Ole Buford: A Dream of a Dreamer

By Lawrence Wilson

Every fisherman/fisherwoman dreams of catching the trophy fish. They have to go to where the fish are; in this case, Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. Jack Thorne from Ohio buys a house in a remote town on the bank of this great lake. He finds this town economically depressed, and due to his compassionate nature, he decides to combine his fishing goal to an additional goal of improving the conditions of the town. On his arrival, he spots the huge flathead catfish meandering along the cliffs and tries desperately every method he can devise for more than eight years. And in this course of time, the catfish continued to grow to a record-breaking size. He dubbed him Ole Buford.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781984569820

Lawrence Wilson

Lawrence Wilson attended classes at the University of Cincinnati in English composition, business writing, literature, and other electives to broaden his scope that were not in his major of engineering. The skills he learned along with personal experiences and a vivid imagination emboldened him to tell an interesting story, albeit fiction combined with facts in most cases. He is the author of other books: Ole Buford, Crack of the Whip, and Chopper Chaplain. He is a widower and a veteran living in southwest Ohio.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Jack had tried religiously for about five years to catch that big old catfish, figuring that it probably had grown considerably in that length of time. When he first saw it, he estimated it to weigh about 125 to 150 pounds, but not knowing how fast a fish this size could grow, he could see it had gradually increased in size immensely. He was learning some of the habits of ‘Ole Buford’. He could just about predict when he would see him while patrolling the edges of the lake near the cliffs and how long he would stay on the surface and when he would disappear for the day. Jack was always devising new methods to catch this old monster, but ‘Ole Buford’ was just too crafty to get caught, at least by normal angler methods. He figured he had to be persistent.

It had been a long winter and Jack was only able to get out a few times when the temperatures became bearable. Due to the fact the water temperature, being cold on the surface, most of the fish were laying on the bottom where it was warmer. Of course, all winters seem long to an avid fisherman and especially to the one who has incessant determination.

On one particular spring morning, while Jack was lounging back in his very comfortable special made stuffed captain’s chair on his pontoon, he was keeping his eye on his fishing lines for a hit and he also listened for the bell he had attached to the lines which would ring should a fish hit the bait and also alert him in case he would doze off. Being in a hurry to get to the cove, a very rare thing happened; he forgot to wear his hat. He muttered to himself, I’m going to have to remember to put an extra hat on the boat and leave it there, since I’m too lame-brained to remember it each time I go out. The sun was starting to creep over the edge of the boat and was beginning to shine into his eyes and made it tough to watch the lines and this aggravated him and prompted him to move his boat around to a different position to keep the sun out of his eyes. Using his trolling motor, he slowly swung the back, or stern, of the boat around as to not disturb any fish. He was now facing toward his lake house and he could see portions of his house from there, but barely, because of being out so far on the lake, approximately a mile or more, and the view wasn’t too clear. He just happened to glance in that direction and noticed a reflection coming from the parking area of his driveway. It immediately aroused his curiosity and he pondered what that could be, since there was nothing, that he could remember, left out there that would create a reflection. What mysterious event was taking place since no one was permitted to enter his property without permission? Jack squint his brown eyes, straining to make out what was going on, but couldn’t make it out with the naked eye so he retrieved his binoculars from its case that was hanging from the framework of the hard top that covered the back half of the boat. He focused on the driveway but could not ascertain what could possibly be making the reflection because the foliage had begun to grow new greenery and the area was heavily wooded. He watched for quite some time but could see nothing and then began to get suspicious as to why Reenie would allow anyone to enter the gate, and this rare incident began to nag at him.

Jack wound in his fishing lines and pulled up the anchor, then fired up his 275- horse power Mercruiser engine and was immediately on the move for the house. It took very little time to reach his boat garage under the house, he pressed the remote and the overhead door raised, and he proceeded slowly to park his pontoon. He threaded the lanyard through a tightening ring and pulled the boat up snug and tied onto a cleat. He then plugged his onboard refrigerator into an electric outlet, which he had installed above the side, so he wouldn’t need to unload the refrigerator/freezer every time he docked for the day. He then entered the elevator that took him up to the mud-room at the back of the house. He casually walked out onto the deck and looked around the parking area and down the driveway, but saw nothing, at least nothing that would make a reflection. He went back into the mud-room and, took off his fishing clothes, and then took a shower, like always. He dried off and put on some clean clothes. This was his normal routine.

