Read Lady Justice and the Candidate for Free Online Page B

he, by the way?”
        “He’s coming into town tomorrow. He thought he ought to get to know the guy who might be taking a bullet for him and he figured the best way to find out about him was to go to his funeral.”
     

     
        Naturally, the first thing that I wanted to do was call Maggie and tell her that I was still breathing.
        Of course, I couldn’t. This operation was like being in Witness Protection. There could be absolutely no contact with anyone from the past.
        It was bad enough in Wit Sec, with the U.S. Marshals trying to hide witnesses from the criminal element. In my situation, I was being hidden from forces within the government itself --- and I knew all too well the sophistication of the government’s intelligence gathering capabilities.
        One screw-up and my life as well as Foster’s wouldn’t be worth a plug nickel.
        I was relying on Captain Short who would be delivering the bad news of my death, to tell Maggie that I had survived the ordeal.
        Once I was settled into my suite at the Marriott, I was handed reams of paper and told to read.
        The lengthy manuscript was Ben Foster’s plan for a new and revitalized America.
        I read the first few pages and realized that I was in way over my head.
        If I had to pass a quiz later on, I figured that my political career might come to a screeching halt.
        It didn’t take long to realize that, aside from being away from Maggie --- and being dead --- this gig definitely had some perks.
        I was being boarded in a suite in one of the nicest hotels in Kansas City, I could order from room service whenever I wanted since I couldn’t go out in public and I was given a whole new wardrobe, right down to the scivvys, to match those of Ben Foster.
        All compliments of the U.S. Government.
        Our tax dollars at work.
        I was told that my funeral would be in two days.
        Maggie and I had taken part of our last days together to plan the funeral arrangements so that she didn’t have to carry that burden by herself.
        We decided that the service would be held at the Community Christian Church and that Pastor Bob would preside.
        While I didn’t attend regularly --- or even irregularly for that matter, Pastor Bob was my guy when I needed a moral pick-me-up.
        More than once his counsel had helped me through difficult times.
        Ben Foster arrived at the hotel the night before the service.
        We had a lovely dinner together, just chatting and getting to know one another.
        I had been curious to know how Ben was going to attend my funeral when we weren’t even supposed to know each other --- and especially since we looked exactly alike.
        I was informed that closed circuit TV cameras had been installed in the church and that we would have a live feed directly into the hotel suite.
        Apparently I was going to be able to witness my own funeral service.
        Not many folks can say that.
     

     
        Ben, Helen, Mark and I gathered in front of the TV a half hour before the service was to begin.
        I was amazed to see the long line of people waiting to enter the sanctuary.
        Naturally, officers from the Kansas City Police Department had turned out in force to honor one of their fallen brothers.
        I had done the same several times during my three years wearing the uniform.
        While danger is an everyday part of the job, it doesn’t really hit home until you see a grieving widow or kids who no longer have a father.
        Ox was seated between Officer Judy DeMarco, whom he had been dating for almost a year, and Vince Spaulding, my first recruit in the City Retiree Action Patrol. It’s tough to see any officer go down, but doubly so when it’s your partner.
        I had been a realtor for twenty-five years before trading my briefcase for a badge and during that time, I had helped hundreds of families buy or sell a