while you bury the body,” Rosie said.
I leaned back, folded my arms and watched the master
at work. It was a sight to behold.
“I know,” Linda conceded. “But if we buried it at
night, no one would ever know.” Linda looked at Rosie, then me, then Rosie
again. She was obviously waiting for nods of approval and smiles of
congratulations on a job well-done.
Rosie patted her on the knee and said with a vacuous
mouth. “Don’t you think the security guards
would be just a wee bit suspicious of someone digging holes behind the prison
in the middle of the night? You know…, the ones in the towers carrying machine
guns with night-vision and telescopic lenses?”
Linda gasped. Then she coughed and spluttered. I
watched her eyes widen and her face turn red.
“Ohhh… I. didn’t think of that,” she stuttered.
“Don’t be too discouraged, Linda. We all make
mistakes. I’m sure you’ll come up with something…eventually,” I said patting
her other knee.
Linda fidgeted and started to gnaw on her thumb. I
decided to offer her some motherly advice so she wouldn’t think the day had
been a complete loss.
“A couple of good suppositories should take care of
the worm problem Linda.”
*****
…Danny decided the best thing to do was to come right
out and just say it.
“Nicola, do you remember the last time we talked on
the phone I told you I had to drop by a friend’s house and pick up some bike
parts.”
“I remember you saying something about it. Why?”
“Well, Joe–that’s his name, Joe lives in San Rafael on
Lucas Valley Drive and has some Harley parts I need to finish the project I’m
working on and seeing as we’re leaving for the East coast in the morning it’s
really important I get hold of him tonight.” Danny picked up his coffee and
took a long drink, wiped his hand across his mouth and said, “Joe is moving to
Texas in a couple of day so if I don’t catch him tonight I’ll miss him
completely, and I really need to get those parts, otherwise I’m going to be in
a real fix. I’ll only be gone a couple of hours,” he added.
“That’s okay I’ll come with you so you don’t get
lost.”
“Well… um… I’d rather you didn’t. Some of these bikers
are a pretty rough lot. They’re covered in tattoos and their language is pretty
crude. And besides, I can talk the talk with Joe if you’re not around.”
The skin above her eyes puckered in thought. “But you
don’t know the area. You told me you had never been to Marin before.”
“I haven’t. But I’ve got a map and Joe has given me
detailed instructions. He told me he lives on a ten acre lot with the name,
Devil’s Dance Ranch, burnt into the crossbar above the old wooden gate. He said
I can’t miss it.”
Danny fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair, and then
added. “Do you mind if I borrow your car? I promise I’ll take real good care of
it.”
“No, of course not. The keys are on the table by the
front door.”
“I’ll just go and get changed,” he said and headed for
the guestroom.
When Danny stepped out of the bathroom dressed in
black jeans and black T-shirt he noticed Nicola standing in the doorway.
“I always wear black when I’m with the guys because we
usually start pulling bikes apart – and black doesn’t show grease and oil
stains.” He slipped his feet into a pair of black sneakers, grabbed a baseball
cap and black bin liner from his bag and shoved the map into his hip pocket.
Nicola pointed to the plastic bag in his hand. “What
is that for?”
“Oh, that’s to put the parts in. Sometimes they have
some grease or oil on them.”
He walked over and gave her an awkward peck on the
cheek. “I shouldn’t be late but if I am, don’t wait up, I’ll try not to wake
you when I come in.”
Nicola stood at the door and as she watched the red
taillights of the BMW disappear around a bend she wondered if the decision she
made had been a wise one after
I leaned back, folded my arms and watched the master
at work. It was a sight to behold.
“I know,” Linda conceded. “But if we buried it at
night, no one would ever know.” Linda looked at Rosie, then me, then Rosie
again. She was obviously waiting for nods of approval and smiles of
congratulations on a job well-done.
Rosie patted her on the knee and said with a vacuous
mouth. “Don’t you think the security guards
would be just a wee bit suspicious of someone digging holes behind the prison
in the middle of the night? You know…, the ones in the towers carrying machine
guns with night-vision and telescopic lenses?”
Linda gasped. Then she coughed and spluttered. I
watched her eyes widen and her face turn red.
“Ohhh… I. didn’t think of that,” she stuttered.
“Don’t be too discouraged, Linda. We all make
mistakes. I’m sure you’ll come up with something…eventually,” I said patting
her other knee.
Linda fidgeted and started to gnaw on her thumb. I
decided to offer her some motherly advice so she wouldn’t think the day had
been a complete loss.
“A couple of good suppositories should take care of
the worm problem Linda.”
*****
…Danny decided the best thing to do was to come right
out and just say it.
“Nicola, do you remember the last time we talked on
the phone I told you I had to drop by a friend’s house and pick up some bike
parts.”
“I remember you saying something about it. Why?”
“Well, Joe–that’s his name, Joe lives in San Rafael on
Lucas Valley Drive and has some Harley parts I need to finish the project I’m
working on and seeing as we’re leaving for the East coast in the morning it’s
really important I get hold of him tonight.” Danny picked up his coffee and
took a long drink, wiped his hand across his mouth and said, “Joe is moving to
Texas in a couple of day so if I don’t catch him tonight I’ll miss him
completely, and I really need to get those parts, otherwise I’m going to be in
a real fix. I’ll only be gone a couple of hours,” he added.
“That’s okay I’ll come with you so you don’t get
lost.”
“Well… um… I’d rather you didn’t. Some of these bikers
are a pretty rough lot. They’re covered in tattoos and their language is pretty
crude. And besides, I can talk the talk with Joe if you’re not around.”
The skin above her eyes puckered in thought. “But you
don’t know the area. You told me you had never been to Marin before.”
“I haven’t. But I’ve got a map and Joe has given me
detailed instructions. He told me he lives on a ten acre lot with the name,
Devil’s Dance Ranch, burnt into the crossbar above the old wooden gate. He said
I can’t miss it.”
Danny fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair, and then
added. “Do you mind if I borrow your car? I promise I’ll take real good care of
it.”
“No, of course not. The keys are on the table by the
front door.”
“I’ll just go and get changed,” he said and headed for
the guestroom.
When Danny stepped out of the bathroom dressed in
black jeans and black T-shirt he noticed Nicola standing in the doorway.
“I always wear black when I’m with the guys because we
usually start pulling bikes apart – and black doesn’t show grease and oil
stains.” He slipped his feet into a pair of black sneakers, grabbed a baseball
cap and black bin liner from his bag and shoved the map into his hip pocket.
Nicola pointed to the plastic bag in his hand. “What
is that for?”
“Oh, that’s to put the parts in. Sometimes they have
some grease or oil on them.”
He walked over and gave her an awkward peck on the
cheek. “I shouldn’t be late but if I am, don’t wait up, I’ll try not to wake
you when I come in.”
Nicola stood at the door and as she watched the red
taillights of the BMW disappear around a bend she wondered if the decision she
made had been a wise one after
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