Drug Run – Chapter 18: Random Revelations

By: Kyle K. Mann

Imants had torn a part of his shirt off to bind the wound on his arm. His father was asking him questions but Imants ignored most of them in favor of tying the cloth tight to stop the flow of blood.

He looked up in time to see action at the motel, and cradling the pay phone handset between his shoulder and head, managed to bring Rob and Billy into view with the binoculars as they examined the van for damage, then looked around the immediate area.

Imants ducked down low, and stuck his head up cautiously just as the brothers both got into Rob’s Oldsmobile.

“Dad, I think police can pull over the Olds and get these drug dealers.” He gave the license plate number and repeated it slowly.

“It looks like they are heading into Amarillo. I’m going to follow them.“ Imants decided to leave the van out of his description, as he did not want Suze to wind up incarcerated for decades. Hasselburger senior was screaming into the phone, “That’s a negative, Imants! Back away. Let the local officers take care of…”

But Imants wasn’t listening, having pulled the phone away from his closely cropped head at the sight of Suze emerging from the motel room door. She looked East towards the sunrise for a moment, stopped and stared, then headed for the drug-laden van.

Imants put the phone receiver to his face and hurriedly stammered “Dad, Dad, gotta go. They’re leaving! Gonna keep tailing them.” He hung up quickly and stumbled to his father’s powerful FBI sedan. This will be over soon, and not the way those two criminals want it. Then I can flag Suze down, and make her see the light. I can do this.

Suze reflected on the situation as she unlocked the van. I’m numb, is

what it is. Not enough sleep, too much stress. Was that Imants I kicked in the nuts? No. He’s not that weird, is he? Or is he? But, shit, it explains everything. Well, almost everything. It wasn’t him tryin’ to take down Art. Imants fighting Art? She managed a smile. Yeah right in some alternative universe.

She started the van and took a big deep breath. What a scene that had

been. She looked around the parking lot but saw nothing. But Rob said

he shot somebody. So, where was he? What had she gotten herself

into, anyway? Driving this time bomb of a van. She yawned widely. Still

tired. Coffee was needed. But they had to get away. Before she put the

van in gear she looked over at the Olds. Rob had gotten out and he

strode over to her window, which she rolled down.

Rob looked angry and afraid.

“We

‘ll stay on CB radio. Your handle is

‘High Roller.

‘ Turn right at the driveway and watch the speed limit.

“

She nodded.

“OK.

“

He opened his mouth to tell her off about fucking his brother and

found he couldn

‘t. No, not now. Let’s get far away from here.

Suze looked at him, guessing some of his thought.

“Look. There

‘s something going on I don

‘t understand. Stay alert.

” Rob

frowned at a cloud bank to the north.

“Also. I don

‘t like the look of

those thunderheads. If the weather gets too heavy we have to pull

“

over.

She considered telling him about her fears of Imants.

“Rob.

“

“Yes.

” Rob looked at her with such a haggard expression that she

changed her mind at once. No, can

‘t tell him now. If I start in about

the FBI man

‘s son who is obsessed with me, Rob will melt down. They

both will. Let’s just go. Maybe I’

m wrong. I sure hope so.

“We gonna

stop for coffee somewhere up the road?”112

Rob gave her a nod.

an hour away.

“

“Yeah, in Amarillo. You good to go that far? Prolly

She exhaled.

anybody?”

“Yeah. I can do it. Are you okay? Have you ever shot

“Nope. That’s a first. But lucky for whoever that was, I’m a lousy shot.

I think I only grazed his arm.

”

“Any idea who it was?”

“None. Got any ideas about why someone would want to break into your

room? Ex-husband, maybe?”

Suze shook her head.

“No. I haven

’t talked to him in months. He

’s on

base and has no idea where I am.

”

“Well, the further we get down the road, the better. OK, let’s boogie.

Remember your speed, and your CB handle is…?

“High Roller.

”

“Good. Is the radio on? “

Rob turned to walk away, but Suze said,

It just happened.

”

“Rob, listen, about me and Billy.

“Don

’t worry about it.

” He forced a thin smile.

make some lemonade outta this bag o

‘ lemons.

