JC: Ed Biggers
Part 4: Adjournment
Chapter 20
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

A month had passed since the meeting in which Ed had decided to 
enter into the mining business. He stood on the site where they 
would begin mining operations now that they had closed the deal 
on the mineral rights. Jack Clark, the owner of the land was sitting 
in his truck watching Ed, reserving judgement as to the wisdom of 
having leased the mineral rights to him for ten years. The woman 
he had negotiated the deal with had been very focused on her 
boss's needs and had used his need for the money to continue his 
cattle operation as a lever to convince him to sign. Now that he had 
signed lease, he feared that the mine would ruin his property. 

Calvin, wearing his Green Robe, finished walking around the 
property examining the area with a critical eye. Ecologically 
correct mining was his area of expertise and this site was going to 
be a challenge. His very pregnant wife waddled over to him from 
another corner of the site and conferred with him privately. 

Calvin and Kim gestured for Ed to come over to where they were 
standing. Ed swung by the pickup truck and said, "Jack, you want 
to hear what he has to say?"

Jack climbed out of the air-conditioned cab of his truck and joined 
Ed as he went over to meet Calvin. Once there, he stood back to 
listen to what they discussed. He didn't have any legal rights over 
their operation. He hadn't realized that until after he signed the 
lease. Ed looked around and asked, "So what's your opinion?"

Grinning broadly, Calvin answered, "Kim says this is a very rich 
site. Of course, you already knew that."

Ed grinned as Kim, despite her swollen belly, made a bow in his 
direction. Looking over at Jack, he asked, "Can we get it out of the 
ground?"

"You can rape the land and get anything out of the ground that you 
want."

Hearing that, Jack looked down at the ground and swore. This was 
exactly what he had feared.

"You know that's not how I operate," replied Ed.

Jack turned to examine Ed wondering where he was going. Calvin 
said, "I know. It's going to be expensive. You'll still turn an 
obscene profit, but it is going to cost a bit to do the job right."

Nodding, Ed said, "Can I turn a ten percent profit?"

"Easily. It will probably closer to twenty five percent and a twenty 
times return on investment over a five year period."

A twenty-five percent profit was good for a mine. "The land can be 
returned to pristine condition?"

"Yes, if you do it the way that I suggest," replied Calvin knowing 
that Ed would probably hire him to oversee operations on a regular 
basis. With his wife expecting a child, that would be a nice break. 
He added, "it'll remain in pristine condition the whole time."

The chance for her to spend some time at home without having to 
work was very attractive to Kim. Hoping to clinch the deal, she 
added, "We'll offer our services at a discount."

Remembering the words of John when it came to accepting free or 
discounted advice, he replied, "No. Charge me your regular fee."

Calvin smiled having suspected that is what Ed would say. 
"Good."

Pointing to the landowner, Ed said, "Explain to Jack how we'll go 
about mining on his place. I'm sure that he would like to know how 
intrusive this is going to be."

Calvin went over to Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder as he 
led him around the site explaining what his advice would be in 
establishing the mine. As they walked, Jack nodded his head as he 
listened to the plans. 

Kim turned to Ed and said, "Hello, Ed."

Smiling at seeing her with a swollen belly and the glow that 
pregnant women possessed, Ed said, "You're looking good. 
Pregnancy agrees with you."

"Thanks. I've missed working with you, but I have to say that I'm 
very happy with Calvin," replied Kim. She had come to love Ed 
but couldn't have shared him with the other wives. Through 
counseling, she had come to grips with a year of continuous rape 
by her lesbian aunt, but retained her basic possessiveness. Living 
with Calvin had satisfied so many holes in her life, that she 
wouldn't risk that for anything.

"I can tell. You two look very good together. I'm so happy that 
you've found the happiness that you deserve," replied Ed meaning 
it with his whole heart. She looked so happy, despite walking 
around the desert in the heat eight months pregnant. He asked, "Do 
you want to sit in the truck? I'm sure that you are uncomfortable 
out here."

