{"id":2430,"date":"2023-11-13T01:31:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T01:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2430"},"modified":"2023-10-05T13:24:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T13:24:10","slug":"chap-44-who-is-john-dougherty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/?p=2430","title":{"rendered":"Chap. 44 – Who is John Dougherty?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapter 44<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is John Dougherty?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      On a Saturday morning, after thanking Uncle Alvin and saying good-bye to Pirate Jack, no longer a caravan, we headed out to visit Skip’s sister in Virginia, a three -day journey, first up the coast on I-95 to Savannah and then inland towards the middle of Virginia. Skip still wasn’t talking much but he told us his sister’s name was Jancis, and that she and her husband, Pete, had a place called “The Herbery,” a way-side herb farm. They also did gardening and landscape architecture for the rich folks with second homes a few hours from Washington, D.C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the first day out, we stopped for dinner in Savannah, Georgia, at Mrs. Z\u2019s Family Style Dining. While dining, Huck got a lesson in southern manners.  We were all at a long table sharing a meal with several others we didn\u2019t know.  After being asked a second time, \u201cWould you like more peas?\u201d by a diner at the other end of the table, Steve whispered to Huck \u2013 \u201cHe\u2019s politely asking you to pass the peas down.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     To Steve, this appeared to be a perfect opportunity to tell the newcomers at the other end of the table about our travels, our blog, our Rumpkin organizing, but everybody seemed subdued.  When Skip and Rocky went out for a smoke after eating, Steve followed along, saying, \u201cWhat\u2019s up you guys?  You seem preoccupied about something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Rocky made up a fib, \u201cSkip\u2019s sister isn\u2019t doing too good and he\u2019s worried a visit by all of us will be too much for her.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell, I\u2019m sorry to hear that.  I think all of us are ready to get back to Minnesota.  Skip, you\u2019ve found a second life in politics \u2013 that\u2019s what you were looking for leaving Minnesota, right?  And with Sally finding what she was looking for as well; Patty having plenty of good footage for her movie; and Huck already having the time of his life; maybe this trip is ready for its denouement.  You know, I\u2019ve been thinking I\u2019m missing Jodie . . . maybe one more good fishing weekend for Max?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cNo,\u201d Skip replied.  \u201cWe\u2019re sticking to our list.  Huck and I both have folks expecting us in New York.  And you too, somebody in Philadelphia, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spent the night camped at the Stoney Crest Plantation Campground just outside Hilton Head, S.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

——————————————————————————————————————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Meanwhile, things were fast developing in Boulder, Montana.  Super-sleuth Susie had gotten herself asked out on a date by the new guy in town.  He was having lunch at the Chat & Chew and Susie had accidentally on purpose dropped his check on the floor.  While bending over to retrieve it, she\u2019d provided the guy a glimpse down her blouse.  At the cash register, paying his bill, he asked her what time she got off work, and \u201cWould you care to join me for a drink at the Red Eye down the street after you get off?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cSure,\u201d Susie had said, \u201cbut I\u2019ll want to change out of this waitress uniform first \u2013 into something a little more . . . attractive.  Make it five o\u2019clock?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Walking home after work, Susie\u2019s mind raced ahead.  How fast should I ask for his name?  I have to tell him my real name \u2013 he probably already knows it.  When do I ask how he happens to know Charlie Furbush \u2013 without sounding suspicious?  What if he tries to kiss me?  Should I just play the dumb blonde all night?  Promise yourself a two-drink limit, she decided, and then say you have to go home to make supper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     When she arrived at the Red Eye a little after five, he was sitting at a table near the back, looking, she thought, every bit the gangster type who always faces the door.  In truth, he was dressed pretty normally, a western shirt, jeans, cowboy boots.  She had put on her tightest jeans and a sweater that fit snugly revealing two points way up high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cNot sure we properly met,\u201d Susie said with a smile, approaching his table.  \u201cMy name\u2019s Susie Cole.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cThe name\u2019s John Dougherty, Miss Cole.  Can I call you Susie?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cPlease.  John . . . such a common name.  You must have picked up a nickname or two along the way?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cNot really.  Sometimes they call me the \u2018Dough-Boy\u2019 because I always seem to have the dough when it\u2019s needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWhat do you do for a living?