“

“Let’s see if we can

He walked back to his car, hanging his head, she noticed. Shit, he

‘s

hurting. He

‘s mortified that I am fucking Billy instead of him. Nothing113

I can do about that now, though. What’s done is done. Hell, we didn

‘t

even finish, damn it. My first interruption ever from a gunshot. She

started to smile, but then thought of the possibility that it was

actually Imants that had been attempting to break in. Ugh. Creepy.

Let’s get out. Go.

She backed out of the parking slot, drove off and turned right as Rob

had directed. Imants watched the two vehicles head out, waited as long

as he dared, then started up the sedan and set off in pursuit. The sun

was just breaking over the horizon with the nearby clouds in multiple

shades of glorious pink and deepening purples, but Imants failed to

notice.

***39***

Suze, however, was moved by the colorful sunrise, and felt her spirits

rise a bit. She pushed her hair back from her forehead, thinking that

the beauty was a hopeful sign.

Sometimes while driving, Suze would talk out loud to herself.

“OK,

” she

said quietly,

“I can do this. Gonna get out of this state, finish the

drive, get paid the rest, and move on. Gonna be all right. It’s all…

” She

stopped abruptly. Was that damn radio on? She looked at it critically.

No, of course not. Don

‘t be silly, they can

‘t hear you. Still, she fell

silent. Need coffee soon. And some breakfast. Yes, that’ll help. Gotta

hold on.

She saw the drunk running up behind Art in her mind. Him laying on the

ground. The shot, Rob bursting in the door, his expression. Not my114

fault. Don

‘t think about it. Long drive ahead. Those clouds look scary.

That lightning over there. Oh, brother. What a mess.

In the Olds, Rob frowned deeply at his rear view mirror.

I was right.

“

“Ah God damn.

Billy, in a deep funk, looked up with reddened, bleary eyes.

“What?”

“Car just pulled outta that gas station. Might be following us.

“

Billy peered at his passenger side mirror.

“Yeah, I see it.

“

Rob pressed his lips into a thin line and exhaled sharply through his

nose. There was a lot he had to say to Billy, but first things first.

me about this fella you slugged. What was he up to?”

“Tell

“Trying to pour a gallon of water in the van gas tank. I ran up an, an,

well, popped him right in the face. Felt his nose bust. Barked my

knuckles pretty good, too.

” Billy rubbed the skinned knuckles on his

right hand.

Rob rubbed the stubble on his jaw.

“What’s your freak look like?”

“Skinny, kinda tall, well not really tall, pretty short hair like a cadet or

something. Odd looking, y

‘know?”

“Sounds like the fucker just now. Short hair, buzzed up the sides and

back. And I think the guy who tried to break into the van, and this

dude, are one and the same.

“115

Billy scratched his head.

“Doesn

‘t make sense. Nobody knew about our

run. And Suze came along at the last minute. So, nobody knew on her

end either.

“

Rob suddenly grimaced.

“Last minute. Oh shit.

” Billy studied his

brother

‘s face with concern and let him gather his thoughts. After a

few minutes Rob spoke with revelation.

“I’

m getting a real bad memory

flash here. Before we got to the farm, we stopped at some store.

There was a skinny character, buzz cut hair, he was talking to Suze. He

looked at me all weird. I asked Suze what the story was but she didn

‘t

“

say.

“Same fuckin

‘ boy?”

“I think so, yeah.

“

They looked in their respective mirrors at the car about a quarter mile

behind. Rob shook his head.

“Then there

‘s the tire, goin

‘ flat after we

got stuck in the jam. It all fits. This dickhead followin

‘

us, trying to

fuck us over.

“

Billy looked in dismay at his brother.

“So, um, well… Suze?”

“Don

‘t think she knows, but I dunno. Don

‘t think so. That a little

breakfast place? Looks like one. Yeah. I’ll pull in, get us some coffees

to go. First, we see if this asshole goes past, if he does we get a look.

If not, then we gotta stay sharp, think of something else. Call Suze on

the CB, tell her to stop up there, that place on the right.