Smiling at his typical consideration, Kim answered, "Yes, I think I 
will. I came out here because I wanted to see what would actually 
prompt you to open a mine. Maybe we'll have a chance to talk at 
length after I've had the baby."

Ed helped her get to the truck that she and Calvin had driven out 
here. Once she was settled, Ed returned to wait for Jack and Calvin 
to return from their walk around the future mining site. He was 
pleased to learn that they would be able to extract the goods and 
leave the land pristine behind them.

The men returned from their walk. Ed did not know the details of 
what Calvin was going to recommend since that report would be 
going to Terry. All that he was concerned about was that everyone 
involved accepted that it was a good project. Turning to Jack, he 
asked, "Is it a go?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked you if the project was a go," answered Ed.

"It's not my call," replied Jack.

Calvin smiled as he watched the puzzled expression on Jack's face. 
He said, "He's asking you if you see any problems with this project 
from your perspective."

"Why should that matter?" asked Jack not aware of the harm none 
rule of the Druids. Ed would stop the project if it were harming 
Jack or his ability to make a living.

"When I encounter you anywhere, I have to be able to look you 
square in the eye and know that there are no bad feelings between 
us. If you think this will work for you, we'll do it. If you think it is 
going to ruin your land, we'll stop it right now."

That he would be given the ability to stop this mine just by saying 
no was surprising for Jack. Legally, Ed had leased the mineral 
rights and could enter his land at will to do as he wished to get at 
the minerals under the ground. Looking over at Ed, he said, "I 
think it is a go."

"Great. I'll tell Terry and he'll work out the contract with Calvin. 
We'll look at what kind of access we'll need and get together with 
you to make sure that it doesn't interfere with your cattle 
operations."

"Thank you, I appreciate the consideration," replied Jack. When he 
had asked his lawyer about signing a contract with a Druid, his 
lawyer had told him that no one was ever screwed by dealing 
honestly with a Druid. The word in the legal world was that they 
were people of their word.

As Ed handed him a business card for Terry, he said, "Please call 
Terry if you have any questions or if any problems arise." 

Jack pocketed the card and was ready to turn away. Calvin, after 
fishing out one of his cards, said, "Here's my card. If you have any 
questions, please call me directly."

Jack accepted that card and paused for a moment. He said, "You 
are both Druids. I've heard that you were straight shooters. I 
respect that. I hope that I'm not disappointed."

The two Druids exchanged smiles. Ed said, "Don't worry. You'll be 
treated fair. If you wish, you can participate in the interviews of all 
the people hired to work on the mine."

"You'd do that?"

"Yes. It is your place and you have a right to know who is coming 
onto it."

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer," replied Jack. He left 
feeling much better about the deal. This was beginning to look like 
a good decision.

Calvin and Ed were soon alone looking over the land. Ed sighed 
and said, "This land is so pretty."

"Yes it is," replied Calvin as he looked at the horizon. This job was 
going to be a pleasure as Ed would listen and follow his advice to 
the letter, unlike many of the people for whom he consulted. Most 
wanted to get their mines into a condition where they met the 
minimal environmental regulations. He said, "It's going to be a 
pleasure to work with you, Ed."

"I want you to make a monthly inspection and write up any 
suggestions that you have. We'll have the foreman implement any 
change that you suggest."

"That much consulting could cut into your profits."

"Every dollar spent to save the land is a dollar well spent. I expect 
to come out here and camp. I don't want to see a huge scar in the 
land or toxic waste that will kill me later," replied Ed.

"You're singing to the choir," Calvin joked.

Ed glanced over at the truck and said, "Kim looks very happy."

Calvin replied, "There's no way she can be as happy as I am. She's 
an amazing woman and is going to make a great mother."

"Yes, I know that," remarked Ed. Turning to look at Calvin, Ed 
said, "I'm happy the two of you found each other. There for a while 
I was very worried that she wasn't going to find the right person."

Calvin nodded and said, "She's never had a better friend than you. 
You did more for her than she even realizes."

