Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Pink Lady Apple Yeggs and my friend, and brother-in-law, Deviled Yeggs suggested that I record each project that I set up in the hopes of reforming the people who continue to work for Lily the Pink Enterprises.  If for no other reason, it would show how God is at work.

This started with the two little girls that call themselves “twins.”  Baffy told Ibie that she found some “circles” in an airduct that they should not have been playing in.  This led to an investigation that led to some digging.  That was reported two weeks ago.

Last week, I had a wonderful conversation with two voracious lovebirds, Ruthie and Trevor.

Now, I am trying to pick up the pieces.  I had my Brother-in-law, Dev, in my office.

I sighed, “Dev, please do not pile on.  I just had Tammie come in.  How much college does she have behind her?  Two decent semesters and some summer classes?  She was in here giving me the riot act!”

Dev smiled and tried to look innocent, “Oh?  What did she have to say?”

I growled, “I have blocked out portions of my day for the next two weeks to plan a memorial service for 37 people who were killed by Baldwin Apple and others.  Do you have any idea who these other people are?  But Tammie came in here and told me that you do not want me going forward with anything until the next of kin are notified.  Dev, Sweetie!  The ladies that worked for me used fake identification with incorrect birthdates to make them seem eighteen when they started having male customers come to their rooms.  Baldwin had fake IDs for everyone.  I can at least get caskets for the 37 sets of bones that were found.”

Dev said, “Do you read your e-mail?”

I showed my teeth, “I was on a forced vacation for a week.  Poached and Scrammie thought I would have a mental meltdown trying to do everything.  All I want to do is have a memorial service.”

Dev said, “State law says that we do not go forward until we have made a reasonable effort to find next of kin.  The coroner makes that decision.  Not me.  And especially not you.  What are you doing for your living employees?”

I huffed, “I am doing nothing, apparently, but Tammie says that the word has gone out for everyone to give her a next of kin to contact in case something happens.  She said it was all in the video, but do you realize how many e-mails you can accumulate in a week?”

Dev said, “Watch last Monday’s vespers.”

My eyes widened, “That is one of the days that I should have done vespers.  Did you do something crazy?”

Dev leveled his gaze.  “You have a laptop, two or three clicks and you are there.”

On the video, Rev. Joseph’s prayer was brief.  Emmett softly sang Amazing Grace.  Then, Baldy Baxter got up to speak.

I said, “Dev, Baldy just accepted Jesus a month or so ago.  He is not ready to do vespers.”

Dev nodded, “He was amazing.  Turn the volume up.”

Baldy said, “This is my first time talking in front of a crowd, so please be patient.  I came here at the first of the year.  I was about to turn twenty-one.  I had never worked a day in my life.  And my parents kicked me out of the house.  My first day here, I got a mentor who was assigned to turn me into a human being if it was possible.  You see, I was hooked on adult videos.

“But I accepted Jesus a month ago.  I am still not allowed a phone or computer, but I don’t mind.  When I heard about six of the 37 ladies that were killed and their bodies dissolved in acid… Well, I heard they were victims of snuff films.  For those that don’t know, some sick people out there want to see a film of a girl getting raped and then killed.  They call them snuff films in that the person’s life is snuffed out.  I never saw one, but knowing that is how they died, I never want to see any adult films again.  But more than that, since I watched adult films before, I felt guilty.  I contributed to that kind of sickness.  I talked to Darrell and we called the coroner.  We asked if we could make individual ossuaries for each set of bones.

“Ossuaries is a fancy name for bone boxes.  The coroner said that would help.  Darrell and Griffin Grunge made the calculations.  Everything is set up based on the length of the femur, your thigh bone.  That’s the long bone in the body.  I wanted all the bones that are long to lay straight in the box.  Then the other bones could be placed on top.  If we can find next of kin, I wanted the bones to look presentable and pretty.  I’m sure those ladies were pretty before they were killed.  Darrell and I use quality wood.  All the inside surfaces are padded and upholstered in white satin.  And all the pieces are made to slide together and lock into place.  We don’t use nails.  Jesus had nails in His hands and feet when He was on the cross, dying for my sins and yours.  He has the scars to prove it.  The bones of the ladies have some scars, but not from nails.  I thought nails would be something they did not need.  We volunteer our time.  But the coroner isn’t done with his work yet.  Each ossuary is designed for a single set of bones, unlike normal ossuaries that are a collection of several people.  We put about 2 or 3 sets of bones in their individual ossuaries every other day, and then the lids will be pegged in place when they are ready for burial.

