Home again.

Back at the farm, Linc asked Lucas if he would like to go and open
the cabin in a couple of days. Lucas said it was fine with him, he
was anxious to see the new landscaping that the guy from the mine did
after they closed the cabin last fall.
Linc went to the office and called Axel to see how his time was.
Fannie too. Told him he was going up to the cabin in a few days, and
thought maybe he would get the ATV he wanted and take it up there,
ready to take to the retreat when they were able to come up for a mini
vacation. He also told him he got the solar panels and stuff to put
lights in the cave. Axel told him he was tying some things up and
might be ready to drive up in a week or so. He would let him know for
sure , just when. Linc asked to talk to Fannie, and asked her if she
would see if any of her contacts were interested in buying some of the
French money because he wanted to get an ATV. He said he could get
one now, but would cut him a bit short, but not broke. Fannie said
That the guy who bought the last ones, was asking about them because
he knew she had more of them. Sad she was going to call him about
them when the guy upped the amount he would pay for them. She said
there was another guy who was interested too. Linc said he would mail
them down to her in the next few days, when he got back into town.
Next Linc wrote down all that he had heard the time master tell his
son, and faxed it to his Dad. Told him about both of the portals, and
what he saw there. He also asked him what his views were on what the
time master said. He remembered when he was a kid and he talked to
his Dad about how the pyramids were made when in school they told
them the Egyptians made them, and how they figured it was done.
Linc talked with Trudy about Lucas's birthday that was coming up in
two days. He would be ninety years old. He didn't want to plan a
party but he was going to take him up to the cabin for a couple of
days. Maybe she could make him a birthday cake.. He knew everyone
would call him on his birthday so he planned to go to the cabin the
day after it.
Lucas had a lot of birthday calls, and was in good spirits when they
took the clean bedding and food for a couple of days and went up to
the cabin.
At he gate, Linc saw that it was standing wide open. Oh, oh, he
thought, this don't look good at all. He drove on up to the cabin and
was shocked to find nothing but a big pile of rubble and stuff
scattered all over the area.
Lucas got out of the truck and staggered over to where the cabin had
been, and stood there, tears flooding his eyes. Linc ran over to him,
and saw the color drain from his face. He grabbed him, touched the
broach and said retreat.
At the retreat, he sat Lucas on a lounge in the sunlight and sat there
with him until he started to get some color back in his face. Lucas
said, " who in the world hates me that much? Who would do something
like this to me? He shook his head and told Linc he didn't think it
was his old prospecting partner, because he would just move in and
pretend the place was his".
Linc went in and fixed Lucas a hot toddy and brought it out to him.
Lucas was staring off out over the ocean and petting Angel, who had
put her head on his knee. Linc told him to drink it while he went back
to get the hidden, motion activated cameras. Maybe they would show
what had happened. Lucas said he hoped so because he was going to kill
who ever did it, if he could.
Linc went and got the cameras and brought them back. He downloaded
the pictures onto the computer and showed Lucas what had happened. In
the first set of pictures showed the blue van driving up to the gate,
opening it and driving through. The next showed the three Chinese
men. Who were killed in the cave in, going to the cabin. The next
showed them by the cabin lighting fuses, and the explosion. "Well,
said Linc, I don't think you need to kill them after all. Looks like
Karma did it for you". Lets go back and get some pictures of the big
mess and take it all to town to the Sheriff's office.

When the Sheriff saw the pictures he started cussing. "I knew those
damn Chinese were up to no good the minute the came back into town.
I'm glad they are dead, so they can't bug anyone any more. Couldn't
have happened to any one else better. I want to get these pictures
copied and send them to the lawyers in Carson City for the trial of
that last killer.

The whole office expressed sympathy to Lucas for the cabin.
Linc went to the post office and mailed the rest of the French money
to Fannie's office. Told her he needed the funds for a new cabin.

