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When I got up, Billy and Ryan were gone. The first thing I did was call Doctor Jake. True to his word, he had the boys there to talk to me.
Deb: So, how do you like it there? #3: It's fun, Mama. We come to the hospital with Doctor Jake every day and he lets us swim in the pool. #1: Shut up, bumhug. Ma, you know what kind of car Doctor Jake has? Deb: A sixty-four and a half Mustang. #1: How'd you know? Deb: Lucky guess. What about it? #1: He's teachin' me to drive. Deb: In a sixty-four and a half Mustang? Beerlander, YOU need your head read! JB: He's doing very well. He should be ready for a permit in no time. Deb: About when your Horse is ready for the body shop. You guys ready to come home? #2: NO! We're goin' to the beach this weekend to see chicks. Deb: So you're okay? #2" We're great, so chill! #1: Can we go drive tonight, Doctor Jake? #3: Bye, Mama. I'm goin' in the pool. I looked up from the dialtone to see Beth standing just inside the door. I must have had a funny look on my face. Beth: You okay? Deb: Fine. Nothing like having your kids race each other to hang up on you to put you in the proper frame of mind. Actually, they sound like the Doctor Hunk is showing them a good time. I'm glad. It's one less thing for me to worry about. Beth: Where's... Deb: Gone. Beth: You have breakfast? Deb: Coupla pieces of pizza. I'm set. Beth: Then let's hit the basement. The door was slightly ajar, nothing like the boobytrapped portal we'd cracked into the last time Billy made the mistake of leaving us alone in his house. And the basement was empty save for the shelving and desks the computers had sat on. Of the guns there was no sign at all. A sign had been tacked to the wall in the second room - we hadn't noticed it before, but I commented on it now. Deb: This house protected by Attack Cat. Billy has a pet? Beth: Of sorts. If you wanna call it that. Deb: Is it a cat or what? Beth: Nasty old snaggly thing. You hardly ever see it. You can't touch it. It's usually outside killing smaller animals for recreation. Billy feeds it. Once in a while it comes in to get out of the rain and Billy throws things at it. Deb: I never suspected his soft side. Beth: How was he after I left? I described his attempt to get inside my locked door. Beth: I think he made a pass at you. Deb: Oh, come on. That had all the finesse of a runaway truck. Beth: Billy thinks a headlock is foreplay. Deb: You're telling me I blew my chance for physical ecstacy? Beth: And assorted bruises and muscle aches. Deb: Damn. Beth: This is bugging the hell out of me. Where did he go with all this junk? Come on, I've got an idea. We drove to the library, went to Beth's cube, and I sat back while she did her little back door thingy. Deb: What's wrong? You look like you've got a cramp. Beth: Billy's computer is up again. The phone number has a 915 area code. Deb: This is 806 here. Beth: Yup. So where did he go with it? Deb: Good question. That's most of West Texas, isn't it? All the way to El Paso. Beth: You're pretty familiar with the place. Deb: Enough. Because of my job. What's the prefix? Beth: Didn't notice. He might be in Midland. That's where the buddy lives who borrowed him the truck to move the junk. It's only a couple of hours away. Deb: Would he go there? Beth: Probably not. Billy hasn't stayed on the right side of prison bars for this long by taking uncalculated risks. I don't think the buddy in Midland would hide him. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. I met the guy. He's pretty law abiding, he just likes being near Billy. Deb: I'm having a horrible thought. Beth: What? Share. Deb: I remember something...just after that goofy trip to San Saba that Sam dragged me on, Billy e-mailed me some crap about Tommy's ranch being empty for three months. Of course I yelled at him to stay away, but we both know what that's worth. You don't suppose... Beth: Oh. I wouldn't doubt it. I wouldn't put it past him to use that ranch while Tommy's gone. Deb: But that server's got to be pulling at least 220 volts. Wouldn't somebody notice all that juice and tell him? Beth: Maybe not. There's a family of caretakers on the premises all the time, there has to be other stuff going on that's going to use up electricity. All Billy has to do is get on and off the place. He could have found himself an isolated building and rigged up his stuff temporarily. Ryan could run him the phone and electric lines if it came to that. I'll bet that's where he is. He can pass for Tommy until he opens his mouth; if he's careful all anybody'll think down there is that Tommy's back in town for a day or two. Deb: So what should we do? Beth: Take advantage of this. He's not gonna drive that many miles and turn around and come back the same day. We can take that place apart. What we wound up doing was watching movies on Billy's bigscreen. We