“

Imants saw the van and Olds pull off the road and stop, and he swung

off at once. Stopping for breakfast, huh? He drank off the last few116

dregs of the soda can and smacked his lips together. His mouth felt

scummy, his nose was throbbing worse than ever and his arm was still a

mass of pain. He checked the bandage. Still moist. Not so good. Ow,

ahh that hurts.

He wondered if he had time to buy something, but he had pulled into a

farm supplies store parking lot. Over to one side, a stakebed truck was

taking on a load of hay. Nothing here. He stared at the van, small in the

distance on the side of the road. Thunderheads loomed up beyond the

town to the north and west, and a bolt of lightning flashed. Imants’

eyes glittered with the madness of a zealot. The wrath of God is upon

you. And I am God’s instrument. You will pay for your sins, and the

righteous will be rewarded.

***40***

Suze waited in the van, as the wind whipped up little spirals of dust

nearby. Despite her pep talk to herself, she felt depressed and lonely

as she looked around. Let’s get going. Come on boys.

Billy appeared next to her drivers side window with a couple cups and a

styrofoam container.

“I’ll drive, if you like.

“

Suze nodded, got out, walked around to the passenger side and got

back in. Billy started up the van and got it back on the road, going

cautiously through the little town of Childress, with Rob’s Olds close

behind. Suze eased the cap on the cup off and sipped suspiciously, but

the coffee was surprisingly good. Her mood improved at once. The

container held toast and a few pats of butter and a packet of jam with

a plastic knife. She smiled, prepped the toast, and munched into it.117

Billy was watching the rear view mirror obsessively, and she finally

commented,

took another sip.

“Probably not a lot of cops out on a Sunday morning.

” She

“They

‘

re all eating doughnuts or something.

“

“Yeah.

” Billy looked at the cloud bank looming ahead.

“Or dealing with

accidents. Suze.

” He paused.

“After you and Rob did the gig at Wild

Bill’s, which I am really sorry I missed by the way…

” He paused again

as Suze looked over at him curiously.

“You guys stopped at a store and

there was some fella there that Rob saw you talking to.

“

Billy

‘s words gave her a deep sinking feeling. To cover her confusion,

she sipped again at the coffee, putting down the half eaten toast into

the styrofoam box. Finally, she said in a small voice.

“Yes.

“

“Rob thinks he

‘s following us, and that he has been messing with us the

whole way, breaking in the van, and his flat tire, and I hit a skinny dude

with a really short haircut, last night, trying to pour some water into

the gas tank, and this old boy Rob shot working on your door.

“

It was too much for Suze. She hung her head and moaned low in

mingled shame and horror. After a moment she muttered “His name,

his name is, Imants.

“

Billy looked at her with incredulity.

“Eee-mon?”

“No, it’s Eee-monts. He

‘s… well, he

‘s been obsessed with me since High

School.

“You

’d think I’d remember a creepy dude like that.

”118

“Let’s just say he wasn

’t in our circle of friends. But he went to dad’s

church. I felt sorry for him once, but he totally took it another way.

”

“Felt sorry?”

“Words only, gawd Billy, the guy is a total turn off! I’

ve been trying to

get rid of him for years. It’s another reason I wanted to get the hell

out of Texas.

”

“Damn.

”

“He must have followed us from the store to your farm.

“

“So it would seem.

“

“I just thought he was an annoying pest. I never dreamed, never

thought Imants was capable, of, of this.

“

They drove on in silence, both thinking furiously.

radio, but this crazy weasel may have a CB in his car.

“

“I’d tell Rob on the

Suze struggled with herself. Tell him. You gotta tell him. Come on. Say

it.

“Billy.

“

“Yeah.

“

“There

’s one more thing. His father is FBI. Special Agent. Pretty scary

man, actually.

“

Billy

‘s face went slack.

repeated numbly.

“What.

” His voice was flat, dead.

“FBI,

” he

Suze was silent.119

Billy began laughing in a high tone that Suze had not heard before. It

scared her, and she put the coffee cup down. It promptly fell over, and

Suze watched the liquid spread out on the floor of the van.

“And I busted his kid’s nose! And Rob shot him!” He snorted,

spluttered and then resumed the bizarre laughing. Ahead a bolt of

lightning flashed, and a few seconds later a resounding boom hit their

ears.

