“How can you stand this? How can you be so calm in the face of everything?”
“It’s an act,” Satin said. “I’m scared to death. But I can’t let them see that. Our guys have got enough on their minds right now without worrying about how the rest of us are reacting. You and I, Ivy and Goody, all of us have to take as much of the burden off of them as we can. Wringing our hands and crying what if is not the way to do that. This will be harder on us than it is on them. They’ll know what’s going on. We won’t. They’ll get to act. We’ll wait. While they’re out chasing wildebeest, we get to sit on our asses by the fire in front of the cave and talk about stuff that doesn’t mean anything when compared to what they’re going through.”
“I’ve never felt like this before, Satin. These men, these wonderful men, are going risk their lives for us.”
“And Ruby.”
“And Ruby. You think Crockett will ever be able to let her go?”
Satin smiled. “Who knows?” she said. “He sure hasn’t been able to so far. Maybe he never will. He loves you, though.”
“I love him too, but, in my heart I know that…”
“You know that whatever else you and Crockett are, you’re temporary.”
“Well, yes.”
“Sure. He knows it too. That’s one of the reasons he’s involved with you. There’s a built-in way out. When all this is over, you’ll have a new life. A life that you’ll be able to create the way you want. You won’t need him anymore. Not the way you do now. The relationship you have is not based on anything normal. The two of you are together because someone wants to kill you, nearly killed me, and has tried a couple of times to kill him. That is not the foundation for a strong and enduring relationship.”
Carson smiled. “It’s not?”
“No more than what Clete and I have. Comfort, and care. And that’s enough, Carson. That’s more than enough. Jesus Christ! You and Crockett, me and Clete, we offer each other a place of safety. You ever have that with your husband?”
“No.”
“A lot people never really have that with their partners. That’s what makes both Crockett and Cletus so attractive. They give that wonderful feeling of safety. In return, we offer comfort and care. The only reason that sounds so chauvinistic to some people is because they’re not secure enough to let something like that happen. It doesn’t mean you have to be a housewife and have dinner on the table and the curlers out of your hair by the time he gets home at six, anymore than it means a power struggle on who wears the pants in the family. When you have safety coming from one side of the relationship, and comfort and care coming from the other, pretty soon all that gets mixed together and both people get and give what they need, without keeping score. That can happen. You know it can, because it’s happening to you right now. And if you can have that sort of thing with Crockett, you can have it with somebody else, too. Now you know what to look for.”
“So what’s all this mean? I’m in a relationship boot camp or something?”
“Ha! Well, kinda. I never would have had the courage to get involved with Cletus if Crockett hadn’t come into my life. I hadn’t been on a date in three years. I hadn’t been with a man in over five. Then Crockett shows up. He’s not pretty. He’s not young. He’s not athletic. Hell, he’s got a ponytail and only one leg. The man is damaged goods. But he didn’t trade on that. He didn’t want sympathy. He didn’t want pity. And he wasn’t out to see what he could get. He was curious about who I was. The first thing he checked out was my sense of humor. Well, that’s probably not true. The first thing was my eyes. The second was most likely my ass. He damn sure ain’t a saint, but he was more concerned about what we might have than what he could get. And that went straight to my heart. It’s still there. It probably always will be. He’s not the best man I’ve ever known. He’s the best person I have ever known.”
Satin paused to take a sip of Carson’s tea, and went on.
“And then, it dawned on me how safe he felt. I made the first move for us to go out. Hell, I made the first move for us to go to bed. Over the past few months as friends, then lovers, then friends, he’s allowed me the space to free myself from a lot of baggage and bullshit. Without Crockett, I would never have had the confidence to let myself get involved with Cletus. Who, by the way, also makes me feel safe. Hell, Clete makes Crockett feel safe.”
Carson wrinkled her brow. “So this is a re-building project for me?”
“Not just for you,” Satin said. “For Crockett, too. Crockett has had two women he loved murdered in the past few years. That’s a helluva lick for anybody. Especially for someone who’s already damaged. The two of you are the best thing that could happen to either one of you right now. What you have to understand is that Crockett ain’t the only Crockett that’s out there. You can’t let what happened to you with your husband kick the shit out of every man you come across. Crockett is proof of that.”