"It was mutual."

The men were quiet for a moment and then Calvin said, "I better 
get her back to the house. She came out here to see what made you 
so hot to go into mining."

"I appreciate her making the effort. If there is anything I can do, let 
me know."

"By the way, she's sending you a thank you present."

"For what?" asked Ed wondering what she had in mind. 

Without answering the question, Calvin shot him a big grin as he 
returned to his truck. In minutes, he had left the site, churning up a 
cloud of dust behind the silent car. Ed turned and looked around 
the mine. He bent down and looked at the rock beneath his feet. 
Shaking his head, Ed returned to his truck and drove home.

Reaching town, Ed stopped in front of Shirley's to get a coke. 
Entering the bar, he was amazed at the changes that it had 
undergone. A hardwood floor had replaced the old wood plank 
floor. A new polished wood bar replaced the old laminate bar that 
had been showing its age. She had painted the walls again and put 
up some more western art on them. By the door was an antique 
coat rack for use on rainy days or in the winter. 

Shirley, sitting behind the bar, looked fantastic. Until she had 
married, she had not been aging well. Marriage agreed with her 
and she actually looked younger today than the day that he had met 
John. Sliding into the chair as she set a coke on the bar, Ed said, 
"You look great."

"Thank you. What brought that on?" asked Shirley.

Puzzled, Ed didn't know why he had noticed her appearance. 
Tentatively, he answered, "I don't know. I just came in and was 
struck by your beauty."

Shirley smiled at Ed and said, "You're good for a woman's self 
image."

Rather than respond in any kind of coherent fashion, Ed just made 
a non-committal grunt. Surprised by his reaction, Shirley thought 
about it for a minute. Ed had been coming into the bar almost 
every day since his return and had never commented on her 
appearance. It made her wonder what had happened to him today. 
She asked, "So what did you do this morning?"

"When out to look at the site where we are planning to mine."

"Who else was there with you?"

"Calvin, Jack Clark, and Kim."

When Ed mentioned Kim, understanding burst over Shirley. 
Smiling, she said, "That explains it."

"What explains it?" asked Ed confused.

"You saw Kim and that reminded you of the other women in your 
life. It would follow that you came in here and looked at me as a 
woman for a change rather than as a friend," explained Shirley. It 
didn't matter how much time had passed since his great change, the 
fact that he treated women as total equals in causal conversation 
still surprised her. Every woman in town was his sister. He loved 
them and helped them, without ever expecting any kind of sexual 
favor in return. When a woman expressed a desire to have sex with 
him, he was still surprised by the offer. 

"I don't know what to say," replied Ed. He took a sip of his coke as 
he thought about it. She could be correct and seeing Kim did make 
him take notice of the things around him a little more. He sighed 
and said, "I guess I still love her."

Laughing, Shirley said, "Ed, I don't think you've met a woman that 
you didn't love. You just don't think of most women in a sexual 
way. Your wives and Kim are about the only ones that you see in a 
sexual way a good percentage of the time. Even the women on 
your staff have to drag you into bed."

"Maybe you're right," answered Ed.

"I am right and you know it. The other day, Marguerite was telling 
me that Shauna was damn near begging you to sleep with her. 
When she hinted at it, you said that there are lots of men around 
that would value her."

"She was suggesting something to me? When?"

"What would you call it when a woman tells a man that she needs 
a good solid fucking?"

"Depends on the context. I just thought she was discouraged about 
not finding a boyfriend."

"Silly man. If a woman tells you that she needs a good fucking, 
odds are that she's asking you to provide her with one."

"Maybe I'm dense," replied Ed. It always surprised him when 
women found him desirable. 

"Maybe you're well hung," suggested Shirley with a smile knowing 
from personal experience that there wasn't a maybe about it. He 
and John were both extremely well hung and half the women in 
town wanted a second chance at them.

"I can understand that. I sometimes I forget about the equipment 
below," replied Ed. He realized that it was strange, but he had 
never been size conscious even when he was smaller. He took 
another sip of his coke as he thought about it. 