“But the problem now is finding the next of kin.  The coroner is required to do that.  Dala Enterprises created an application that takes the photographs that were found with each pile of bones.  They are comparing that photograph with missing persons reports corresponding to the date of death or the earliest date that we know they arrived in Tracy.  In the case of people that worked here, the issue date on their fake ID.  We’ve only found eight possible matches.  Local police have been given the information that we have to make next of kin notifications.

“But why am I so concerned?  I was kicked out of the house by my parents.  That does not mean that my parents did not love me.  God did not cease loving His Chosen People when He sent them into exile.  Punishment should always have an element of education.  I came here and I learned how to be a human being.  I praise God and thank Him every day for Mommie Pinkie and Mitzi.  But when I became a Christian, I called my parents.  I do not want to go back home.  I want to stay here.  But I didn’t want my parents to worry about me anymore.  For you ladies who have been here from before the emancipation, you could have a loved one that has cried for you, prayed for you, looked out the window to see you coming up the driveway.  The coroner is postponing final arrangements until we can find that one person, that one who never gave up on each of these ladies.  They need closure.  When the prodigal son came to his senses, he was on his way home.  ‘So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” ’ (Luke 15:20).  Who is that person in your life that is looking, hoping to see you?

“The coroner used to be an Army officer.  When the bones were laid out before him, he remembered his time in the Army.  He said, ‘Why did it have to be 37 sets of bones?  I had 37 soldiers in my platoon.’  That got me to thinking.  ‘The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.’ (Ezekiel 37:1-10).  My plea is for each of you to prophesy.  If your family wants nothing to do with you, then Mommie Pinkie may be the only true mother you have.  But that is on the family back where you came from.  You will have done your part to mend the broken fences.”

The video ended with Rev. Joseph coming back on stage to close vespers with prayer.

I wiped a few tears from my eyes, and then I noticed that Mitzi and Amy G. Dala were in the room.

I asked, my voice a little shaky, “What?!  Are you ganging up on me?  Tammie lectures me.  Dev gives me a guilt trip.  Now what are you two adding to my woes today?”

Amy laughed, “Listen to her, the drama queen.  Baldy’s talk said eight possible matches.  That is now fourteen.  We already had six ladies from Tracy.  That still leaves 17.  Of the fourteen, nine are confirmed.  Of those nine, three want the bones to be buried in a family plot.  Three others want to attend the memorial services.  I am working with them to find out availability.”

I asked, “What about the last three?”

Amy leveled her eyes, “Pink, you love unconditionally.  But some people cannot get over the pain that the person caused.  Maybe with some soul searching, they’ll change their mind.  When we finally get around to building a charnel house, maybe they will change their minds.  They have an open invitation.”

I asked, “Charnel house?  I have not gotten that far.”

Amy sighed, “Most are ladies who worked here.  Baldwin is confirmed as the one who killed two ladies in the snuff films.  He has a birthmark where the sun don’t shine.  That is confirmed.  So, unless the families want the bones, you have up to thirty-four sets of bones.  A columbarium is an above ground location to store urns after cremation.  But a standard columbarium niche would not be large enough for Darrell and Baldy’s ossuaries.  And each time they come in with another ossuary or two, the coroner leaves the room.”

I asked, “Why?”

Mitzi’s eyes glistened, “Baldy prays over each bone.  He has a set pattern.  The femurs go in first.  Then the tibia, fibula, humerus, ulna, and radius.  Then he places the metatarsal bones and the kneecaps around the leg bones and the metacarpal bones around the arm bones.  The collarbones are arranged.  Then the pelvis, sternum, ribs, spine, and skull.  In a macabre way, Baldy has an artistic flare.  He does the same thing with every ossuary.  And as for the coroner walking out of the room, he sees the loving care that Baldy has for these bones, he could break down if he watched.  He rotates his assistants since someone has to be in the room when Baldy loads the ossuary.”

