149 (9)

“What…what does that have to do with me? I never saw Jer hook up…well, I mean, I…”

Jebediah slapped Phil with a light but firm open hand across the face. “I’m not here to ask about who Jer was banging the last few years. What, you think I’m some kind of jealous boyfriend of Mokoto’s?”

“I’m trying to think of any reason why I’m here.”

“You’re here…to play a game.” Jebediah walked out of Phil’s sight for a moment, but he soon returned with another chair. He sat, facing Phil directly. His jacket was now off, and Phil could see the gun holster firmly in place atop a black t-shirt. Jebediah didn’t look any bigger than Phil, except that he was taller and his body looked like it belonged in a marathon, rather than sitting in front of Phil with a scary look on the head it was connected to.

“Okay…game…so…”

“Here’s the deal. I’ll ask a question. If I think you’re lying, you’ll know. Understand?”

“Yes” Phil replied quickly, almost feeling the need to scoot his chair away as quickly as possible.

“Were you friends with Jer?”

“More or less…we weren’t as close as Jer and Bob.”

“Did Jer ever come to your apartment?”

“Usually every Friday.”

“What all did he do?”

“He and Bob sat around, drinking beer and playing X-box until it was time to hit the bars around ten PM.”

“What did you do?”

“Sometimes I hung out in my room, sometimes I hung out with them.”

“Did Jer ever give you anything?”

“He bought pizza?”

“Anything not food or drink related.”

“I don’t think so.”

Jebediah hesitated for a moment, and Phil was worried he didn’t believe him. Phil tried to look confident but wasn’t succeeding, at least in his own mind.  “Did Jer ever talk to you about Mokoto?”

“No.”

“Never?

“Nope.”

“Did you ever hear him talk about old girlfriends?”

“Not really. He seemed to pick up his fair share of one-night girlfriends.”

“Were any of them Japanese?”

“Look, I didn’t go out with them more than maybe once a month. Besides, Sioux Falls doesn’t have a high number of Japanese people.”

“Are you avoiding the question?”

“No…not at all. How about I just say to the best of my knowledge, Jer went for the blond-hair, blue eyed type? Because from the times I was out with him, that seemed to be the type.”

“I see.”

“Were Jer and Mokoto engaged or something? Look, if Bob got him out of getting married, I had no idea.”

“Married?” Jebediah started laughing loudly. “Hell no. Nobody in our line of work gets married.”

“What…you’re in the same bureau or something?”

“Bureau?” Jebediah had stopped laughing.

“Aren’t you with the C.I.A. or the F.B.I. or something?”

“Us? No. We’re not.” Jebediah stood up and walked up to Phil. “We aren’t with any group you’ve heard of. We’re not with the government. We’re here representing our boss, who you’ve never heard of, and you should thank whatever you believe in that you haven’t heard of him. Do you get me?”

“Y…y…yes.”

Jebediah punched Phil square in the stomach. Phil wasn’t ready for it, and he was left gasping for air. “I don’t think you do, so we’ll start over” Jebeidah said.

148 (8)

Michelle felt two hands grab her shirt and violently yank her and the chair she was tied to back up.  Her cheek stung and her world was fuzzy, since the woman who struck her hadn’t picked up her glasses.  She could barely make out the female figure walking away.  “Was it something I said?  Isn’t that the point of this, to talk?”  Mokoto crossed her arms and remained silent, keeping her back to Michelle.  “Well?”

“I doubt you have anything useful to tell me.”

“So, if that’s the case, how about untying me?”

“Yeah, right.  Good idea.”  Mokoto turned and walked to Michelle’s right.  She bent down and picked up Michelle’s glasses.  She slowly placed them back on Michelle’s face, bringing everything back into focus.  Mokoto’s hair looked greasy, and her bare arms were covered in bruises, scrapes, and streaks of dirt.  A pair of sunglasses were tucked in the collar of Mokoto’s black tank-top, which looked as new as the cheap jeans she was wearing.  Michelle tried to gage Mokoto’s mood from her face, but there were no hints to be given.  Her eyes told another story, one of conflict, sadness, and anger.