He tried to act as normal as possible so as not to display any anxiety, which was building inside his gut. He went back out on the deck and took another look around the area and Reenie came out to meet him. What happened? Why did you quit so early? she asked inquisitively and with her eyebrows lifted. Well, you know, it was about time to quit. I caught four blue cats early, about 15 or 20 pounds, and threw ‘em back in and then only got a few bites after that. You know my standing rule ‘you don’t catch them after ten in the morning or before six in the evening. In between those times is a waste of time because they rarely bite’.

Reenie was a little fidgety and wasn’t her calm and collected self. Jack noticed that she was breathing a little faster and speaking with short sentences. She definitely gave him the impression that she was keeping something from him. So, still acting nonchalant, he turned and walked away from her and said, I’ve got some work to do in the office and it’s preying on my mind. He went into his office and closed the doors behind him. The doors were all glass panels like French doors and Reenie, being suspicious, pretended to clean outside the doors and strained to listen to what was going on, but the office had been soundproofed so all his business would remain confidential. She had no knowledge of any of his business concerns and he kept everything pertaining to his business private.

Jack had built-in hidden security cameras on the outside and inside of the house in strategic locations and, the only ones that knew where they were hidden were Jack and the technician that installed them. Reenie wasn’t aware they even existed. He had them programmed so he could view them on his desktop computer, and the monitor was facing away from the doors, and of course, he was the only one that knew his password. He downloaded them one at a time and couldn’t believe what he was seeing but he showed no emotion to give away his expressions. He dialed up his close friend, Deputy Dan Daniels, of the Sheriff’s Department, on his cell phone. Deputy Dan speaking. was the response. Dan? Do you know anybody in the Kentucky FBI? Jack asked with a faked smile on his face, so he would not reveal the seriousness of his call. Why? What’s going on? You sound more concerned about something than anytime I have ever known you? Dan responded quickly. I can’t talk now but I must see someone in the FBI, and as soon as possible. It may not be anything, but it looks serious. Jack answered and still holding that fake smile, and then even faked a big laugh. Dan said, I have a friend in the Lexington office. We worked a couple cases together and he is a pretty sharp guy. I’ll give him a call and tell him we will be there as soon as we can get there. Do you want to fly by helicopter? Yes! Jack answered quickly. I’ll meet you at the heliport in about ten minutes. He downloaded the videos onto DVDs and put them into his briefcase. He then inserted a couple pieces of blank paper into the briefcase to look like he was gathering documents to take with him. Reenie was observing all this and wasn’t sure what to think. She followed him out the back door and he said, I’m going to see Deputy Dan. He heard about some hair-brained scheme and wants me to take a look at it to see if it has any merit. I probably won’t be back till sometime this evening, so don’t bother fixing anything for me to eat. I might make Dan treat me to a meal for my trouble, he said with a grin. Then Reenie looked him straight in the eye and said, You know I will always love you, and she gave him a little kiss on the cheek. I know that, he responded and then said, Well I’ve got to go; lock it up so you’ll be safe."

Jack walked quickly to his Cadillac Escalade. His dog, Ole Roy, followed him to the SUV with his tail wagging and hoped Jack would say, Jump in! But he didn’t. He said, You can’t go this time old buddy, and patted him on the head. Ole Roy just wagged his tail and watched the SUV go out the driveway and stop at the electrically locked gate. Jack pushed his remote button and the gate came unlocked and opened automatically. He tried not to show he was in a hurry but, when he was out of sight of the house, he hit the gas pedal and sped like a bat out of Hell for the heliport. Dan was waiting for him when he got there, and they jumped into the helicopter and put on their headphones. Now what is so urgent, Jack? Dan asked looking him in the eye. I have some DVDs from my security cameras that show some guy was at my house and was giving Reenie all kinds of Hell. She was yelling back at him and it looked like he was going to do something right then and there to hurt her. She has strict orders not to let anyone through the gate unless I am there and authorize it, so for some reason she let him in. I’m not sure if she let him in or he managed to get the gate open by other means. Reenie has never defied my wishes the whole time I’ve known her, but if she should be involved in some shady deal with this guy, I need to know it now, or just maybe it is someone out of her past that has an axe to grind with her. Either way, I need to know. As you probably guessed from all the stuff I have done around here, I am worth a lot of money and I can’t be too careful, he responded.

