Ever since Don Henley sang a song about the place in 1984, it’s been quite busy, becoming a go-to spot to eat. There was a line of people waiting for a seat, but as soon as Joe saw me, he yelled out in his heavily accented voice, “Hey, Ray. The usual?”
I smiled and said, “Sounds good, Joe.” I was known to Joe Frolich, who’d owned the place since 1957 when I had stopped by seven years ago and came upon a robbery in progress. I had slipped behind the robber and taken him down before he even knew what was happening and told Joe to call the police. I held the would-be robber until the police showed up, putting myself between him and Joe, who, being from the old country, wanted to exact immediate retribution. Joe was very thankful for my assistance, and I’ve never had to wait in line or pay for a meal since then.
Joe stepped out from behind the grill to personally deliver my chili cheeseburger, fries, and iced tea to me. He invited me behind the counter to sit and eat since all the tables were full. I got a few looks from people standing in line to be seated, but I ignored them as I dug into my meal, praising Joe for the delicious food. Back behind the grill, Joe beamed in response and said, “Only the best for you, Ray!”
I quickly ate, talking with Joe about the upcoming visit by the Pope. He was looking forward to seeing the Pope. He and his family had escaped Austria shortly before the Nazis took over in 1938 with the help of the local priest. He wanted to see Karol Józef Wojtyla, who had resisted the communists in Poland before becoming Pope John Paul II.
I finished and got up to go. As I walked by it, I stuffed a twenty in the tip jar, not wanting to abuse Joe’s generosity. Before leaving, I said, “Thanks, Joe! Delicious as always!”
Joe looked up from his grill and yelled, “You take care, Ray!”
My Sting Ray had drawn a small crowd of admirers, so I got “Nice Ride!” comments from a few of them as I got in, powered up, and headed out. While I headed back to the guest house, I planned my moves for tomorrow. I stopped at a mini-mart and got some groceries to fix breakfast with. Like most places, they had a rack of picture postcards, and one caught my eye: a picture of the Capitol Records tower on Vine Street. I pulled it and bought it. By the time I pulled into the garage, the sun was going down. I exited the garage via the side door and walked by the pool. I didn’t see Peggy by the pool and felt slightly disappointed as I unlocked the door and entered the guest house.
After putting away the groceries, I settled in for the night, turning on the TV and finding a movie to play in the background as I went through my list of possible favors to call in. I found one that could be helpful to me now that I’ve met Jack and determined that he was a decent guy, just not ready to accept that what he had with Erin was over. I’d have to call in the morning due to the time zone difference, but if it worked out, I might be able to get Erin back home in a few days.
Depending on the results of the phone call, I made contingency plans for what I would do tomorrow. Once I had a good idea of how I would proceed, I performed my toilet, pulled on a sleeping tee and panties, and got into bed. Relieved that I had a working plan, I quickly fell asleep …
… I was so excited. I was going to graduate from my training class today. I was sure I had scored high enough to qualify for duty in CID. Colonel Underwood had told me he planned to be there today, and I was looking forward to seeing him. He had been my biggest supporter, and if I made it today, I’d be the first female enlisted soldier to qualify to be a field agent.
When I reported to class, I saw that Colonel Underwood was there, along with several other officers who I assumed were CID members. My trainer was all smiles when he told me that I had not only qualified, but had also scored among the highest he’d ever seen. I smiled and thanked him, telling him he’d been instrumental in my accomplishing that.
When the Protocol Officer (PO) called attention to orders, I was surprised, not expecting a proper ceremony for my accomplishment. When I was called forward, Colonel Underwood stepped up to face me, a serious look plastered on his face. When the PO started reading off the order, I was surprised to find that I was being promoted to Warrant. The surprise on my face made Colonel Underwood smile as he reached up and removed my Private First Class rank insignias and replaced them with the Warrant rank insignias.
Colonel Underwood saluted me when the ceremony concluded, and the PO presented me as Warrant Fryman. I was still totally shocked at what had just transpired. When my trainer congratulated and saluted me, it finally sank in that I now outranked him and quickly returned his salute.
I turned to Colonel Underwood with a questioning look, and he said, “You are the first female enlisted CID field agent, and we weren’t sure how to handle that. With the reluctance of many soldiers to accept that a female soldier deserves their respect, we felt that it would be best if we made you a higher rank so they’d be required to pay you the respect you deserve. We couldn’t make you a Sergeant Major because that takes many years of hard work and training to achieve, and you can’t be commissioned yet, so our only alternative was to make you a Warrant. Luckily, I’m friends with Bob Froehlke, so I was able to get it done. I’m sure you won’t abuse your new rank. Congratulations, Ray. You deserve it ….”
… When I woke, the sun shone through a gap in the drapes. I got out of bed, performed my morning toilet, and planned my day. I first called Sandra McPherson, the person on my list who I hoped could help me. When the person answered, “This is Sandy,” I smiled, flashing back to the case I had worked on for her. It had been a case of corporate espionage, where her clients were finding that their proprietary processes were being used by their competitors. I was able to discover the mole in her organization and root him out, stopping the leaks that would have caused her to lose her job and possibly be found liable for her clients’ losses.
“Sandy, this is Ray. How are you doing?”
After a long pause, I heard her breath catch before she replied, “Oh, hello, Ray. It’s been a while. I’m doing fine. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing fine, too. Got a minute?”
“For you, yes. I assume you’re calling in the favor I owe you?”
“Yes, I hope to.” I went on to explain what I needed.
When I finished, I let Sandy think about what I was asking her for, knowing that she’d have additional questions as soon as she assimilated what I had said. After a beat or two, Sandy did just that, asking me what I knew about Jack. Eventually, she ran out of questions and said, “Ray, I’ve got a lot of thinking and planning to do, but I think I can help you. I need to make some calls before finalizing anything, but I should have a definite answer for you by tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Sandy,” I said. I gave her the number for the guest house and informed her that I’d be in and out before ending the call. I felt better about being able to help Erin because I was sure Sandy would come through for me. For now, I just had to convince Jack that stalking Erin was a losing proposition.