Shirley watched as Ed drank his coke. She had seen Ed in a variety 
of moods and didn't recognize this one. Smiling at him, she said, 
"Why don't you head home and let one of your wives take care of 
you?"

Shrugging, Ed said, "No one is home today. Linda is still out 
pushing her book. Ling went up to help Leroy. Kelly is with John 
and the kids at the college."

"Do you need some company?"

Frowning, Ed said, "Nah, I probably need some time alone for a 
while."

Nodding as though she understand his feelings, Shirley was 
actually quite puzzled by his behavior. She asked, "Are you sure?"

Finishing his coke, Ed pulled some money out of his pocket and 
paid for his drink. Thinking about his days with Kim had made 
him feel bad and he decided that it would be best if he headed 
home for a swim. He felt that swimming might ease some of the 
pain that he was feeling. 

Floating on his back in the middle of the pool, Ed stared at the 
ceiling above. With a languid move, he pushed himself through the 
water. It felt like the tiles were moving rather than him. Bored, he 
stood up and looked around the pool. As he started to walk to the 
edge, Cathy came in the poolroom. Noticing her standing uneasy at 
the door, Ed asked, "What is it?"

Nervous, Cathy looked around for a moment and then said, 
"There's someone here to see you."

Puzzled by her behavior, Ed asked, "What's the matter?"

"I've talked to your wives and they say it is okay."

Totally confused, Ed asked, "What is okay?"

"Kim sent over a new rock hunting partner for you," replied Cathy. 
She wasn't quite sure what she thought about it, but it wasn't her 
place.

Ed said, "I'll meet him in the formal living room."

Pausing to consider if she should correct the gender mistake, Cathy 
said, "That might be a good idea."

Curious about what to expect, Ed climbed out of the pool and dried 
himself with a towel. He pulled on his robe without bothering to 
put anything on under it. Cathy's behavior had roused his curiosity 
and he could hardly wait to find out who this mystery person might 
be.  Looking up after slipping the robe on, he noticed that Cathy 
had left. 

Stepping out of the poolroom, Sarah was standing nearby looking 
at him with a funny expression on her face. Naked as usual, she 
stood there shifting from one leg to the other. The effect was to 
create a nice swaying motion of her breasts. She noticed him 
looking at her and said, "I can't believe that Kim did that."

Ed asked, "What did she do?"

"You'll see."

Curious, Ed headed towards the formal living room. Before he 
reached it, he ran into Marguerite and Shauna. They were both 
staring at him. Beginning to get a little irritated, he asked, "What is 
it?"

The two women exchanged glances and then said, "You'll see."

Ed was beginning to wonder if he had done something wrong. 
Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Walt, George, and Bob 
watching him. He turned to Marguerite and asked, "Would you 
like to tell me what's up?"

Marguerite shook her head and returned to the kitchen followed 
closely by Shauna. In all of his years with the staff, he had never 
seen them act this strange. He headed to the living room, but 
stopped in the office. Looking over at Cathy, he asked, "Before I 
go in there, would you please tell me what's going on?"

Shaking her head, Cathy said, "Kim sent someone over here to 
become your rock hunting buddy. I talked to your wives and they 
say they are fine with it."

His truth sense suggested that there was a slight tinge of a lie there. 
He asked, "You say they are fine with it, but I don't think you 
believe them."

"That's true," replied Cathy as she looked down at the desk. After a 
minute, she looked up and said, "They can't imagine what she 
looks like."

"She?"

"Go in there and meet her," begged Cathy.

Ed went into the formal living room to meet his guest. She was at 
the far end of the room examining one of the paintings hanging on 
the wall. Wearing an expensive designer dress that presented her 
body in a very complementary fashion, it was clear that she was a 
very attractive woman with lots of money. Ed announced his 
presence, "Hello?"

