River Town Box Set

by Grant C. Holland

  Diego shook his head. “I haven’t seen her. The details here are for the insurance companies to sort out. I just want to make sure everyone is okay.”

  Diego had to wait for three hours before his driver, Lexie, was finally moved to a private room. Her injuries were more severe and involved broken bones that had to be set. However, the doctors were upbeat about a full recovery.

  As Diego entered the hospital room, Lexie was upbeat, and her husband, Steve, sat by the side of the bed. She called, “Hey, it’s the big boss! Look at me here. I’m not getting back in the rig for a little while.”

  Diego grinned. “A few weeks at least.” He handed Steve the plant, and he set it on a table beside the bed.

  Steve said, “We heard that the police decided it was the other driver’s fault, and one of the passengers is here in the hospital. Is she okay?”

  “I just visited her,” said Diego. “She will be fine. Lexie took the brunt of the accident.” He stepped up on the opposite side of the bed from Steve and asked Lexie, “How are you feeling? Is there a lot of pain?”

  She shook her head. “Not much pain, but that sign across the room wobbles and wiggles on the wall every minute or so.”

  Steve laughed softly. “It’s good that it took me twenty minutes to get to the hospital. They told me she was screaming in the emergency room. One of the bones was exposed, but they had her quieted down by the time I arrived.”

  Lexie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t remember any of it. All that I remember from the accident is seeing the van. I swerved and engaged the brakes. The next thing I remember is staring up into the doc’s face in the emergency room.” He said, ‘The good news is you’ll walk again.’ I’m tough. I’ve been through worse in my life.”

  Diego said, “They told me that someone stopped immediately and called 911 from their cell phone. The paramedics were there in minutes, stopped Lexie’s bleeding, and then they got her out of the cab. If they had been fifteen minutes later, we could have lost her. We live in good times. Neighbors help their neighbors.”

  Steve smiled. He said, “Yep, we’re raised to help out regardless of who it is. An emergency is an emergency, and we all pitch in. That’s the Midwestern way. We take care of each other.”

  13

  Mystery Caller

  The gruff voice on the phone said, “I saw the accident.”

  Perplexed at first by the intent of the call, Alan asked, “The accident? What accident? And who is this?”

  “That Mexican. He’s at fault. It’s shoddy truck maintenance. I should know. One of my cousins drives for him.”

  Alan shivered slightly. The call was about Diego. He’d heard about one of Diego’s drivers having an accident the day before. Diego sent a text message on his way home from the hospital. He said the police determined the fault lay with the driver of the passenger van that collided with one of his trucks.

  Later, Alan decided that he should have ended the call immediately. Instead, he reflexively answered, “The police said it was the other driver’s fault.” The comment prolonged the conversation.

  The voice was cold and flat. In a deep bass tone, with a hint of threat underlying each word, the caller said, “Corruption. Cops always side with the corporation, but I saw it. I’m willing to testify.”

  “Who are you?” asked Alan.

  “A concerned citizen.” The call disconnected.

  Alan stood and paced back and forth in his office. He looked at the M-Trak model truck on the top of his filing cabinet. After a few more minutes pacing, he called Elaine into his office. “Do you know anything more about that call? Who it was? Where they were?”

  She didn’t know anything was wrong. With a blank expression on her face, Elaine asked, “Which call? You’ve had about five different calls this morning, Mr. Hansen.”

  “That last one. It bothered me. Do you know anything about it? What did they say to you?”

  Elaine tapped a painted fingernail on her chin. “Oh, that one. I don’t usually forward a call like that directly to you, but he told me he was calling on behalf of Mr. Flores. I think I said the call might be important when I referred it to you.”

  “That is what you said, but you didn’t mention Diego.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I assumed the caller would immediately tell you why he was calling. I didn’t think mentioning Mr. Flores was necessary.” Alan lowered his head and walked the length of his office one more time. Elaine asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, and you can go. I need to sort this out. Hold any calls for the next hour, Elaine. If it’s Diego or Gus Tarrant, let them through, but no one else. I need some time alone.”

