In the Moon of Red Ponies (Billy Bob Holland 4)

“Well, maybe it’s over, then,” she said.

“I think Dixon took it.”

“Who cares?”

“You’ve got a point,” I said.

I began fixing a cold supper for both of us. I opened a bottle of wine and poured Temple a glass and one for myself.

“I think I’ll just have some Talking Rain to drink,” she said.

“You feel all right?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“On Saturday night you always have a glass of wine.”

“I’m just not in the mood. Want to take a walk? We can eat when we come back.”

“Sure,” I said.

I put the food back in the refrigerator and followed her outside. The valley was dark now, the sky still blue, the evening star twinkling in the smoke to the west. I heard the phone ring inside. “I’ll be right back,” I said.

I picked up the phone receiver in the hallway. Through the front window I could see Temple waiting for me in the yard, the gallery light shining on her hair, one knuckle pressed against her chin, her face lost in thought.

“Hello?” I said into the receiver.

“Hey, glad we caught you at home, dickwad,” a voice said.

I checked my caller ID. The call number was blocked. “Say it,” I said.

“You got other people’s property. That’s not nice.”

“You’re wrong.”

“The Indian dumped a lockbox on your property. It’s not there now. Where do you think it went? It grew wings and flew up in a fucking tree?”

The accent was eastern seaboard, maybe Jersey or Rhode Island, the question mark at the end of a sentence as barbed as a fishhook.

“You got a line into the Feds?” I asked.

“What we got a line into is your old lady’s womb. Want your baby to get born? If not, we got a guy does beautiful work with a coat hanger.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing about your life we don’t got. That includes your old lady’s medical records. Deliver our goods and you don’t got a problem. Think I’m blowing gas? When you get off the phone, ask your son what kind of day he’s had.”

“You listen, you motherfucker—”

“We’ll be in touch. Buy better rubbers or stay out of other people’s business,” he said.

The line went dead.

I went outside, my hands shaking so badly I had to put them in my pockets.

“What happened?” Temple said.

“A guy just threatened you. He said you’re going to have a baby. What’s he talking about?”