that. He just seems lonely and asked about me and why I was a toll booth clerk and shit like that. Anyway, I am going back this weekend. I lost a bet on the number of birds we would shoot and now I gotta do some sort of errand around his property. Coulda one 15 G’s if I woulda done better. Going out to the shooting range and gonna do some skeet shoot tomorrow to practice up. He said we would be going out again on Saturday and this time I am gonna make sure I win that bet.”

“Man, you are a fool, ya know Lee…always have been…”

The next day Lee shot for about an hour and got to a point where he hit 25 of the clay targets in a row.

Saturday morning he was up and dressed early. He through some clothes in a bag, and dressed in his own camos. Better to go prepared this time he thought.

Driving up to the gates a short time later he pushed the buzzer and heard Simon’s voice “Good morning Mr. Lee, drive on up.”

Lee could have sworn that Simon was chuckling when he spoke to him. The clock on the Pinto dashboard read 8:56 AM.

This time Jonathan was standing on the front steps as he pulled around. Turning off the car, it belched and emitted a large cloud of blue smoke.

Lee hoped out, “sorry Jonathan, this old beast is on its last legs.”

“Well, Lee, glad you could make it. Maybe we can change the wager this week, follow me.”

Lee tried to hide his disappointment as he followed Jonathan around the drive toward the garage. He thought a wager of $15G’s would be just what he needed to junk the Pinto.

They stopped at the front of the garage and Jonathan pressed a few keys on the pad located on the wall. The first three doors slid upward and Lee was staring at the nicest collection of cars he had ever seen.

Lee knew his cars, a black ’56 Thunderbird, a silver ’72 Mustang Cobra, and a bronze ’74 240Z were staring out at him.

“Tell you what Lee, you win the wager this week and besides $100,000.00 one of these is yours. Your choice.”

Lee stood with his mouth wide open. “You gotta be kidding me? One of these AND 100 grand?”

“Well Lee, this week, the wager is a bit more serious.”

With that, he began to describe what he had in mind. As Lee listened his brain kept screaming at him to jump into the Pinto and get the hell out of there.

But, if he could win the wager he could jump in the Cobra (he had already decided which he would take), and be out of this rat-hole town within a day.

They made their way to the barn and Lee recognized Sheik, all saddled and ready. Simon was standing there holding the reigns of the three horses

The one thing he also noticed was the empty sheath where the shotgun had been last week.

“So, Lee, that is the wager. You get a 20 minute head start. You stay out for 10 hours and make it back to the barn without me capturing you. You get the car of your choice and the $100,000.00”

‘RUN...RUN NOW’ Lee’s brain screamed, but instead he grabbed the reigns for Sheik from Simon and mounted the horse.

He looked at Jonathan and smiled. Lee was an expert deer hunter and knew how to hide and make himself unnoticeable to animals with a great sense of smell; he could avoid an old man and his servant for ten hours.

He laughed and said “Game on” and kicked Sheik into a gallop.





Simon looked over at Jonathan. “Did he even ask?”

Jonathan watched as Lee disappeared into the woods. “Poor boy doesn’t have the brains to ask. He thinks it is just you and I tracking him like a game of capture the flag. I’ll get the dogs ready. You make sure we have enough ammo for the shotguns.”

Jonathan turned and walked toward the kennels….

The branches of the trees swayed in the wind as Lee wondered how he had gotten himself into this situation.

He lived a quiet life. Working as a toll-taker along the interstate was a solitary life. The passing motorists hardly acknowledged his existence as he stood in his little box accepting their ticket and fare day after day.

He would smile, and occasionally one of them might utter a meaningless “Good morning”, but nothing more. Most people interact with others at their job. Lee had one of those careers (ha, a career as a toll-taker, what an oxymoron that was), that had no road to success. The best he could do was secure the coveted 8:00 am – 4:00 pm shift. It was the busiest shift of the day and on it, the time flew by and the day ended quickly.

Lee was low on the ladder. Only 18, he had gotten the job because his uncle worked for the Turnpike Authority. If it weren’t for this job, Lee would probably be flipping burgers earning minimum wage at the local burger joint. He had barely made it out of high school and because of a child-hood injury could not even join the military.

So, he stood, 5 days a week, from midnight until 8:00 am, taking the dirty money from travelers who had no interest in who he was.