The woman turned to look at Ed giving him a chance to examine 
her more closely. She had jet-black hair cut in a pageboy with 
bangs. She had perfect features on a perfectly shaped face. Her 
breasts were well proportioned for her body. The effect reminded 
him of a model from the 1950's. An uncertain smile broke across 
her face as she looked at Ed and asked, "Are you Ed Biggers?"

Moving closer to her, he was able to see that her makeup was 
extremely subtle and suggested a professional touch. She was an 
extremely attractive woman, but that didn't explain the reaction of 
the staff. Placing her age at twenty-four, he answered, "Yes, I am."

She paused as though she expected him to recognize her. Seeing 
that he didn't appear to know who she was, she finally said, "I'm 
Nora Turner."

Pointing to a chair, Ed said, "Please have a seat Nora. I understand 
that you are a friend of Kim."

Nora smiled and replied, "Yes, I've been out hunting rocks with her 
and Calvin. She suggested that you and I go out sometime. She 
said that you were the best at finding samples that she's ever 
encountered."

"She's too generous," replied Ed. Hearing the sounds of the staff 
listening from outside the room, Ed shook his head still wondering 
what was going on with the staff. He asked, "Would you care for 
something to drink?"

It was late afternoon and a perfect time for a glass of wine. She 
replied, "A glass of wine would be perfect."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed called out, "Marguerite, would you mind 
bringing a glass of wine and an iced tea?"

From the noise outside the living room, he knew that Marguerite 
was going off to get the beverages. He smiled at his guest. "You 
seem to have created quite a stir among the staff."

Frowning as she looked towards the door hearing the hushed 
whispers, this was nothing new to her. Crossing her legs, her dress 
split presenting her thighs to view. She turned back to look at Ed 
and said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I have no idea what is their problem."

The idea that he didn't understand their actions was rather amusing 
to her. She was used to having that kind of attention. "I take it that 
you don't drink."

"That's right. I gave it up years ago when I realized that I was a 
total jerk when I drank," replied Ed. This conversation was very 
uncomfortable and he wondered what Kim was thinking when she 
had sent this women over to him. She didn't seem to be the type 
that would be comfortable in the desert for a week at a time. 

Nodding, she said, "Lots of people in my business have problems 
with alcohol."

"What business are you in?"

The question took Nora completely by surprise. She had assumed 
that he knew who she was and answered, "I'm in the movie 
business."

"Oh. What do you do in the movie business?"

"I'm an actress."

Sitting back in his chair, Ed considered what he knew about the 
film industry. As far as he knew, she could be anything from a 
movie star to a porn star. He replied, "I understand that it is very 
hard to get work as an actress."

The sound of snickers from outside the door filtered into the room. 
He glanced at the door wondering what he had said that was so 
funny. Marguerite came into the room with a tray with a glass of 
wine, a pitcher of iced tea, and a glass of ice. She handed the glass 
of wine to Nora and then poured a glass of iced tea for Ed while 
looking at him as though he was a complete idiot. Leaving the tray 
with the pitcher on the coffee table, she paused to look at Ed, and 
shook her head in amazement before leaving the room. 

Nora, observing the exchange, realized that Ed truly had no clue 
about her identity and what she did for a living. Last year, she was 
touted as the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood and earned 
over twenty million per movie. She had won an academy award 
and was considered one of the most talented actresses in the 
business. She asked, "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"I have no clue," replied Ed.

She laughed and said, "Kim said that you would be a different kind 
of man than I'm used to meeting."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed said, "I don't remember ever going to 
a movie theatre. I've seen a few movies on television, but most of 
them were old."

Looking at Ed, she wouldn't have believed until meeting him that 
there existed a person that didn't go out to movies. Kim had told 
her that Ed would always tell the truth, however unlikely. She 
decided that it was time to change the subject. She said, "I need a 
rock hunting partner and Kim recommended you."

"Do you go out often?" asked Ed curious about how much 
experience she had and the degree of her interest. Nothing would 
be worse than getting out in the desert and having her complain 
about the heat, the dirt, and primitive conditions. 

