GRI5TH

That should help. HEY! Everything just turned BLUE!

You guys are very kind. Please stand by. My brain has to re-charge from the last entry.

Brownstone typically reserved his Friday nights to over see operations at the Beer House. It was his business and he'd been very proud of its tradition for the past 18 years. He could have spent his inheritance on anything, but he had always aspired to be a restaurateur. Clayton, on the other hand, had been very young and squandered his money for the most part. So ending up in the employ of Angelo Batista was an unfortunate result and demonstrated how youth, money, and then the lack of it can lead to poor decisions. Brownstone did not micro-manage his employees. He hired people he could t

I met one of those Pangaeans once at the airport. Nice people

It's bad enough in print. Just think of the people who actually SAW IT!

The only thing I really miss is the "back to top" button on the bottom left of the posts. But otherwise, it's all good.

At least they got the mystery solved. They first thought they were looking at a satellite photo of Michael Moore bending over to pick up his cap.

She didn't have a bath towel hanging in there? That would teach her!

Brownstone didn't have to wear a watch. The clock in his head said it was 12:15 and he was anxious to see Adrienne. His family and the Girard family had been close since he and Adrienne had been in grade school. She was 5 years younger than Brownstone. Walter had viewed her as a little sister, but the years had revealed a beautiful woman who he now viewed in a very different light. Addicted to coffee, Brownstone felt the need to stop on his way over to see Adrienne. Occasionally he would find himself circling around the drive-thru a second time because they failed to perform the simple t

Resolved to contact Ray, Brownstone resigned his attempt to sleep and made coffee at 8 AM. As he reached for his cup, he noticed a large legal size envelope his bartender handed to him two nights earlier. Thinking it was just another application submitted by someone seeking employment at the beer house, he had dismissed it. He lifted the envelope and it felt rigid, as if someone placed cardboard inside to protect photos. Brownstone opened the envelope and dumped the contents on the counter. It revealed multiple pages of financial statements, photos of papers with what appeared to be jumbles

I'm just an all 'round Happy Guy! Just ask my customers

Brownstone immediately recognized the man tied to the chair as a recent patron of the beer house. He had been frequenting the establishment for some weeks, but never socialized with anyone. His eyes would meet Brownstone's, but would look away just as quickly, as if there was something he wanted to say but was undecided. Interesting... The two goonbirds stood on either side on the bound man, stationed between him and Angelo who had pulled up his own chair and swung it around so he could sit with his elbows resting on the back. Angelo peered at the man, then nodded his head in the directio

Oh, now that is just TOO COOL! LPPT B Da

I can't find any clear cookies! I can barely read these reports without my spectacles!

Thanks, I feel better now since it's not just me. I was walking around, looking for mirrors on the ceiling and pink champaign on ice.

Well, I "click" on sign out....it tells me I'm signed out, then POOF, I'm back again. LPPT? Let My People Go!

But I can't log out! Anyone else?

Ray Deese laid his holster and gun on his night table at 1:00 AM. It had been another boring day, but it paid the bills. He tossed a black bag on the dresser that contained his digital camera, note pad, pens, water bottle, miscellaneous papers and a file folder. Ray figured he'd make a sandwich and maybe catch a decent movie on TV, just to wind down. 15 years with the FBI was quite enough. The frequent reassignments took it's toll on two marriages. It was on average a different assignment and different city every two to three years. And just when he decided to retire from the bureau for the

Kidnappers typically know what they want, they know that you have it and expect you to deliver it to them. There is usually no middle groud....you either comply with demands or not. In this case Angelo knew what he wanted, but didn't know where "it" was. That provided Brownstone with more control over the situation. Giving Angelo the key, or in this case, "a key" should keep Clayton alive for the time being. The other half of the bargain was to safely reuninte Brownstone and his brother in exchange for the location of "the goods" as Angelo called them. In the event that Angelo and his Grou

Phillip Cone had been in the locksmith business all of his adult life. A portion of his history included a few non-authorized entry jobs on behalf of Angelo that resulted in a few years of his life being dedicated to odd jobs in the State Prison System. He still made a decent living and was dressed in a clean suit as he entered the dim office hallway and approached the elevator. Two other well dressed men stood at the elevator door and gave Cone a thorough pat down search before permitting him to continue. Cone rode the elevator to the 5th floor. The door opened to a larger than life office,

Brownstone took the steps two at a time until he met Adrienne at the top and gave her a peck on the cheek. They turned and walked through the massive front door and into the foyer. She began, "Did you meet him"? "Not two hours ago" She said, "Do you think Clayton is still alive" "I don't know, he better be" Brownstone said sharply. "I want him to pay as much as you do" she said. "He doesn't have your brother now, does he"? Brownstone said sarcastically. Adrienne looked down at the floor as if ashamed for making the statement and said. "Do you think your friend will help

Approximately 15 miles southeast of the beer house, as the crow files, Clayton Brownstone sat silent in the basement of a ranch style house on Lakeland Avenue. He peered at a muted flat screen television that was currently broadcasting excerpts of baseball highlights. Two casual dressed men were somking and playing pool ten feet behind him. Clayton was not bound and gagged as you may expect hostages to be. He knew full well that his captors were armed and would make a stunning halt to any effort he made to escape. The men chattered about sports and occasionally argued about the rules of the

Still glancing at the phone, Brownstone wondered if Angelo could have determined so quickly that the key was fake. "No, not possible", he reassured himself. A "formal gathering" is not the venue used by such people to render judgment on their enemies. Cetainly Angelo would order two of his goons to dispatch light work such as Brownstone in the dark of night and in a discreet location. No, there would be a calculated reason for Angelo's actions, and it would not be to celebrate their new found friendship. Brownstone left his office through the rear door, climbed into his midnight blue Mercede

Rich mahogany paneled walls greeted Brownstone as he entered and walked across to his equally appointed desk, crafted in late 1890. His thoughts went back to Clayton as he opened the top drawer and saw a photo of the two taken years earlier when the the brother's minds were not consumed by adult concerns, but focused only on young ladies, classic cars and weekly parties. Old desks were far different than those made by volume and for quick sale in the modern era. Brownstone reached down to the ornate leg to his left and grasped the thick mid-section like a baseball bat. A thin portion of the

Clayton Brownstone, his younger brother by 9 years, had not always exercized the best judgment. First seeking employment as one of Angelo's "Go To" men, then accepting generous loans from The Family that were designed so that not even the most industrious among us could satisfy in five lifetimes. Brownstone knew the "issue" would never really be over with Clayton and Angelo. The idea of killing two birds with one stone had come to Brownstone's mind just days after Clayton went missing. Brownstone knew only one person could be responsible and it was the man he had just finished coffee with.