Take Me Home, Country Roads...

I did the Home Depot, Builder's Square do-si-do for a good two hours, before I conveniently remembered the little tile place Beth had showed me when she picked out the pale blue and sand and green tiles that I was sticking down in the bathroom. I got myself lost, next. Had to. I thought I'd noticed a big black Suburban on my tail now and then. Across the street from the tile place was a nasty little bar, seedy as hell, parkinglot loaded with Harley Davidson's cheek by jowl with rude looking old pickups. In the middle of this mess, managing to look affluent, was Elmore's Camaro. I decided my cast would make me immune to the cruder element, and headed across the street to the bar. I'd hidden the truck around the block.

Deb:  Elmore?

Elmore had a blonde on his lap, definite Dixie.  I wondered how many of 
these nasty little women Billy had cuddled so, and I had to fight the urge
to whack her one on principal.  Elmore was not my problem, after all.

Elmore:  Ma'am?

Deb:  I asked you not to call me that, didn't I?  Would you mind if I sat
down for a few minutes?

Elmore:  Please, ma'am.

Elmore rose, with a boxer's quick grace, to his feet.  The Dixie went 
sailing to the floor, and I got a dirty look.  Apparently Elmore had it
someplace in his head that I was a lady.  He dragged up a chair, wiped
spilled beer off of it, and gallantly pushed it in behind me.  Then he
took hold of the nameless blonde and settled her back on his lap.

Elmore:  Wanna beer?

Deb:  Just one, I'm driving.  

Elmore:  On 'at leg, ma'am?

Deb:  It's my left foot, Elmore, I can drive.

Elmore:  You oughta take it easy more, ma'am.  It'll never heal none.

Deb:  I'm okay, really.

Elmore:  What kinda beer you want?

Deb:  There's a choice here?

Elmore:  Yup.  Bottle or draft.

Deb:  Lone Star?

Elmore:  Yes, ma'am.

Deb:  Bottle, then.

Elmore grabbed a passing waitress' apron and asked her to bring yet
another bottle of Texas' State Poison. to join what looked like a million
others already on the table.  I was being eyed, cast and all, by someone
who looked like a cross between Gentle Ben and the toothless old dude in 
the snuff ad.  I was thinking it was time for me to go.

Elmore:  Aw, don't mind that old boy, he looks ever' woman comes in the 
place up 'n down.

Deb:  If you say so, Elmore.

We carried on quite a lively conversation for an hour or so, while I
worked my way through the beer.  The blonde contributed nothing that 
couldn't have been found on flashcards, mostly just tried to push Elmore's
hands into places on her inflated anatomy that he didn't seem to want to
leave them, smirking at me all the while.  Elmore might not have been the
brightest bulb on the tree, but he was in no mind to put anybody in any
discomfort - he cuddled her, but nothing more.  I was tempted to remind
him to visit his friendly free clinic after a night with such a female, but
kept my mouth shut.  Another bar fight, on my current set of pins, would
about do me in.

Most of the beer had percolated through me when I decided I'd better visit
the ladies' room and then be on my way.  I had to get Elmore to move to let
me out - the Dixie took another trip to the floor.

Billy found the Expedition parked on a side street, across from a warehouse
that had been abandoned for years.  He growled low in his throat.  It was
locked, he had taught her that, but the neighborhood wasn't one where you
left your vehicle in an unlighted space for long after dark.  He would have
to stick around to see that she got into it safely.  Not knowing where she
was, he would visit the bar around the corner.  Looked like Elmore was in
residence.  Maybe they could have a talk, if he could get the damn owner of
the place off his lap.

I was just sticking my nose out the ladies's room door, and had a perfect 
view of the entryway - it being about five feet to my right.  I froze in
my tracks - Billy was standing there, head thrown up, looking around for
somebody, me for all I knew.  For a minute the urge to step to his side was
almost uncontrollable...he was like a drug, and I'd been without for too 
long...but then I rattled myself back into the proper frame of mind and
slipped back into the bathroom.  There was a biker chick at the mirror,
apparently stuffing herself back into her halter top.

Deb:  Listen, there's a guy out there right now...big boy, blue bandanna, 
aviator sunglasses, leather jacket with studs...

Chick:  Oh, Bill Strannix!

Deb:  Yeah, yeah...everybody in this damn town knows Bill Strannix...let me
know when he's gone, willya?

Chick:  Dontcha wanna meet 'im?  He's hot.

Deb:  Right now I'm hotter than a firesale and he's the reason.  Just let me
know, willya?

Chick:  You're a damn fool.  He's got some damn Yankee bitch on a string
right now...every woman in town's tryna get 'im to cut 'er loose.

Deb:  Do I sound like I come from this neck of the woods?

A light went on in this pathetic creature's eyes...dim, but there.

Chick:  You 'n him...breakin' up?

Deb:  Not even close.  But something else is goin' down and he's gonna be
pissed as hell when he finds out what it is.  If he gets hold of me I'll
tell him and it's not time yet.  Just let me know when it's safe, okay?

The Biker Chick nodded and went to leave...

Chick:  He's gone.  Looks like he found Elmore.

Deb:  Then Elmore's in deep weeds.  Thanks...