After about 20 minutes they arrived at the federal building in Lexington and landed on the helipad on top of the building. A red headed man in a brown suit was waiting for them and whisked them across the roof to an elevator. Jack was carrying his brief case under his arm because the helicopter rotors hadn’t been shut down yet and presented quite a swirl of wind. As soon as they entered the elevator and closed the doors, Deputy Dan introduced the man in the brown suit to Jack, Jack this is Sean Murphy, the FBI agent I told you about. And Sean, this is Jack Thorne, the man I told you on the phone had some serious concerns. Sean extended his large hairy red hand to Jack and said, Pleased to meet cha. Now what ya got that is so all fired up important? Jack said, I have some DVDs downloaded from my security cameras that show a much-disheveled man that invaded my property and gives me the impression that he is a very dangerous individual. Now Sean, I am a very wealthy man and I may be overreacting, but this does not appear to be a very honorable person. Let’s get to your office and view the videos and you can see exactly what I’m talking about. The elevator reached the second floor of the building and they exited and went straight to Sean’s office. Sean asked another agent to join them. He introduced him as Tom Woods and said they usually worked as a team.

Sean inserted the first DVD into the computer and it showed a white pickup truck entering the gate and driving up to the house and stop. The dog was ready to attack. The man got out. Reenie came out on the deck, called off the dog, and yelled, What the Hell do you want, you bastard? How’d you find me? He yelled back, Maureen, you bitch; I told you that you were never gonna live unless you lived with me. He ran up the steps of the deck, two steps at a time, and Reenie had run into the house and locked the door before he got to her. He apparently got into the house because the next thing that camera showed was him leaving in the white pickup.

Sean inserted the second DVD which was from the camera inside the mudroom, which was the first room behind the deck. When the disheveled man was about to knock the door down, Reenie opened it, assumedly to prevent him from damaging it. He slapped her across the mouth and shouted, Where does he keep his money? She yelled back frantically, I don’t know anything about his money. I’m just the housekeeper. I don’t think he keeps any money in this house. He grabbed her by the throat and threatened, You’re lying, you bitch, tell me now or I’ll kill you right here and now. With a house like this he must have a lot of money hid around here and you know where he keeps it. She came back screaming at the top of her lungs, I’m tellin’ ya he doesn’t keep money here. He must keep it in town someplace, but he doesn’t tell me that kind of stuff. I’m tellin’ ya I’m just the housekeeper. You better get the Hell out of here before he comes back. He’ll have all the law in Kentucky after your ass. Oh, I’m scared, he boasted, loosening his grip on her throat. When do you expect him back? he questioned from the side of his twisted mouth. I don’t know. He never tells me where he’s going or what he’s doing, she answered. Reenie was protecting Jack by not telling that he was out on the fishing boat and usually comes back in a little after 10:00. The man took a quick walk through the house and in the office and then walked back to the back door. Well I’ll be back later, and I bet he’ll tell me where he keeps his money and he’ll be more than glad to give it to me or you and him both will regret you ever saw me, He fumed as he went out the door, slamming it behind him.

You know who that is? Agent Tom said, like it had just come to him. That’s Josh Molineer! The entire Kentucky State Police Force is hunting this guy. Who’s that? Jack said excitingly. You say that your housekeeper is Maureen Molineer? asked Agent Sean. Yeah! Why? Is that her brother or something? Jack questioned. Hell, man, that’s her husband. He just escaped from Eddyville about a week ago! he exclaimed. What the Hell is Eddyville? Jack questioned. That’s the Kentucky maximum security prison. That’s where they put the baddest of the bad. Did you ever hear of the ‘Castle on the Cumberland’? It was built back in the 1800’s and built like a fort. I didn’t think anybody could ever escape out of there, but I guess there is always a first. I’ll tell you one thing, Josh is one mean Son-of-a-Bitch and he deserved to be there. He has a RAP sheet about 25 pages long, Agent Tom explained. What was he in there for? Jack questioned further. Oh, he beat a man to death over in Somerset in a bar fight with his bare fists, he continued, then two police officers tried to subdue him, and he knifed them both, and taking one of their guns. They survived but eventually quit the police force. He ran out trying to escape and more police came, and he shot one to death. He took six-gun shots and recovered. They gave him life and he has been in the Pen for the last fifteen years. He must have taken a whole week for him to find his wife. You might have been in for a bad ordeal if he came to your house and found you there. We better get back quick, Deputy Dan barked, as if a light bulb just went on in his head. If he comes back again, he might really work her over.

