The Devil's Dwelling (22 page)

“Okay, okay I’m walking.” Mona stumbled almost falling on here butt. Which would have been good. I could of got my Glock on Zelda with Mona out of the way.

“What’s ya’ll doing on my property?”

“You didn’t show up for court. You need to get a new court date. We need to take you in. You’ll be back home tonight.”

“Tiffany you’re a liar. I may be crazy but I’m not stupid.”

“Go in the house, go on. Tiffany you go first. She nudged Mona in the back with the barrel of the shot gun.

“That hurts, you wouldn’t want to hurt me, would you?”

“Walk, girl walk.” 

“I’m walking! Stop poking me.”

Mona walked toward the house and followed me through the door.

“Tiffany set down there. She pointed at an old broken down chair. You blondie set over here where I can see you both.”

“Zelda, how long do you think you can set there holding the shot gun on us? You probably don’t have it loaded.”

“Just try me.”

Mona stood up. “I’ll try you. You wanna shoot somebody and go to jail for life. By the time you shoot me Tiffany will take you down.” 

“Set down! I have to think. Let’s see if I shoot you Tiffany will jump me. Tiffany you wouldn’t jump an old lady would you?”

“In a heart beat.” I stood up daring her.

“Then I’m gonna shoot you first.” Zelda turned the gun toward me and Mona jumped her bones.

“Get the shot gun out of her hands.” I sat on the bony ole’ lady. I heard bones crack. “Crap I think I broke something.”

I rolled off her hoping she was still in one freakin’ piece.

Mona grabbed Zelda and yanked her by the arm. “Get your sorry butt up.”

Zelda stood up a little wobbly. Mona slapped the cuffs on her and shoved her out the door.

We drove past the gate.  Zelda Looked over at the gate. ‘Pretty good idea, huh?”

“Yeah, until the battery goes dead.”

“I have a generator, how do you think I get any power out here?”

Guess she’s right, crazy but not stupid.

We drove back to town and dropped Zelda off at the court house and got the papers signed.

Peewee was setting behind his desk smoking an ole’ stogy.

“Here’s the file on Zelda. She was acting up but she’s settled down in the pokey now.”

My phone rang. I checked caller ID. It was Snyder the Snitch.

“Snyder, what’s up?”

“I got some info for you. You got a twenty?”

I sometimes get a call from Snyder when his down on his luck needing a bottle of Thunderbird.

“What you got?”

“I can’t talk on the phone. You know my phone is bugged.”

“Where are you?”

“The usual spot.” The phone went dead.

“Snyder, you there?” Dead silence.

Snyder is usually under the bridge over by the railroad terminal.  He sleeps in the box cars or under the bridge when the box cars are not accessible.

I jumped in shotgun and Mona headed in the direction of the bridge. We passed Marty in the maroon Chrysler. He spotted us and flipped us off. Mona made a U-turn and the chase was on. It was trash day with garbage cans on the sidewalks. Mona took out a few cans. Marty slid around a corner and Mona took the short route over the lawn leaving four inch deep wheel prints. The homeowner ran from the crazy Explorer throwing his shovel at the back of the Explorer. We heard a crash and looked around in time to see small pieces of glass fall from the hole where the window used to be.  Mona kept her foot in the throttle. Marty headed for the park. I can find my way around the park but Mona isn’t familiar with it. I tried to give her directions on how to corner him. 

“I can’t follow directions.” She yelled at me while she was straightening out the curves. We came to the main road and Marty was no where to be found.

“That sorry guy ditched me.” Mona slapped the steering wheel.

“Looks like a trip to the auto glass company is in order.”

Our day seem pretty much shot. Mona drove over to the glass shop. She hopped out and headed for the garage area.

“Ma’am, you need to check in at the front counter.” A serviceman told her pointing at the office.

“Man, can’t you see I need a window?”

“They’ll take care of you. I can’t help you without a work order.”

Mona, heeded his advice and made her way to the counter. “I’ve got a window I need replaced.” The counter person was not in a hurry to assist Mona.

“Hey, what’s the hold up? Can’t you see you have a customer?”

“Are you driving an Explorer?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”  Mona questioned.

“My dad said you’d be by to get the back window fixed. He threw the shovel through your window. I have orders to confiscate the shovel from your back seat.”

“Is he mad? As you can see I’m a bounty hunter and was in hot pursuit of a dangerous criminal.”

“He just wants the shovel.”  The young man laughed, handed Mona the work order. Take this to the young man you spoke to in the garage. And don’t forget to leave the shovel.”

Mona sashayed out the door pulling at her hot pants. Making sure the attendant noticed.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Snyder the Snitch was no where to be found.  His hasty hang up must of meant there was an intruder. We waited around the train depot for a while. Mona suggested we check out the box cars lined up on the track.

We walked for a mile checking each box car.

“Ladies what are you doing here?” A voice came from one of the box cars.

“Lookin’ for Snyder. You seen him?’

“You’ll find him under the bridge leaning up against a tree passed out. He passed out with his phone in his hand. He’s got one of those cell phones.  He’s always calling somebody. Guess he’s got a good business going.”

We made our way back to the bridge and looked across the river bed and there was Snyder leaned up against a tree just like the ole’ man told us.

