by David Kersey
CHAPTER SIXTY ONE
“Are you hungry, Tillie?”
“Yes ma’am. I could eat the south part of a northbound chicken. And Bblackie is too.”
“I bet you’re tired. You have had a very long day.”
“No ma’am, fresh as a fart in a four door in winter.”
“Ok, there’s some of Mozetta’s famous homemade pizza left. Just need to nuke it a minute. What does Blackie eat?”
“Pizza.”
Marlene chuckled as she opened the microwave. “You are something else, Tillie.”
“Yes ma’am. Reckon I am. Miss Marlene?”
“Yes, darlin’.”
“Can I call you Mom?”
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Ferand was sleepy, and it was getting late, he’d better stop. No sense arriving into Indy at 4 am anyway. He saw the roadside sign advertising a Super 8 in Mumfordville, Kentucky. He would stop there. Even if the raghead operator had no rooms, he wasn’t going to go back out on the interstate. He would sleep in his car if he had to. Of course, the place was shut down for the night. Didn’t matter, the whatever had enough room to let him stretch out. He had a soft sided suitcase for a pillow, that’s all he needed. He parked between two cars that had beat him to this oasis of rednecks.
He checked the website for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Nothing substantial there, though there was a one line teaser that the police were working a murder scene in central southwest Little Rock. He googled the television stations in Little Rock, opened the Fox affiliate, and found what he was looking for. The murder was the lead story, occupying the whole of the left side of the front page. Joan Robertson slain. Horrible crime committed by a sick, demented killer. He agreed with that. Man seen wearing all black and a possibly driving a dark car or truck in the neighborhood at the same approximate time the body was found by a boyfriend. Whoa, that surprised him. Similar to two slayings in Florida within the last month. Good, the connection was being made. The sick murderer signing his victims with the sign of the cross. Yes, you got that right. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. Then a commentary on the fabulous life the victim had lived but tragically was cut short, including her heroics abroad in Afghanistan. You got that wrong, you haven’t been there, amigo. FBI notified and taking up the case. Well, isn’t that nice? Wake up Obama, the Feds are now involved. Anti-military vendetta suspected as all three homicides were retired military women. Is the Pope Catholic? Police searching for small dark SUV possibly bearing a Florida tag. Whoa, how do they know that? That line sucker punched and woke him for his drowsiness.
He dug out a screwdriver from the little niche in the rear of the whatever. Lots of cars parked here. Sleeping travelers, just like he should be, only they had a room. He would now be a thief, something he’d never really been guilty of before, but surely excusable in the hands of a Grand Jury but it would never get that far. The fog was heavy, causing an eeriness of an orange glow from the incandescent parking lot lamps. Ferand selected an Illinois plate. He would have preferred Colorado or someplace way west, but Illinois would be the one since it was one of the few cars backed into a space. He would not be seen crouching behind the Illinois car. With the new plate in hand, he unscrewed his Florida plate and shoved it under his driver’s seat. Don’t discard it here, numbskull. The Illinois plate was in place in less than a couple of minutes. Sleepy as he was, he needed to leave before someone pointed out to the poor people that their plate was gone, but that probably wouldn’t happen since the car had backed into place. They wouldn’t see their plate was missing before pulling out. He had to be smart about this. He decided he would make another switch of plates but somewhere else, away from here, and from a vehicle that wasn’t often used. Like long term parking areas, as in an airport. Louisville was not that far, but he was so tired. Don’t screw up now Ferand. Find somewhere close to hide, and sleep.
He drove back toward the Interstate and nearly took the on ramp. No. He couldn’t go on for miles on end. He drove under the I-65 overpass and looked for a place to hide. The fog wasn’t helping. A highway sign told him he was on 31W, the Kentucky way of saying you’re lost. After a mile he found a suitable hideout. The rear of Bubba’s Famous Ribs. They don’t do ribs in the morning, he didn’t think. He should be able to haul butt in the morning before they started pulling pork, but in Kentucky you never know. Horse racing and basketball and bourbon. Sum total. He backed the car in close to the rear wall behind Bubba’s just in time because sleep grabbed him immediately.
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“You have a mom, why would you want to call me mom?” Marlene probed.
“Not really. She’s not my mother. My real mom is gone on to glory. Long time ago. I was just six when she fell over in the Kmart parking lot. She never got up. That’s when we was in Mississippi. I still think about her.”
“I’m so sorry, honey. So you don’t get along with your stepmother?”
“She ain’t that neither. They ain’t married an’ I hope they never do. They fight an’ that’s why I lived in Tennessee.”
Marlene knew the girl’s plight. She wasn’t that far off center from a similar situation in her own life. “Darlin’, let’s talk about something else. But if you want to call me mom I am ok with that, I guess.”
