“Hey, I’m all for going green.”
Arch said, “I know you use recycled paper and save aluminum cans and all that, but you’ve got this thing about what you drive. I think it’s got to do with your –”
“That’s enough. Stop right there.”
Archie’s eyes twinkled and he leaned back in his chair. “What’s up?” I told him about Rakes’ threat on Hondo. He said, “What do you need me to do?”
“You think you could keep him at your place for a while, not tell anyone?”
“You need help getting him here?”
“No, but I’ll do it at night and come in through the back.”
I’ll be watching from there, say about nine?”
“That’ll do.”
I went to my office and called Hunter again. She didn’t answer so I left a message on her voice mail telling her of Rakes’ threats and for her to be careful. Then I called my insurance agent and got the news on what they would cover on my house. It was actually very fair and I told him so. The next step would be to find a contractor to clean the lot and rebuild my home. I figured that was for another day.
I had hours to go before kidnapping Hondo from the hospital, so I went into the storage room and rummaged through some unpacked boxes until I located the novel I picked up at a bookstore and had not read. I sat in my chair, propped my feet on the desk and opened it.
Talk about hard to put down, I almost decided to leave Hondo overnight so I could finish it, but finally gathered enough willpower to put it down at eight PM. I called the hospital and got Hondo. I told him about Rakes and my plan for him.
Hondo said, “Drive up to the front. I’ll be there.”
“You don’t want some help escaping? Those nurses looked plenty tough to me.”
“Right now they could take me in a fight, but I’ve got cunning on my side.”
“Cunning who?”
“Meet me in front.” He hung up and I went next door to borrow Archie’s Corvette. If Rakes was going to chase me, I wasn’t going to be in a Yugo this time.
**
I pulled to the front entrance and saw Hondo step out of the hedges still dressed in the hospital gown. He trotted to the Corvette and got into the passenger’s seat.
I drove away and said, “That gown’s open in the back. When you turned around it looked like a white globe with a crack in it.”
Hondo rested his head on the seat and breathed hard, “It’s kind of breezy on the nether regions.” He coughed several times, sighed and closed his eyes.
We were back and in Archie’s apartment in thirty minutes. Archie had the guest bedroom made for Hondo and gave up the Lazy-Boy recliner for him to sit in when we arrived.
“Thanks, Arch,” I said.
He gave me shoo-away signs with his hands, “It’s nothing.”
I said, “Say, you know that purple drink you make, that super elixir? Maybe you can make some for Hondo every day, kind of get him on his feet.”
Hondo pointed his finger at me from the recliner, “Don’t make trouble. Don’t listen to him Arch.”
Archie said, “It’s good stuff, you’ll see. Get you back on your feet in no time.”
Hondo shook his head and said, “I’m going to sleep.”
Archie said to me, “Don’t worry. I’ll be with him at night, and I’ve got a friend named Waylon Lakes that’ll be with him during the day.”
“He getting out of the nursing home to come do this?”