“Is this so I can see you better when you slap me again?”

“You’ve got quite a mouth on you” Mokoto said as she straightened her shoulder holster.  Michelle realized she didn’t notice it until Mokoto started messing with it.  Maybe she didn’t want to notice it.

“I figure you’ve brought us here by gunpoint to talk, so I’m in the mood to talk.  What about you?”

“I’m just keeping an eye on you until we switch dance partners.  You’re nothing more than a bargaining chip to us.”

“You really think Phil knows something you want to hear?  Hell, he didn’t even know I wanted him back until tonight.  He’s never been too observant.”

“That wasn’t Phil’s fault, from my understanding.”

“Well, you found the letter.”

“Yes, taped to the bottom of a trash can.  A can that had been moved with a full bag recently, causing most of the tape to break.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Looking for something.”

“Something Phil has?”

“Something either Phil or Bob have, or they know where it might be.”

Michelle looked away for a moment, then looked back to Mokoto.  “Are you going to kill us?”

Mokoto looked away, then down towards her gun.  “Look, nobody else has to die.  I can talk my boss into letting you all go, and this time I want to.”

Michelle swallowed hard and took a deep breath.  “I take that as you’ve done this before, and not let everybody go.”

Mokoto sighed.  “Yes, that’s correct.”

“So how do I know you’ll let us go?”

Mokoto didn’t answer.  She walked towards the far wall, then she turned around and sat.  She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  “You don’t” she said, as she rested her head on her knees.  Michelle stared at her for a few seconds, then looked down while her hands began working on a knot that was left a bit too close.

147 (7)

“Why are you doing this?”

Julio Perez took a long, slow sip from his Styrofoam coffee cup.  He closed his eyes, choosing to enjoy the gas station coffee’s bitter flavor rather than the bitter barbs of a crazy old man.  He sipped for a good ten seconds, then lowered the cup.  The old man’s face was still a portrait of anger, while his female friend was a look of concern and confusion.  “Because” Julio said, as he rested his elbows on the table of the small booth, “I’m looking for answers as much as you are, and I know the S.F.P.D. is looking for your friend, if she’s the one who screamed at the station.”

“You don’t have to answer that Mabel.  He’s railroad security…a rent-a-cop of the rails.”  B’s hand was in front of her face, but she reached up to lower it slowly. 

“Calm down.  I think he just wants answers, and yes, I am the woman who screamed” Mabel said quickly, before she could change her mind.

“Your friends are in Aberdeen” Julio said, before taking another long drink of coffee.

“They aren’t…how did you know that?”

“I was at the station helping with their investigation.”

“So why come here, if you knew where they wound up?”

Julio took another drink of coffee, and his cup was almost empty.  “I just need to know how much BNSF is going to get in the news because of your crazy idea of shoving two people into a boxcar.  Two people that have the police station buzzing like a nest of angry hornets.”

“There are men looking for them” Mabel said with a blank stare on her face.

“I know, the feds” Julio said as he started to get up for more coffee.

“No” Mabel said quietly, almost as if she thought the walls had ears.

***

“BOB!”  Bob looked up as something hit him in the face.  It surprised him more than anything, and he watched it fall to the floor.  Bob recognized the item as a matchbook that was in his pocket.  The matchbook had several phone numbers written on it.  “Is that your little black book?”

“Just a couple go to numbers for luck.”  Bob watched as Jeremiah started removing all the cards and things from his wallet.  Once he was done, Jeremiah held up Bob’s sunglasses.

“These aren’t bad.  Where’d you get them?”

“They were a gift.  They bring me luck.”

“I’d recommend a new pair” Jeremiah said, as he sat the glasses on a small table.  “Now, again, tell me where you met Gerrard, or Jer as you called him.”