Amy added, “We thought the unused part of your property to the west of the cider house could become a combination of a columbarium and charnel house.  I have contacted the Munsfords, and Chauncey is writing up the legal arrangements.  The HOA must approve it.  There are city and state legal hoops to go through.  Chauncey will do all that pro bono if you agree to the location.  Frank Levy, Jacob’s son, is making a series of drawings to give you the idea of what it will look like, a few options.  He is thinking of a combination of ossuaries and urns.  The urns can fit into the corners.  The point is that once we store all the bones, future entombments will be inurnments.  Sorry, I have been dealing with the language lately.”

I asked, “But Baldy felt a connection and since Mitzi and Baldy are a couple, she is involved.  But why are you here, Amy?  These are people who once worked for me.  You aren’t connected.”

Amy nodded, “Somehow, Pink, when you hurt, I hurt.  Maybe it’s the Mommie Club.  Maybe it’s our competition to see who can make the most money or give away the most money.  But when I heard that you were hurting so badly that Poached took you on a vacation to clear your head, I felt I needed to step in.  Where did you go?  You were not gone long.”

I smiled, “No, we went to the South Carolina coast.  One of the ladies from here that truly escaped is a police widow there, two grown children from her husband’s first marriage and two children of her own.  I want to make a few more of those trips, but Cassie was most confident with that one.  The others may not be the right person, but now is the time to figure that out.  We have seven more that Cassie thinks that made a safe escape.  We also have two escapees who she has no news of at all.  We can only pray that they made it.  But that leaves 26 that Baldwin killed, 26 ladies that just wanted out of the prostitution business.  Baldwin lived on that fear that if you even tried to escape, you were dead.  That did not stop Cassie helping ten try to escape.  Now, Baldwin killed two other ladies, just to make a sick film?  Why am I surprised?  I knew he was sick.”

Then Gigi burst into the room, “Daddy, I need a hug.”  She crawled onto Dev’s lap, and he wrapped his arms around her in his usual bear hug.  I love Dev’s bear hugs, too.

Dev asked, “Gigi, I’m working, why did you leave pre-school to come in here?”

“Miss Madelaine said you were here.”  Gigi whispered.

Dev whispered back, “And Gigi, what were you doing to make Miss Madelaine upset with you?”

Gigi wiggled to make the hug even tighter.  “We were having story time, and I was not still.  Daddy, I have a hard time being still.”

Dev said, “You are calmed down now.  You can be still now.  Go back and do what Miss Madelaine says.  When she says to be still, you have to be still.”

Gigi sighed, “That won’t work, Daddy.  When I get back, they will be playing a learning game.  Miss Madelaine won’t want me to be still anymore.”

Dev kissed her on the forehead and whispered, “Do what Miss Madelaine says.  Okay?  That is one of the things that you have to learn, to follow the teacher’s instructions.”

Gigi nodded, “Yes, Daddy.”  She hopped down and ran from the room.

Mitzie said, “Aww.”  Amy said, “Precious.”

Dev said, “She is Mommy’s little girl.  She looks just like the pictures of Naomi at that age.  And like Naomi, she gets excited and she cannot stay still.  She has not done any emotional explosions, but Naomi and I watch her closely.  Those did not start with Naomi until she was eight or nine.”

Amy nodded, “It was about that time with me.  I was skipping grades in school.  And I was writing computer code early in life.  I will add Gigi to my prayer list.”

With me on hold until the coroner was satisfied that we had taken every effort to locate a next of kin, I hugged Mitzi.  I praised Mitzi for the progress Baldy was making.  Public speaking in front of that large crowd was a big step.

Amy, who was seven months pregnant, went to the restroom that B.B. and Jemima call their ‘green room’ on Sunday morning.  That left me in the room with my brother-in-law by ourselves.

I started to weep.  “Do I have to go to preschool and fidget when the teacher says to be still just to get a bear hug?”

Dev hugged me until I stopped crying.

I softly said, “Dev, do not worry about Gigi.  You see the warning signs, but she could grow out of it.  Naomi is well adjusted now, and she has devoted her life to her therapy.  Gigi could never be in better hands.”

Dev nodded, the pain still in his eyes, “But I keep thinking about that time when I am not there to give her a bear hug.”

There was a knock at the door.  I recognized the knock.  “Come in, Julia.”

Julia said, “I just got a travel accommodation request, Mommie Pinkie.  I didn’t think this wedding would be this hard.  But Ben and Gabrielle are getting married and coming to the wedding of me and Sknarf as their idea of a honeymoon.  We had Sknarf’s Uncle Francis and Françoise staying with Sknarf since we only had a two-bedroom available when he moved here.  Rota has not had to play musical apartments, so that is going to be our apartment when we get back from the honeymoon.  The two couples will be the only family Sknarf has at the wedding.  But we have no place to put Ben and Gabrielle.  And I cannot ask Jochebed and Georges to be translators for two different women.”

