B L O G G E R H O O D

Three Dozen Wordzzles!

Troop on over to the Raven’s Nest and get all the scoop. Read all the great stories. Then, if you think you can take it, read the ongoing story below.

This Week's Ten Word Challenge is: build-a-bear workshop, man bites dog, opulent, disparaging, lipstick stain, preponderance, smoky quartz, clothes pin, meticulous, falling leaves

Mini Challenge: moisturizing, pickles, seat belt, flip-flop, Chicago

Coming Together........

McCool hung up with Johnson and looked at Jean. "Well, the preponderance of the evidence given to us by Claude checks out" he stated. "There is so much forensic data to be processed that it will still take months before there are any indictments" he continued. "Every lipstick stain, smudge, down to the last clothes pin will be analyzed in these suspects' opulent homes before the FBI is done" he finished. "They are meticulous in their evidence gathering."

"I'm glad something good came out of this" Jean replied. "From what you told me, you were in quite a bit of danger with this man Claude" she stated worriedly. "Really not as bad as it sounds" McCool added "and I'm sorry I waited to tell you about it till I got here, but I didn't want you to be more worried or upset than necessary." "Oh, thanks a bunch for that" she said with a disparaging look in his direction. "I'm always relieved when my husband escapes with his life from a dangerous terrorist."

"OK honey, I get it" McCool retorted. "The most dangerous thing I will be doing in the near future is picking out the proper moisturizing cream to bring for you on our trip to the spa." "You don't bring your own cream, dumbass; the spa provides it" she laughed. "This is a perfect example of why you need this spa trip." "Oh, right, I knew that" he replied a little too quickly. "At least you're thinking of something besides serial killers" she laughed again.

McCool looked out the dining room window at the falling leaves. Fall had snuck up on him during this case and he hadn't even gotten his feet wet in crime consultation. What would a full time career of this feel like? He wasn't about to flip-flop on his decision to return to investigation, but his recent experience reminded him how rusty he had become. Not since the incident in Chicago in 1974 had he been caught this much off guard. Though it was no "man bites dog" story during that year of turmoil, the story had made the local papers and given McCool a reputation as lucky and clever, in spite of the way he had gotten caught up in it.

Now he just needed to relax, stay in contact with Sgt Johnson and help with any investigation stemming from the forensic data.

While McCool was helping Jean unpack the last of the boxes in their new house, Claude was working on bringing his plans to fruition. Debaucherrie knew that operations failed when they became too complex and depended on too much critical timing. That being said, he also knew if you had enough time and resources (meaning money and connections) then most anything could be accomplished in time. Claude's plan had been taking shape for over a decade and his finances and connections were first rate. Few who looked at him would know he had access to millions of dollars and access to arms and military hardware that few countries could obtain.

Only two things had critical timing and these he would oversee himself; the rest would fall into place or more accurately, be discovered, in natural order. The G-20 conference would provide both a diversion and a key factor in putting enough pressure on the authorities to make quick assumptions and investigations. The pieces were or would be in place to lead them to the inescapable conclusions that Claude wanted them to come to. Like the pieces in the 'build a bear workshop", Claude had put together a compelling fiction (that would seem so real) to incriminate a large group of individuals in a startling conspiracy. The current economic crisis had provided the optimum time to make it happen. And the political climate in the US would insure that the public would believe the worst of their financial barons.

The pickles that the Lords of Wall Street would soon find themselves in would be their downfall. And as an added bonus, would probably help the general populace as well.

He would miss this secluded workshop he’d leased in the name of one of his victims, but it was time for it to go. Claude closed the smoky quartz cover on the console of the Limo. The small EMP device was secreted below the console compartment and would come on with a simple radio signal; provided by one of the Baron's cell phones. He let the seat belt back into its holder which armed the device.

RT