**The following story has appeared previously here and at TPC, being one of the first shorts that converted an otherwise dull nonfiction tome into one heck of a novel. Please find it below, modified slightly. A tale of Tom with the little kids and a CIA flashback to beat the band. other chapters reveal that the connection between international criminals and elementary schools is closer than one would think.**

Chapter Fourteen

Shades of Cuba

The following day, a Wednesday was interesting. He was supposed to have a morning only at L.B. Jever elementary, on the extreme further side of Hammond. The first half of the day was teaching fourth grade, which Tom found quite similar to the fifth. The kids were interested in him and pried about lady friends. When Tom’s evasion didn’t suit them, a little boy walked to the board and scribbled out: “Mr. Ironsides has a girlfriend.”…