The Attitude Adjuster: Three Cavanaugh/Protector Stories by Morrell David

Author:Morrell, David [Morrell, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ponzi scheme, stalkers, internet pornography, body guards, financial fraud, Thrillers, protective agents, espoinage
Published: 2012-09-18T16:00:00+00:00

THE ATTITUDE ADJUSTER

A road-renovation crew. Trucks, grinders, rollers. Only one lane of traffic is open. As you drive toward the dust and noise, a man holds a pole with a sign at the top. The pole’s bottom rests on the dirt, so all he needs to do is turn the shaft to show you one side of the sign or the other. SLOW, you are directed, or else STOP.

The man is tall and scarecrow lanky, exuding the impression of sinewy strength. He wears battered work boots, faded jeans, and an old blue work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a rose tattoo above the hand with which he holds the pole. His shirt has sweat blotches. His face is narrow, sun-browned, and weather-creased. He wears a yellow vest and hardhat.

According to the radio’s weather forecaster, the temperature on this Illinois August day is ninety degrees Fahrenheit, with eighty-seven percent humidity. But the sun radiates off the road, increasing the temperature to one hundred and five. Because the project is behind schedule, the man is required to work overtime. He holds that sign twelve hours a day—for the past three months. You’ve seen countless versions of him. Passing him, you might wonder what he thinks.

Stupid son of a bitch. Sits in his damned air-conditioned SUV, stares at my sign, speeds past, almost hits me, throws dust in my face. Can’t you read, you moron? The sign says SLOW! One of these days, I’ll whack this pole against a fender, hell, through a window. Teach these bastards to show respect. Everybody’s got a snotty attitude. Here comes another guy barreling toward me. King of the road. Hey, see this sign I’m pointing at, dummy! SLOW! It says SLOW!

The man’s name is Barry Pollard. He is thirty-nine, but years of working outdoors have made him look much older. His previous jobs involved strenuous physical labor, lifting, carrying, digging, hammering, which he never minded because he felt content when he had something to fill the time, to weary him and shut off his thoughts. But months of nothing to do except stand in the middle of the road, hold the sign, and watch motorists ignore it have given him plenty of opportunity to draw conclusions about the passing world.

Dodo, how’d you ever get a driver’s license if you can’t read? The sign says SLOW. For God’s sake, you came so close, you almost knocked it out of my hand. You think you can do whatever you want. That’s what’s wrong these days. Nobody pays attention to the rules. When I was a kid, if I even thought about doing something my old man didn’t like, he set down his beer can and punched me to the floor. Certainly taught me right from wrong. “You’ve got a bad attitude,” he used to tell me. “We gotta correct it.” From what I’ve seen the past three months, there’s a lot of bad attitudes that need correcting.

A voice squawked from a walkie-talkie hooked to Barry’s belt. “Okay, that’s enough cars going north for a while.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.