Billy laughed madly on.

“And now he

‘s following us into this storm,

” Billy

gasped out.

“Sure, why not, why fucking not?”

Suze looked at him, and then out the window in despair. She fought the

sudden urge to open the door and jump out.

***41***

Imants had thought the police would have been there to help within

fifteen minutes, and when that time had gone by, he felt indignation

sweep over him. His father had told him of the occasional difficulty in

getting local police to cooperate with the Bureau. This was a bad time

for that to crop up, he thought with irritation.

Also, he wasn

‘t sure how much more stamina he could muster. Waves of

fatigue kept sweeping over him, and the pain of his injuries kept

growing. He kept trying to think of a plan, but kept coming up blank. If

he rammed the Oldsmobile he might force it off the road, but he would

likely lose the van Suze was in. No, unacceptable. If only he could think

clearly, but a fog kept rolling in behind his eyes.120

He tightened his grip on the wheel, and winced at the thunder. Maybe

this storm had something to do with the delay. Yes. That’s it.

Accidents, and emergencies. What rotten luck. Need more aspirin, but

no water. A burst of rain hit the windshield and in spite of everything,

Imants laughed. Yes. Water.

Rob, in contrast, felt a clarity that cut like a blowtorch. He was

virtually certain he was being tailed by someone, likely the person he

had shot. He could still hear the grunt the man had made when the

bullet hit. But what kind of damage had it done? He wished he knew.

The car behind him was nondescript, but Rob thought he could make

out a beige color on the body. He slowed down twice, but the car back

behind did also, and Rob never got a good look at it. Also the

intermittent bursts of rain, now becoming a hindrance, were making

visibility difficult. Damn, he thought. Damn it all.

He kept trying to match the image of the fellow from the 7-11 and the

creep he had shot. That boy looked familiar. Match, or no match. It’s

likely, he told himself. And that means Suze knows this guy. Maybe a

goddamn narc? No, absurd. But why was this happening, and who wanted

so badly to slow them down, and why? None of this makes a lick of

sense, anyway. Shit I hate this.

Billy had stopped the eerie laugh and was steering firmly again.

we have to stop. Rob needs to know.

“

“Suze,

She heaved a sigh.

“I hope he isn

‘t too angry with me.

“

“Just say what you told me. We

‘ll try to figure out what’s next.

“121

“Okay.

“

“Looking for a spot…. Ah, there we go.

“

Billy signaled a turn and pulled over. Rob followed him into the dirt

pull-off. The ground was damp but not muddy. Billy and Suze climbed

out of the van and ran through the rain to get into Rob’s Olds, Billy in

back and Suze in front.

Imants had hit the brakes hard when he saw Rob brake to pull over.

The grassy shoulder was wide enough for him to let cars by safely.

Imants could barely make out the figures of Billy and Suze as they got

into the Olds. What now? What is this? Can they see me? Lord help me.

As if in response, the rain started coming down harder and Imants

backed the sedan on the shoulder to increase his distance from them,

peering into the murk up ahead. Imants fretted. Now he couldn

‘t see

Suze and he was too scared to do a thing about it.

***42***

After Suze repeated her story to Rob, the three sat in silence for a

minute or so. Raindrops drummed against the car, but despite that Rob

had cracked his window, allowing a bit of spray to leak in. Rob was

oblivious to that, and unlike his brother had not reacted at all, as far

as Suze could tell.

Except one thing, she realized. His jaw was clenched and his teeth

were grinding.

“Rob, I’

m so sorry about this mess. If I had known…

“122

Rob shook his head.

“We have to think fast. Our priorities are to lose

this fucker, and hole up. Have to assume we are hot, and until we know

more… Damn, I feel like an idiot for not getting a police scanner.

“

He looked intently at Suze.

“My thinking is, he

‘s wise to the load. What

he

‘s done besides tail us is what isn

‘t clear. In a way, it’s a good sign

he was trying to dump that water in the gas tank. If he was gonna call

the cops, or his fuckin

‘ daddy, he would have then. Which means if we

take him out, we are in the clear.

“

Suze felt the chill in her body deepen.

