Ghost Road Blues (Pine Deep 1)

“That’s affirmative. Hold for backup en route. ”

“Copy that. ”

“Ferro out. ”

“Out. ” Head tossed the mike onto the seat and turned to Rhoda. “You heard that?”

“Uh-?huh. ”

“We’ll wait. You know who we’re after. I didn’t wake up this morning as John Wayne and you probably aren’t Annie Oakley. ”

“I have no idea who Annie Oakley is, but I get the point. ” She grinned. “Waiting here is good. ”

They stood on the far side of their unit, using it as cover. Head took a foil pack of Orbit gum out of his pocket and popped one through the blister; he offered the pack to Rhoda but she shook her head. His dark brown eyes had a gunslinger squint to them that Rhoda found intimidating.

She said, “You must think we’re a bunch of backwoods dumb-?asses. ”

He chuckled as he chewed the gum. “Actually, no. Just be happy you don’t deal with this kind of freak every day. It juices you for about the first year on the job but it damn sure gets old after a while. ”

She nodded, cradling the shotgun in her arms.

Head grinned. “Tell you the truth, I’d switch jobs with you in a heartbeat. I love this town. I bring my kids up to the hayride every year. We were up here two weeks ago, and I’m probably going to bring my youngest and his Cub Scout pack up here closer to Halloween. My wife, Tracy, and I come up here Christmas shopping every year. Kind of a ritual. We always have breakfast in that place on Salem Street, what’s the name…? Auntie Ems?”

“Yeah, that’s a great place. I waitressed there some when I was still in high school. ”

“Yeah? Be funny if maybe one of those times you waited our table. ”

“Could have. The place is always packed. ”

“Yeah, but man, they make the best breakfasts. I love that one they do, the omelet with Granny Smith apples and cheddar cheese? With a little cinnamon on top. ”

“The Scarecrow. ”

“Right, right. Man, I love that one. And Tracy really likes the Irish oatmeal with honey and milk. ”

“Yeah, all their stuff’s good. ”

He blew a stream of blue smoke into the night.

In the far distance they could see red and blue lights racing along A-32.

“That’s them,” he said.

They stood in silence, their guns still pointing at the darkened field, but their eyes flicking toward the approaching lights.

“Officer Head?”

“Jerry. ”

“Jerry. Does this stuff—everything they’re saying about the suspect, about Ruger—doesn’t that scare you?”

“Me? Naw. He chopped up some defenseless old folks. I’ve faced down his kind before. ”

“So…you’re not scared? Really?”

“Hell no!” Head laughed. “This guy scares the living piss out of me. ”

Relief flooded her face. “God! Me too. You know, we only have a couple of full-?time officers here in town. Most of us are law students doing this part-?time as a kind of co-?op thing. I mean, we get some academy training, but they know that we’re not career, so they don’t really drum it into us. And stuff like this never happens. ”