“It was a poker tournament at Nutty’s.”

“Was he good?”

“Not good enough.  We tied for second.”

“How is that even possible?”

“We both had the same two pair with the same kicker.  The other guy had three of a kind.”

“You know, we were four of a kind at one point.”

“Excuse me?”

“Gerrard, Mokoto, Jebediah and I.  We worked together.”

“Get out…”

“No, I’m very serious…” Jeremiah said, as he stood up.  “…but we didn’t part on the best of terms.  Since he’s not here for me to air my grievences…that leaves you.”  Jeremiah started walking towards Bob, who was struggling harder than ever against the ropes holding him in place.

146 (6)

“Is it really necessary for me to ride back here?”  Eli was resting his head on his hands from the backseat of a police cruiser.  He didn’t expect an answer.

“Sorry, police procedure” Officer Bucholz replied.

“How do I talk my way into riding in the front seat?”

Bucholz checked Eli in his rear view mirror and shook his head.  “Well, there’s always the police academy.”

“How about I buy you supper, or lunch, or forth meal, or whatever?”

“Sorry, I don’t eat in my cruiser.”

“Do you like working for the Sioux Falls Police?”

Bucholz looked at Eli in the rear view mirror as the car came to a stop.  “Mostly.  Is this going to be in your blog?”

“Ah” Eli said as he relaxed and took a comfortable posture on the back seat.  “So, you know my work?”

“No, the captain said not to say to much.”

Eli frowned and watched the streetlights go by.  The trip back to Dell Rapids was going to take a while, and he still had to see if his attempt to get the word to Bob had succeeded.

***

Phil’s world was a dark, confusing place right now.

His mind was still racing with the events of not just the last twenty-four hours, but of the last hour.  He had found his long lost fiance Michelle, and found out the reason he had not heard from her in months was the friend who had dragged him from the edge of his life falling completely apart.  He had little choice but to think about all of that, as he was tied to a chair with a cloth sack over his head.  His breath was hot against his face every time he exhaled, and the ropes had almost no give on his arms and legs.  Suddenly, the makeshift hood was ripped off of his head, and the darkness gave way to a different kind of darkness.  The kind where shapes are visible, and where he could get around if only he knew the layout a bit better.

“Phil, right?” came a voice from behind him.

“That’s right” Phil said, not sure of what question would be next.

“What do you know about Gerrard?”

“You mean Jer?”

“Sure.”

“Well…” Phil tried to consider his answer carefully but he heard footsteps behind him drawing closer.  Thoughtful answers suddenly seemed like a luxury.  “…he was a good poker player.  He always bought pizza…he could hold his liquor?  Am I saying anything remotely helpful?  Believe me, I want to help.”

“Why so eager to help?” the voice said, as the footsteps moved closer, but now to Phil’s right.

“I’m sick of riding around in boxcars and watching policemen get shot.  I’m ready for this ordeal to be over with.”

“Ah yes, the police officer.  You saw that?”

“Yeah.”

“What did Mokoto tell you about Jer?”

“She said she…she didn’t know him or something.  Just that she knew of him.”

Phil heard laughter, and more footsteps.  He couldn’t see who was walking, but he heard them circling around.  “Is that what she told you, for real?”

“I’m fairly confident that’s what she said.”

“What if I told you he used to have a different name, and back then she did know him?”

“How well?”

“Very” came a voice so close to Phil’s left ear that he could feel the hot breath on his neck.

145 (5)

Alison Lewis eased her seat up as Raymond Garrett pulled the car onto I-29. She was mostly dressed, but her hair was a mess and her glasses were somewhere in the backseat. Garrett looked almost exactly the same as before they had taken their brief detour. He had a bit of sweat around his hairline that was being caught by the light of the dashboard. She opened her bottle of water and took a long drink as the car raced up over 100 miles per hour. She began screwing the bottle on tightly as she cleared her throat. “So, are you trying to make up for lost time?”

