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1/23/2010

Sarah - Aftermath

From last time ...

"You threw up?" She started to giggle. "You threw up?" She started to laugh. "Well, I guess that makes us even, Jake, 'cause so did I." She started laughing and crying all mixed together and Jake knelt down next to her and slowly drew her head down on his good shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. He held her as she cried it out.

And now ...

"Look, Sarah, are you okay now? Pull yourself together. Two Feathers is going to be here in a few minutes. We've got to get rid of the bodies."

"What are we going to do?"

"I figure we can load the bodies in Sully's car, drive 'em up north a ways and then leave 'em out in the desert. Them guys have been leavin' bodies out there for the last few years anyway, so it'll look like a falling out among thieves. But I thought of somethin' while I was talkin' to Two Feathers on the phone."

"What did you 'think of'?"

"You'll see. Come on, lets get Sully's body into his car. It's layin' out there where anybody drivin' by can see it."

"But you're hurt ..."

"I'm okay. It looks worse than it is. Stings like a bitch though, every time I move. Was Chico carryin' a .45?"

"Yes, he was. Why?"

"I kinda thought so. It felt like I got hit by a truck. It takes a large caliber round to do that."

"I don't understand. I thought if you're shot, you're shot."

"Let's walk while we're talkin' here. That body won't move itself."

"Okay, Jake. I'm comin'."

Sarah and Jake walked out the door and into the parking lot. Jake grabbed Sully under the arms, and Sarah grabbed his feet, and they wrestled his body into the back seat of his black sedan. While they struggled with Sully's body, Jake explained about 'large caliber' rounds.

"After the Spanish American War, the U.S. held the Philippines as a territory. And we suddenly found ourselves fighting a guerrilla action with the Huks. These guys were nuts - before a battle they'd get all hopped up on drugs and they'd be shot and they'd just keep on comin'. Our official sidearm at that time was a .38 caliber revolver. And that thing would not stop a Huk warrior on drugs. The government set out a call for a new weapon and Colt came up with the .45 Automatic. Not very accurate, as government issue, anyway, but if you hit 'em anywhere, they were going down. Chico just grazed me with his shot, but it was still enough to knock me off my feet."

"Look, Jake. Is that Two Feathers?"

Jake looked up to see a ratty old sedan with not a bit of shine left in the paint drift off the road and into his lot.

"Yeah, that's him. Go on inside and get out of the sun. Me and Two Feathers will get Chico's body - where is it?"

"Right over there, on the other side of that clump of brush."

"Damn. He got that close?"

"Yeah. I almost didn't see him."

"Shit. It's a damn good thing you did."

Jake started walking across the lot and he waved Two Feathers over - to follow him. Sarah meantime, went back into the shop - where it was still and close - but still cooler than being out in the sun. Two Feathers trotted over to her and handed her a small box, and then left to catch up with Jake. She looked at the box in her hand, puzzled, at first. But then she understood what it was.

It was the box of blanks. The ones Jake had made to Vito's special order. The ones that The Kid had in his gun the night he died.

And she knew what Jake's idea was.

3 comments:

Michael said...

Good story as always, what sort of drugs were they taking to be shot at and keep coming?

Loraine said...

the plot thickens...

Unknown said...

Now you got ME puzzled....