Jack, Deputy Dan and the two agents ran out the door, got into the elevator, went up to the roof, and ran over to the helicopter. Agent Tom phoned the state police and Deputy Dan phoned his department to get to Jack’s house ASAP and be prepared for a battle. The helicopter landed at the local heliport and the two FBI agents and Jack ran for his Escalade. Deputy Dan ran for his cruiser and they both raced down the road for Jack’s house. Jack drove in first, in case the gate was closed, but it wasn’t. It had been rammed and was standing open. He drove up to the house and, got out and ran to the steps. There he saw ‘Ole Roy’ laying with his head down on the bottom step and his body laying up the steps and blood dripping from his head into a puddle of his own blood. His head was blown half off, apparently from a shotgun blast, dead. Oh, no! He moaned and then yelled, Reenie? He ran up into the mudroom with the two agents right behind him and there he saw Reenie. She, had been brutally murdered, slashed 30 or 40 times with what appeared to be a large knife, and lying in a pool of blood. She was cut so badly that she was barely recognizable. Jack had seen some pretty-ugly and sickening sights when he put in a tour in Vietnam but, those weren’t someone that he loved so deeply, and he became nauseated. There was blood on the doors and on the walls and windows and all corners of the floor. She must have put up one Hell of a fight, remarked Agent Sean. Then Agent Tom asked, I hate to bring this up now, but do you think you could download this from your camera? Yeah, sure, Jack said quietly. He downloaded the videos and they watched them on his monitor. It showed the entire murder sequence, and also showed Josh finding Jack’s 12 gage Remington shotgun and taking it with him. Jack switched over to the other camera and it showed the bastard shooting the dog who was making an attempt to protect Reenie.

Within a half hour, the entire property was crawling with law enforcement officers of all kinds, blood hounds, and mounted police. Deputy Dan came in and reported, We found the white pickup about 2 miles down the road and it looks like it ran out of gas. There were footprints that show he took off into the hills, so that is where we’ll start our pursuit. We’ll leave several officers here just in case he doubles back. Besides that, they have a lot of data gathering to do that will take a lot of hours to accumulate. Jack said softly, very distressed and depressed, Do whatever you have to do, but whatever you do, catch that Son-of-a-Bitch and make sure he isn’t breathing when you take him in. Like they used to tell us in the Army, ‘If you catch a guy stealing, bring him into the orderly room, but make sure he isn’t walking on his own…… Wonder why he didn’t take her van? She always kept the tank full, and he could have driven hundreds of miles."

Jack stopped by his mini-bar and poured himself a large healthy mix of 100 proofs ‘Old Grand Dad’ and Coke. He gulped it down in one big swallow. He then mixed another. Help yourself to anything you need. He yelled as he walked out. If you need me for anything, I’ll be in my gazebo on the front deck. Jack walked wobbly kneed around the deck to the gazebo and sat on his chaise lounge and laid back, very distraught, almost in disbelief of all that had happened. Agent Tom noticed that Jack wasn’t faring very well and asked the Coroner, Do you have anything you can give him that can relax him for a while? Yeah, I got something we use all the time and it works pretty well, the Coroner answered, and he took a bottle of capsules from his bag, opened it and dumped one out into his hand. He handed it to Jack and said, Take this and it will make you feel better. Jack took the capsule and popped into his mouth and chased it with his strong alcohol drink. The Coroner said emphatically, Damn man. You’re not supposed to take it with alcohol. That’ll knock the Hell out of ya, if it doesn’t kill ya first. Just when everything was going so perfect, Jack muttered to himself and fell almost into a semi-coma taking him back to where this venture began. He began to reflect back to the last time he saw his late wife, Ruthie, and how he missed her. She was always there when his mind was troubled and knew how to encourage him to cope in times of distress and sadness. If she were only here now," he murmured as he drifted off into a deep sleep.