“This isn’t much faster than I was going before. Besides, we need to get there soon.”

“Do you think the local law enforcement has moved in already?”

“I hope not. Check my cell phone. Maybe somebody called.”

Lewis reached into the compartment between the seats and pulled out a cellphone.  It was blinking steadily, and Lewis flipped it open.  “One missed call from Sioux Falls.”

“Do you want me to call?”  Garrett’s hand reached towards the middle compartment, but Lewis quickly shut the compartment.

“No, I’ll take care of it” Lewis said as she placed the phone by her ear.  After a few rings, a raspy, slightly familiar voice came across.

“Captain Hale speaking.  Is this Garrett?”

“No, this is Lewis.  I’m sorry we were out of range for a bit.  What’s the latest?”

“The Aberdeen police are ready to move in.  They have a car watching the hotel, but they’re waiting until you get there, or give them the word.”

“Hold on a sec” Lewis said as she put the phone against her shoulder blade.  “Raymond, the Aberdeen force has a car outside, should we send them in?”

“No.  They wait until we get there.  We’ll be there soon enough.  Tell them to hold them if they leave the hotel.”

“Captain” Lewis said, almost before she had the phone back to her head.  “are you in touch with Aberdeen right now?”

“No, but Felix has them on the line.”

“Tell them to wait for us, but to bring Anderton and Fulton in for questioning if they leave the hotel.  Is that clear?”

“Crystal” came the dry response from Hale.

“Why don’t you give the Aberdeen police my number…and maybe give me theirs.”

“Sounds good.  Hang on, I’ll page Felix and tell him what you said.”

Lewis had her eyes closed, but she felt the car slowing rapidly.  She opened her eyes and saw a flickering orange light in the distance.  “What is that?”

“It looks like a car fire…or something.”  Garrett pulled to the left lane and kept slowing down as the car got closer to the orange light.  Soon, Garrett was able to make out a burning car, and one that looked like it had been burning for some time.

“Agent Lewis, do you have a pen and paper handy?  I can give you some numbers to connect with the Aberdeen police.”

“Captain Hale, I’m gonna need to call you back” Lewis said, as she spotted a South Dakota Patrolman tied to a mile marker.

144 (4)

“How did I figure it out? Let me tell you all about it.”

“Please.”

“First off, I figured out that this Dinkley fellow was not only still alive, but was smuggling drugs with his landlord Geoff Pryb-whatever. So, from there, I figured out that these to jokers, Phil and Bob, were working with him, but badly.”

“How so?”

“The feds were in on it too. Phil and Bob were told to make a pick up, and they shot Stevens and decided to call in the frame job to teach their other pushers a lesson. Dinkley faked his death earlier that day, and Geoff brings him back in the same apartment in a few months, with a new name and probably a hair color.”

“How did you know which of the feds was in on it?”

“Simple. One of them knew about my brother. That was a plant to get my dander up and to throw me off the case, by clouding my judgement. That told me Garrett was stringing along Lewis. Thank goodness you came to town, otherwise this might have taken me longer.”

“Really? I helped?”

“Of course Clayton. I kept you away from them, and when you got into a gunfight with their heavies that allowed me to go off on my own to stop a courier from catching a plane. Then, I tracked them to Aberdeen and with the help of the force, we nailed them all!”

“Maybe I could get you in at the F.B.I. You’d be perfect!”

“Oh Clayton, I’m happy with keeping the peace in Sioux Falls. Thanks for the kind words.”

“Well, if nothing else, you should answer your phone.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said ANSWER YOU DAMN PHONE!” Clayton was almost yelling in his ear. Will snapped forward and looked around. The car wasn’t moving, and Will was looking around with a very confused look on his face.

“Where…”

“Huron”

“How?”

“My car.”

“Why?”

