doesn’t make any sense. Why burn the food instead of stealing it? Why massacre the truckers when they could have just robbed them at gunpoint?”
Butter appeared just then, relaying a message from the bridge that they were almost back to the marina. “Grim wants everyone ready to help with the dock lines. He’s never driven a boat this big, and he is worried because the wind has picked up a bit.”
Evidently, Hannah had spotted them gliding across the lake, the marina’s owner and a young woman waving Grim toward an open pier. A few minutes later, the dock lines were being pulled tight as the captain shut down the massive engines.
“You found her!” Hannah shouted as the SAINT team disembarked. “Where was she? Where did all these bullet holes come from?”
Without going into a lot of detail, Bishop explained the approximate location where they’d discovered the boat. “Sorry about all the holes,” he added. “We weren’t the one doing the shooting … at least not in the direction of your boat.”
With an experienced eye, Hannah scanned her vessel fore to aft, finally pronouncing, “We’ll have her ship shape and good as new in less than a month. My sincere thanks to all of you for bringing her back to me.”
As Hannah boarded the damaged houseboat to take an inventory of its contents, Bishop decided it was a good time to debrief his team. It was always productive to discuss what had gone wrong, what could be done better, and to compliment his men on what they had done well.
He found Grim and Kevin taking their equipment to their home-boat, but Butter was nowhere to be found. “Anybody seen the big guy?” he asked his teammates.
“He was here a minute ago,” Grim responded, looking up and down the pier with just a hint of concern in his voice. “Not like him to wander off unless he discovered an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“Maybe he fell overboard?” Bishop offered, his eyes scanning the water despite the comment being mostly in jest.
“He was talking to that girl with Hannah a minute ago,” Kevin added.
Bishop and Grim exchanged knowing, fatherly looks. “Who is that young lady, anyway?”
“That is Hannah’s daughter, May,” Kevin answered.
Again, Bishop and Grim exchanged a knowing glance. “At least we solved one mystery today,” the Texan chuckled.
Grim obviously didn’t like it, mumbling something about kids, and how somebody ought to pass a law as he disappeared below deck with an armful of equipment.
Terri sauntered up a moment later. “Who’s that girl I just saw sashaying around with Butter?”
Before Bishop could answer his wife’s question, Grim rumbled up the steps, his boisterous voice belting out, “I once knew a girl named May, who was rumored to be good in the hay.…”
“Grim!” Bishop snapped, stopping the old soldier’s limerick before things got out of hand.
Seeing Terri, Grim’s face flashed red before he mumbled, “I’ll go retrieve our wayward team member. If it's not food or arm wrestling, it’s a damn girl. Kids. Until that boy’s frontal lobe finishes developing, he’s likely to get in trouble without my sage guidance. Someone needs to have a word with him about.…”
Bishop shook his head, “No, let him go. He did well today. You all did. The debriefing can wait.”
Grim paused, throwing a confused stare that said, “Are you sure?”
“He may die tomorrow, my friend. Any of us can be carried out in a bag on any given day. Let him go,” Bishop added in a low, but friendly tone.
For a moment, Bishop thought Grim was going to debate the decision, but the older man merely shrugged. “You’re the boss. I suppose nature is going to take its course no matter how pervasive my argument against such distractions.”
There had been a fair share of females around the Beltran Ranch where Butter had been raised. Many of the hands were married, some of the hired help being of the fairer sex. There were girls his age who attended the
Butter appeared just then, relaying a message from the bridge that they were almost back to the marina. “Grim wants everyone ready to help with the dock lines. He’s never driven a boat this big, and he is worried because the wind has picked up a bit.”
Evidently, Hannah had spotted them gliding across the lake, the marina’s owner and a young woman waving Grim toward an open pier. A few minutes later, the dock lines were being pulled tight as the captain shut down the massive engines.
“You found her!” Hannah shouted as the SAINT team disembarked. “Where was she? Where did all these bullet holes come from?”
Without going into a lot of detail, Bishop explained the approximate location where they’d discovered the boat. “Sorry about all the holes,” he added. “We weren’t the one doing the shooting … at least not in the direction of your boat.”
With an experienced eye, Hannah scanned her vessel fore to aft, finally pronouncing, “We’ll have her ship shape and good as new in less than a month. My sincere thanks to all of you for bringing her back to me.”
As Hannah boarded the damaged houseboat to take an inventory of its contents, Bishop decided it was a good time to debrief his team. It was always productive to discuss what had gone wrong, what could be done better, and to compliment his men on what they had done well.
He found Grim and Kevin taking their equipment to their home-boat, but Butter was nowhere to be found. “Anybody seen the big guy?” he asked his teammates.
“He was here a minute ago,” Grim responded, looking up and down the pier with just a hint of concern in his voice. “Not like him to wander off unless he discovered an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“Maybe he fell overboard?” Bishop offered, his eyes scanning the water despite the comment being mostly in jest.
“He was talking to that girl with Hannah a minute ago,” Kevin added.
Bishop and Grim exchanged knowing, fatherly looks. “Who is that young lady, anyway?”
“That is Hannah’s daughter, May,” Kevin answered.
Again, Bishop and Grim exchanged a knowing glance. “At least we solved one mystery today,” the Texan chuckled.
Grim obviously didn’t like it, mumbling something about kids, and how somebody ought to pass a law as he disappeared below deck with an armful of equipment.
Terri sauntered up a moment later. “Who’s that girl I just saw sashaying around with Butter?”
Before Bishop could answer his wife’s question, Grim rumbled up the steps, his boisterous voice belting out, “I once knew a girl named May, who was rumored to be good in the hay.…”
“Grim!” Bishop snapped, stopping the old soldier’s limerick before things got out of hand.
Seeing Terri, Grim’s face flashed red before he mumbled, “I’ll go retrieve our wayward team member. If it's not food or arm wrestling, it’s a damn girl. Kids. Until that boy’s frontal lobe finishes developing, he’s likely to get in trouble without my sage guidance. Someone needs to have a word with him about.…”
Bishop shook his head, “No, let him go. He did well today. You all did. The debriefing can wait.”
Grim paused, throwing a confused stare that said, “Are you sure?”
“He may die tomorrow, my friend. Any of us can be carried out in a bag on any given day. Let him go,” Bishop added in a low, but friendly tone.
For a moment, Bishop thought Grim was going to debate the decision, but the older man merely shrugged. “You’re the boss. I suppose nature is going to take its course no matter how pervasive my argument against such distractions.”
There had been a fair share of females around the Beltran Ranch where Butter had been raised. Many of the hands were married, some of the hired help being of the fairer sex. There were girls his age who attended the
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