knew we were going to go back into the basement, make sure we hadn't missed anything, but there wasn't any hurry once we were sure Billy was going to be gone at least overnight and probably longer. So we relaxed, Beth cued up Eliza's Horoscope for serious laughs, and we proceeded to get thoroughly boiled on Billy's Heineken. The next day we were in too much pain to do anything. We watched Lonesome Dove, twice, and took turns throwing up Billy's Heineken. Beth: We should do it today, if we're going to. We may not get another chance. Deb: Do what? Beth: Get in Billy's basement. Deb: Will it be painful? Beth: Only if Billy finds us. Deb: It's worth the risk. Let me get my head tightened down and make up the holy cot. You got a dime I can bounce off it? Down in the basement we bypassed the first room completely. We knew there was nothing there. It was the second room, which we had only briefly checked out that we wanted to see. Both of us had a strong feeling about that room. There was something there, if only we could find it. Beth: You notice that ring in the floor before? Deb: I think I tripped over it once or twice. Maybe he's got a dungeon and that's where he keeps his hacker dude. Beth: Maybe it's a bomb shelter left over from the fifties. For all we know, it leads down to a missile silo. Deb: We're going to look? Beth: Damn right. I've looked like a Canadian sunrise too many times on account of this basement not to check it out when I have a chance. Deb: Fools go where angels fear to tread. I didn't want to be a fool in the womb, as George Carlin said, but immediately afterward. Lead on. Beth: Help me move this thing. We both grabbed the ring and gave a mighty heave at it, expecting a tortured scream of metal and grinding of stone straight out of a Hammer film. Instead the slab the ring was intended to shift raised easily on oiled hinges, and the force of our movements sent us both flying back against the wall. Deb: Geez! Beth: Ouch! He must use this for something. Come on. Deb: I'm coming, I'm coming. Are those stairs? Beth: Looks like it...and a light switch here at the bottom. Something's going on here. Deb: After you. Beth: No, after you. Deb: No, Stanley, I insist. After you. Beth: But, Ollie... Deb: We both go? Beth: We gonna get stuck in the door? Deb: Why not, we've done everything else. Beth headed down first, showing no caution whatever. I was right behind her, peering over her shoulder. There was nothing in front of us but a bare concrete hallway. Beth: This heads out under the backyard someplace. Deb: So what's left to hide? Drugs? Beth: I don't think so...never know, but Billy likes his brain too much to fry it. Deb: Money? Beth: Off-shore accounts. He earns interest, and wire transfers are nothing with that monster he's got. Deb: Wire transfers to where? The First National Bank of Cattle gets a huge wire transfer to the account of Billy Q. Public, then Billy Q. comes in to make a withdrawl looking like the wrath of God...wouldn't they question that? Beth: They're bankers, not morals officers. He probably has a bank in Nuevo Laredo or someplace and brings it back under his jacket. He's got money back there, I'm goin' to get some of it. My ass still hurts from the last time he threw me on it. Deb: He might know exactly how much he's got. To the penny. Beth: Who gives a damn. Call it retroactive combat pay. You have any brains at all, you'll go grab some, too. We're his girls, aren't we? Deb: You are. Beth: Oh, you are, too. That's a burden I'm happy to share. Deb: He might not have any money in there. It might be a zillion cases of Butterfingers, I don't know. Beth: We won't find out if we just stand here and yak. If he's got Butterfingers, I'll haul the damn things away and sell 'em. And so, by God, we did it. We made our way to the end of the corridor and into the small room at its end. To my surprise and Beth's intense satisfaction, the room was Billy's personal vault. She tucked a couple of packets of Bill's bills into her shirt, and grabbed some for me despite my protests. She was determined, and frankly I thought she was utterly hysterical. She was gonna hit him where he lived, in the pocketbook. I found a small electronic box on the wall. Deb: Hey, what's this thing? Beth: How the hell should I know? Deb: It says 'four blocks' and gives a license plate. Beth came, looked over my shoulder, and went postal. Beth: We gotta get outta here or we're dead. Billy's almost here. Look for a second door... She darted back down the corridor, yanked the trapdoor shut and slapped the light switch. Meantime, I had located a different trapdoor in the ceiling of the room. I pushed on it. It moved easily. Deb: Why can't we just go back through the basement? Beth: He catches us down here, we'll wish he'd skinned us alive. Let's go. We started out the trapdoor. Beth poked her head out into the backyard like