“To beat Garrett and Lewis to Aberdeen. Now answer your damn phone.”

Will pulled out his phone and flipped it open. “Hello?”

“Detective Hetfield, this is Doctor Henriquez. You asked me to call if there was any change with Officer Vig?”

Will sunk as deeply as he could into the Crown Victoria’s passenger seat. “Yes…what’s the latest?”

“We need to perform some surgery. She should make it, but her condition makes it very dangerous. I just thought you should know.”

“Thank…thank you doctor. Good luck.”

“I have a good feeling she’ll make it. I don’t want to lose one of you. You probably don’t hear this often enough detective, but I appreciate all the Sioux Falls Police do for our community.”

“Thank you doctor. I’m confident I’ll be appreciating your work soon as well.”

“Good night Detective Hetfield.”

“Good night.” Will closed the phone and took a deep breath. He heard the door open and shut. Clayton tucked a credit card receipt under his sun visor and started the car. Soon they were speeding northward on US-281.

“Who was that?”

“The hospital. Tina needs more surgery.”

“She’ll be fine. Did you talk to her?”

“I…was…right before the car exploded.”

“You should get back to sleep. It’s going to be a long night.”

143 (3)

“I know, but I can tell you have a good tama.”

Mokoto heard Sakura’s words in her head as she stared at the picture.  Her words had been running through her head since she first saw the girl in Sioux Falls.  Even with everything that had happened, she still had the small picture the young girl gave her.  She held it tightly in her right hand, while she rested her chin on her left forearm.  She was sitting on a chair backwards, and her back was arched over so no one else could easily see what she was looking at.

“I know, but I can tell you have a good tama.”

The room had a smell, like old appliances, dust and neglect.  The power was still on for some reason, and there were still a few good light-bulbs.  It was hard to believe just a few hours ago she broke in, determined the site perfect, and had set it up for the eventual capture of Bob and Phil.  She’d found the chairs abandoned in a nearby alley, and Jeremiah and Jebediah finished what she had started while she was still trailing Michelle.  The fact J & J found Mokoto in Aberdeen was still a bit surprising, but she was for once thankful to have them around.  They had split up Phil and Bob to other rooms for the moment, leaving her alone with Michelle.

“I know, but I can tell you have a good tama.”

Mokoto was getting a little frustrated.  She couldn’t get Sakura’s words out of her head.  She was almost wishing she’d picked a different street to attempt to intercept Bob and Phil on.  One devoid of naive young girls who put ideas and emotions into her cold, harsh reality.  She’d killed a police officer less than an hour before she’d even gotten this picture, but the words hung in her head anyway.

“I know, but I can tell you have a good tama.”

“I do NOT have a good tama.  I’m a killer, at least a hundred times over!  I’ve worked for the yakuza, for governments and now for an American businessman who needs me to do things to insure his interests.  I’m very well paid too!  If he offered me enough money I’d probably kill you too!  MY TAMA IS NOT GOOD.  I AM AN EVIL, EVIL PERSON WHO DESERVES NOTHING, LEAST OF ALL YOUR KIND WORDS.”  Mokoto opened her eyes.  She knew imagining the response to Sakura’s words wouldn’t go back in time and change them, but she had to try and get past them.  She looked up, and then back to the picture.  Sakura’s old phrase didn’t enter her mind, but something else Sakura said did.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

Mokoto took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.  She slowly tucked the picture back into her holster.  Mokoto’s back straightened, and she pushed herself up to a standing position.  Next, she slid her arms out of her jacket and gently rested it on her chair.  She turned around and saw Michelle.  She was tied to an old, ugly kitchen chair, and she hadn’t moved since Mokoto tied her up, and she hadn’t said anything since she drove them to the abandoned pawn shop.

“You look like you’re the one who’s tied up” Michelle quipped, with almost a look of concern on her face.