  “Yes, Mr. Hansen.” Elaine quietly exited the room closing the door silently behind her.

  After fifteen more minutes of contemplation at his desk, Alan placed a call to Diego. He was startled to hear such a cheerful response. Alan felt a sensation similar to the pleasing buzz of a good stiff drink when he heard Diego’s accented voice. “Is this business or a social call, Alan?”

  Alan couldn’t force any cheerfulness over the phone. He said, “It’s business, and I think we need to meet. I’m both perplexed and disturbed. I suggest somewhere outside of our business offices. It should be either Red Wing or Zephyr, too.”

  “If I didn’t know you better, I would think you have some undercover activities in mind. Is Coldbrook Bend under a quarantine?”

  Alan chuckled nervously. He knew that he was probably letting his suspicions get the better of him. He said, “I’m trying to avoid unfriendly faces. Let’s leave it at that.”

  “Now I’m intrigued,” said Diego. “There is a beautiful coffee shop downtown here in Red Wing. It was formerly a general store and still has the original high tin roof. It’s furnished with rustic wooden tables and a gorgeous baked goods counter. It is significantly more charming than your office. Would it meet with the approval of my favorite gringo?”

  “It sounds perfect.” Alan felt his sudden dark mood begin to lighten. The charm was working on him again. Diego’s pursuit was intoxicating even when he wasn’t trying. “Are you free this afternoon? 2:00 p.m.?”

  “I’ll see you there, and I’ll buy your coffee. What do you prefer? I’ll have it waiting when you arrive.”

  “In the afternoon I prefer tea,” said Alan.

  14

  The Paddle Wheel

  Approaching his car in the M-Trak parking lot, Diego spotted a piece of paper anchored beneath a windshield wiper and waving in the breeze that had kicked up since lunch. He sighed expecting it to be a random flyer or a suggestion to read the Bible three times a day.

  As he pulled the paper from the wiper blade, Diego noticed that it was a handwritten note. He read the scrawled words, “My gun says no to Mexicans. No trucks, no crashes! Go back home!”

  It was all amateurish, and Diego was surprised that the perpetrator didn’t take the time to individually cut the letters out of a magazine. That would have looked more like the threats from a cheap paperback novel. Still, he couldn’t stop the nervous rumbling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t ignore the fact that the note followed so closely on the heels of Lexie’s accident.

  Diego folded the note up and stuffed it in his pocket. He considered calling the police, but Diego’s suspicion of legal authorities that accompanied his youth in Veracruz was still active. He shook his head as he climbed into the car and tried to focus on the more pleasing idea of meeting Alan at a coffee shop.

  Visiting The Paddle Wheel coffee shop was an excellent reason for making a trip into downtown Red Wing. The shop was always buzzing with customers, but the old general store space was cavernous and filled with plenty of table seating. Diego stopped at the counter to order his coffee and Alan’s tea.

  As he waited, Diego gazed around the space. The crowd was diverse. Men and women in business dress mingled with students in jeans and sneakers. A few heads turned as he walked in, but none of the rest looked up from their laptops
and conversations.

  Just as his name, “Diego,” was called by the barista, Alan appeared. He was as handsome as always pairing crisp, dark jeans with a dress shirt and tan sports jacket.

  With his hands full carrying the drinks, Diego couldn’t hug Alan in greeting, but he smiled as broad as possible. Instead of saying, “Hello,” Alan asked, “Can we take our drinks outside? Maybe we can even sit in one of our cars while we talk.”

  Diego leaned forward toward Alan’s right ear to whisper so that no one else could hear. “What’s so mysterious? You sound worried.”

  “Please,” whispered Alan. “Follow me.”

  They settled into the front seat of Alan’s car, and Diego sipped his coffee before asking about the unusual precautions. “What’s going on? Is someone following us? I feel like I’m on an American TV show.”

