Bad Penny (34 page)

Frank left Tony in the car, walked in, and smelled the fine doughnuts and coffee. He told the gal at the counter he was there to see Ms. Rogers, and she pointed him to the back office.

The door was open. Frank cleared his throat and knocked.

Ms. Rogers looked up. She examined him up and down. She shook her head. “Your face looks like a train wreck. What is it with you? The ex-con gig wasn’t bad enough? Now you want me to hire Frankenstein?”

“This face will be a hit at Halloween,” he said. “And that’s prime doughnut time. My good looks are going to make you a million dollars.”

“So what happened?”

Frank shrugged. “Nothing much.”

“Is that so?” she asked. She hit a few keys on her keyboard, then turned the monitor so he could see it. It was a news website. The headline said “Ex-con Becomes Hero.” Right below it was his picture. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit outside the Colorado Springs court house. Along with the fine photo, the first paragraph told everyone who read it the city and state he lived in.

The media was going to get him killed.

“Who is that?” Ms. Rogers asked. “You and Pillsbury have another brother?”

“It’s a big family,” Frank said. “Long story.”

“I know. It’s ten pages. I read all of it. Seems to me you’re a bit of a high risk.”

That was the truth. He nodded and thought he’d save her the breath. “Well, I appreciate your time, Ms. Rodgers.”

“Where you going?” she asked.

“I—”

“I’m a business owner, Mr. Shaw,” she said. “I take risks. This whole shop was one big gamble. An informed gamble, but a gamble nevertheless. You called me when you said you would. That showed some responsibility. You showed up here looking like a herd of cattle stampeded your face. That shows a willingness to work. Shows some grit. I like grit. Given the activities of the last few days, a lot of folks would take time off, think the world owed them something, but not you. So I’m going to take a risk on you, Mr. Shaw. Are you ready to work?”

Frank had a five year plan. That plan required cash. “Work’s my middle name.”

“Excellent,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Five a.m. sharp.”

Frank nodded. Working the night shift at Walmart and the morning here was going to turn him into a complete vampire. But he could do the vampire. For a little while at least. It was a lot better than being dragged behind a bus.

He said good-bye and walked back past the gal at the counter and out of the shop into the sunshine.

Tony was still sitting in the car, getting ready to make his sales presentation for Yeti Inc.

“So?” Tony asked.

“So I am now officially a doughnut guy.”

Tony faked a sentimental sniff. “My baby’s all growed up and got himself a job.”

“Watch it,” Frank said.

Tony flipped down his laptop. “Now I’m going to show you how real money is made in the new economy. I need you to give me an introduction.” Tony got out and started to walk to the shop.

“Right,” Frank said, then took a big breath and gazed about at the town and the hills in the distance.

“Hey, you coming?”

“Just a sec,” Frank said and lingered by the car. The DA in Weld County might end up sending him to jail. Flor, the evil baker, might put out a hit on him. Anything could happen: Frank might walk off the curb and die of a heart attack. But that was all in the future.

Right now he was filled with the electrical thrill of being a free man. One with a Wally job
and
a doughnut job. A man with the means to get some assets. A man living and breathing someplace other than inside a cement box. He had the telephone number of Ms. Cross, and, if you counted being roughed up by drug lords, he’d already had a first date with Carmen.

He gazed out across the landscape. It was a glorious day in dirt land. There was the dirt and rock at his feet. And the traffic motoring by that smelled like diesel. And the dirt hills dotted with sagebrush in the distance. And the sun shining down out of a wide blue sky. And over it all, the Wyoming wind was blowing, rolling across the unfettered land for miles and miles, as far as the eye could see.

The End