Go over finances to see what I had saved and what I had that I could spend. I had been pretty stingy with my money the last 10 years. I had used Uncle...Sam to the max and I had stayed away from all the traps that most GIs fall into. I expected I wouldn't be forced to get a job right away. Jake had invested it for me. He always seemed to have some inside track to the best investments.Also, if I didn't want to stay at home I could stay at Jake's empty house. That would be nice if I wanted some. Hank was standing in the middle of the street to warn cars of the accident, and that was the way the medics, the cops, and the news reporter found them.Hank talked to the cop and gave him the information on the car while Jean talked to the reporter about how they happened to be at the park and what she had done to help the boy before the medics arrived. One of the medics said that Jean had done all of the proper things, and she should be proud of herself.Jean talked to the cop while Hank talked. He’d been a fool to trust Buck with his money. He knew he wouldn’t cheat him, and it seemed safer to have the money in the bank than lying around the camp tempting his crew. He never thought he’d be stupid enough to get himself killed.He had about thirty men in the stronghold. He knew that though there were a few more soldiers, he had superior firepower. Maybe he could just scare them off, or at least make them retreat long enough for them to get away. He had no doubt his men would fight. it. Not just for the rest of my birthday, but forever.The costume had a huge effect on me, but it also seemed to have an effect on her. Her carriage was now that of a confident person, not one in an unfamiliar role. I had the glimmer of a thought that this costume was well beyond what I had hoped for and that her choice of it might very well mean that she was getting pleasure in this role. That thought further stirred me.She strutted around for a while letting me have the full effect. And the.