  Alan said, “Someone doesn’t want me near you, and I don’t know why.” He paused and then added, “At least I’m not sure why. I have an idea of the reason, but I don’t want it to be that.”

  Diego smirked. “I think I’m starting to get it. One of your fellow Americans doesn’t want to see you with the dirty Mexican. I might rub off on you and force you to eat tacos and enchiladas.”

  Alan sighed. “It’s not funny, Diego. And how did you know that’s the problem?”

  Diego pulled the sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, smoothed it along his knee and handed it to Alan. “You might as well see this, too.”

  “That’s a death threat, Diego.”

  “Of course it is. Is it the first one that you’ve seen? It’s not that unusual to me. The ridiculously childish way it was perpetrated is new.”

  Alan shook his head. “No, I’ve never received one. I’ve heard of people receiving death threats, but no, not for me. What’s wrong with the people around here?”

  Diego placed a hand on his shoulder. “People are violent creatures, particularly the male of the species. Remember the border?”

  “How can I forget? I’d never experienced guns fired so close to me before either except at a shooting range.”

  “When I was just a boy, I listened to my father and uncle joking about which family member got shot in the past month. It didn’t happen that often, but it happened often enough. My family was wealthy, and some people didn’t like that. I’m not sure what a bullet ever solved. The wealth just passed on to the next relative, like my parents’ money came to my siblings and me.”

  “I didn’t know it was that violent for you growing up.”

  Diego loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. “Why do you think I got these? I love the artwork, but I didn’t want to look like my wealthy family members either. I wanted to go out and be treated like an ordinary man.” He scoffed. “It never worked, but I was young and stupid. I didn’t think about the rest of what I wore, the perfectly tailored shirts and jeans.”

  “So you really did come here to get away from the guns.”

  Diego moved the hand up to the side of Alan’s face. He felt the prickly razor stubble beneath his fingertips and rubbed with his thumb as he spoke. “I did, and my life was quiet and unnoticed until I started hanging out with the gringo. It looks like I’m okay around here as long as I don’t corrupt people like you.”

  “Me?” asked Alan.

  Diego sighed. “I’m a loner by nature, Alan. I proved to your government that I could invest large amounts of cash and hire gringos, and they let me stay in the country. I went to work, came home, and every once in awhile had a fine dinner out. I think most of my customers don’t even pay attention to my name on the contracts. They only see M-Trak. It’s M-Trak shipping their goods, not Doña Maria’s Truck Service. Now we’re hiding together in your car. What has happened to you, Alan?”

  Diego turned his head to stare intently while he waited for Alan to reply. He hoped to escape everything when he left Veracruz, but he didn’t count on Alan’s reappearance. It turned everything upside down, including his emotions. He wanted to run again, but he wouldn’t leave Alan behind. Diego lost him once, but he wasn’t going to do it again.

  “Someone accosted me at the grocery store. Then I got a phone call that insists your driver was at fault in the accident.”

  Diego blurted out, “That’s a lie!”

  Alan nodded and placed a calming hand on Diego’s forearm. “I told him that I read the police report. It said it was the other driver’s fault.”

  “As does the passenger from the van. I visited her in the hospital. It’s a blatant lie, Alan!” Diego felt his frustration turning into rage.

  Alan moved the hand to Diego’s thigh. “Relax. Maybe it’s just one upset person. There always seems to be at least one out there.”

  Diego sighed. “I can’t stand liars. They make my blood boil. In particular, when they mean to cause harm to one of my people. I’ll defend every last one of my drivers.”

  Alan continued to stare. Diego noticed a softening in his gaze. He rubbed the spot on Diego’s thigh. Alan said, “I admire that. Your drivers are fortunate to work for you.”

  “I wish I felt that way all the time now. They may not be lucky to work for a Mexican.”

