Ghost Road Blues (Pine Deep 1)

“Now,” Vic said softly, “pick up that money. ” His eyes were hard as fists.

Polk didn’t even try to stare him down; his eyes dropped and he bent over and picked up the bundle wrapped in the greasy rag.

You took your thirty pieces of silver, just like me.

Vic nodded his approval, and then suddenly smiled. “It’s gonna start happening soon. That’s your starting salary, man. It’s an advance, and there’s a shitload more where that came from. I’ll call you to tell you how to earn enough of it to let you buy all the broads and scotch whiskey in the world. I’ll call you soon. ” He paused and pointed a hard finger at Polk’s face. “You be ready. ”

With that, Vic turned and climbed back into his truck. He slammed the door, put it in gear, fought his way aggressively through the evening traffic, and vanished around a corner. Polk stood and watched him go, his eyes still wide, his heart hammering in his chest, and his mind reeling with the implications. Melanie slept through it all, waking only when she heard and felt the trunk slam shut. She raised sleepy eyes and looked at Polk as he climbed in beside her.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

You took your thirty pieces of silver, just like me, and that means the Man owns us! He owns us.

Polk dabbed at the sweat on his brow and upper lip. “No,” he said huskily. “I…uh, I suddenly don’t feel all that good. ”

She shrugged, turned the key in the ignition, and eased the patrol car into the lane of traffic heading south.

3

“I gave her a sedative and she’ll sleep through,” Weinstock said as he settled into the bedside chair.

Crow nodded. About ten minutes after Val had snuck into his room, a tribe of nurses had come hustling in, scolding and clucking and scowling at Crow as if her elopement from her own room had somehow been his idea. They bundled her off to her room, shooting looks of disapproval over their shoulders as they went. A few minutes after that Saul Weinstock had come in.

“She tell you why she slipped out?”

Weinstock nodded. “Bad dreams. Who can blame her? I’m probably going to have my fair share of them tonight, too. ”

“She only told me that she had a dream about that guy Ruger. No details. ”

Weinstock sucked his teeth. “She said she saw Karl Ruger in her room. Oh, don’t look at me like that. With all that she’s been through I’d have been concerned for her sanity if she didn’t dream of that prick. But with the stuff we pumped her up with she’ll probably be dreaming of nothing more threatening than Santa Claus for the rest of the night. ”

“Yeah. Maybe. ”

“Look, Crow, I want to be serious for just a bit, okay? We both know how tough Val is, and believe me, when she’s in form I would never want to cross her. But with everything that’s happened she’s likely to be a little flaky. And you”—he reached over and tapped Crow’s knee with a thick finger—“have to be the stabilizing force in her life. You’re going to have to represent sense and order so she can get back to herself. ”

“Sense and order? Me?”

“I know, it’s a stretch for you. ”

“Eat me. ”

“You’re not kosher. ”

“How do you know?”

“I’m a doctor, I know everything. ”

“Ah. ”

“Anyway…she’s going to need time and a lot of love. And patience. This could take weeks or even months for her to get over. You up for all that?”

Crow laughed. “Can I share something with you, Saul?”

“Of course. ”

“Last night I was going to ask Val to go away with me for a weekend to a nice bed-?and-?breakfast in New Hope. Over a nice dinner and a superb bottle of nonalcoholic wine I was going to pop the ol’ question. ”

A great big grin broke out on Weinstock’s face. “Then I guess you’re all set for the long haul. ”