In The Wind
We had to move fast. Paulie picked up the body of the person I knew
as Sergeant Major Warden, a name that should have clued me off as to
what his real function was in being my neighbor. While he put the
corpse in the garage, I got Precious and put her in a cat carrier.
Paulie came out of the garage and shut the door behind him.
'I figure we have about 10 minutes tops until they realize their errand boy won't be checking in. We gotta go". He paused, and then said, 'The cat? Really'? I ziplocked the cage door shut and replied, 'Ready when you are'. I looked around at the house, the yard, the pool I never used. A shame, I liked it here as much as was possible.
I had no idea where we were going or what we would do. We cut between the houses and Paulie went up to a dark colored sedan on the next street and opened the back door, motioning for me to get in. I put Precious in her cage against the far door and got in myself. Paulie closed his door and I could just make out the driver against the darkened dashboard. Something was odd and familiar about him. He put the car in gear and we started driving, not fast, and I wondered where they thought we could go. Paulie switched on the radio to a news station, then turned and faced me.
'They came for me after I talked to you a couple of days ago. I don't what they thought they were doing or who they thought they were dealing with, but I've been ready for them this past year and more. I knew that you were in trouble, but I didn't expect them to move so quickly. That bomb must have been mailed at the same time I was supposed to disappear. Turn here'.
Now we were headed out of town towards Copano Bay, as easy a road to block as any mountain pass. I wondered what we were doing. I could now see the driver against the windshield lit by passing lights, and I gasped.
'Farley'?
I could see the grin on the big fox's face even in the dark car. 'Hello, Billy'! He turned the car down a dirt road that led to the old bay bridge and was now a fishing pier. We came to the parking lot and there were a few cars there, there is always someone fishing off the old bridge. I didn't see anyone around, to say the least we were the 3 most conspicuous people imaginable. A fox, a panda, a cat and a rabbit walk into a bar, I thought. Farley parked the car and both him and Paulie got out. Paulie popped open the trunk while Farley opened the back door and picked up the carrier. I got out and fell a little when I stood up, it had been a very long day and the pain meds were making me woozy. Paulie handed me a Thompson gun and gave a shotgun to the fox, when he shut the trunk I saw that he had grenades in his belt and a Thompson in his left hand. He gave me a pouch with clips in it, I put it over my neck. I wanted to ask questions about the antique artillery but I knew there was no time for chit chat, and we could hear the radio giving our descriptions to the world....'and considered extremely dangerous. Do Not attempt to apprehend...call for immediate... believed to be...and so on. Paulie walked to the driver's side window, reached in and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Then he threw them into the water. He started walking down one of the paths towards the bay and Farley put an arm around my shoulder as I tried to walk and carry Precious at the same time. They were acting exactly like we were on patrol during the war so I knew that time was of the essence as well as running out. We came to one of the wharves and headed up to a fishing boat moored in the shadow. It was an expensive boat with twin Evinrude E-TEC 300's, however these two got that boat they didn't pay for it. I got in and put Precious in her carrier on the deck between my feet. I made sure the bolt was forward on the Thompson and laid it on the deck. Farley and Paulie cast off with Farley at the helm. Up at the parking lot a series of car lights swept in from the highway, I'd say our head start was now gone. There was shouting as the unseen men surrounded our abandoned car. I could hear choppers heading our way and then something lit up the lot like a small sun, we could feel the shock wave before we heard the explosion.
'Oh, my', Paulie said. 'Sauce for the goose and all that'. Farley laughed as he opened up those motors. Even on the still bay the pounding was intense as the hull slammed down after cresting even the smallest ripple. My head was throbbing and I was slick with blood from where my ear had started bleeding again. Bullets were lashing the water astern of us and off to starboard I could see a Coast Guard cutter closing the distance between us. The boat lit up with the flashes of Paulie's return fire and hot shell casings bounced off my face and arms. We were as good as dead and that's when I threw up on the cat carrier and then fell over unconscious.
'I figure we have about 10 minutes tops until they realize their errand boy won't be checking in. We gotta go". He paused, and then said, 'The cat? Really'? I ziplocked the cage door shut and replied, 'Ready when you are'. I looked around at the house, the yard, the pool I never used. A shame, I liked it here as much as was possible.
I had no idea where we were going or what we would do. We cut between the houses and Paulie went up to a dark colored sedan on the next street and opened the back door, motioning for me to get in. I put Precious in her cage against the far door and got in myself. Paulie closed his door and I could just make out the driver against the darkened dashboard. Something was odd and familiar about him. He put the car in gear and we started driving, not fast, and I wondered where they thought we could go. Paulie switched on the radio to a news station, then turned and faced me.
'They came for me after I talked to you a couple of days ago. I don't what they thought they were doing or who they thought they were dealing with, but I've been ready for them this past year and more. I knew that you were in trouble, but I didn't expect them to move so quickly. That bomb must have been mailed at the same time I was supposed to disappear. Turn here'.
Now we were headed out of town towards Copano Bay, as easy a road to block as any mountain pass. I wondered what we were doing. I could now see the driver against the windshield lit by passing lights, and I gasped.
'Farley'?
I could see the grin on the big fox's face even in the dark car. 'Hello, Billy'! He turned the car down a dirt road that led to the old bay bridge and was now a fishing pier. We came to the parking lot and there were a few cars there, there is always someone fishing off the old bridge. I didn't see anyone around, to say the least we were the 3 most conspicuous people imaginable. A fox, a panda, a cat and a rabbit walk into a bar, I thought. Farley parked the car and both him and Paulie got out. Paulie popped open the trunk while Farley opened the back door and picked up the carrier. I got out and fell a little when I stood up, it had been a very long day and the pain meds were making me woozy. Paulie handed me a Thompson gun and gave a shotgun to the fox, when he shut the trunk I saw that he had grenades in his belt and a Thompson in his left hand. He gave me a pouch with clips in it, I put it over my neck. I wanted to ask questions about the antique artillery but I knew there was no time for chit chat, and we could hear the radio giving our descriptions to the world....'and considered extremely dangerous. Do Not attempt to apprehend...call for immediate... believed to be...and so on. Paulie walked to the driver's side window, reached in and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Then he threw them into the water. He started walking down one of the paths towards the bay and Farley put an arm around my shoulder as I tried to walk and carry Precious at the same time. They were acting exactly like we were on patrol during the war so I knew that time was of the essence as well as running out. We came to one of the wharves and headed up to a fishing boat moored in the shadow. It was an expensive boat with twin Evinrude E-TEC 300's, however these two got that boat they didn't pay for it. I got in and put Precious in her carrier on the deck between my feet. I made sure the bolt was forward on the Thompson and laid it on the deck. Farley and Paulie cast off with Farley at the helm. Up at the parking lot a series of car lights swept in from the highway, I'd say our head start was now gone. There was shouting as the unseen men surrounded our abandoned car. I could hear choppers heading our way and then something lit up the lot like a small sun, we could feel the shock wave before we heard the explosion.
'Oh, my', Paulie said. 'Sauce for the goose and all that'. Farley laughed as he opened up those motors. Even on the still bay the pounding was intense as the hull slammed down after cresting even the smallest ripple. My head was throbbing and I was slick with blood from where my ear had started bleeding again. Bullets were lashing the water astern of us and off to starboard I could see a Coast Guard cutter closing the distance between us. The boat lit up with the flashes of Paulie's return fire and hot shell casings bounced off my face and arms. We were as good as dead and that's when I threw up on the cat carrier and then fell over unconscious.
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