“Take him out?” She turned

away.

“No, that just makes it worse.

“

Rob gave a grim chuckle.

“I think if the choice is us going down in

flames or planting this creep out there on the prairie, there

‘s not too

much to think about.

“

Billy, sounding scared, muttered in agreement but Suze screeched,

“Are you fucking crazy? You would actually murder someone?” She

wanted no talk of murder. Driving harmless pot to Los Angeles was one

thing, but killing someone, even insane Imants, went against every fiber

of her being.

Silence was her answer. Rob nodded.

“Yeah. Well then it’s back to

losing this bastard in the storm, and then we can figure out where…

“

He stopped talking abruptly, and rolled down his window. The rain had

let up again, and the faint sound of a slow moving car could be heard.

Rob exhaled noisily through his expanded nostrils, grabbed the pistol

from under the seat, and threw open his door. Suze and Billy,123

frightened and horrified, got out on the passenger side. Rob was

already ten feet past the trunk of the Olds, pointing the weapon back

down the road.

“No. No, Rob,

” Suze yelled. Billy grabbed her around the waist as she

struggled furiously.

“Suze, don

‘t, he

‘s crazy mad, you

‘ll get shot.

“

She struggled with all her might, but Billy was taller and stronger. So it

was that as Imants cautiously eased towards them out of the mist,

that he instantly perceived two things that rocked him like a volcanic

blast: Suze trying to escape Billy, and Rob standing with both hands on

a gun pointed at his face.

Rob’s first shot pinged off the top of the car. For an instant Imants

considered running Rob down, but he was afraid of hitting Suze. She

was screaming and crying, but in harms way. With a strangely

deliberate pacing he shifted into reverse and hit the gas pedal.

“Oh no ya don

‘t!” Rob’s second shot hit the sedan

‘s outside mirror as

Imants fish tailed away, sliding on the wet grass and flooded pavement.

Suze

‘s yells of inarticulate protest faded as he picked up speed,

praying that a semi wasn

‘t barreling down on him.

Another shot from Rob hit the front headlight with a shower of glass.

Keep going backwards, faster, faster, live to fight another day. Can

‘t

save her if you

‘

re dead. He heard the mocking laugh of the demon, but

ignored it. I’ll beat you yet. Yes I will.124

Rob still ran forward, but his quarry had vanished in the mist. The rain

came back, and a flash of light followed almost at once by thunder.

Close, he automatically thought, and stopped, panting in

adrenaline-fueled blood lust. He stood dripping wet, unable to see a

vehicle in either direction, and wiped the water from his eyes. Insanity.

What was he doing out here in the rain? Enough.

Without thinking he walked to a ditch beside the road. Muddy and fulla

water. He looked at his father

‘s pistol grimly, closed his eyes in pain,

then opened them and threw the gun into the water. He stared at the

spot a moment, then ran back the way he had come, eyes wild, like a

hunted deer thinking only of escape.

***43***

Suze had stopped struggling and collapsed against Billy. He still held on,

but as the rain started up again, he suggested they go back to the van.

She shook her head, wanting to know what had happened, unwilling to

wait passively for the information. Finally Rob sprinted up to them. He

was yelling.

“Come on, come on, get in the van, this is our chance to get ridda this

creep in the storm. Go, go, go!” At Billy

‘s and Suze

‘s look, he added “I

lost him in the rain. No, I didn

‘t kill him. With any luck he

‘s still going

backwards. Let’s go, let’s go!”

Suze looked at Billy, still gaping at his brother in shock.

“He

‘s right

Billy, come on.

” She grabbed his arm and pulled him, turning his face to

the rain and the van. He stumbled, then began running forward to the

van. Suze yelled out through sheets of rain,

“Can you drive, or should125

I?” He looked at her, and nodded. Behind them Rob started up the

Olds.

They got in and drove off, both dripping wet. Rob followed closely. The

road was empty and very wet, and the spray from the tires shot up into

the air as they drove. Finally Suze spoke, trembling from her emotions

and the chilly water dripping off of her.

“I just think if I could talk with him a bit, he might come to his senses

and leave us alone. I mean, I’

ve known him for years. Anything is better

than killing him.