"I've been doing it since I was ten years old. I'm working on a 
degree in mineralogy at the College Of Earth and Mineral Sciences 
at Penn State. Unfortunately, my career interferes with my 
studies."

For the first time since meeting her, Ed was impressed. That was a 
very good school and had an outstanding program in mineralogy. 
Nodding, he said, "That's a good program."

"That's where I met Calvin and Kim. He occasionally lectures 
there."

"He's the best at what he does," replied Ed. 

"I found that he was the only one there that was more concerned 
with my interest in minerals rather than my career in movies," 
replied Nora with sadness in her voice. She knew that most people 
knew her and understood her only as an actress. Such a singled 
dimensional view of her as a person hurt much more than she 
could ever express.

Ed recognized the sadness in her voice and understood how it was 
to be valued for one thing without any acknowledge of the rest of a 
person. He asked, "Would you like to see my office?"

She took a sip of her wine and thought about his offer. Setting her 
wineglass down, she stood up and said, "Sure."

Smiling, Ed picked up his glass of iced tea and refilled it. Looking 
at glass of wine, he suggested, "You might want to take your wine 
with you."

Wondering about the significance of being invited to his office, she 
picked up her glass of wine. As they headed to the door, they heard 
the staff scurry away from the door. Ed smiled as he led her to the 
back of the house. They entered the back in time to see the naked 
form of Sarah disappear into the laundry room. Nora looked at Ed 
with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Was that what I think it was?"

"If you mean, was that a naked woman? Then yes, you did see it. 
The back of the house is clothing optional. Sarah is a confirmed 
nudist and hardly ever wears cloths. I'm rather surprised that she 
ran off though."

Amused, she followed Ed as he led her to his rooms. Placing his 
palm on the lock, the door opened and he showed her into his 
private room. She looked around and realized that she was in his 
private quarters. For a moment, she became suspicious of his 
motives and relaxed when he said, "My office is upstairs."

He went over to the stairs and started up. She hung behind to look 
around the room hoping that it would give her a little insight into 
the man. The room was very plain with furniture that looked very 
old. Considering the cost of the house, the fact that he had an old 
recliner and beat up coffee table confused her. Realizing that she 
had delayed a little longer than intended, she climbed the stairs at a 
quick pace to catch up to him.

Upon entering his office, she came to an abrupt stop and looked 
around the room taking in the display of rocks. This was an 
amazing collection of rocks. She could only recognize about a 
quarter of the samples, a fact that surprised her since she had made 
an A in identification. Almost reverently, she approached the wall 
and started examining each sample. A shiver of sexual excitement 
shot through her body.

Watching her reaction to his collection, Ed sat down at his desk. 
Unlike most people, she didn't spend all of her time examining the 
copper piece, but examined the lesser attractive pieces that were 
more geologically significant. That convinced him that she actually 
knew her rocks. Taking a sip of his iced tea, he settled in to wait 
for her to finish her examination.

Nora took her time, occasionally sipping her wine, as she 
examined the samples Ed had mounted. She reached a point along 
the wall where there was a simple picture of a stone. Underneath 
the picture was a label that identified the stone as Carterite found 
in Antarctica. She turned to Ed and said, "Just a picture of it?"

Nodding, Ed replied, "I only found a single sample of it when I 
was in Antarctica. I plan to return to see if I can locate some more. 
For now, the only sample is kept at the Smithsonian Institute."

Looking at the picture, Nora realized that it probably was the most 
valuable rock in existence and this guy had found it. She returned 
to examining the other samples. After examining the entire 
collection, she put the value of it at close to a million dollars. Kim 
was right when she said that he was one of the best collectors in 
the country. She said, "I'm impressed. This is a magnificent 
collection."

"Thank you," replied Ed. 

Turning to face Ed, she said, "Would you accept me as a rock 
hunting partner?"

There was a pleading tone to her voice that struck Ed as a real 
desire on her part. Nodding, he said, "Yes. I can go out next week 
if you are interested."