I slipped out of the bar and around the corner to the truck.  There
was a piece of paper shoved under the windshield wiper. 'Where you been,
Punk?'

Billy:  Elmore!  My man!  Where you been, son?

Elmore:  Billy!  Hey, siddown!  Ain't seen you since El Paso, how you been?

Billy:  Fine, boy, just fine.  Evelina, get off the boy's lap.

The blonde moved quickly.  She had a pouty look on her face, but any
woman who knew Billy knew how far pouty would get her.

Billy:  While you're up, Evelina, get us a beer.  The good shit.

Elmore:  Aw, you shouldn' be s'hard on Evie.  She's a good girl.

Billy:  She's a pain in the ass, Elmore.  You're either gonna sleep with 
'er or not.

Elmore:  Aw, you know the answer t'that, Bill.

Billy:  Yeah, I do, but it's worth free beer.  Gotta question for ya,
Elmore, good buddy.

Elmore:  Whass 'at, Bill?

Billy:  You seen Beth lately?

Elmore:  Well, hell yeah.  Just this afternoon. We had lunch.

Billy:  Didja?  Was she alone?

Elmore:  Well, no.  She had a friend with 'er, as I recall.

Billy:  Lemme guess.  Yankee?  Busted ankle?

Elmore wasn't stupid...only very slow on the uptake.  It was starting to
dawn on him that Bill already knew the answers to the questions he was
asking.

Elmore:  Yeah...why?

Billy:  Seen either one of 'em since then?

Elmore:  Hell no!  Weeks go by, I don't see Beth and this other lady I
never met b'fore today.

Billy:  Elmore, I'm gonna say two things.  I want ya t'think about what ya
just said.  I just found a black Ford Expedition parked about a block away.
It belongs to the gimpy one.  I know, because I bought it for her.  This
is the only place within two blocks that isn't closed up or abandoned. And
Beth's ex-landlord told me that a big fella with a shitbox Camaro came
over there couplea days ago and moved some boxes and electronic stuff.  Into
that Expedition.  Talk t'me, Elmore.  Ya know you're gonna.

Elmore:  Bill...

Elmore had Billy just about up his nose in the time it took him to say
it.  Strannix' eyes were hard and black with anger and annoyance.  Elmore
had no fear that he would be physically outmatched, sometimes Bill came
and picked fights with him just so he could go at it with someone who could
give him a fair one, but mentally...Elmore knew he was out of his league.
He dropped his eyes.  Beth would just have to take care of herself.

Elmore:  Little place out north.  I got th' address here somewheres...

Elmore fished through a battered wallet, coming up with a paper bearing
famailiar handwriting.  Billy snatched it, stood up, cuffed Elmore on the
side of the head with an affectionate sort of grin.

Billy:  Don't worry, son.  It won't come back on ya...

I lurched into the house, lugging tile and grout in bags.  I was out of
breath and nerved up, looking for somebody to yelp at, somebody to warn.

Deb:  Beth!  Sam!  Hey, Beth...Billy damn hear had me...

Beth came sailing out of the master bedroom, wearing nothing but Sam's
shirt.  Sam completed the outfit by following her closely, wearing only
the jeans.  Both were barefoot, with messed up hair and something in their
eyes that they were trying like hell to shake off.

Beth:  What?  How close was he?

Deb:  I got this stuff...

Sam:  You should've been back hours ago.

Deb:  Did you want me around?

Sam grinned sheepishly at the floor, then looked up at Beth.

Deb:  Didn't think so.  Anyhow, I fooled around for a while before I
remembered where you said you got this stuff, then the store that I went to
was in this really miserable part of town, across from this nasty bar.  I
saw Elmore's car in the lot...

Sam:  Elmore?

Beth:  Never mind.  Deb!

Deb:  Can't help it, he looks good enough to eat!  Anyhow...I parked the 
truck around the corner and went to see if I could find him...thought I'd
waste some more time before I came back here.  Found him sitting in there
with some ugly old broad all over him...

Beth:  That'd be Evelina.  She owns the place, if it's the one I'm thinking
of.  Elmore drinks free in there because she thinks he's gonna throw her one
someday.  Elmore's got better taste than that.

Deb:  Look at who HE'S got his eye on...

Beth:  Deb.  Shut.  Up.

Deb:  Whoops!

Sam:  Who in hell is Elmore??

Beth:  Never mind, sweetie, just an old friend.  Go on, Deb.

Deb:  Anyway, I sat there for a while, then it felt like it was time to go.
So I said goodbye and headed off to the bathroom, did my duty in there and
then was ready to go.  Guess who was standing just inside the door?

Beth:  No!  

Sam:  Bill.

Deb:  You are correct, Sir.  Lookin' around like he owns the place.  i
ducked back into the biffy and got this gnarly lookin' biker chick - who 
was talkin' smack about me without even knowing who I was, which I found 
kind of funny - to tell me when he'd gone on into the bar.  I knew I could
sneak out if I had half a chance, and I did get away.  Thought I was pretty
smooth, too, until I got to the truck.

Sam:  What was there?

Deb:  Found a note on the windshield.  And the Suburban was parked about
three inches off the back bumper.

TO BE CONTINUED...Billy gets a surprise...