“You’re right. I know you are. I’ve said the same thing to myself for years, but Crockett is the only man I’ve felt this close to in, well…” Carson smiled and went on. “Crockett is the only man I’ve ever felt this close to.”
Satin grinned. “Maybe we’ve both got father issues.”
Carson laughed. “He’s not that much older than we are.”
“He almost is.”
“Me, too,” Stitch said, rounding the corner. “Didn’t mean to, like, overhear, man, but you know how it is. I’m not prepared to fill in for, like, daddy. But if, ah, either a you chicks are carryin’ a torch for a lecherous uncle, man, lemme know. I’ll, like, do my best, y’know?”
While the girls laughed, Stitch retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge, then stopped beside the table and looked at them.
“You guys aren’t sittin’ here for a girlie gab-fest,” he said. “You’re here ‘cause you’re freaked out at the thought that maybe Crockett or Clete might go out there and get all shot up or somethin’. Here’s the deal. Once we dust off and I got ‘em in the helo, those dudes belong to me, man. I don’t just hop ‘em and drop ‘em. I take ‘em out and I fuckin’ bring their asses back. Ask anybody.”
With tears in her eyes, Satin stood up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Stitch,” she said.
Stitch grinned and looked at Carson. “There’s a whole ‘nother chick, an’ a whole ‘nother cheek, man,” he said.
Smiling, Carson got to her feet and kissed the opposite side of Stitch’s face.
“Far out,” he said. “Now fuckin’ lighten up, you two. Otherwise, Uncle Stitch might have to exercise a little, ah, discipline. Ha!”
He bumped his eyebrows and vacated the area, water bottle in hand.
“Sometimes I forget how lucky I am,” Carson said.
“You do that, too?” Satin asked.
That evening’s dinner, braised pork loin with new potatoes and baby carrots, was prepared by Goody and well received by those with appetite. Stitch and Cletus both pounded down enough for the entire table. Talk was light, laughter sometimes forced, and the upcoming mission was the gorilla in the room that nobody acknowledged. Ivy was her usual charming self, gracious to a fault, and even she avoided speaking about what was to come. Dessert was a light almond torte with raspberry sauce, served with coffee in the atrium. After everyone was settled, Ivy carefully cleared her throat.
“Children,” she said, “I wish I had some truly glorious things to say at this moment. Some things prophetic and satisfying to prepare all of us for the next few days, but I do not. What I do have is confidence and love. I give both of them freely to all of you dear people, but in this place at this time, I dispense them most liberally on these three men who, as they have before, prepare to go in harm’s way for no other reason than duty that springs from the love they have for the rest of us. I rejoice in their honor and courage, and I know that whatever shadows may fall upon them during their sojourn unto this particular valley, they will return to us having finished what must be done. Gentlemen, I salute you.”
&nbs
p; “Rather!” Goody piped. “Hear, hear!
Agreement rippled through the space and Clete let it quiet down before he spoke.
“Uh, prob’ly be good tell let ya’ll know what ya prob’ly already know. We’re takin’ outa here ‘bout a hour before dawn an’ flyin’ to Rapid City. Stitch’ll stay there in a motel while Crockett an’ me head for Deadwood. Crockett wants to see the feller that built the lodge we’re goin’ after, and his granddaughter. Between the two of them we might be able to find out somethin’ worth knowin’ about the place. We’ll spend the night, return to Rapid City, and take the day to go through all the equipment again, tighten up protocol, fix anything we figure needs to be fixed. Then, before dawn the next morning, Stitch’ll insert us in a ellzee, we’ll get to our vantage point by daybreak, and set up on the lodge. We’ll watch it all day and most of the next night, then begin our offensive shortly after dawn on morning four. We should be back by dark, at the latest. At least, that’s the general plan. The local cop shop has off-duty guys ready to go. They’ll have the house and grounds as of late tonight. They’ll be on site until we get back.