They went on back to the farm and told John and Trudy what happened.
After some lunch, while Lucas took a nap, Linc called Axel and told
him what happened. Told him to bring his motor home up so they would
have a place to stay while the new cabin was built. Linc told Axel he
was going to make arrangements to have a firm in town put one up.
They said they could do it in a couple of weeks. Axel said, "we will
be coming up there in about two weeks from today. I've got to call
Dad and tell him how sorry I am".
Linc contacted the outfit that thought they could build the cabin and
told them he would be in town and finalize the deal on Monday, since
today was Saturday.
Monday, Linc told Lucas what he was going to do in town, and Lucas
said, " go to it. I will let you take care of everything, I can't
seem to forget the old place. Too many memories there. I'll just sit
here and read the papers and watch tv. I trust you to do it alone.".
Linc and Angel went into town. He knew that the mess had to be
cleaned up first, before any construction could ever begin. As he was
going up the road, he got a phone call from Gus. Gus told him he had
talked to the sheriff, and some of the guys around town got together
and are on their way up to the cabin site to help him get it ready for
any new construction. Linc had to smile at that and went up to the
cabin instead.
There were a dozen men and a big dozer already on the way up the
road to the cabin. The men started right away to clear out what they
could from the mess. They could see that the Chinese had set one
charge in the stove itself. Set a charge in the cupboard, and one in
the big old steamer trunk, they kept the bedding and towels in. it
didn't go off because the old trunk had a sharp rim on the lid. When
the lid was closed, it cut the fuse. When they opened the trunk They
could see three sticks of dynamite. One of the men said, I just wish
each one of those Chinese had one of these up his butt when the cave
in happened. The trunk had been over against a wall that had fell
over into it, protecting it from the winter snow. The men pulled out
a plastic tote that had been under a bunk, that had all the cast iron
fry pans and dutch oven stored in it. They were ok.
There were men stacking the old pile of firewood and then they put the
old trunk by it and covered it and other salvaged stuff, with some
boards and metal roofing that was still usable.
Linc saw that someone had started a fire in the new fire pit and other
men were breaking up and burning as much of the wood just lying
around. Another man was sawing up some of the old logs that had been
in the walls, while a couple of others were stacking them over by the
fire pit,. Another man was picking up all the glass and smaller
pieces of metal he could find, and putting them in a plastic bucket.
There were a few of the plastic buckets that had been stored in the
shed behind the cabin, that were still usable, but the old BBQ was a
casualty of the blast. Linc was glad he had remembered to take the
propane tank when he left the cabin last fall. After they had salvaged
what they could, one of the men started up the dozer and went down
toward the blackberry patch and dug a hole, then pushed all the rest
of the debris, and the old outhouse, down into it and covered it up.
Then he came back and leveled u[ a big spot for a new cabin. By this
time, Linc had profusely thanked some of the men for coming out to
help, and they had left. He and Gus talked about what had been done
Linc said he had worried about the clean up, but thought maybe the
construction crew might help him. Gus started laughing, and said, "
funny you should mention that bunch, because one of them should be
here in a few minutes to get measurements and ideas for your new
cabin. I called him, I hope you are not mad about it. Sheriff told
me you had contacted them, so I took the liberty to try and help you
there. The owner's wife is a good friend of Annie's, and the gals
talked about it, then to me and the boss".
Linc told Gus he wasn't mad, he was overwhelmed that every one had
done so much to help him and Lucas. Gus just patted him on the back
and told him that Lucas had made a lot of friends since he came to
Goldfield. He was very well liked. He told Linc he was well liked in
town too.
A truck drove in about two minutes later, and a couple of guys got
out, came over and shook hands all around. Gus knew them and made the
introductions. One of the guys had a portfolio that he opened on the
hood of his truck, and asked Linc to look through it and see if there
was anything in there he liked. As Gus and the two men talked, Linc
went through the book and saw what he had in mind. He didn't want a
big place, but he did want more space than before and more sleeping
areas. He chose a small two room cabin with a sleeping loft. One big
room ,with kitchen area, and a fireplace. A smaller room with two
bunks. The loft would have two bunks, and there could be a couch that
made into a bed in the main room. A pantry could be under the steps
to the loft. All this on a concrete floor, and well insulated.
He showed the men what he had in mind, and they went to work measuring
the area that was cleared. Figured it would work out fine with out
taking down the big old tree that shaded the old cabin. They talked
to the dozer owner and told him they wanted him up the next day with a
small back hoe., He said he would do it then loaded up the dozer and
left. The boss from the construction crew told Linc they would be
there first thing in the morning.
The next morning Linc was up at the cabin site early, when the truck
with the back hoe and the construction crew arrived. There was a huge
load of planks that some of the men unloaded while others set stakes
for the man with the back hoe to use to dig for the foundation. When
the foundation was dug, the crew set to work putting in the planks.
The man with the back hoe dug two deep holes. One for the new out
house and one for the new dry well. Then he went down to the creek
and dug a ditch for the new waterline to the cabin. All this done,
the crewman head said the cement trucks would be up the next morning
at about eight . Linc said he would be there.
Linc had to smile when he thought about the new cabin. He hadn't told
Lucas anything about it. He thought, Gramps will really be surprised
with it.
The cabin was going to be almost twice as large as the old one. It
will have small kitchen appliances like one would find in a trailer
or motor home, that run on propane. There would be a sink with water
pumped from the creek. A kitchen work bar. Solar powered lights, and
new comfortable furniture by a new fireplace. All cupboards, cabinets,
bunks and shelves were made of pine, with clear finish. Fake rock to
cover the fireplace
They were almost done with the fireplace when Axel and Fannie arrived.
The next day they drove up to the cabin in the motor home The main
part of the cabin was done and all appliances were installed. The
floor looked like pine boards The wiring done and the solar panels
up and running. The new outhouse was in place. The sleeping loft and
the bunks had yet to be done.
Fannie said she had gotten some really good money for the French bills
and still had two left. More than enough to pay for the cabin and an
ATV. The office she worked for liked the cut they got too. Linc told
them that was good because he still had to get everything to furnish
the place, and make it livable.
Linc had brought his truck up too, and they went into town to shop.
Linc and Fannie had made a long list of everything needed to furnish
the place. The furniture was to be delivered, and the rest was loaded
into the truck, along with three new propane tanks, and got them
filled. A couple of days later, everything was finished and the whole
place painted an off white. The exterior had a fake log cabin siding.
The crew had made an eight foot picnic table and benches for the new
concrete patio that Linc sanded and varnished while Axel refurbished
the steamer trunk.
Two days later, the furniture was delivered and placed in the main
room. Linc and Fannie made up the two bunks in the bedroom, and the
hide-a-bed. Linc put the bedding for the loft bunks in the drawers
under them. Axel laid a fire in the fireplace, ready to go. And
carried in fire wood to fill the wood box next to it. This new cabin
had two doors One with storm door going out to the patio that would
be used for the entry, and another with a storm door just below the
steps to the loft. The last thing to do was to go food shopping that
they did the next morning.
After everything was put away, they were all tired. Linc planned to go
get Lucas the next morning. To be continued.