I huffed, “Who is asking for that?  Françoise speaks passable English.  It would only be the mother who needs help and if Ben and Gabrielle are getting married in a couple of days, I am sure they have figured out how to communicate.  As for accommodations, I can probably suggest a hotel.”

Amy had reentered the room to hear enough.  “Let’s do what we did for the African royal couple.  I do not have access to the French butler and maid, but they can have someone from your place bring them food or pick them up and bring them here.  Meanwhile, they have a penthouse with a beautiful view of downtown Tracy.  Top of the line security.  One block from a police precinct.  They can get Café, Café Crème, and Noisette from the coffee shoppe in the lobby.  I see the blank stares: espresso, espresso with steamed milk, and espresso with a splash of milk.  I can arrange for a guard to bring it up.  How are they getting here?”

Julia said, “They are taking the Hillbilly limousine here for a test drive.  They may need it serviced, but the Turtle grease monkeys said they would take care of that.  Then, we will be the guests in the back of the limo for the return trip.  We’ll get one way return tickets to come home.”

I sighed, “Think nothing of it, Julia.  I will find a way to arrange for the jet.  Right, Amy?”

Amy said, “Please, my friend and part owner of the jet, I am still trying to figure out how much you owe me for the rent on the Penthouse…”

I groaned, “You would charge newlyweds, one being a poor peanut farmer and the other an immigrant to this country?  How shameful!”

Amy snickered, “No, just kidding, and don’t worry about me.  I am not due until July.  I have been having some back issues, and Ralphie swapped out the bed in his office with a hospital bed.  With all the adjustments, I can find a comfortable position.”

I asked, “Where does Ralph E sleep if he traded in the bed?”

Amy smiled, “His desk chair.  It’s a massage chair and he sleeps extremely well when he reclines in it.  His productivity drops when he gets to his sweet spot.  And Ralphie has most of a kitchen attached to his office.  We’ll be fine.”

Julia nodded, “Good, they leave in two days, after the wedding.  A small one, just family and a few church friends, both the Baptist and the Messianic Synagogue.  They are having a blended service, elements from both traditions.  They hope to be here the day before the rehearsal dinner.”

Amy nodded, “I need to go break the news with Ralphie and have a crew fix up the place really nice.  The construction crew that is adding a nursery room can take a week off.  They are about finished anyway.  Oh, Pink, when you make your decision on the charnel house, let me know.”

I nodded, “Tell Chauncey to start the paperwork.  I look forward to having a meeting with Frankie.”

While Julia and Amy started to discuss the details for the honeymoon penthouse experience, I saw that I had an email from Ruthie Toody.

Amy waved goodbye and Julia went back to her security console near the entrance.

I read Ruthie’s email silently while Dev went into the hallway to take a call.

Ruthie said in her email, “What have you done to us, Mommie Pinkie?  We went back to Trevor’s apartment after we dropped Mary Jones off at the medical center.  It wasn’t five minutes before we were completely naked.  We kissed and hugged, but nothing happened.  We drank a little wine, and nothing happened.  I lay on the bed, and Trevor oiled me down.  Nothing happened.  It was a few hours of being naked.  Nothing happened.  Then we shrugged and went to the fridge for whipped cream.  That always worked.  We went to the bed.  We could not decide where to start, so we squirted cream directly in our mouths and took a nap.  You did something.  Ever since, we almost have normal dates.  We have not taken our clothes off in each others’ presence since the day we met with you.  No bedroom gymnastics.  No kinky stuff.  I don’t know how you did it, but you did a number on us.”

I emailed her back to say that God was showing them a better way to do this.  And not just being better.  God was telling them that He wanted to be part of their lives.  Ruthie must have been on the computer when I sent my reply.  She emailed back to see what they needed to do.  I sent some electronic tracts and said that they could come over if they had time.  Again, an almost immediate response.  She was on her way, but Trevor was on shift.  Oddly, he would be off shift about the same time that we had vespers.

Dev came back in the office.  “What have you accomplished with Ruthie and Trevor?”