Mokoto walked up to Michelle and slapped her face as hard as she could.  Michelle’s chair tipped and fell to the floor.  “No talking until I ask a question, got it?”

“I know, but I can tell you have a good tama.”

The phrase was back in her head, even as her hand stung.

142 (2)

Dale closed his eyes as tightly as he could.  He braced himself for the bullet.  He tried to think of everyone he still needed to say ‘I’m sorry’ to.  He thought of his mother, his brother and his cousins.  He wasn’t ready.

CLICK

The sound of the revolver dry firing snapped him from the precipice of a flashback to his entire life.  His eyes opened, his teeth unclenched, and he could feel a few tears running down his cheek.  Laura had a look of whimsical confusion on her face.  She tucked the gun behind her, and shrugged as she smiled at Dale.  She then reached for something in her front pocket.  “Hold this” she said as she tossed a metal ring at Dale’s face.  The ring bounced off his head as Laura threw something at the hole in his car’s windshield.  She began walking towards him.  Dale’s car exploded in a large ball of dancing oranges, reds and yellows.  Laura was past him as a few small pieces of the car landed near or on Dale.  The car lit up the countryside as it burned.  Dale felt a hot wind blow by him, then he felt two arms drape over his shoulders.  He saw a black gloved hand open his shirt pocket and place a bullet in it.  “If you tell them about me, I’ll find you and make sure all six chambers are loaded.”  Dale heard footsteps, and then a car starting.  He heard the tires rolling away.

Then, the tires stopped.  He heard a car door open, and footsteps coming towards him.  Laura crouched in front of him, and put her hands on either sides of his head.  Dale instantly thought she was going to snap his neck.  Instead, she pulled his head forward, and leaned into him.  Her lips met his, and she gave him a long, slow, wet kiss.  Dale’s shock gave way to an unusual calm, and an odd feeling of ease.  Laura pulled her lips from his and rested her forehead on his.  She slid her face against his,  brushing her cheek against his.  He could feel her breath in his hear.  “Dale?”

“Y…yes?”

“I will find you.”  Laura then stood up and walked to her car.  The engine revved and soon Dale was alone on I-29, with only his burning car as his company.

***

“My name is Robert Fulton.  I’m from Spearfish, I live in Sioux Falls, and I sell Volkswagens.  I have a degree in history from USD.  In the last twenty-four or so hours, one of my two best friends on Earth died.  I cried alone, and I cried when I could.  Since then I’ve been threatened at gunpoint.  I’ve been in a high speed chase.  I’ve been shot at and I’ve hid in a smelly old AMC Pacer.  I listened to a crazy old game show addict and hid in a boxcar to avoid the police asking questions.  I pooped in a corner like a guinea pig, and watched my other best friend almost die to help us get off the train, even if it wasn’t where I wanted to go.  I’ve lied to police and almost choked on a cheeseburger.  Worst of all, an error in judgement will probably lead to me losing my other best friend on Earth, and looking back I can’t say that I blame him one bit.  Believe me when I say that if I knew what you wanted, or could say what you wanted to hear, I would.  The only condition would be that you point me to the nearest bar so that I may drink myself into oblivion.”

Jeremiah looked at Bob with amazement.  “Usually nobody responds when we ask if they have anything to say.  That rant was a record.  Sadly, it doesn’t change anything, or answer my questions.”  Jeremiah started to take off his jacket, and Bob hung his head.

141 (1)

Highway Patrolman Dale Roberts blinked rapidly as he snapped back to reality.  Water was dripping down his face, and he was still trying to blink his way back to consciousness.  The last thing he remembered was looking at Laura Dell’s driver’s licence and noticing two wires.  He remembered a sensation akin to being tasered, but stronger and…different.

“Wake up…Dale.”