a mole, then slammed the trap back down. Beth: Shit! He's in the kitchen! He'll see us! Deb: Now what? Beth: Wait. We stood in the room - Beth had turned out the light and the darkness was almost palpable. I didn't know what she was waiting for, but she knew Billy better than I did and I would follow her instructions. Before long I knew what she'd been expecting. Billy was looking for us. Billy: They drank all my damn beer! Beth's stupid car is in the garage, they can't be far and they're probably sicker than hell. Ryan: They're not in the house, William. Perhapds they decided to go for a walk. Billy: There's a poet in your soul, Ryan. You need to kill the bastard before he gets you in trouble. They're here. Deb: There some kind of intercom set up? We can hear everything. Beth: I wouldn't doubt it. He's nothing if not paranoid. Billy: Go watch the backyard, Ryan. Beth: Damn him! We're gonna have to try and run. Billy: If they're down here they're gonna pray for the Dawg to find 'em. Beth: Get ready. Deb: I've been ready. We heard Billy's boots start down the stairs and begin clocking down the corridor toward us. We leaped up through the trap, running the risk that Billy would see the flash of light as the door opened up. Beth slammed the trap and we quickly pushed a number of large rocks on top of it. Ryan was nowhere in sight. Beth took off running like a bat out of hell. I was right behind her, and we didn't quit running until we had gone several blocks and were both about ready to collapse with oxygen deprivation. Beth hailed a cab and directed the man to take us to her apartment. It was the same cabbie I'd had when I first arrived in Lubbock. Deb: That was close. Beth: We're not safe yet. I won't be happy until I get that apartment door triple locked. It'll take Billy a minute or two to get through it and we can go over the balcony. Deb: I was just a simple little bonehead on the northern plains. My life was boring. I always wanted it not boring. Now it's not boring. Beth: I know the feeling. Beth paid the cabbie with one of the bills from her stash and we trudged up to her apartment door. Everything was still over at Billy's - both our purses, my clothes...but Beth had her keys, and we could go inside and calm down. Sam: Ladies. Beth: Sam! Deb: I'm toasted like a marshmallow. Outside we could hear the screech of brakes and Billy's enraged voice raised in dire threats of mayhem. Sam rose, crossed to Beth and hugged her briefly. Sam: Don't you move, girl. You, come with me. Sam grabbed my by the back of my pants and started frogmarching me out of the apartment building to one of the nondescript sedans, doubtless hidden somewhere on a side street. Sam: I hope you can talk faster than you think, girl. You're in a damn world of trouble now. Deb: I didn't do anything... Billy: Gerard, you give her to me, I'm gonna kick her ass! Sam: You can have her when I'm done with her, if I don't lock your ass up. Billy: Dammit, Dawg, I'm not kiddin' here! Deb: You shut up, Billy, or I'll tell Sam where all the stuff is, I swear I will!!! Billy stopped cold and I could literally hear his jaw snap shut. There would be hell to pay for this one, but I hoped to put plenty of distance between us before the bill came due. Deb: And you quit draggin' me around and givin' me wedgies or I won't tell you a damn thing, Sam!! Sam dropped my pants. And that was my chance. I ran like hell. Sam: You get back here right now, young lady! Billy: Turn your ass around, girl! I ran blindly, knowing I was going to have to think of something or my break would be completely abortive - Sam could run like a deer and Billy was plain mad enough to charge through walls. They would chase me down , and then I'd have to contend with both of them. Beth's car came out of a sidestreet - I didn't even question it, even though the driver was Ryan. He popped the door open and I lunged in. I could hear Sam and Billy both yelling as Ryan drove away. Ryan: We don't have much time. You need to go to Doctor Jake, that's the only place left. Deb: How you...get this...car started? Ryan: Breathe deep, Darlin'. I have my ways, you should know that. Deb: ...plane... Ryan: Reservation made. They're followin' us again. You'd best be ready to run. Deb: ...you're all...tryin'...to kill...me... Ryan: Easy, girl, easy. Ryan ran me through the airport at top speed - there was another one who could put on a burst of speed when necessary - and threw me on the plane. As the craft was taxiing away from the terminal, I looked back to see Sam and Billy plastered up against the plate glass, glaring at me. I hoped Beth was able to get Sam calmed down. There was a note in my hand. I had no idea when Ryan had slipped it there, but it told me to change planes in Atlanta and advised me to lay low when I got to Doctor Jake. TO BE CONTINUED...
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