That was until three weeks ago when the limo pulled into his lane on a Monday evening. Normally the driver pays, but on this night the car pulled up further then normal and the back window slid down. An old hand reached out with the ticket and a bill folded underneath it. Slowly, a head came into view.

The head looked even older then the hand. A few strands of gray hair clung to a pink scalp covered with age marks. The eyes were sunken and a dull brown. The voice that came from the mouth sounded as if it came from the grave. “Hello young man. Have a good evening.”

Lee muttered a thank you, as a shiver moved up his spine. As he had taken the money and fare, his hand had touched the old man’s and he felt the cold, clamminess. The touch of death it seemed.

The limo pulled away as lee turned to make change. His head snapped around to shout out “Wait.”, but it was too late. That is when he looked at the folded bill and realized it had a picture of Benjamin Franklin on it. A $100 bill for a $5 fare! Lee stuck his head out of the window of his booth and watched the tail lights of the car slowly disappear in the distance and then made the change and put the $95 into his pocket.

Two nights later, the same limo pulled in and Lee immediately assumed that the old man was back for his change. He thought this might happen and had not spent a dime of the money. As the window slid down, lee pushed his hand into his pocket and grabbed the money, neatly folded there.

The old hand came out of the limo toward him holding the ticket with another folded bill. “Um, Mister, you forgot your change the other evening, here it is.” The face looking out of the back of the car grinned. “Oh, no young man. That money was for you.”

“Why?” Lee muttered. “Why would you leave me with $95?”

“Just a good deed let’s say.” And then the hand was pushed closer. “The fare for tonight.” Without thinking, Lee took the ticket and the bill and the limo pulled away.

Looking down, he was amazed to see another $100 bill. Lee didn’t even bother to look to see if the limo had stopped to allow change to be given.

Two days later, on Friday, the limo appeared once again. This time, Lee was ready. “Look Mister, I don’t know what you want, but I have to tell you, I don’t go for men.”

The laugh that came out of the old man’s could freeze a fire. “Oh, young man, I am not trying to seduce you. I just like to help out those that need the help.”

With that his bony, chalk white hand emerged again, holding a ticket and a bill.

When the limo had left, Lee was shocked to see 2 $100 bills this time. “Weirdo”, he mumbled.

The following Monday, the limo appeared at the same exact time, but on this night, the old man asked, “So, Lee,” reading the name tag on his shirt, “Do you enjoy a good meal?”

“Look Mister, I told you, I don’t go that…”

“Lee...please stop. I am an old man with no one to treat right. I have had many women over my life, and have never thought of being anything other then a heterosexual. But I liked the fact that you tried to give me back the money that first time. That showed me that you are an honest man. There are not many honest men left out there. Believe me, I know. DO you know how many toll attendants I have done this with whom, after the first night never offered the money back? Too many to count. Now Lee, tell me, do you have anything against making money? Honest money, with no hanky-panky attached?”

Lee looked at the old man and thought about his 1978 Pinto with almost 200,000 miles on it, the only car he could afford. It spewed blue oil smoke when he accelerated. It needed brakes and tires. He thought about the room he lived in at his parents. The same room he grew up in, with the cowboy and Indian wallpaper, faded to a dark brown from exposure to the sun and the single bed he slept in.

The same bed he had slept in since her was 5 years old. The same mattress with the stains from years of night bed-wetting and then, as he became a teen, emissions of a different sort. He thought about the $2 he had in his pocket the night this limo first pulled up and how he wondered how he would get by until the next payday 5 days away. Now, he had $200 in his pocket and he was listening to this man talk about making even more.

“So, mister, what would I have to do to earn this money?”

“Lee, please call me Jonathan, and all I ask is that you join me for dinner at my estate and talk to me. My butler Simon will be there and Franklin my driver, so you need not fear anything. And you will be able to leave if you get uncomfortable.”

“Well, ya know I work, so when?” Lee inquired.

“Do you work on Saturday? Because I am having Simon cook a nice roast that evening with baby red potatoes and asparagus with hollandaise sauce and we can open a nice bottle of wine if you’d like.”

Lee did not know what this Holland-sumthingorother sauce was, but the roast sound great. His parents did not have a lot of money and the closest to roast he had come in years was the Tuesday meatloaf his mom would make.