“

Billy considered his reply. A big semi truck loomed up out of the haze

ahead, lights on, blasting a water spray onto their windshield. Billy

grunted and slowed down a bit until the overworked wipers could clear

his view.

“Maybe. But right now I think Rob’s right. We have to get this crazy

off our asses. I’

m going to speed up a bit. We have to risk it.

“

Billy stared straight ahead.

“Could you reach me out some fruit from

my bag? Maybe peel me a banana? I’

m feeling pretty hungry.

” Suze

numbly reached for the bag. Food was not on her mind. She felt she

might wretch.

Billy looked at the rear view mirror.

“No sign of him.

“

The rain slacked off and stopped. Suddenly they were through the

storm cell and into bright prairie sunlight. The effect was dramatic. All

around them loomed gigantic thunder cells, but the immediate sky over

them was clear. They both blinked and reached for their sunglasses.126

Alongside the road a pickup truck had pulled over, and was obviously

now stuck in the mud. The driver, an older man in grey work clothes

with suspenders, stood regarding it ruefully. At the sight of the

approaching van and car, he waved his arms in an appeal for assistance.

Billy moved the van over into the center of the road so as not to spray

him with water, but he and Rob unhesitatingly continued on past the

stranded motorist, who stared after them with a hurt, puzzled

expression.

***44***

Several miles behind them, Imants fought to keep the car on the road.

He was driving too fast and in bad condition. His mouth felt as bad as

the rest of him; he had actually stuck his head out the window during

He entered the patch of sunlight a few minutes after his quarry did.

Or was he the quarry? And where the heck were the police? Perhaps

his father had ignored his request? But no, there was a tone of concern

in his voice that had not been there before.

Please God, please help me, he thought, over and over. His eyes blinked

in the hot sun as he had no sunglasses. An image of his mother

flickered in his mind’s eye, as if in a dream. Marissa, her name was

Marissa. Well, wait, it was a dream. He was dreaming with his eyes

open. Gotta stay awake. Don

‘t dream. Stay sharp.

That image in the rear view mirror, probably a dream also. But, he could

hear it, the roar of a motorcycle. The tough biker from the motel,127

right behind him! The man who had caught him peeping in on Suze while,

while she…he couldn

‘t complete the thought. Imants let up on the gas

pedal a bit, hoping he would pass. Fifty miles per hour. Forty. The biker

stayed right on his bumper. Imants was tempted to jam on the brakes.

They came up on the pickup that was stuck, with the waving man, hoping

for help. Oblivious to this man and his problems, Imants mindlessly

sprayed the man with water as he drove by. The biker slowed to a halt,

as Imants sped up gleefully. Let you be the Good Samaritan, sir. I have

my own person to save.

Suze looked at Billy as he drove the van a bit shakily, she thought.

“Hey, want another banana, or something else to eat?”

“Yeah, please. I’

m starving.

” She reached into this bag and dislodged

the Castenada book. Yes, a journey to somewhere, if we survive it. Or

don

‘t get busted.

She peeled the banana about halfway down and handed it over.

“Thanks

Suze. I’

m sorry I manhandled ya like that back there. I just was afraid

that Rob was freaking out, and I couldn

‘t bear it if you, I mean if

something…

” He stopped, unable to go on, looking at her with misty

eyes.

How sweet, he

’s apologizing. Bad time for this.

“Eyes on the road, driver. We can talk about that later.

“

“Yeah, yeah. Well, anyway. I was gonna ask ya about this sucker

‘s FBI

dad. What do you know about him?”128

“Ahhh, I know he gives me the creeps. He only came with Imants to a

couple of church services that I was at. I barely met the man.

Supposedly, he was at Dealy Plaza when Kennedy got shot. You

‘d think

the way it was handled, he

‘d have been fired. Instead he got promoted,

agent-in-charge or something. Now he

‘s sector chief, some damn title

like that. Then there was his wife, Imants’ mother.

“

“What about her?”

“She left or something. This all happened before I met Imants. I mean,

this is just stuff I heard from other people. There is this nice old lady

at church named Alice who is their neighbor and she

’s the one who got

Imants to come to dad’s church.

