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“Okay, buddy, how about we go upstairs to see if he trashed that too?”
Bo
I didn’t bother to close the door on my way to inspect the bedroom. Bo
The gun was gone, and so was the box where I kept Julie’s wedding ring. I had kept them in a cedar chest at the foot of my bed with the gun on top where I could get to it in a hurry if any bears came knocking. Sleeveless had to search for the coins, for they were hidden at the bottom of the chest under a pile of family pictures and blankets.
“Anything missing?” Bo
“My shotgun and a cigar box where I kept Julie’s ring and some silver quarters,” I answered. Her lipstick was no longer smeared, but she must have fixed it quickly to get here so quickly, and it showed. I was in no mood to laugh this time. “Could you put those bags in the kitchen for me, Bon? I’ll go out and get the pizza.”
“Don’t bother, Jake. It looks like some critter beat you to it. What little’s left is covered in dirt.”
Hoping I’d heard wrong, I looked outside toward my Jeep and saw the open pizza box and a few slices spread across my drive. “Damn, and it was your favorite.”
Bo
I shut the door so Fred couldn’t get to the pizza before Bo
I looked over in time to see her wipe a tear from her eyes. “You’re such a sweet boy. I wish Diane had lived long enough to meet you. I’m sure you two would have fallen for each other, and I’d have the best grand-babies ever.”
It was my turn to be uncomfortable, so I quickly changed the subject and looked away. “Did you get a look at the guy driving that truck? I think it was that tough-looking guy from the book signing.”
She went back to unpacking my groceries.“The one ready to fight Shelia’s boyfriend?”
I turned to Fred, who had been watching Bo
Bo
“My, Fred, what a strange voice you have,” I said.
Bo
Realizing she wasn’t going to quit until everything was put away, I walked over to the table where I had left my phone and keys. “Sorry, but it sure looked like him. How many bald guys do you know ru
She smiled while making a display of counting on her fingers. “Well, there’s Kojak, and then that Star Trek captain, what’s his name? But I don’t remember any of them wearing tank-tops.”
“Jean-Luc Picard,” I answered. “But who the heck is Kojak?”
“Before your time, so
“And he wasn’t wearing a tank-top. It was a denim shirt with the sleeves cut off,” I replied, mimicking her turned-up lip. “At least now he can go out and buy a decent shirt with the money he stole.”
“How much did he get, Jake?”
“Oh, it wasn’t much. Only twenty-five bucks in face value; I don’t know what they’d be worth in silver. I can live without the coins, it’s the ring and book I’ll miss. Well, the shotgun too. My father died shortly after giving me the gun, and I never had a chance to tell him how much he meant to me. I’ve got to find that SOB, Bo
As if he understood, Fred squeezed by Bo
Bo
***
“This is an emergency. Someone broke into my house,” I told the operator just as Fred decided to join me. “Okay, give me the number, please.”
I let the operator rattle off the telephone number for the sheriff’s business line, knowing full well I wouldn’t remember it because I had nothing at hand to write it down. “Yes, ma’am, I’ll call it first thing Monday. Yes, thank you, too.”
Bo
“Not today. Maybe I’ll go run a red light or something. Bet I get their attention then.” I answered, trying to remember when I bought those donuts.
She dunked one of the donuts in her coffee. “Surely they don’t expect you to leave everything until they get around to coming out here?” She took one bite, made a sour face, and threw the rest to Fred. He gulped it down and sat waiting for more. Then I remembered Julie had bought them last year.
“I don’t know what they think, Bon, but I can’t leave my house wide open while I wait for them. That door is an invitation for all the critters up here. Now that they’ve had a taste of Beau Jo’s pizza, I’m sure they’ll be back,” I said while reaching for the donut bag so I could put it on the deck rail before Fred helped himself to more.
Bo
She no sooner left us when a squirrel she called Chatter jumped out of the big spruce next to my deck, heading toward the donuts. Fred was after him in an instant. Fred was quick, but Chatter was quicker and jumped to the safety of the tree where he let Fred know he wasn’t going anywhere. “Where was that squirrel when Sleeveless was here?” I asked Fred, between laughs. “He makes enough racket to scare off Satan himself.”
“Sleeveless?” Bo
I made a mental note to tell her it was illegal to carry an open bottle of booze in her car. “Yeah, and speaking of the devil, Bon, I’ve seen that guy somewhere. I wish I could remember where.”