“Well, things just sort of happen around me. Daddy always says so.”
“Lord have mercy,” Parkinson said. “She’s right. She’s a jinx.” Red stuck her tongue out at him.
That settled it for Brady. There was no way he was going to saddle himself with her, with everything going on, jinx or not. She was just too unstable. He felt his conscience twinge as he turned to leave. Red moved over to him and linked her left arm through his right. “By the way. Don’t ever call me Red. I know you were thinking it,” she said as they were walking out the office door.
Brady struggled just slightly, but her grip was firm. He resigned himself to the fact that he was escorting her to Kansas City. “Okay. Deal. Don’t call me Pretty Boy. My name is Brady. What should I call you?”
“Daddy calls me Precious.”
“I am not going to call you Precious!” Brady insisted. “What is your given name?”
“Precious.”
Brady groaned.
“I know,” she said then, laughing at him, “I always figured that if I ever had to be an exotic dancer to make a living if Daddy cut me off, I’d use the name Star. You can call me that.”
Brady didn’t respond to that directly. He asked, “Where are your bags and things.”
“The hotel is holding them. I haven’t paid the bill.”
“Great. I’ll spring for it. I’ll make sure Parkinson pays me back.”
“Actually, I’ll send them the money when I get back home. Take my word for it, it will be cheaper on you to buy me new than to get my stuff out of hock.”
“You don’t really need anything else,” Brady said. It’s only a long day’s drive.”
“Actually I do,” she said, leaning over toward him as if to whisper confidentially. “You see, it’s that time of the month. I need the works.”
Brady hung his head for a moment, and then turned on the turn signal, checked the traffic behind and moved into the left turn lane. “There’s a mall just up here,” he said.
“You are so sweet, Brady.”
“Don’t push it… Star.”
Star giggled.
Brady pulled into the mall and stopped. He gave Star two hundred in twenties. “Just get what you really need. I’ll wait here.”
“Spoilsport,” Star said. But she took the money and got out of the Suburban.
Brady saw her shiver. Then she was jogging toward the mall entrance. He turned on the news to see what was going on. It wasn’t good. The local weather or the world news.
He almost didn’t recognize her when Star approached the truck. Before she’d been red. Now she was blue. Blue jeans, blue shirt, blue denim jacket. What broke the color scheme was the St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap. It was red.
She opened the second seat passenger door and set three shopping bags inside, and then climbed into the front passenger seat. She handed Brady some money. He was a bit surprised there was as much as there was.
He put it away and started the Suburban. “Ready?” he asked, looking over at her.
She nodded and buckled up. Brady headed out of town, finally picking up Interstate 70 west. Before they left the suburbs Brady pulled into a Bonanza Steak House and they ordered dinner while the sun was going down. Star had a healthy appetite, Brady noticed, though she didn’t gorge. She did pass on dessert, as did Brady. Then they were on the road again, the light almost gone
“Can we listen to some music?” She asked after a while.
“I really want to keep it on the news, with everything going in like it is.”
“Sure,” Star replied. “I don’t really mind. What’s going on really brings out how petty I am about this doesn’t it?”
Brady glanced at her, but brought his eyes back to the road. Traffic was heavy. He didn’t say anything.
“Oh, it’s okay. I know how I am. I do it on purpose to get attention. Usual story, I won’t bore you with it other than to tell you I love my father and he loves me despite how I have made it sound.”
Star was silent for a while and then asked, “What do you think about all this stuff that is going on? Are we at real risk of war?”
“I think so,” Brady said.
“It is history repeating itself. People just never seem to learn from the past,” Star said with a sigh.
“That is so true,” Brady said, surprised and pleased at Star’s remark. “You seem to have a good grasp of history.”
“I should. It was my major in college. I intended to become a teacher. Didn’t work out. The career counselor recommended against it. I was too independent minded, though she didn’t put it that way.”
“I can see that,” Brady said with a smile directed at Star. “Seems like much of the education system is more interested in teaching a politically correct agenda than having independent thinking going on.”
“Don’t get me started,” Star replied with a snort. “So. What do you do besides escorting devilish children home?”
Brady found himself telling her all about his detective career. Star listened, keeping quiet, except for the occasional prompting question. Then Brady yawned hugely. “We’re going to have to stop,” He told Star. “I need some rest.”
“Okay. I’m sleepy, too. I can’t sleep when traveling.”
It was another thirty minutes before they came to a motel with a vacancy sign on. Star followed Brady inside the office when he stopped the Suburban. Star stood nearby, looking through the tourist brochure rack while Brady arranged for the rooms. She was surprised when he came over to her so quickly.
“We’ll have to try another place. They’ve only got one room left.”
Star was eyeing another couple coming into the lobby. “Single or twin?” she quickly asked Brady.
“Twin, but…”
Star gave him a little shove to hurry him back to the desk. “Take it. I trust you.”
“But…”
Star nudged him again. “Hurry, or that couple will get it.”
Brady could usually think on his feet very well. He had to be able to, in his line of work. But Star affected him in some way he couldn’t quite define. He stepped over to the desk before the other couple got there. “We’ll take the room.”