“OK, Mis…um Jonathan, where is this estate of yours?”

From out of the window the hand reappeared holding an envelope. “Here are the instructions Lee. I look forward to the company. It can be lonely eating alone. Saturday around six then?”

Lee nodded his assent and the window slid upward and the limo pulled away.

Lee opened the envelope and inside was a sheet of paper with directions and two more $100 bills.

On Wednesday Lee waiting for the limo but it never cam. He started to think that maybe the old man had been pulling his chain and then when it did not come on Thursday Lee began to really believe it was over.

But the next night the limo pulled up to his booth. This time, however it stopped at the driver’s window. The driver looked out at him and said “Mr. Jonathan wanted me to remind you of your dinner engagement tomorrow evening and wanted me to check to make sure you knew how to get to his estate.

“Yeah, I know where it is…is this guy for real?”

“Yes, Mr. Lee, Mr. Jonathan is the most generous employer I have ever had. He looks forward to having a lively discussion with you over dinner tomorrow.”

“Well. OK, then, but hey…can you tell him I really don’t like wine and would prefer some Genesee Cream Ale instead.”

“I will inform him,” the driver said, paid the $5 toll and pulled away.

Saturday morning Lee woke and went to his closet and looked through his clothes. He could not wear his uniform and all his jeans had holes in them. He reached up on his tippy-toes and grabbed the box on the upper shelf of his closet and took out $100 and drove the Pinto to the mall. He bought a new pair of jeans and a new shirt. Looking at his ratty old sneakers, he decided to buy a new pair of those also.

When he got home, he showered and dressed in his new clothes. When he walked out of his room his father was sitting in his chair in the den. A can of Gennie Cream Ale in his hand and a cigarette hanging from his lips.

“Where the hell you going and when did you get new clothes?”

“Going to meet a friend is all dad, I will see you later.”

“Your mom got some hamburger helper, ain’t you eating here?”

“No dad, I said I would see you later.” With that Lee walked out letting the screen door slam behind him. He got in the Pinto and pulled out of the driveway.

Following the directions up the mountain road, until he found the road noted on the sheet of paper. Turning right, per the directions, he kept looking at the mailboxes and at the numbers inscribed on them.

They driveways got further and further apart and when then the mailboxes along the edge of the road got fancier and fancier. Lee had not been up this far on these roads in a few years. One night he and his friends came up here and quickly learned that not only did the county police patrol here, there were private security cars also. They had been stopped by one of these and harassed and told to head back down to the valley.

On this night, he did not see any of the private cars. Along the right a large brick wall began. He followed along for about ½ mile before he saw a drive and the number he was looking for on the large double gates that blocked entrance to all but those who were invited.

Pulling into the drive he stopped next to the call box. Before he could press the button a voice sounded, “Yes, may I help you?”
Lee looked around and saw that not one but two security cameras were mounted on the high brick wall that sealed the property off from the outside world. The wall had to be ten feet high and stretched to the left as far as he could tell.

Lee called out “Hi, my name is Lee Hamilton. Ummmm Mr. …. I mean Jonathan invited me for dinner.”

“Ah yes, Mr. Lee, you are expected.” With that the gates began to swing open and when there was enough room, lee drove the Pinto in. As soon as the car cleared the gates they began to swing shut.

He followed the drive, which curved back and forth and was surrounded on both sides by a dense strand of trees. The drive just kept going and going. Lee was not sure but he guessed it had to be ¾ miles long before it finally curved to the right once last time and the trees fell away. In front of him was the largest house he had ever seen. It had three stories, was a white stone structure. The drive curved around a large fountain to bring him to the front door. He saw that it continued around to a separate structure that looked like a smaller house, but he realized it was a garage and had 12 doors.

When he turned the ignition off the Pinto bucked and spewed a thick cloud of blue smoke.

He climbed out of the car and made his way up the stairs to the front doors. The two doors were solid wood and had to be 10 feet high. As he reached for the button to ring the bell the door on the right swung open and standing there was a very large man in a black tuxedo.

“Mr. Hamilton, I am Simon, welcome to Casa Sierra. Please follow me.”