Chapter 2

Flashback to Where the Journey Began

Jack Thorne stood at the side of a grave in a small cemetery in Beulahville, Kentucky. The services had just concluded for Ruthie, his wife and best friend for the past 35 years. He stood there staring at the casket for a few minutes, as they prepared to drop it into the vault, with an aching in his stomach and sadness in his heart, even knowing she was better off now than she had been for the last decade because she had suffered unmercifully with pain and misery. He walked slowly over to the edge of the cemetery and looked down into the valley. His nephew, Mack, walked over and stood beside him, but said nothing. Jack said in a quiet voice, You know the old saying ‘what goes around, comes around’…… She was born down there in that little valley in that little house. Her father was meaner than Hell to her mother, which was your Granny, and when your Aunt Ruthie was about 3 years old, while her daddy was off making moonshine whiskey, her mom took her and made their escape, and eventually ended up in Ohio. And so, after all those years, your Aunt Ruthie ended up back here where she started. All her relatives, on her dad’s side were really good to her over the years and they are all buried here, so we decided long ago to be buried here also. We had the head stone set and the plans made for the funeral service so those of you, who will fulfill our wishes at my passing, will have all the tough decisions already made.

Win, Ruthie’s brother, sauntered over and said, Jack? What are you planning to do? Are you going home today, or do you have other plans? We are going to take off for home unless you need us for anything. Jack answered, No. I think I will go over to my sister Nita’s place and stay a few days. I need to be by myself for a while and do some thinking and plan what I want to do. She has a small farm outside of Corbin and it will be quiet and peaceful there. You guys go ahead and when I get home, I’ll give you a call…… Thanks for coming.

The small group of mourners had dispersed, and Nita yelled out, Well Brother, are you about ready to leave? Yeah, I’m ready, you lead, and I’ll follow, He responded. The farm was about 65 miles from the cemetery and it took about an hour and a half to finally get there traveling the old roads, and not the interstate. When they arrived, Nita went inside. Jack was walking around the outside looking over the place when Nita returned and saw him wandering about. She walked up behind him. I see you have your garden worked up and ready to plant, he commented, do you want me to plant some sweet corn and beans for ya? No, I want you to take it easy and just hang out, she replied. To that he said, I do my best thinking when I’m busy and that looks like a perfect way to spend my time while you all are at work. Nita owned and operated an art store and sold her paintings, prints and also did framing. She was, in fact, an accomplished painter. So, if you will show me where you keep the tools and where the seed are kept, he offered. I’ll get to work tomorrow. Only if you promise me you don’t get yourself over-tired. I mean, work a while and rest a while. Our old dog, Rover, here will keep an eye on ya and bite your ass if you don’t do what I say, She said jokingly. He then added, raking his fingers through his brown hair, which started to show flecks of white, I brought my old guitar with me so maybe I will serenade your old dog while we sit in the shade and drink some cold water, and maybe doze off for a while. That seemed to satisfy her. Then she said, Come on and I’ll show you the tool shed. They walked over to the tool shed the old dog followed wagging his tail hoping for a pat on the head. Jack gave him a pat and said, Good dog. Meanwhile Nita unlocked the padlock and stated as a matter of fact, We have to keep everything locked because, if you don’t, some low life will come along and steal everything we’ve got.

Jack Thorne and Ruthie had no children. He was a Vietnam vet and learned long ago you have to be your own man in this changing world. He had one positive trait. When he became involved in a project or hobby, he would soon become obsessed with it and, through objections or constructive criticism, he would listen politely to all suggestions, but still did his own thing and answered to no one. He, however, was very compassionate toward others who were underprivileged or had a disastrous event that interrupted their way of life and this was augmented by his long-time membership in the Syrian Shrine, the fine organization that supports 22 hospitals for crippled and burned children 18 years and under. Free!

