and it hit the wall and broke into about a hundred pieces. He said then Fig turned around and put his fist right through the brand new window he had just installed in your old car."
"You're shitting me?"
"That's what Buster said, and it gets even better."
"Really?"
"Yeah, not only did he bust out the window, it sounds like he might have broken a couple of his knuckles. Had to go to the hospital in Perry to get them looked at. And then," she had to pause because she was laughing so hard, "and then when D.W. heard about it, he had Buster write up an incident report and said that the cost of replacing the window was coming out of Fig's paycheck!"
"Damn, that's about the funniest thing I've heard all week," John Lee told her.
He ended the call and laughed all the way out to his Charger.
***
"Nope, I've never seen anything like that," Mama Nell said, turning the disk over in her hand.
"Let me see." Paw Paw took it from her and studied it. "Doesn't look familiar to me, but it looks like the letters and numbers were punched in with individual dies, one at a time. See how they're not exactly straight? The four is a little higher than the other two numbers?" He turned it over and said, " A nd you can see that it's not flat here in the back. It's dimpled a little bit."
"A die?"
"Yeah. Come on, I'll show you."
He led John Lee through the back door into one of the collection of sheds he had constructed on the property. Inside there was a long tool bench, with various wrenches and screwdrivers hanging from a pegboard above it. Paw Paw opened one of the many drawers under the bench and fished around and pulled out a plastic box.
"Do you remember when I was doing leatherworking?"
John Lee remembered all too well. At one point his grandfather had bought a leather making kit from Tandy and for the next year everybody Paw Paw knew got wallets, belts, leather headbands, and wristbands, all decorated with designs. He opened the box and took out a metal punch and a piece of scrap leather. Placing the leather on the table, he centered the punch on it and hit the end with a hammer.
"See?"
There was a perfect half-moon shaped crescent in the leather.
"You could do the same thing with metal, like that disk of yours if you had some dies or punches with numbers and letters on them."
"Okay, that helps a lot," John Lee told him. "Somebody suggested that maybe this was a tag that went on a key, like for a fleet vehicle?"
"Yeah, that could be. When I worked for FPL we had something similar for all our vehicles. And not just the vehicles, the chainsaws and things like that all had one on them at one time. That was before they started bar coding everything."
"Thanks, Paw Paw, I appreciate it. I need to get back to town to start asking questions."
"Long as you're going back to town, give me a ride."
"Where you headed?"
"Back to town."
Mama Nell had joined them in the shed, and said, "Paw Paw's decided he's goin' to start ridin' a bicycle. I told him at his age he's probably goin' to fall off and break his hip or somethin'."
"I'm not gonna break my hip! Besides, riding a bicycle is healthy for you. I should get one for you, too, and you could ride with me."
"No thank you," Mama Nell said. "We both break our hips who's gonna take care of us?"
"You always look for the worst side of things, woman! Riding a bicycle is good for the environment and good for the health. I don't know why anybody would want to drive a car anyhow."
"Whatever," John Lee interrupted. "If you're going to be riding a bicycle, why do you need a ride into town?"
"So I can ride it back home."
"Well, where is this bicycle, Paw Paw?"
"In the garage."
"Okay, now you've totally confused me."
"We're going to put the bicycle in the trunk of your car and you're going to drive me to town, and then I'm going to ride it home. What's so confusing about that?"
"Well, why don't you just ride it into town and back home again?"
"That wouldn't make any sense. If I was
"You're shitting me?"
"That's what Buster said, and it gets even better."
"Really?"
"Yeah, not only did he bust out the window, it sounds like he might have broken a couple of his knuckles. Had to go to the hospital in Perry to get them looked at. And then," she had to pause because she was laughing so hard, "and then when D.W. heard about it, he had Buster write up an incident report and said that the cost of replacing the window was coming out of Fig's paycheck!"
"Damn, that's about the funniest thing I've heard all week," John Lee told her.
He ended the call and laughed all the way out to his Charger.
***
"Nope, I've never seen anything like that," Mama Nell said, turning the disk over in her hand.
"Let me see." Paw Paw took it from her and studied it. "Doesn't look familiar to me, but it looks like the letters and numbers were punched in with individual dies, one at a time. See how they're not exactly straight? The four is a little higher than the other two numbers?" He turned it over and said, " A nd you can see that it's not flat here in the back. It's dimpled a little bit."
"A die?"
"Yeah. Come on, I'll show you."
He led John Lee through the back door into one of the collection of sheds he had constructed on the property. Inside there was a long tool bench, with various wrenches and screwdrivers hanging from a pegboard above it. Paw Paw opened one of the many drawers under the bench and fished around and pulled out a plastic box.
"Do you remember when I was doing leatherworking?"
John Lee remembered all too well. At one point his grandfather had bought a leather making kit from Tandy and for the next year everybody Paw Paw knew got wallets, belts, leather headbands, and wristbands, all decorated with designs. He opened the box and took out a metal punch and a piece of scrap leather. Placing the leather on the table, he centered the punch on it and hit the end with a hammer.
"See?"
There was a perfect half-moon shaped crescent in the leather.
"You could do the same thing with metal, like that disk of yours if you had some dies or punches with numbers and letters on them."
"Okay, that helps a lot," John Lee told him. "Somebody suggested that maybe this was a tag that went on a key, like for a fleet vehicle?"
"Yeah, that could be. When I worked for FPL we had something similar for all our vehicles. And not just the vehicles, the chainsaws and things like that all had one on them at one time. That was before they started bar coding everything."
"Thanks, Paw Paw, I appreciate it. I need to get back to town to start asking questions."
"Long as you're going back to town, give me a ride."
"Where you headed?"
"Back to town."
Mama Nell had joined them in the shed, and said, "Paw Paw's decided he's goin' to start ridin' a bicycle. I told him at his age he's probably goin' to fall off and break his hip or somethin'."
"I'm not gonna break my hip! Besides, riding a bicycle is healthy for you. I should get one for you, too, and you could ride with me."
"No thank you," Mama Nell said. "We both break our hips who's gonna take care of us?"
"You always look for the worst side of things, woman! Riding a bicycle is good for the environment and good for the health. I don't know why anybody would want to drive a car anyhow."
"Whatever," John Lee interrupted. "If you're going to be riding a bicycle, why do you need a ride into town?"
"So I can ride it back home."
"Well, where is this bicycle, Paw Paw?"
"In the garage."
"Okay, now you've totally confused me."
"We're going to put the bicycle in the trunk of your car and you're going to drive me to town, and then I'm going to ride it home. What's so confusing about that?"
"Well, why don't you just ride it into town and back home again?"
"That wouldn't make any sense. If I was
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