” Suddenly pointing at the road, Suze

shouted,

“Look out!”

He swerved just in time to miss a large animal lying dead on the

pavement. The van swayed sickeningly, then straightened out. Behind

them, Rob duplicated their maneuver. Billy cursed.

“What the hell was

that?”

“Oh God in heaven,

” she murmured to herself, then more loudly,

I don

‘t know if I can take much more.

“

“Billy,

“I know whatcha mean, but we don

‘t have any alternatives out here.

Maybe if we can make it into Amarillo, we might have a chance to lose

this geek in the big town. Well, big-ish. Suze.

” He said her name in a

different tone of voice, somewhat tenderly.

She was surprised.

“Yes?”129

“When we get to California I want to see you, hang out, go to the

beach, maybe go see the big trees.

“

Suze half-smiled,

“Sounds nice.

” She curled up into a ball and leaned

her head against the window, watching frames of grass and electric

poles whiz by in the drizzling rain, a doleful landscape that matched

her mood. Damn.

***45***

Imants smiled grimly as he noticed the Texas state trooper come up

fast behind him. He waved, but the officer didn

‘t seem to notice, and

just pulled out to pass. Imants politely slowed down, and the highway

patrol unit swept past, throwing a cloud of water in its wake.

“Yes sir, go get ‘

um!” Imants exclaimed. With any luck the trooper

would find the gun he had been shot with. And that would be enough to

hold the two evil men, and allow him to save Suze at last. He hoped she

was alone in the van, and would drive on. She would pull over when she

saw him…they would talk, she would see reason.

Rob looked at the next storm cell they were approaching. Looks like

another big one. Maybe bigger. Gotta get to Amarillo, can

‘t stop in one

of these small towns. Maybe rent a garage, hole up for a few days.

Need more info on what we are up against.

He looked at the van ahead, and critically watched Billy

‘s driving.

Swerving again. Damn it. What am I gonna do

’bout him. He hadda fuck

this run up but good. I’d replace him if I could. But Suze brought the130

heat down on us. At least, I threw the gun away. Sorry

Dad. Hadda do it.

‘bout the gun,

He watched the rear view mirror. Nothing. Getting hungry, maybe a

burger in Amarillo. Why

‘d Suze have to fuck the kid. Damn it all. Wait.

That a cop? Shit. Shit. Coming up fast. I’

m doing the limit. Go on past

us, good buddy. Nothing to see here.

He fought the urge to stomp on the gas, but hit the steering wheel

instead. Go past. Go past. Don

‘t ride my bumper like that. Damn it,

damn it, damn it!

“Fuckin

‘

cop pulled up behind Rob!” Billy announced with horrified vigor.

“Oh shit, shit he

‘s right on his ass.

“

Suze didn

‘t think it was possible for her spirits to sink any lower, but

now she felt a jolt of fear for Rob, and for Billy and herself. She

watched her mirror.

“Doesn

‘t have his lights on though, does he?”

“No, thank God.

” Billy could see his brother

‘s stricken face in the van

rear view mirror.

“Not yet, anyways. Maybe he

‘ll go past.

“

Even as he said it, he knew Rob was going to be pulled over. Cops love to

make you squirm before they sackya. Assholes wanna make ya sweat.

His heart beat faster.

“Ya know any good prayers, now

‘s the time to

‘

say

“

em.

Suze nodded, then shook her head.

the cop.

” She cleared her throat.

“Doesn

‘t look like anyone is behind

“Imants, I mean.

“

“Yeah. That dude. Damn. Sit tight Rob. Don

‘t let the cop get to ya…

“131

Abruptly he fell silent, still watching the mirror.

“What, what, is he pulled over?”

“No. I just realized something.

“

Rob’s thoughts were frenetic as the cop edged to within a few feet of

his bumper. Trying to freak me out. Get me to run for it. You got

nothing on me, buddy. Just minding my own business. Rain. Spattering

down. I’

m clean, asshole. Honest, I’

m…

Rob suddenly remembered Billy

‘s bag of pot, that he

‘d pocketed in

state of rage.

In his mirror, the lights were flashing.