Dale sputtered water out of his mouth and looked up.  Laura was now out of her car, and she was in a catcher’s crouch in front of him.  She was holding an empty water bottle, and strands of her black hair had broken free of her pony tail holder.  Her stray hair blew in the South Dakota breeze, as she stared at Dale with a look Dale couldn’t even describe.  She slowly stood up, and Dale tried to do the same.  His attempt didn’t even get off the ground, as he realized his legs had been zip stripped, and his hands were cuffed behind him.  He looked up and over his shoulder, realizing his hands were cuffed behind a mile marker he couldn’t quite read.  When he looked forward again, Laura had disappeared.  He saw his squad car about 150 feed away, with all of the lights still on.  Laura walked in front of him again, and walked slowly towards his car.

“Ma’am…you’re in a lot of tr-”

BLAM

Dale’s head lurched back as the shotgun blast rang out across the empty stretch of interestate.  Laura fired several more times at his car, and then hammered at the windshield with the gun’s stock until the bulletproof glass gave-way in one spot, leaving a hole no bigger than a bowling ball.  Laura slowly walked back with a slight smirk, and one finger across her lips.  Dale frantically looked around his body.  His gun and belt were gone, his badge was gone, and so were his keys.  Dale bent his knees and tried to stand, using the mile marker sign as leverage.  His body moved up a few inches and stopped, once he felt the handcuffs snug up.  He sank back down as he heard footsteps.

“I zip stripped the cuffs to the marker.  Those holes in sign posts come in handy.”  Dale took a deep breath as he heard her voice, and approaching footsteps.  She suddenly crouched down right in front of him, and her smile had only grown.  “Now Dale, I need to ask you something, and be honest.  When help comes, and they find you here, are you going to tell them about me?”

“Of course!  You are in big troub-”

Laura placed one finger on his lips.  She used the other hand to pull out a revolver.  Slowly and deliberately, she loaded one bullet.  She looked him in the eye again.  “Are you going to tell them about me?”

“Yes.”

Laura loaded a second bullet into the gun.  “Are you going to tell them about me?”

Dale hesitated for a second.  “No.”

“You’re lying” Laura said.  She loaded a third bullet.  “Are you going to tell them about me?”

Dale looked at the gun, and looked up to Laura’s eyes.  “Maybe.”

Laura slowly loaded a fourth bullet.  She shook her head, then asked again, “Are you going to tell them about me?”  Dale’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.  “That’s a yes.  Oh Dale, I’m running out of chambers here.”  Laura pulled out a fifth bullet, and slowly slid it into the chamber.  She held the gun up and locked her eyes with Dale’s.  “Last time I’m going to ask Dale.  When they find you out here, and they ask you who did this, what are you going to tell them?”

Dale looked at the gun, then at Laura.  She had the gun in one hand, and a single bullet in the other.  Her smile was gone.  “I don’t remember who did this.  It’s all fuzzy” Dale said, almost not believing he was saying it.  He noticed his breathing had accelerated, and he had an overwhelming feeling of doom.  Laura slowly placed the bullet in her pocket.  She stood up and smiled.

“I believe you, but I wish you’d said that earlier.”  She spun the cylinder of the revolver, then with a flick of the wrist she locked one of the chambers in place.  She cocked the hammer and pointed the gun at Dale’s head.

End Part 5

Part five ends with characters either on the move or about to go down some dark paths. I’m not currently planning a big special post for part 150, but we’ll see. I also haven’t decided which character will get the Cliff(hanger) Note this time around. The part five summary should be up in a day or so.

By my math, I’ve already got a novel’s worth of story written. If this was a novel, I wouldn’t worry so much about having a “what next” moment after every 500 or so words. My wife thinks I should condense it down to a book when I’m done, and I’m starting to warm to that idea.

The only think I’ve not liked about doing this story is that a lot of other stories I’d like to work on are getting neglected, since I barely have time for this one of late. It will be a challenge to keep updating once our child arrives, but I think I can do it.

Part six begins tomorrow with a look at what Laura’s been up to. Thanks for stopping by.