MacArthur's Freehold

Chapter 28

Chapter 28 -- DUXUGJTAUWJM

Tommy and James were out in Utah for a week of training, and Jessica and Carter had taken a couple of days off to drive down to Kansas City. Carter had come to enjoy long drives on the highway, something he had never done while living in St. Louis. Like any other couple on an outing they went to eat in an upscale restaurant and did some shopping, though their type of shopping was somewhat different. They visited several coin dealers and purchased tubes of silver eagle coins. The one-ounce silver coins were favored by people planning for disruption of commerce or other situations in which cash and digital money were problematical. Jessica had suggested Carter follow her example of accumulating the coins, and since there was not much to spend money for, all their expenses being paid for by their employer, their pay either accumulated in the bank or was converted into silver. Or occasionally other things. Leaving Kansas City that afternoon they drove on to Springfield, where they checked into their hotel before going out for a late dinner.

The next morning, they lingered for a while before getting out of bed. While their daily lives were no means stressful, they found an occasional day away from home refreshing. Jessica had told him one of the things she enjoyed about trips was staying in hotels. She liked going into a fresh, clean room, staying in the big comfortable bed as long as she wanted. Carter had come to enjoy it as well, and welcomed those days then the coming storm seemed not so near.

Eventually, though, they had to go. A late breakfast in the hotel restaurant was followed by checking out and taking their bags to the car. There would be a few stops around Springfield for more shopping. Although their purchases were mostly with cash, there were cameras everywhere. Carter was using his new identity, and along with the coin dealers there were visits to three gun shops.

The first one was owned by an associate of the freeholders, like the owner of the airfield over in Pittsburgh. Using Carter's identification for the first time to purchase a gun, they wanted to be in a friendly establishment. He recognized Jessica from past visits, and she introduced Carter with his new identity.

Carter had decided on an old-fashioned Colt 1911 pistol as his main personal weapon. It was still popular among the cops who were gun aficianados when he last worked with them, despite the prevalence of the newer Glocks and SIGs favored by many departments for official use. He had fired a couple, and had found he liked the way they handled better than his more modern service gun.

"Dad likes the .45 a lot" Jessica had told him. "He owns a few, mostly some old Colts and a couple of newer ones from Springfield Armory. They make some good guns."

It was a Springfield he selected, in the classic 1911 design, along with several additional magazines. He was slightly apprehensive while the background check was being done, even though she assured him it had been tested beforehand. That done, the goods were packaged up and they said goodbye to the owner.

Out in the car, the gun went into a hidden compartment in the trunk, along with the coins. They visited a couple more coin shops and two more gun shops. At each gun shop they purchased several boxes of .45 ACP ammunition. Carter would have a carrying rig when they made their visit to the Utah freehold in a couple of weeks.

Springfield was a pleasant enough city, much smaller than Kansas City or St. Louis. Jessica wished it was closer. On the other hand, the farm was far away from any major population areas, and that was important.

They left in time to be back home before dark, and spent the evening relaxing and watching television. News was the only thing they watched most of the time, and not because it was enjoyable. It was, however, necessary to know what was happening. Of course, television being almost totally agenda-driven, and the agenda was that of the government, for actual news it was necessary to review the internet sites where actual news was published. They wondered how long that resource would be available.