Sarah - And Sully said ...

From last time ...

Across the highway, Chico sat in his car while Manuel filled it up with gas, and he watched Ma come out of the Motel and get in Jake's car and drive it around back. Sully gonna wanna know dees.

And now ...

Meanwhile, as Jake and Sarah were were getting into her Jeep ...

"Okay Chico. You drop me off here and go fill 'er up. But don't take too long. I wanna get back to Vegas, quick, before it gets to damn hot."

"Si, patron."

Sully walked into the gun shop - he was surprised to see that Jake wasn't there.

He walked up to the counter.

"Where's Jake?"

"He's not here."

"I can see that, boy. Don't get smart with me. Where's Jake?"

"I don't know, Mister. He called me early this morning and asked me to close the store up for a while. That's all I know, honest."

"Did he say why? Did he say where he's goin'?"

"No Sir, he didn't. And I didn't ask. I know he's due for another trip into the VA Hospital, but he's never asked me to close up the store before when he's gone there, so I really don't know ..."

"What about that old lady up the road? Do ya think she knows?"

"I don't know, Mister. Like I said - I'm just here to pack up the store."

"Gimme the phone. I'll call and see ... what's the number up there?"

"Just ask Sally to put you through - we don't dial out here."

"Oh ... well ... you call, then. Ask her where Jake is. Tell her Sully wants to know."

Two Feathers picked up the phone.

"Hello, Sally? Yeah, it's me. ... I'm fine, Sally. Put me through to Ma's, will ya? Yeah, Sally, I'll say 'Hi' to George. What? No, no she hasn't had the baby, yet ... Put me through, please?"

Sully began to look a little impatient. Two Feathers looked at him and shrugged and put his hand over the mouthpiece.

"It's ringing now ... Hi Ma? It's Billy. Is Jake up by you? ... Fella named Sully's here lookin' for him. ... Okay, Ma, I'll tell him."

He hung up the phone.

"Ma says he ain't up there and she don't know where he is. You two know each other or somethin'? 'Cause she didn't sound none too friendly ..."

"Don't worry about it, kid. Listen, if you see or hear from Jake, you tell him to get a hold of me as soon as possible. I've got some work for him and it has to be done in a hurry."

"Yessir, I'll tell 'im. But like I said - I don't know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Damn. I need this stuff in a hurry. You be sure to tell him if you see him."

"Yessir."

Sully strolled out the door and stood in the sun, looking up the road toward Ma's, waiting for Chico to come back and pick him up. Damn, it's gonna be another hot fuckin' day out here. Chico best get his greaser ass movin' or I'm gonna be pissed. I don't like standin' around. Now I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do. I gotta get the stuff for the job and Jake ain't here. If I don't find him this whole operation is gonna go south and Vito will have my ass. MY ass. Well, it ain't gonna BE my ass on the line, here. Fuckin' Jake. Where is that bastard?

He turned around and stuck his head back inside the shop.

"Hey!! You got change for a buck? I wanna get a pop outta this machine out here."

"No. I don't. Jake didn't leave any money in the drawer, either. Here's a dime."

Two Feathers had reached in his pocket and pulled out a dime. He threw it to Sully.

Sully went back outside and lifted the lid on the pop machine, put his dime in the slot, and slid his bottle over to the mechanism that let him lift the soda out of the machine. He popped the lid off on the opener and took a long draw on the bottle of Coke. And let out a long, relaxing belch.

"Ahhhh."

He turned to look up the road and he could see Chico's car coming toward him. He finished his Coke just as Chico pulled off the road in a choking cloud of dust.

"Damn, Chico. I can't breathe."

"Sorry, patron. I was een a hurry. You come here looking for Jake, no?"

"Yeah, Chico. What about it?"

"I seen the old lady at de motel put Jake's car around de back of her place. Sometheeng don' look right to me."

"Shit. Something don't look right to me either. Now what the fuck is going on here?"

"You wanna go back up there?"

"Nah. Let's get back to town. But I want you to come back out here and I want you to find Jake. Clear? Get some of your boys and come back out here and find him. If you don't find him, Chico, don't come back."

"Oh, no problema, patron. We weel find heem. No problema."

"You better, Chico. Or we're dead."


Ndinombethe.