I gasped, “I just had a few emails with her.  She is coming over and Trevor will be here for vespers, hopefully.  It might be a monumental turnaround, not that they were being that naughty anyway.  Why are you so nosy?  I am known for being nosy.  You are not nosy. If it wasn’t part of your job, you would not be asking.”

Dev shrugged, “I got a call from Captain Hart.  Boaz acquired forty percent of the gold that Sophia found in the basement.”

I gasped, “It was a crime done in Tracy.  Almost all the criminals are behind bars based on Tracy police work.  The two little twins should get a reward, since they found the evidence that led to Arabella finding the bones.  Add Sophia to that and you have four young ladies that did the initial work.  Who gets the other 60%?”

Dev shrugged, “The state gets the entire 100%.  That’s the law.  Usually, the local municipality gets some extra spending money, but rarely do they get 30%. One new patrol car and the money is gone. This was the biggest haul of money over the past ten years.  Boaz argued that we represent more than 40% of the voters in the state.  That was something that the secular progressive governor did not wish to hear.  But Boaz got the higher amount so that the governor could hope to influence the swing voters of Tracy.  Really if it was based off need, the capitol is so corrupt and so woke, they need the money more, but they would not spend it where they need it.”

I growled, “But what does this have to do with Ruthie and Trevor?”

Dev said, “I was hoping that you would report that they were following the code of conduct to the letter.  Your son is on his way over to talk about our detectives that deserve a promotion.”

I sighed, “But Ruthie is just barely a full-fledged patrol officer. She just lost the Rookie tag.”

Dev nodded, “But she is a good officer.  In spite of the nervous verbal tic, her reports are excellent.  Polly is going to be promoted to detective right away.  Georges and Poached are being promoted to sergeant.  I think Bones Rattler will be promoted to sergeant in a few months.  I would love it if Jim could make lieutenant and we split the detectives, but frankly, we have established some teamwork among the divisions.”

I cleared my throat.  “Ruthie?  You are forgetting about Ruthie.”

Dev raised his hands in surrender, “With Polly promoted to detective, Ruthie is taking over the female rookie training.  No promotion to officer first class yet, like Bones.  They both need more exposure to detective work and experience in the field.  With Bones, it’s cross training in the other things Vice investigates.  Dietrich Koch is promoted to officer first class, and he is getting a male rookie.  But he will be expected to do more with the detectives.  Of course, some of this leads to trickle down at the other precincts.”

Ruthie was the first to arrive.  Dev excused himself.  I basically told her that she was welcome to attend the vespers services.  I told her that I was not a hard sell.  Even the Bible talks about now is the time for salvation because you are not guaranteed tomorrow.  As a policeman, the odds are less in your favor.  But saying that you trust Jesus without learning who He is and without hearing what other Christians have to say means that your commitment to Jesus is based on the unknown.  She appreciated that approach.  I tapped a button, and Julia escorted Dev and my son, Boaz, mayor of Tracy into the room.  Ruthie looked at me as if I had tricked her.  I whispered that they have not gotten a word out of me and this was something else.

Boaz smiled when he saw Ruthie, “Officer Toody, I think you need to wear your dress uniform when you come to work tomorrow at the usual daytime hours.  Sgt. Weiss is calling Polly and Dietrich.  Excuse me, most of the crew call him Dieter.”

Ruthie smiled, “Oo, Oo!  He’s been a good partner.  I am blessed working with him.”

Boaz smiled, “Ruthie, I hope I can trust you in keeping this secret until tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow you and Dieter are being split up.  He is going to be the next officer first class.  He will be training rookies, but we also want you to ride with a rookie.  You will get Francine.”

Ruthie asked, “Oo, Oo!  What is happening to Polly?”

Boaz nodded, “That’s the reason for the secrecy.  She’s getting the detective shield.  She will be assigned to Vice, but I want her to work all disciplines, like Paddy McCreary is doing.  I want to see how that works.  We need a specialist in each field, but then if we have less detectives than we think we need, we must have detectives that can fill in.  But honestly, I want to give Georges Evident some help eventually.  So, lips sealed until the reveal after Sgt. Weiss does his morning briefing.”

Ruthie asked, “I have been dating a traffic officer.  Working at the precinct, we rarely ever talk to those guys on a daily basis.  Not him either?”