Tillie fed the last of her bite of pizza to Bblackie. When he knew she was finished with the handouts, he decided to pay us a visit. “Mom tells me you two talk, am I decidin’ that right?”
I looked at Cassie. “Yes, we do,” she said.
“Ain’t talked with no one in a fur piece. Good knowin’ ya.”
“My name’s Buck, and this is Cassie. And we’re happy to know you too.”
“Already knew your names. Mom talked about you all the way up her. She said you folks talk with some others too. Who they be?”
“Well, there’s a few animals that we talk to and with. We’ll show you tomorrow hopefully. And Bblackie, we’ve heard about you too. We know you’ve been overseas according to Tillie.”
“Been everwhere. Ain’t no place like da good ole U S of A though. An’ this is a right fancy place ya’ll got here. You liken it here?”
“It’s all we’ve ever known, Bblackie.”
“Well tell me somethin’. What’s you doin’ hangin’ round with a cat?”
“Bblackie, I’ll have you know that Cassie is the love of my life. Don’t be judging me on that.”
“Suit yerself, mister. Round my parts that don’t fly.”
“It does here. And if it rubs you the wrong way you will have to get over it.” I was getting riled up.
Bblackie broke out laughing. “Listen, I was just teasing you. Once you get to know me you’ll know I can’t help but be a practical jokester. I can talk like a poet if I want to. I was giving you the backwoods version of me. Do you want to know Shakespeare? Or how about, Four score and seven years ago, or wait, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” He lifted his paw to do a high five.
Cassie and I both let our tensed up shoulders drop. Maybe this guy was alright, just strange a little, or a lot. Hard to tell. I high fived him despite my misgivings.
“Chill out you two. Listen, I know my mom and she can be back country. I thought I’d do the same with you just to see your reaction. It was a joke. Look, I love her with all my heart. If anyone should try to hurt her, and it’s happened before, I got her back. No one gets to her without me in the way. And by the way, I don’t have any problem with you two being together. I have a girlfriend that’s a goat, if that soothes what you thought I was insinuating before. Furthermore, I will help her here at your place and I expect the same from you. I’ll protect Marlene, you protect mom, and vice versa. Ok? Are we going to be a team?”
I put up my paw. His met mine. Deal made and closed. All of a sudden, I thought I liked the guy. He was cool, like Robert De Niro cool, yet mysterious, like De Niro. Maybe funny, like in the Fokkers, but I was
n’t sure about his sense of humor just yet. I could tell there was substance, character, and interesting history yet to be explored with this guy. No doubt he is an alpha though. It’s like he was taking over after only five minutes. I had never been in this type situation before. Maybe he will sing soprano tomorrow, who knows?
“Where’s John, Marlene?”
“Oh, when he knew you were here safely, he went to his den to do some work. We should go interrupt him and get your things out of the car. Come on, let’s go upstairs.”
Marlene let Cassie and me out the front door. “Is Bblackie ok to go out without a leash?”
“For sure, he won’t stray far.”
Bblackie joined us after we had done our business. We sat on the car park and talked for a while, then John and the two women started to unload Tillie’s car.
“You trained in anything yet, Buck?”
“Not much yet. I know the marijuana scent. That’s about all, except for the typing.”
“The what?”
“Oh, I’m trying to learn how to type on a computer keyboard.”
“I see.” Bblackie stayed silent for a few moments, then, “what’s a computer keyboard?”
“Look at all these books! Tillie, you’ve got more books than clothes. John peered into one of three boxes of books. Shakespeare?”
“Don’tcha just love him?”
“I think we’d better find a place in the garage for the time being. Its temperature controlled so they’ll be fine. We’ll figure out where to put them later. My, what a collection. I’m impressed. War and Peace. The Human Genome. The Winds of War. Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. Tillie, you are quite the studious one it appears.”
“I try, Mr. John, ain’t much else to do in Sweetwater and I don’t watch TV, poisons the mind my daddy says. An’ I love history. Don’t you? I read out loud to Bblackie most every night. He seems to like it some.”
“I like to read about history too, Tillie. Let’s put your other things down in the basement. There’s a built in closet that will accommodate most everything you’ve got other than the books. And then after that I’m going to call it a night. Glad you’re here safe and sound, Tillie.”
“Tillie, we’ve got to pick up our first canine tomorrow.” Marlene said when she had finished storing things in the basement closet. “You’ll ride with me to the Amtrak station to get her. She’s army, by the way, and was also in Iraq. Listen, I’m an early riser, so I may have to wake you and get going early, ok?”
“For sure, Miss Marlene. I’ll be ready. We are both army girls, we are used to gettin’ up in the dark. Do you think Bblackie can sleep with me? He don’t know nothin’ else.”
Marlene laughed. “Of course, Tillie. I’ll see you bright and early. Get some sleep, dear.”