Chapter twenty seven
While Rick was at the police station, John sat on the lanai with Ollie. He was trying to make him understand what they were going too have to do to change their identities.
“I don’t see why we have to change our identities?
“It’s going to be a lot clearer to you in a week Ollie, when you’re young. You must have friends both here and in Canada. How are you going to explain being twenty-one again? They wouldn’t believe you anyway. Hell, I didn’t even believe my own mother when she told me. Besides Ollie, if you don’t change your identity we will have to give up our life and go on the run again. Is that the way you want to thank Uncle Rick for saving your life?”
Ollie didn’t say anything, but he was more than a little upset. He didn’t like being told the facts of life by a nineteen-year-old kid and he didn’t like being told what to do by anyone. Ollie was used to giving orders and didn’t like not being in charge. While John and Ollie talked, Sarah and Dolly were sitting at the kitchen table drinking iced tea and discussing the same subject. Dolly said, “What a wonderful gift Rick has.”
“I once thought so but I’m starting to think it’s a curse.”
“How can you say that? You both have your youth. You saved my Oliver from a certain death. You don’t even have to pay for health insurance. I don’t see how can you call that a curse?”
“Think about it Dolly. Because of this so-called gift, Rick was forced to give up a way of life that he loved. The only way of life, he’d ever known. He lost a ranch that had been in his family for four generations. We have all been forced to give up our friends and start over from scratch. My son, yes John is my son, was almost killed, and we had a maniac in our house that was prepared to kill us to get this so called gift.”
“But, Sarah look at all the good that’s came of it. You have your youth back”
“Dolly, that’s true, not only do I have my youth, but I now have a life that I couldn’t even dream of a few years ago. However, I would give up anything in this world, including my youth, to keep my son safe. You don’t know how close we came to losing him. Never having had children, you can’t possibly know what it would be like to lose a son.”
“I understand your fear with all that’s happened, but I know what it would be like to lose a husband, and Rick’s gift kept that from happening.”
“Rick was leery of this thing, and its potential to bring out the worst in people from the start. At first, I just couldn’t see it, I was so sure, like you, that it was just a wonderful gift. Now I’m not so sure; that gift could cost me my husband and perhaps even my life. Another thing, that young man that tried to kill my son was once his best friend. They grew up together, hunted, fished and played ball together. They sat at my kitchen table talking about football and girls. If it wasn’t for this “gift”, they may have been friends for life. Now he has spent time in prison, killed people and god-only-knows what all. Moreover, there is a good chance that he is now dead himself. Rick healed that boy’s sister who was paralyzed and look how he was repaid. He saved Ollie’s life, and now he is acting like Rick is trying to steal from him.”
“You have to forgive Ollie. He is just confused right now, and he has always hated not being in charge. It makes him feel as if he has no control over his life. He will be fine once he gets a grasp on what is happening.”
“I hope so. Dolly, everything I just told you is secret, or should have been. I don’t know if the police will talk to you, but if they do you can’t say a word about what I’ve said. I shouldn’t have said anything, but now that I have you have to promise.”
“Of course I promise.”
“I mean it Dolly, I can’t begin to tell you how important this is.”
“You have my word Sarah, and I promise to make Ollie understand too.”
When Rick got back to Ollie’s, He asked them if John could spend the night.
“Of course Rick, you’re all welcome to stay as long as you want to” Dolly replied.
“I think Sarah and I are going to take a little drive. I don’t think we’ll be back tonight.” Once away from the house, he said to Sarah, “I just needed for us to be by ourselves for a while.”
“I know just how you feel.”
That night, at the cabin, they talked about all that had happened and what lay ahead with Ollie and Dolly for the next month or so. Sarah told him how she felt about the ball.
“Rick I think maybe I finally understand your fears about the ball. Maybe we should get rid of it. It’s already given us a wonderful second life, maybe that’s enough.”
“I don’t know Honey, I’ve thought about it a lot, but I just don’t know. I’m reluctant to just throw it away and I can’t imagine who to trust with it.”
“What about the government?”
“The government may be the last ones I would trust with it. I’m fairly certain that they would see it as a weapon. They could create a strong, intelligent army that if wounded, could be back in battle within days.”
“What about science?”
“Sarah, even if they did their best to use it for the betterment of man kind I think the government would appropriate it for their own use as soon as they became aware of it. I think the worst thing would be that if science could figure it out and be able to reproduce it.
“Why?”
“Consider a world where no one died or got old and could reproduce for as long as they felt like it. Where are we going to put all these people? How are we going to feed, house and provide water for them. The population of this planet could easily double or even triple in a decade.”
“I see what you’re saying. Maybe it would be best to throw it in the gulf or in that spring out there. God knows how deep that thing is?”
“I just don’t know if I can bring myself to do that. This could be the greatest discovery in the history of mankind. I don’t know that I have the right, or the courage for that matter.”
Besides he said smiling, “We skinny dip in there; we might turn it into a fountain of youth.”
“That doesn’t sound all bad.”
“Oh yeah, you’ll think so when we’re overrun with teeny-bopper manatees.”