“Snyder!” Mona yelled.

“His not going to answer. His three sheets to the wind. I’ll wade over there and try to rouse him.”

I slipped my boots off, rolled up my pant legs and started to make the walk.

“Wait I’m going with you.” Mona was taking her boots off tip toeing through the sand and water.

We made it half way across before Mona slipped while walking on a log and fell in a water hole drenching herself from head to toe.

“Tiffany, get me out of this hole. The water is over my head and I can’t swim.” Mona screamed.

“You hold on to the log. I’ll get you out of there.”

Mona was screaming and thrashing around and splashing the water trying to keep a hold of the log.

“You can’t swim in a hole so quit trying.”

Mona calmed down and I pulled her from the hole. I bent over laughing and nudged Mona with my foot. “You look like a drowned rat. Let’s go get Snyder.”

Mona made her way across the river bed this time following behind in my steps.

I grabbed Snyder’s shoulder and gave him a shake. He fell forward and rolled over.

“He’s passed out. We won’t get much info until we sober him up.”

“Let’s get him to the Explorer and we’ll get some coffee down him.”

I took his phone and checked the last phone call he made.  The last one was to me.  The others were to his two boys that live out of state and someone named Lily.  I put the phone in his pocket.  We drove over to ‘Burger in a Box’ and went through the drive-thru.

“Burger in a Box’, what can I get you?”

“One cup of coffee.”

“Mona,  I’d like a cup too.”

“Make it two cups of coffee.”

“Make your mind up. That’ll be two bucks.”

Mona drove to the window and put the two bucks in the slot.

“Do you want a tray?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

The counter man flipped the window open, slide the coffee out to Mona. Mona took the coffee and handed it to me. The man yelled. “It’s you. I told you not to come to my restaurant. You get out of here and don’t come back. He went for his gun under the counter. Mona hit the accelerator knocking over the handy garbage can with it‘s mouth open, mowed down the little light fixtures on the grass guiding the flow of traffic, rammed the metal picnic table with attached metal umbrella of rainbow colors. The table and umbrella looked like a tornado had spun it in circles.  Another garbage can flew through the air as we made another sweep of the parking lot.

“Wheeeeee!”  Mona yelled with her middle finger waving in the air.  I tried to balance the coffee to no avail.  Hot coffee painted interior a mocha color.  Snyder was bouncing from side to side in the back seat. He managed to set up and hang his head over the front seat and bellowed out a big burp.

“Get back Snyder, you smell like rotten grapes.” Mona waved her hand in front of her face.

“What’s going on?  Where am I?” His big eyes were bugged out, his hair sticking up all over his head and his body odor would gag a maggot.

“You’re with me, Tiffany.  You called me, said you have some info for me.”  I handed him a half full cup of coffee. “Drank this down.”

Snyder swigged on the hot coffee. He was looking from side to side and out the back window.

“Who are you looking for?”

“They know this rig and if they see me in it they’ll kill me.”

“Who might kill you?” I crawled up on my knees in the seat facing Snyder. “Give me something Snyder. What do you know?”

“The guys in the black car. I was over at the Oasis and I heard them telling Curly they were moving in on you. That’s all I know.”

“Thanks Snyder. Where do you want us to drop you?” I flipped around and set my butt in the seat and buckled up.

“It’s about time you got your butt in that seat before a cop sees you.”

“My new girlfriend lives on Oak Street in the eight hundred block. Can you drop me there?”

“You have a girl friend? I inquired. “What’s her name?”

“Lily, she’s got two little boys and her ole’ man’s in the slammer.” Snyder was setting up on his seat. He seemed pleased to tell us about Lily.

“You be careful, her ole’ man will get out and you’ll have to face him.”

“No, he’s in for life. He murdered some guy over some drugs. She’s my girl now.”  He pointed. “That’s the house, the one with the white picket fence and the big wheel out front.” 

I’ve been gone a few days but she’ll be glad to see me cause I made some money while I was gone.”

“Did you spend it all on booze?”

“No, usually people give me my medicine.”

I dug in my purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill.

Mona took a twenty from her bosom and handed it to me. “Give him one from me too. Looks like his got some kids to care for.”

Mona stopped the car and Snyder flew out of the back seat hopping over the fence. We looked back, a petite woman open the door and take Snyder by the hand.

Bailey was pacing when we arrived at the apartment.  Mona headed for the bathroom to freshen up and I hooked Bailey up and headed for the dog park.  We jogged past the nice homes, waving at the friendly neighbors.

I opened the dog park gate.  Bailey was anxious to hike and poop in the park. I unhooked his leash and he ran toward Mr. Bill the Dog Park Ranger.

“Bailey, how you doing boy?  Buster’s been looking for you.” He gave Bailey a treat and ran his hand down his back smoothing his fur. Buster was barking and nipping at Bailey. They ran off together nipping at each other and frolicking in the leaves that had fallen during the last wind storm.

Bailey did his hike and poop  and I picked up after him and threw it in the can. I let Bailey run for some time. He’d been in the apartment all day. And needed to stretch his legs. The sun was dropping behind the mountain range.

“Bailey, come here boy.”