  15

  Riverside

  Alan parked his car at the downtown riverside park in Coldbrook Bend. It was early in the morning. The birds were waking up, and the sun was beginning to rise above the trees on the opposite bank of the Mississippi. Alan noticed a pickup truck parked three spaces away. Otherwise, the lot was empty. He didn’t see anyone else as he climbed out of his car. He held a fast-food breakfast sandwich gripped in his hand and took a bite before walking in the direction of the river bank.

  Beyond the picnic table shelters, the ground abruptly sloped downward maybe ten feet, and then it evened out as it approached the edge of the water. A “beach” of pebbles worn smooth by the constant rising and receding of the river water stretched in either direction up and down the bank. Alan didn’t think he would ever tire of looking at the Mississippi. He had seen many rivers around the world, but very few were so broad.

  After he scrambled down the sloped bank, Alan spotted a familiar figure. The rounded, broad shoulders and red hair glowing in the morning sun were a dead giveaway. When he was about ten steps away, Alan called, “Dak!”

  Startled, Dak turned around and then smiled. “Alan! What are you doing out here so early? The sun is barely out of bed. Most of the world is still asleep. Even the birds are groggy.”

  “I could ask you the same thing. I guess I’ve got a lot on my mind, and I thought to see the river flow might bring me a little peace.”

  “I guess great minds think alike,” said Dak. He squatted down and picked up a stone to skip it across the surface of the water.

  As the stone bounced along, Alan said, “Hey, that’s pretty good! Where did you learn to do that?”

  “Brody taught me how.” Dak shook his head. “Now he wants me to be a dad. I guess you already know that.”

  “I think it’s exciting. Have you decided whether it will be a surrogate or adoption?”

  “We think adoption makes the most sense, but damn, look at me. Do I look like a dad?”

  Dak turned to face Alan. His arms were at his side as their eyes locked. Alan thought any child would be proud to walk at Dak’s side. He was handsome, and kindness spilled out of him in an uncontrollable flow. “I think you look like a great dad. He or she will want to show off their dad to all the other little kids. They’ll be the envy of all of Coldbrook Bend.”

  Dak blushed. “Well, they’ll have another dad, too.”

  Alan nodded. “Both of you will be great. I think it’s a fantastic idea. We need a lot more men like you raising kids in the world.”

  Dak shook his head. “Man, I don’t know. It makes me a little nervous being responsible for a little life like that. I don’t have a good example to follow. Frankly, most of the men in my family suck. They did nothing but screw themselves and others up.”

  �
�What about Brody’s mom? You both said everybody loved her, and she would be happy the two of you are together.”

  Dak nodded. “Yeah, Brody’s mom was a gem. She accepted me without any questions, and you see how good Brody turned out. Every time he’s great to those people that work for him, she’s sitting there on his shoulder.”

  Alan smiled. With a slight blush coloring his cheeks, he asked, “Do you need an uncle in town?”

  “Maybe, and maybe we need an excellent babysitter, too.”

  “I think I know one. He’s got a big empty house that could use the pitter patter of little feet. Boomer would love a little one around.”

  Dak rubbed his left forearm with his right hand. “Man, for some reason I just got goosebumps. Maybe this would work. Maybe it’s not such a wild idea. Do you think they would leave the kid alone in school? I mean, I don’t think many kids around here have two dads.”

  “I think it’s all changing so fast. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other kids in the class with two dads or two moms by the time yours hits school. It’s a new world.”

  Dak skipped another stone across the water. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s amazing, really. Stuff changes so quickly. I’m not happy with all of the changes, but most of the time I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

  Alan nodded in agreement. “I wouldn’t want to turn back.”

  Turning and looking up to Alan again, Dak said, “So you didn’t tell me what you’re doing down here. It would make sense if you were wearing sweats and out for a jog before breakfast, but you look dressed for work.”

  “Do you promise you won’t think I’m stupid?”

  Dak laughed out loud. “If you’re a guy, you’re gonna be stupid sometimes, Alan. It’s in the genes. It happens.”