“I guess your right Rick, they would likely tell all their friends and we wouldn’t have room to take a bath.”
“There has to be something we can do though Rick. I don’t see how we can take on the world’s sorrows. On the other hand, as long as we have it I don’t think I can ignore people’s troubles. For instance this thing with Ollie, there is no way we could just let him die and now we can’t let Dolly stay old while her husband regains his youth.”
“I know Sarah and I’m sure this won’t be the last of these situations. We need to figure out an answer, but it will have to wait until the current mess is solved. Now what were you saying about a bath?”
“Do you think the manatees will mind?”
“They never complained before. You know what I just thought would be neat?”
“What’s that?”
“If we ever get electricity out here, it would be nice to have a light in the spring.”
“Why you lecherous old man, you just want to watch me bathe.”
“I was thinking of the esthetics and watching the manatee, but now that you mention it.”
“Come on then, there’s a moon out tonight. Come to think of it I may do a little leering myself.”
That night as they lay in bed Sara said, “Rick when I die I want to be buried here.”
“You’re not going to die. You’ll live forever if I have anything to say about it.”
“Still if I do die this is where I would like to be buried. Everyone dies some day.”
“Not you and I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
She snuggled up to him and said, “You’re such a big wuss.”
The next morning, after they returned to the Hearsts’ house Rick, Sarah and John discussed how they might get a death certificate for Ollie. John said, “Now don’t you guys be going all hyper, but I know a guy.”
“Oh and this guy you know deals in death certificates?”
“No Aunt Sarah he sells blank birth certificates to kids so they can buy beer.”
“And this helps us, how?
“It’s how he gets the certificates. He has a way of sneaking into the records area at one of the hospital’s, I don’t know which and stealing blank birth certificates. I figure if he can get birth certificates he could also get death certificates.”
“I don’t want you involved in this John. This seems like something you could go to prison for.” Aunt Sarah I won’t be involved. My friend says this guy will do anything for a hundred bucks. I’ll just tell my friend what I need and pay him when he gets it.”
Rick said, “It doesn’t sound too bad, but I don’t want you to have any contact what-so-ever with the guy that steals the certificates. You just let your friend be the go-between. You give him the money and make sure you’re some where safe when you take the certificate from him. It strikes me that if this guy got caught taking death certificates he might help the cops set up a sting to keep himself out of prison. The police might be more interested in someone who wants such a thing than the guy that stole it.”
It turned out the guy wanted five hundred. His reasoning was that he had to do a separate heist for this certificate. Every time he went in the hospital was just one more chance of being caught. Each time he went in he would lift ten certificates which he would sell at a hundred a piece. He surmised that his chances of selling another death certificate were slim to none.
Rick decided that since they had no other way of getting what they needed to go ahead and pay him. A week later Ollie came over with an antique typewriter he had picked up in a junk shop. He filled out the certificate and signed it with the name of the doctor that he’d had for his stroke. Rick having a notary’s license, as did most realtors, embossed it with a raised notary stamp.
Sarah was concerned about Rick notarizing the certificate, but he explained that it was just a stamp. Unless I add my license number and initial it, there is no way to trace it back to me and it will make it look more authentic. They looked it over and decided that Dolly shouldn’t have any trouble. They all agreed that the chances of Canada bothering to check with the U.S. on a death certificate were slim, especially for a man in his seventies.
Sarah said, “When my husband died…
“Your husband?”
“It’s a long story. Anyway I was given a bunch of copies of the death certificate for the bank, and whoever else needed one. In my case, there weren’t many people that needed them but you may need them for brokers, real-estate people and so forth. The point is that I never saw the original. I have no idea who has that.”
“Sarah’s right. I had the same situation when my dad died, and also my wife.”
“Wife?”
“That’s another long story. I think you need to make copies of the death certificate. You could take the original along, just in case, but I think all you will need are the copies.
The next day John left for Michigan in his Mustang and the Hearsts prepared to go to Canada. Rick was against Ollie going to London with his wife. He was sure that they knew many people there and it was going to cause situations that would be hard to explain. Ollie contended that he was the one that knew about their investments and properties. He felt that his advice was critical to getting their business taken care of in a timely manner. He promised to lay low and avoid being seen with Dolly, especially if there was a chance of seeing people they knew.
Rick was skeptical.
“How are you going to explain being in her house? I’m sure many of your friends and acquaintances will be stopping by to offer condolences. Someone is sure to notice the resemblance to her late husband. They may also think it strange that she has a young man living with her within weeks of her husband’s death.”
“Rick, give me credit for not being a total fool. I never planned on taking over the duties of her late husband. I was thinking more along the lines of a trusted advisor.”
“Trusted advisors to widows, especially young good looking ones, come under immediate suspicion. At best people will think you’re after her money.”
“I think I can handle this Rick. I got by for a long time without having an instructor.”
“Don’t get pissed. I’m just trying to help. You may have got by for a long time, but I doubt that you’ve ever encountered a situation quite like this.”
In the end, they went back to Canada together. Rick thought it foolish but could see no way to prevent it.