Jack Keller Box Set by Rhoades J.D.;

Author:Rhoades, J.D.; [Rhoades, J.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Polis Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Stan was lying on the couch drinking a beer and watching the TV when Laurel came out of the bedroom. She had on a pair of cutoff jeans and a man’s shirt tied and knotted under her breasts. She came over to the couch. Stan moved his feet so she could sit down. He didn’t look at her.

“Hey,” she said.

He took a sip of the beer. “Hey,” he said finally.

“Anything good on?”

He shrugged. “Not really.”

“You still mad at me?” she said. He shrugged again. “I’m not mad.”

“Yeah,” she said. “You are.” She looked nervously toward the bedroom door. She leaned over and whispered to Stan. “Listen,” she said. “If I tell you somethin’, you can’t ever let on to Roy that I told you.”

He looked at her for the first time. He pitched his voice low as well. “What?”

She glanced at the door again. “Nothing happened, Stan. We didn’t do nothing.”

He snorted and looked back at the TV. “Right.”

“I mean it, Stan,” she said. “He’s havin’ one of his spells.”

Stan sat up. “Just what is it that he’s sick with?”

“There was somethin’ wrong with the water back at his old place. Some kind of poison in the ground. He thinks it gave him cancer. In his brain. It’s why he gets the headaches. It’s one reason he’s so mad.”

“So why did you—” Before Stan could finish, the bedroom door opened and Roy came out. “You get any rest?” he said to Stan.

“Yeah,” Stan said. “A little.”

“Good,” Roy said. He looked at the TV.

“Hey, it’s quarter ‘til eleven,” he said. “Turn on Channel Ten.”

Stan looked at him, then tossed him the remote. “Here,” he said. “Change it yourself.”

Roy caught the remote in the air. He gave Stan a hard look, but didn’t say anything as he pressed the button.

The anchor on the screen was a young white guy with capped teeth and perfectly coiffed brown hair. “Hey,” Roy said. “Where’s that Chinese girl? The one who gave us her number?” No one answered.

“God damn it,” Roy fumed. “Where the hell…”

Stan held up a hand to silence him. The graphic that seemed to hang in the air over the anchor’s shoulder said “Shooting Investigation.” Roy shut up and thumbed the volume control.

“Police and federal investigators have confirmed a definite link between the shootings at a rural church and the massacre at a diner this past Friday,” the anchor said.

“All right,” Roy said with evident satisfaction. “The feds.”

The anchor went on. “Ballistics evidence has shown that the same military-style weapons were used in both shootings. Law enforcement officials however, continue to reassure the public that these acts are not the work of foreign terrorists.”

“Damn straight,” Roy said. “I ain’t no fuckin’ towelhead.”

The anchor had moved on to a story about local football, then went to a commercial.

“Not bad,” Roy said. “But where’s the Chinese chick?”

Stan crossed the room and picked up the cell phone lying on top of the TV. The battery was dead. “Well, we can’t call her on this. Unless we pick up a recharger.

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