Sarah - Mackey Arrives

From last time ...

"Mackey, if you don't get out of my way I'm gonna pee my pants. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Mackey stepped back and let Sarah out, and she hurried to the back of the diner, and the restrooms.

"Never could hold your water", he said, to Sarah's retreating back.

And Now ...

By the time Sarah returned from the bathroom Mackey had seated himself in her booth and had ordered himself a cup of coffee. Sarah slid into her seat.

"Why are you here, Mackey? You're supposed to be keeping an eye on my Mom."

"Your friend Jane invited your Mom and Jerry to stay with her for a couple of weeks. 'A little vacation in town', she called it. So, with them taken care of, I thought I'd come out here to help."

"Help? Help with what?"

"I was Jake's best friend, Sarah. I've known all about you since the day you walked into the shop and traded him that gun. I didn't tell you, before, because Jake asked me not to. When it came to you, he was almost like a kid in school - so in love and so afraid that something would be said to spoil it. So I promised not to tell you - but now that he's dead, I don't suppose that promise makes any difference anymore. So let's just say I know what you're up to and I'm here to help. Any way I can."

"Okay, then. You see all this stuff? You can help me make heads or tails outta this crap."

Mackey spent a few minutes looking through the pile of stuff that Jake had left for her.

"Seems pretty straightforward to me. This is detailed information on each member of Giamatti's crew - where they live, what they do, and what their normal schedules are. It looks like he's got about a month's worth of information on each guy. I know he had several of his friends off the Reservation helping him out with this - they did a better job than I thought they would. So what don't you understand?"

"How am I supposed to use all of this? There's 10 of these guys and I'd have to run all over hell and creation tryin' to track 'em down and .. I don't know .. it's just too much, that's all."

"Pick one."

"What?"

"Pick one. Just one. Focus on that one. Figure out where he is in his routine, get ahead of him, get him in your sights and take him out. Work out a schedule. Maybe ... maybe every year at this time you come back and take out another one. Do the same thing. Pick one. Figure out his new schedule, because you KNOW it's going to change over time, get ahead of him, and take him out. Simple."

"No. Not so simple. I can't be out here months at a time tryin' to figure out somebody's new schedule. How am I supposed to ... Two Feathers!! He must know who ever Jake used to track these guys down. I'll have to get him to help, too."

"Now you're using your noggin."

The waitress walked up with Mackey's coffee.

"You need cream and sugar, Sugar?"

"No. Black is fine. You guys got any 'Shit on a Shingle'?"