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cGotta cattle ranch up in Alberta, but I\u2019m looking to move back to the States, sell the ranch, and retire somewhere where there\u2019s plenty of good hunting and fishing \u2013 and maybe meet a new lady to take up with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Susie\u2019s mind was racing again.  That was way too forward on his part.  Is it too early to tell him I\u2019m available?  Or the perfect opportunity to warm him up some more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cOh, slow down now.  We barely know each other.  Do you have any friends around here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYeah, I gotta couple pals in the hunting business \u2013 you know, hunting parties for those rich types who like to come up from the big cities for Elk season.  That kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cI noticed you were in the Chat & Chew with Charlie Furbush the other day.  He\u2019s pretty famous in these parts, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYeah, Charlie\u2019s one of my buddies.  Sure glad he got cleared on that murder rap.  A bum rap it was.  Somebody steals your rifle and you get blamed for a murder.  Glad the jury was able to sort it out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cHow \u2018bout a game of pool?  You shoot pool?\u201d she asked him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cYou bet,\u201d he said.  \u201cLast pocket, for a dollar?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     After he took her for a dollar, she said she had to head home to prepare supper.  \u201cBut Dough-Boy, John, I mean, I\u2019m gonna win that dollar back next time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     That night she called her son Joey in Vancouver to see if he knew \u201cDough-Boy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cMom!  That\u2019s one of the names Furbush gave me!\u201d  Joey said way too loud. \u201cNot Dough-Boy, it\u2019s Dougherty, John Dougherty!  All these guys are super-dangerous!  Dougherty and Furbush are full-fledged Proud Boys, part of the sex-trafficking ring.  They don\u2019t stop at killing when it comes to keeping their enterprise afloat.  Go catch up with the Rumpkins again, wherever they are!  Not sure why Abdul was killed, but probably because he knew too much.  Stay away from Dougherty!  Get out while you can.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Susie couldn’t wait to tell Skip about the Dougherty-Furbush-Vancouver connection, but all she got was his voice mail. It was close to midnight on the east coast. Skip wasn’t sleeping, right away he checked his voice mail, and called Susie back. Excitedly, she told Skip the details of her date with Dougherty and her call to Joey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Wow! Impressive!,” Skip told her. “Great job, detective! It’s the lead we need!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it warmed her heart hearing how glowing Skip was of her sleuthing, she ended up saying, “But what the heck do I do now?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Skip was<\/em> worried for her, \u201cGeez, what are<\/em> you going to do?  How well have you gotten to know Dougherty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell, I think he\u2019s totally a jerk frankly, but I told him I wanted to see him again, and I\u2019m determined to help you get to the bottom of things,\u201d Susie replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell, if you go on a second date with him, I wouldn\u2019t pump him for any more information.  Just let him do all the talking and try to keep your flirting in check.  You\u2019ve done great work getting the name.  There are some leads on this end I can check.  If Dougherty\u2019s the guy I think he is, you don\u2019t want to go on any more dates with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Although it was late back at the Stoney Crest Campground, Skip quickly rounded up Rocky and Max.  \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure I know who Gordy\u2019s cellmate was and he\u2019s in Boulder<\/u><\/em>, Montana<\/u><\/em> as we speak.  We gotta get hold of Ken right away.  If Gordy\u2019s cellmate was the name Susie told me, John Dougherty, then this guy is one – a sex trafficker; two –  a terrorist; and three – dating Susie!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Rocky said, \u201cSomebody out there, somebody we\u2019re close to learning about, knows the connection between the ballpark bombing and Abdul\u2019s murder.  Max, you should call your ex-Lisa and confront her with Ken being part of a sex trafficking operation.  The way you talk about Lisa, she\u2019d never stand for anybody<\/em> doing that kind of shit, especially her own brother, and either turn-up the heat on him, or turn him in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know about that,\u201d Max said.  \u201cWe don\u2019t have any evidence Ken is involved with sex trafficking or murder.  Skip, might be better if you call Ken.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cGood,\u201d Skip said.  \u201cI\u2019ll threaten Ken with telling his sister . . . little girls from Thailand, being sold as sex slaves . . . and his sister is going to hear all about it unless he tells who this John Doe Something-or-Rather\u2019s really is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 44 Who is John Dougherty?       On a Saturday morning, after thanking Uncle Alvin and saying good-bye to Pirate Jack, no longer a caravan, we headed out to visit Skip’s sister in Virginia, a three -day journey, first up … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2430"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2800,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2430\/revisions\/2800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}