Free The Kitchen Readings by Michael Cleverly Page A

can’t believe that you lost those things that I left here…but in fact you owe
HST—one .410 single shotgun
HST—one 2k candlepower light—boat/car/etc.
John Kent—one closed-circuit TV set (2 cameras, one monitor)
HST—one blue chip elbow
    An elbow is code for “lb.” A pound of first-class pot.
    Ed hadn’t lost anything; it was just Hunter’s way of conveying his sense of urgency. He must have been running out of dope. Actually a friend had borrowed the shotgun, for purposes neither Ed nor anyone else wanted to know. Ed could get it back anytime, if he didn’t mind being in possession of evidence.
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    Ed was part of Hunter’s posse. Back then Hunter traveled with a sort of entourage. They were all buddies, and Hunter treated them like equals, not minions.
    During this time there was a rich Arab who lived up in the Starwood subdivision. The guy, in his mid-forties, liked to entertain, and he entertained people he considered to be important. Hunter fit the bill, so he would get invited to the guy’s mini-castle for Monday Night Football. Along with Hunter would come Ed and the other members of Hunter’s posse; also along with Hunter would come Hunter’s gun. Hunter was going through a phase where he would always be “packing” when hewent out. No one else in the posse felt the need to carry a gun, and no one could put a finger on exactly why Hunter thought that he had to carry a gun. It was just a phase; it was Hunter. The gun could lead to the occasional awkward situation, as occurred with the Arab.

    Cleverly kept trying to remind Hunter that “one man’s souvenir is another man’s evidence.”
    At the mini-castle, as a rule, bodyguards carried guns; the guests did not. The bodyguards felt they could function most effectively when they were the only ones armed. Sounds a little insecure, but there you are. These guys also performed household staff duties—butler, valet parking, coat checkers, waiters. The sorts of services we hope maybe to get when we go out and splurge is what rich Arabs demand 24/7. Mostly, though, they were bodyguards. Unlike a regular household staff, who would stay at the house when the boss went out, these fellas traveled wherever the boss went. They were always packing and had the look of men with virtually no sense of humor. Undoubtedly a plus in that line of work.
    At the house, the guards would never do anything as gauche as patting guests down, so they didn’t become aware of Hunter’s pistol until after the first couple of Monday-night events. The topic came up when Hunter, ever the populist, decided to engage one of them in conversation. He must have felt that a common talking point would be weaponry, so he asked the guy what his firearm of choice was. That was no problem. The problem arose when Hunter drew his gun to compare. The bodyguards clearly found this disconcerting, judging from their response. I guess no guest had ever whipped out a piece in the presence of the Arab before. From that night on, while Ed and everyone else were checking their coats, Hunter was asked to check his gun.
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    After graduating from Lompoc, Ed took up the straight life in Chicago. He proved to be as good at making an honest living as he was at the other kind. He and Hunter were in regular contact via phone, fax, and e-mail. Hunter had set up meetings with his Chicago friends for Ed, to help smooth his transition back into the world. Hunter’s Chicago friends became Ed’s friends, so they were all excited when they learned that Doc’s next speaking tour would bring him to Chicago.
    The guys made the appropriate plans and fêted Hunter to a fare-thee-well when he got to town. The day after the lecture, and the partying that followed, Hunter was enjoying some down time at Ed’s apartment. He noticed and was appreciating Ed’s new black leather jacket. It was a cross between what you’d