He came back over to her in a few minutes and handed her a card key. “I’ll just sleep in the Suburban,” he said, leading her toward the lobby doors.
“Don’t be silly, Brady. We’re both grown-ups here, despite my somewhat childish antics at times. You said there were twin beds. You’ll just have to keep your eyes closed at certain times.”
Brady was feeling fatigued. It had been a tiring job from which he’d just returned, and on top of that he’d stayed up late the previous night. He really didn’t want to look for another place or sleep in the Suburban. And Star was persuasive.
“Okay. Okay. We’ll share the room. Come on.”
Star followed him out to the Suburban, smiling slightly. They took the Suburban to the far end of the row of two story rooms. Brady had to park it some distance from the room. Star hopped out, opened the rear passenger seat door and took out two of the three bags she’d set inside from her quick shopping trip.
“You need the other bag?” Brady asked as he got his grip out of the back of the Suburban.
“No, but thanks. It’s the outfit I had on before.”
Brady led the way to the second floor room. He wondered if Star was cold. All she had was the light jacket and it was starting to get cold. That front was traveling faster than first predicted.
After he set his bag down on one of the beds, Brady turned on the television while Star went to the bathroom. There was live coverage from one of the carriers bound for Taiwan. Brady watched the news while Star took her shower and prepared for bed. Though he was turned away from the bathroom door, when Star asked him through the slightly opened door to close his eyes, he did so.
His sharp ears could hear her pad to the other bed, pull back the bedspread and sheets and climb in. “Okay,” she said.
Brady
got up and went to the bathroom himself, taking his grip, keeping his eyes averted from the other bed. He didn’t see Star smiling at him. When he came out of the bathroom several minutes later Star was laying on her side, apparently already asleep. Brady turned off the TV, slipped out of his silk robe, slid into the second bed. He fell asleep almost immediately.
He woke up at his normal time the next morning. Star was still asleep, her long red hair spread over the pillow and her face. Brady shook his head, went to the bathroom, and then went to start the Suburban. A light snow began to fall as he went back to the room.
The television was on and Star was in the bathroom when he got back. The Taiwan situation was taking a back seat this morning on the local channel. The approaching blizzard was headline news. Not only was it faster than predicted, but much stronger. Brady was frowning when Star came out of the bathroom.
“You look worried,” she said, seeing the expression on his face. “China start something already?”
Brady shook his head. “No. It’s the weather. That blizzard may hit before we get to KC.”
“Why not just stay here until it blows over?” Star asked. “Seriously. I’ll see that Daddy reimburses you for the expenses.”
“It’s not the money,” Brady said. “I just… had somewhere I wanted to be as soon as possible.”
“Oh, my! I’ve really interfered with your plans. I’m sorry.”
Brady thought she looked about to cry. “It’s all right. It wasn’t a rigid timeframe. Just as soon as I could. It’s still the same way.”
“Look. Why don’t you just take off? I’ll make it the rest of the way on my own,” Star said, very quietly.
“Not likely. I said I would get you there and I will.”
“One of those, huh?”
“I’m afraid so. The Suburban should be warm by now. We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.” She gathered her coat tightly about her when she stepped outside. The light snow was being blown about by a strong wind, but she didn’t complain about the cold. They stopped and got a fast food breakfast and then headed for Interstate 70 again.
Traffic was already flowing fairly heavily, despite the weather, much of it commercial trucking. “The goods have to move,” Brady said aloud as he merged alongside one and behind another as he got on the Interstate.
“What?” Star asked.
“All the trucks. Moving goods.”
“Oh. You know, I read somewhere that there is only a three-day supply of food in most grocery stores. They depend on regular deliveries just to stay open.”
“True,” Brady said. “Sad state of affairs.” The snow was getting heavier. Brady turned on the wipers. “Way too many people are dependent on those deliveries for their next meal.”
“I suppose so. Since I read that I’ve often wondered what I would do if the trucks stopped running for some reason. Like a strike or something. Since I travel so much I don’t keep much in the apartment. I eat out a lot and over at Daddy’s the rest of the time.”
“I used to be that way. The eating out part.”
“But you’re not now? Are you a survivalist?” Brady noted that she didn’t use the term as a derogative one.
“Well… a prepper. To a degree,” Brady responded, not willing to say much more than that, on general principles.
“I guess the term Survivalist has a lot of bad connotations now, doesn’t it? Prepper sounds better.”
“You’ve got that right. How about you?” Brady asked, taking a quick look at her and then getting his eyes back on the road. “You said you wonder about a truck strike. Have you been stocking up on food since then?”
Star sighed. “No. More of a do as I say, not as I do, person.”
Brady didn’t respond. He was concentrating on driving in the blowing snow and heavy traffic. Most of the big rigs had slowed down and were stacked up in the right lane. Many drivers were taking advantage of that, passing long strings of them at high speed. Brady matched his pace with the trucks and eased over into the right lane.
The wind was coming from the north and several of the semis were having trouble keeping their trucks in the right hand lane. A Ford Excursion blew past Brady on the left, but had to swerve to avoid being sideswiped.
