Bad Moon Rising

“Just wait, they’re gonna get more hurt before long.”

I nodded my head, “Uh huh, we know what this is all about, don’t we, Hondo?”

My best friend since childhood didn’t say a thing, just let me hang there. I gave him my squinty-eyed mean look and said, “Like Hondo told me minutes ago, the packages of Julio’s chips should be in the office today.”

Vick looked at Hondo, “That true?”

Hondo said, “Our friend said she mailed them a few days ago, so they should be here today. She even sent you an extra bag, a big one.”

“And the Julio’s salsa?”

“Yes sir, an extra one of those, too.”

Vick smiled, “She is a wonderful person, knows how to take care of her friends.”

I said, “Just like us, huh?”

We watched as the fire department finished extinguishing the fire and backed from the vehicle, their work done.

Vick narrowed his eyes, “Some of you are on more thin ice than others. I haven’t forgotten you stole my donuts.”

I raised my eyebrows, “Do you have evidence to those charges? No you don’t, so Ipso Facto, I’m innocent as the driven snow.”

One of the Forensic Investigators approached Vick, “We have the fire extinguished and did a prelim on the body. It’s a woman.”

My heart sank, and Hondo said softly, “Damn.”

Vick put his hand on my shoulder, “There’s nothing you can do here. Go to your office and I’ll come by when they get the body out and can ID it. It’s all too hot right now.”

As we drove to the office, Hondo said, “We might have gotten Bodhi killed.”

“By them thinking we were cops? Maybe. But that’s crazy desperate, don’t you think? Especially now, with the hundred thousand dollar reward right there in front of them.”

Hondo said, “I guess we’ll find out.” We parked in front of Archie’s gym and walked to our office. Archie had delivered the mail, as usual. The large cardboard box from Texas sat on my desk. It was open. A big, empty bag of chips lay on my notepad. Bits of broken chips lay scattered like tasty yellow shrapnel across the desk surface. Two empty jars of Julio’s salsa looked lonely amid the carnage. A tablespoon of salsa, shaped like a two-inch amoeba glistened in the center of my desk, so I knew the culprit had to be close.

We heard the toilet flush and the door opened. Archie stepped out holding an almost empty bag of chips. “Hey, boys!”

“You’re stealing our supplies?” I asked.

“Nope,” He popped another chip in his mouth, “I’m eating a snack.”

I said, “A snack? A giant bag of chips and two jars of salsa? You are an evil man.”

Archie ate another chip, “Uh-huh.” He held out the bag to Hondo, who took several from it.

“Et tu Brute?” I said.

“Look at the name on the box,” Hondo said.

I glanced at it, and then looked closer. It was from our friend, but to Archie.

Archie said, “Feel like a little turd now?” He held the bag out to me. I took a handful of chips to ease my embarrassment. “Leave us some,” Arch said. “And Ronny, your box is in the storage room. Unopened.?

?

“Thanks, Arch. I’m a little off right now.”

Archie sensed it and said, “What?”