Jack’s family always had vegetable gardens and with a large family, they all had to do their share of work. So, planting and working the good earth was second nature to them. He knew he must keep busy for a while and this was ideal since he could think and work at the same time without interruption. He planted sweet corn, green beans, cucumbers, lettuce, and peppers, to name a few. He and the old dog would work a while and then rest a while. When Nita would return from work, she would prepare a good meal, and while they ate, they would reminisce about the old days. This was therapy for him because it was exactly what he needed at this time of sadness.

After four days, Jack decided it was time to go home. Home was about 190 miles from Nita’s place to where he lived in Southwest Ohio. He planned, when he got home, to start the dreaded long and painful task of cleaning out the stuffed closets of Ruthie’s clothes and the many items she had designated to go to various people. She had several collections of value and an assortment of antiques of various types. As he hit the highway he popped in the Johnny Cash CD and tried to sing along with the songs but that proved somewhat disastrous. So, as he drove home, he mulled over in his mind the magnitude of this task and how he was going to attack it. As he neared his home he remembered he better stop at the local carryout and buy a few things and to get his latest issue of lottery tickets. He was a regular player of the lottery and bought tickets twice a week in hopes of hitting the big one. He had many $1 and $2 winners and the most he ever won was $500. When he won that, he bought his neighbor, Charlie Bailey, a case of beer.

When he settled in at home, he just kind of moped around, trying to get adjusted to the quietness and being alone in the house for the first time. After a few days he started calling family members that were to get specific items that belonged to Ruthie. He told them he wanted them to get the stuff, and also to take any other items of clothing they wanted because, whatever anybody didn’t want, he was going to donate to various charities and organizations. What the family didn’t want he offered to the neighbors. This went on for several months, but he was finally getting organized. He didn’t have an appetite for big meals so he mostly snacked and that meant frequent trips to the carryout. And he also continued to buy the lottery tickets. When he would go into the carryout, the first thing he would do was have them check the last ones to see if he had won anything and then buy new ones. He used the state computer automatic select method of selecting the numbers. He went through this normal procedure regularly and, finally, to his surprise, the clerk said, You must have hit the lottery for a sum larger than what they could pay out. We can only pay out a limit of $599. You need to contact the lottery address on the back of the ticket. He figured he may have won a $1000 or so because he never had any kind of luck before. He very nonchalantly went about buying the other items he wanted but deep down inside he could only think that what if he hit the big one? The Mega-Millions Jackpot was huge and if he took the one-time payoff, that would still be huge. He rushed home and hurried straight to his computer and pulled up the Ohio Lottery website, found the Mega-Million numbers and they matched his exactly. He read them several times just to make sure he wasn’t overlooking something and sure enough, he was a winner. His next thought was, Am I the only winner or will there be one or more winners who matched the numbers, and if so, I will have to split it? Either way, he was going to be a multi-millionaire.

The first thing the next morning, at exactly 9:00 am, Jack was on the phone with Craig, his financial advisor and the next call was to Drew, his CPA tax man. Gentleman, we must meet immediately at Craig’s office. I’m on my way so I will be there in about 20 minutes, He said in a very excited tone of voice. They both ask the same thing, What’s going on? I can’t tell you on the phone but it is big, and I mean really big, He answered. When he walked into Craig’s office, they both were sitting there waiting for him. He closed the door behind him and blurted out, I just hit the big lottery! They both ask simultaneously, How big? He answered, I don’t know how much I will get with a cash payout but the whole amount of the jackpot is in the hundreds of millions. The two grinned from ear to ear and were speechless for a moment. So now the question is, can we take care of this without the help of an attorney? I don’t want to be giving a lawyer a huge sum of money for something we can do. Craig asked, What are you planning to do with the money? And how can we help? Well…. first thing I want to do is park it here and then I have some people I need to take care of and I would hope you would be kind enough to help with the distribution. Then I would want a certain amount to draw out as I need it, and when I need it, and then we can invest the rest with your company, so it will continue to grow because I have big dreams and it will take a lot. What I want you to do, Drew, is keep a good running record of everything I do so I don’t get into any trouble with the Government. What I get will be after taxes because I will take the lump sum and not annual payouts so it should be like starting from scratch with a big pile of money. So now, will you two guys go with me and help me make this happen without incident? He questioned, with his limited no-how. When are you planning to go for the money? Drew asked. Well first I must contact the Lottery Office and I am sure they will instruct me the proper steps to take, like where and how and when, Jack responded, also, you guys might be smart to contact them and make sure we are all on the same page. Being excited, like I am right now, it might cause me to miss some small detail and we don’t want to start this thing off with a problem. Right? There were no other players that matched the numbers so Jack was the sole winner. After taxes, Uncle Sam had to get his up front; of course, Jack was awarded $80 million, give or take a few hundred thousand.