“As far as the mission goes, we have two excellent ellzees and two excellent locations from which to engage. We have some changes in weaponry and equipment that will make things easier for us. We have Goody’s imagination and expertise, we have Stitch’s courage and solid dependability, and we have Crockett’s superb abilities and commitment. In spite of how really little all of that amounts to, we will still prevail. Why, you may ask? There is me, a Texan, on hand in this enterprise. Enough said.”
There was a short pause before the laughter began. It was quiet and gentle, but it was honest, and it was exactly what was needed.
An hour or so later, Crockett was kicked back in a chaise lounge, regarding his rather bleak reflection in the atrium wall, when Carson ambled over, bumped his knee out of her way with her butt, and sat down. She grinned.
“Hi, Cutie,” she said. “You don’t want me to spend the night in your room, do you?”
Crockett looked up at her. “That’s a helluva way to start a conversation,” he said.
“Do you?” Carson asked.
“Well, uh, no, actually, I don’t. I’m gonna be tossing and turning, I may not sleep at all, the mission is, well…”
“Shut up,” Carson said.
Crockett raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”
“Shut up,” Carson repeated. “You had me at ‘no.’ I’m not looking for excuses, or even reasons why you want to be alone. If that is what you need, that is what you shall have. I just wanted to know. Make sure you come in and kiss me goodnight.”
Crockett glared at her. “You think you’re pretty smart, doncha?”
“Yep.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
Crockett was down in that black hole when Stitch woke him at three AM. He hadn’t spent the night totally alone. Nudge had managed to wrap himself around Crockett’s head with negative results to his sinuses and eyes. He creaked downstairs with a suitcase and small satchel thirty minutes later, clutching a wad of toilet paper and sneezing violently. Goody was waiting with fresh Cheese Danish.
“Sleep with your cat?” Clete asked.
“Doan bush your lug, Texigan,” Crockett wheezed. “Girls ub?”
“Naw. I told ‘em we were leaving at five.”
Crockett accepted coffee and a Danish from Goody and engaged himself in the delicate art of wolfing down food while unable to breathe through his nose.
“Helo’s all loaded, man,” Stitch said. “Gassed, rubbed and scrubbed. All we need are warm bodies and the rest of your shit and we are good to go.”
Goody sat a thermos full of coffee and a bag with additional Danish on the bar.
“Yes, well,” he said. “You have the tools, the talent, and situational flexibility. All that remains is an enemy to vanquish. Such an enemy awaits. I envy you, stout fellows, one and all. I shall make your apologies to the ladies. That may be the most dangerous encounter of this entire enterprise. Cletus, I have included your range-finding binoculars in your kit. Better field of view to spot for Crockett. Off you go. Godspeed, lads.”
The walk to the helo was surreal for Crockett. He was having trouble maintaining focus on anything for more than just a few seconds. He took his seat in the aircraft, buckled up, and connected his radio lead and such as Stitch spooled up the rotor. Crockett’s headset crackled.
“Hey, man. You look a little fucked up, Dude. How ya doin?”
“Fine,” Crockett said.
“Fine?”
“Yeah. fine.”
“Fine,” Stitch said. “Fucked-up, Irrational, Neurotic, and Emotional. That about it?”
“Almost,” Crockett said.
Stitch hauled the Bell into the air, laid the helo on its side, and powered into a hard right turn as he peered out a windshield that displayed a vertical horizon.
“Hey, Crockett. How ya feelin’ now?”
Crockett couldn’t answer. He’d forgotten his Dramamine.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
The Return of the Cat
Crockett levered himself out of the helo and stood gasping on the tarmac as a grinning Cletus unloaded the luggage.
“You look like shit,” Clete said.
“Thank you,” Crockett panted, leaning back against the Bell.
“Wow,” Stitch said, walking up from the rear rotor. “You gonna spew, dude?”
“Oh, God,” Crockett groaned.
“You’re, like, green, man. You gonna throw up, or what?”
“Shut up.” Crockett growled.
“You really look like you’re gonna hurl, man,” Stitch went on.
“Shut the fuck up,” Crockett gurgled.