He turned and began waking down a hall. Lee’s head turned left and right as they walked. The marble floor was polished to a mirror finish. On the walls were painting after painting. Some of them Lee recognized from the library books he had seen. He didn’t know if these were real, but he suspected they were. There were closed doors on both sides of the hall, and tables to each side with vases and statues.

The hall was about 20 feet long and then it opened into a large area where circular staircases went up the left and the right side. Between the two stairways there were two large doors which were open. Simon led him into that room and Lee’s jaw dropped to his chest.

On the other side of the room was a fireplace that Lee could have walked into. A large fire was ablaze. On either side of the fireplace were floor to ceiling bookshelves. The room had 20 foot ceilings and this was more books outside the town library that lee had ever seen, and he wasn’t sure if this room did not contain even more books then the town library.

There was a bar along the left side of the room and in the middle 4 oversized leather couches arranged in a square around a cocktail table. On the couch facing him was his host. As Lee walked in Jonathan stood and walked to meet him. Well, Lee though, walked was not really true. The old man shuffled his feet and leaned on a cane as he moved.

He put his hand out, “Lee, I am so happy that you came. I was not sure you would, even after I sent Franklin to see you last night. Simon, Lee will have a Genesee Cream Ale.”

“Yes sir.” Simon moved out of the room backward and disappeared around a corner.

“Please Lee, come sit”

“This is some home you have here…can I ask how many rooms?”

“Well, if I remember correctly there are 12 bedroom suites and 30 in total, though we have most of the sealed off. I am here by myself now, except for Simon and Franklin and a lovely lady that comes in each day to help clean the areas we do use. “

They sat on the couches and Simon came back in with a beer poured in a frosted mug and a glass of red wine.

“Simon, we will eat in about 20 minutes.”

“Yes sir.” With that, Simon disappeared again.

Over the next 20 minutes Lee answered questions about his life. Why had he not gone to college? Grades. Where did he live? With his parents, but they really never knew where he was or what he did. What he wanted in life? He didn’t know, maybe to get a new car and leave this place for the coast. Did he have a girlfriend? No.

Lee did not know how he did it, but Simon brought him a new beer as he took the last sip of his first one and then appeared to announce dinner.

They moved into the next room and Lee was, once again, amazed. The room was even bigger then the one they had just been in and the table probably had 50 chairs around it. There were two place settings at one end. One at the head of the table and the other at the seat to the left.

A fresh beer was waiting for Lee. Simon silently served them a soup which Lee did not recognize, but finished off it was so good. Then a salad was served.

After the salad the main course was served. When Simon asked Lee if he wanted hollandaise sauce with his asparagus, Lee looked at it and decided to try some. When he tasted it he laughed to himself. Why don’t these rich people just call things what they were. This was a melted cheese.

For dessert they had ice cream.

The entire time, Jonathan kept asking questions. Some of them over and over. Lee just assumed the guy was old and kept forgetting, but did not want to embarrass the man.

He did not realize how many beers he had until he went to stand. His head felt real light and he wobbled a bit.

They went back into the den and Simon brought them two small glasses with a dark liquid in it.

“It is Port Lee, a real treat, try, and if you do not like it, Simon will get you another beer.”

Lee took a sip, not expecting to like it; it looked like wine to him, but found he did.

Jonathan told Lee a little of his life. He had been married and had two kids. His wife and children had all died years ago in “an accident” and since then he had lived alone.

The Grandfather clock in the corner began to sound out the hour and Lee realized it was midnight. “Wow, this was great, but I should be going.” As he stood, he knew he was way to drunk to drive.

“Lee, I told you there are plenty of bedrooms. The road back down to town is not one you want to drive at night after drinking. You can stay and then tomorrow I can show you the grounds. I think you will love the property and we can discuss the business opportunity I would like to offer you.”

Lee thought about it and the idea of making money appealed to him. The old guy seemed harmless enough, so he allowed Simon to show him to a bedroom on the second floor and opened the drawers in the dresser pointing out some pajamas and told him the essentials were all in the private bathroom.

Lee went into the bathroom to find a brand new toothbrush and took care of that, washed his face and then put on the pajama bottoms. When he climbed into bed he was amazed at how good a real mattress felt and fell asleep almost immediately.

He slept soundly…not knowing it would be the last sound sleep he would have for many many days…