The first thing Jack did was to declare that he was never to work again. If anything needed to be done, he would hire it done. He then contacted his niece, Rhoda, his sister’s daughter, and hired her to take care of all his business, with his direction, of course. She had a college degree in accounting but was not a CPA. He instructed her to take care of all his phone calls and pay all his bills. She was to keep tabs on all his business, regardless of what it might entail, and maintain a running file on everything, with his approval. He gave her his password in case something tragic should happen to him and could retrieve from his computer all data. She was to report to him on a regular basis so there would be no surprises somewhere down the road. She would also be in contact with his CPA and Financial Advisor, when the occasion should be necessary. Jack advised Rhoda to quit her present job and he would pay her twice what she was making. One last thing she had to vow to, was ‘she must keep everything absolutely confidential and private and share with no one any part of his activities …. no exceptions’. Jack was an extremely private person and his business was his business and nobody else’s. Rhoda agreed without hesitation.

Jack had continuously, in the past, told the young lady at the carryout that, if he should hit the big one, he would reward her for selling him the winning ticket. In order to keep his promise, he went straight to the carryout with a huge grin on his face and she knew immediately that he was a big winner. I suppose you know by now that I hit the jackpot. So, how can I reward you? he asked. Of course, like all young people she wanted a new car. No cars! He retorted. That is the worst investment in the world. Are you living in an apartment or still living at home? He asked. She said, Why, yes, I live with my parents while I am studying for a degree through an internet college. It’s been kind of tough on them. What would you think if I bought you a condo, so you can have your own place and be on your own? Jack offered, or at least something beneficial. Bobby, the owner of the carryout, was sitting in the corner behind the counter and grinning from ear to ear and asked, What are you going to buy me? Jack came back quickly, You shithead, didn’t you get a big fat reward for selling the winning ticket? Well …. I…..a…., Bobby stammered. Jack came back, also grinning, Just what I thought; nice try, Bobby. Jack never knew the name of the clerk even though he had dealt with her 50 times or more. She was a very polite and pleasant 20-year old that wore her outfits about two sizes too small. He always thought it was a mystery how she buttoned her buttons and kept them from popping off. By the way, what is your name? Jack asked. Jennifer, she answered. I’m surprised you never knew my name. Well, listen Jennifer, I am in a hurry, so I need you to tell me what I can do for you and I am going to be pretty busy from now on. So, if the condo idea appeals to you, I can have someone from my real estate office contact you and you can work out the details with them. Don’t worry! They will hold your hand all through the process and not leave you to hang out to dry. I will also put enough money in an account to cover your taxes and insurance for the next five years. All you need to do is find some furniture. I have a bedroom suite I will give you and maybe your boss here can help you find other pieces to furnish the condo. Call your parents and ask them what they think; I’ll wait a few minutes. Jennifer called her mom and explained to her what was going on. Her mom apparently was all for the idea, so when Jennifer hung up the phone, she said, I’ll take it. Jack said, The real estate agent will contact you and you can go from there. Good luck! He walked out and heard her call his name. She ran after him and gave him a big hug and said, Thank you so very much. I’ll never forget you. Then Jack got into his car and took off for home and, on the way, he phoned the real estate office and told the agent he designated, to handle the deal, how to contact Jennifer, and also Niece Rhoda who would take care of the details as they progressed.

Jack called Rhoda and explained what he was doing. He then called Craig, his financial advisor, and explained the dealing to him. He also told Craig that he had some family members that he was going to make millionaires and he would like to discuss the process with him and also with Drew the CPA to make sure they would be doing everything in accordance with the law. He