“Hey, Clete,” Stitch said. “You ever seen a cat that looked more like he was gonna blow big ol’ industrial chunks than ol’ Crockett, man? I mean, the dude looks ready to, like, erupt, ya know? Fuckin’ upchuck city! You gonna puke, Crockett, or just stand there and gag?”
That did it. Driven over the edge, Crockett put his hands on his knees, leaned over, and let it happen. Stitch took a step backwards.
“Oh wow, you yaked! That’s, like, really gross, ya know, dude? A technicolor sidewalk pizza. Yuk!”
Clete laughed. “Hey, Stitch,” he said. “I was you, I’d find somethin’ to do on the other side of the bird or somewhere. Crockett’s gonna get rid of all that stuff in a minute. Then he’s gonna stand up. Then he’s gonna look around. Then he’s gonna see you. When he sees you, he’s probably gonna wanna take some sort of action. That could include tearing your head off.”
Stitch appeared to be surprised. “Me? What’d I do?”
Twenty minutes later they were waiting for an attendant at the car rental counter.
“I’m, like, really sorry, Crockett,” Stitch said. “I guess I was kinda hard on you and your motion sickness thing. I mean, you churned out some real cubic footage, man. Major hoopage. A significant emission, dude. Like, vomitus maximus, ya know?”
Crockett was still slightly green. He glared at Stitch. Stitch flinched.
“Why don’t I, like, wait for you cats outside?” he said, and vacated the room.
Crockett and Cletus arrived at the Deadwood Holiday Inn Express Hotel a little after lunchtime. Crockett got a mini suite with an adjoining single on ground level, and the two of them gathered in the suit’s living area.
“Okay, Hawkeye,” Clete said. “Now what?”
“Ernie’s,” Crockett said. “Then we talk to Philo Bodine.”
Clete grinned. “Any relation to Jethro Bodine?”
Crockett winced. “I don’t know,” he said. “Why don’t you ask him when we find him?”
“Ya know,” Clete said, “speakin’ of ol’ Jed an’ them, I always wondered if Ellie Mae an’ Jethro was sneakin’ out behind the cement pond and bumpin’ uglies.”
Crockett was indignant. “How can you even think such a thing? Something like that
would have killed Granny. My God, man! Control yourself. And it’s Philo, not Jethro.”
“Philo Bodine,” Clete said. “Sounds like a gunfighter or somethin’.”
“Cletus Marshal, don’t exactly sound like no Sunday School teacher, son.”
Clete looked at him with cold eyes. “You really wanna talk about names, Davey?”
Crockett’s hand flew to his forehead and he looked away. “Can’t resist the cheap shot, can you?” he asked. “Can’t resist hurting my feelings, can you?”
“New bra botherin’ you, Mary?” Clete asked.
The two men stood glaring at each other. Crockett broke first, grinning as he flopped into a chair.
“Ah-ha!” Cletus crowed. “I win!”
“All part of my master plan,” Crockett said.
“So we go see Philo, then we get in touch with his granddaughter, the hooker.”
“Puma,” Crockett said. “Real name is Terri. At least that’s what she claimed. I’ll try to get her to come here. I don’t want anybody to connect us. Last resort is trolling for her at Cadillac Jacks.”
“Be a pretty good idea to keep me away from fleshy temptations,” Clete said. “Country boy like me, away from home and normal moral restraints, could lose Jesus in a place like this.”
“Many have, my friend,” Crockett said, getting to his feet as Clete opened the door to the hall. “Above all focus on the fact that, with a little provocation, Satin could kick your narrow ass on the best day you ever had. Think what she could do to you if properly inspired.”
“So what kinda guy is ol’ Philo?” Clete asked.
Crockett followed him out of the room.
A little before seven that evening, the boys were again seated, slightly scotch enhanced, in the living area of their suite. They had been to Ernie’s and, after a suitable quantity of conversation and drinks, convinced Ernie to give Crockett Philo’s phone number. Philo had met the two of them at a scenic overlook a few miles outside of town. Among the bits of information they gleaned from Philo was Puma’s cell number. Clete induced Philo to accept a thousand dollars while Crockett called Puma. She would be free that evening and would be glad to join Dan Beckett in his room at the Holiday Inn Express at seven.
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