The driver lost it and the Excursion went into the median at high speed, flipping over twice, winding up on its roof. Like all the big rigs within sight of the accident, Brady pulled over and jumped out of the Suburban, telling Star to use the OnStar button to get help. He had to jerk back to avoid another car traveling at high speed. When the way was clear he ran over to join the group of truck drivers at the Excursion.
A couple of them had fire extinguishers at the ready, with the others trying to get the doors open. Brady heard a siren in the distance. Since the others seemed to have the situation in hand and the authorities were on the way, Brady stepped back, still ready to lend a hand if needed.
One of the drivers had a window punch and starred the wind shield more than it already was. Two more stepped in and cleaned the glass out with gloved hands. Brady ran back to the Suburban and got a couple of blankets out of the back and took them back to the wreck.
The front seat passenger was being eased out of the vehicle when Brady got back. He spread out one of the blankets and the woman was placed on it. While the truck driver that had stabilized her head during the removal continued to keep her spine aligned, Brady wrapped her with the rest of the blanket. She had no obvious signs of injury, but she was out cold.
He laid out the other blanket, but those trying to get the other passengers were having difficulty. A State Trooper showed up and after evaluating the scene had everyone back away from the Excursion, except for the two fire extinguisher wielders. He brought another extinguisher from his trunk and handed it to another trucker to monitor the situation
“A rescue truck and two ambulances are on the way,” he said. “There doesn’t seem to be any serious bleeding or lack of breathing, so we will wait for them.”
Brady hung around until the other emergency services arrived and then picked up the blanket that wasn’t being used and went back to the Suburban. He stowed the blanket and got into the driver’s seat.
“How are they?” Star asked.
“Don’t know for sure. No blood to speak of and everyone was breathing. The Trooper thought it best to wait for the professionals before trying to get the others out. We aren’t needed anymore so it’s best if we get out of the way. Thanks for calling it in. We got a quick response.”
“Yeah. The OnStar operator was great.”
Brady eased the Suburban back onto the travel lanes and headed west once more. The sky was darkening despite the time of day, and the snow was getting heavier and heavier. Suddenly Star’s cellular phone rang, making both of them jump.
“Hello?”
“Hi Daddy.”
“What? But you can’t! Don’t you see what is going on? It’s too dangerous!”
Brady couldn’t make out what was said, but he could tell Star was getting a lecture from her father. Brady kept his concentration on the road. She seemed to be taking it well.
“Okay, Daddy. It’s your life. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Star closed the cellular phone and sat quietly for some time.
“We don’t really have to hurry. Daddy won’t be there when we arrive. His new girlfriend just talked him into going on a world cruise. They’ve already left the port. Can you believe it? At a time like this!”
Brady made sympathetic noises. Star sat silently for several more minutes. “He’s even closing up the house. I won’t be able to stay there while he is gone. The staff will be gone by Monday. Rats. Hoisted on my own petard. I don’t think he’d be going if I hadn’t acted up again. My own fault. He did this once before, but only for a month. This is a good year, if he doesn’t come back early. Which he probably will, but no telling when.”
“What are you going to do for money? Did he cut you of
f? Or do you work?”
“I volunteer. I don’t have to work. But Daddy didn’t cut me off, anyway. Besides which, I do have money of my own. I just don’t like to touch it. A trust fund from my Grandfather. It’s just easier and more fun to live off Daddy. He insists on it, actually. Like I said, he loves me and I love him. We just show it in strange ways.”
“Oh. So you’ll be okay, then.”
“Of course. I can take care of myself, when I want to.”
Brady left it at that. Both fell quiet, lost in their own thoughts as they continued to listen to the news on the radio. The snow storm got worse and the stormy political situation did, too, even as they listened.
They ran out of the snow just before they got to Kansas City. Star gave Brady precise directions to her father’s house. It was a big one, on five acres, in the very good section of town. Lots of glass. Star had Brady accompany her inside. He carried her bags, but gave them to a maid when she opened the door and reached for them.
“Come on back to the study. I’ll get you that money. How much do you charge Parkinson for a delivery?”
“Seven-fifty a day, plus expenses. But you don’t have to worry about that. He’ll pay me.”
“Oh, but I owe you. Triple I believe I said.” Star had a safe behind a painting open and was taking out stacks of bills. That would be fifteen hundred a day for two days, plus expenses. Four thousand should cover it, shouldn’t it? Including a tip.”
“I’m not going to take your money. Parkinson will pay me. That’s all I want.”
Star smiled, but her eyes glinted. “I pay my debts. Late sometimes, but I pay them. I said I’d pay you triple and I will. Even if I have to buy something that can’t be returned and give it to you. My next trip to St. Louis.”
Brady didn’t want to argue. He didn’t want the money, but it was easier to take it than not. Besides, she could obviously afford it. Or her father could, at least. He could at least get a dig in. “Actually, I’d prefer it in gold, but cash will have to do.”
“No,” Star said. “That’s not a problem. I’ll check Kitco for the spot price.”
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