Boaz shook his head, “Give him a call with your big news after the meeting with the Commissioner and me tomorrow.  I told you now because Lt. Yeggs and I must discuss how this is going to work out.  I am not telling you anything more until tomorrow.  Make this a test that Lt. Yeggs has trusted the right people in his department.”

Ruthie said, “Oo, Oo! Yes, sir.  Mr. Mayor, Sir.”  Ruthie left and went into the Crystal Mountain.  She watched Baldy working on decorations for a wedding and the wedding party rehearsing.  The vespers would be while the rehearsal dinner was being held in the den.

Boaz and Dev met in my office.  They could trust me with the “secret.”

And as they were finishing the details, Gigi entered the room, yet again.  “Daddy, I won the game!  It was a numbers game and I beat everybody.  I like numbers.”

Dev asked, “How does the game work?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Madelaine Morrisey, our head school teacher, was leaning against the open door.

Gigi furrowed her brow, “Daddy, you are going to have to listen really close.  The rules might get confusing.”

Here was a girl who was not yet three years old, explaining a game to a police lieutenant who was trained in listening for the details.  Everyone was trying to not laugh.

Gigi said, “Miss Madelaine gave everyone a basket.  My basket had twelve eggs in it.  The rule was to give away an egg if you had more than six eggs.  And if you had less than six eggs, you got an egg from someone that had too many eggs.  And we were not allowed to talk except to say ‘thank you.’  I had extra eggs so I had to hold up my right hand with an egg in it.  I looked around the room for someone who held up their left hand.  I went to them and gave them an egg.  Then we had to see if we had the right amount of eggs, and since I had more than six eggs, I put my hand up again, holding the next egg.  And I went to someone that was right.”

Dev asked, “Right?  But you have your right hand up.  They are supposed to have their left hand up.”

Gigi nodded, “Yeah.  Hold up your left hand, Daddy.”

Dev raised his right hand.

Gigi doubled over laughing, “Daddy, that’s the wrong hand.  When I hold up my right hand, it’s wrong.  Now hold up your left hand.”  Dev smiled and raised his left hand. “Now I can hand the egg to you because our hands are right.”

Madelaine said, “She is one smart little girl.  She knows her numbers.  She knows left from right.  And she logically reasoned the mirror image.  She isn’t three, but she was smarter than the other children.  I couldn’t believe that she had figured it out at her age.  She needs to learn how to be still, and I know your fears.  But, Lt. Yeggs, you have a little genius on your hands.”

Dev smiled, “I told you that she takes after her mother.  She’s the genius.  I just have a logical mind when it comes to solving crimes.”

Madelaine snickered, “That’s something good to know.  I will try to not break any laws with you around.”

Gigi said, “And Daddy, Miss Madelaine gave me three extra sandwiches.  Can I share them with you?”  She handed a grilled sandwich to Boaz, Dev, and me.  She said, “They are peanut butter, jelly, and bacon.”

Miss Madelaine said, “It’s a class favorite for some reason.  And I just gave Gigi the three extra sandwiches to see what she would do.  She thought of the sharing all on her own.”

Dev asked, “PBJ and Bacon?”

I said, “Don’t knock it until you have tried it.  Sweet and Savory, and with them grilled like a grilled cheese, a little creamy.  Thank you, Gigi, for the sandwich.  That will keep me fortified while I think of how to have a memorial service for the 37 ladies.  We can plan that and have that here before we give bones to families or even build the charnel house.  Who says the memorial service needs to be followed by entombment right away?”

Credits

When I dreamed up the number of 37, it was a random number in my head, but when Baldy brought up the coroner’s platoon, I remembered that my platoon usually had 38 soldiers, mostly carpenters.

The idea of no nails is another memory of my Army platoon. I had two carpenters who were skilled cabinet makers. They made a sink cabinet without using a single nail. They nearly cried when I Had to cut a hole in the bottom for the sink drain.

Most states do not require employers to give next of kin, but doctors do.

When I was in high school, I went to a blended wedding at the Baptist church, of all places.  I guess the couple met at college.  I did not know either person.  I have said that I never met a Jew until I was in college, and I really did not.  The wedding was a suggestion by the various church youth groups to experience something that they might never see again.  They broke a glass as part of the ceremony.  Hearing words in Hebrew meant nothing, but the broken glass was the one thing I remembered.  The couple breaks the glass to remind them of the destruction of the Temple.  They are to balance Joy with sorrow and remember that life is incomplete.