I might’a made some headway in some of my cases if more didn’t keep poppin’ up all over. I’d no sooner got rid of the three ATF stooges than the state police dispatcher got on the air to announce a mutual aid call. I was s’posed to come to their aid for a change, to the Seven-Eleven at County C an’ the highway.
When I got there, Dan Underhill come huffin’ outta the store an’ slid into the passenger’s seat.
“What’s up?” I said.
“Grand theft, auto.”
“Whose?”
He got real red, an’ I suddenly got the pi’ture. “Let me see if this is how it went?” I said. “You stopped here for coffee …”
He didn’t say yes or no, but I took it for “yes” that he got redder.
“You left your car runnin’ an’ unattended—just for a second—while you went inside …” I glanced at him.
He was lookin’ straight ahead, an’ I thought he just might break his jaw, it was clenched so tight.
“When you come out, it was gone.”
He muttered, “Smart-ass.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“Golly, Mr. Dillon, you ain’t even broadcast a description of the car yet! He’s prob’ly outta state by now.”
“The SOB’s got a radio. Anything broadcast’ll tell him just what we’re doing.”
“That’s true, Kemosabe, but it’ll tell all the good guys, too.”
He reached for my radio, but I beat him to it. “Allow me.” I described the missin’ vehicle in police lingo—never said it was a police car, just unit number so-an’-so. Then I axed was the bear-in-the-air hibernatin’ today?
“No,” he said. “It’s up there.”
“Good. Hang tight a sec.” I took my keys outta the ignition an’ got outta the car. He was gonna follow, but I told him to wait. “Lemme see if the clerk gives me the same story you got.”
The clerk was a well-padded young thing with Coke bottle–glasses, studyin’ the latest portable soap opera like her grade in life depended on it. When she looked up, I give her my brightest smile an’ said, “Mornin’, darlin’.”
Her eyes got big as saucers.
“I’m lookin’ into a major crime was just committed, an’ I wonder if you could give me some assistance?”
It took her a minute to work all that out, an’ she seemed like she was goin’ into shock. Finally, she said, “Anything, Sheriff.”
“You seen anyone hangin’ ’round here while the state trooper was in?”
“The one that lost his car?”
“That one.”
She made a face told me Underhill hadn’t been diplomatic. “No. He already axed me that.”
“Anybody been in here tryin’ to bum a ride today?”
“Just a kid. He left before the trooper came.”
“You tell the trooper about him?”
“No. He didn’t ask.”
“What’d this kid look like?”
“Looked like one of the Jackson clan.”
“I’d be obliged for what else you kin tell me.”
“He wasn’t buying nothing, just hanging around. Looked like he was fixing to steal something soon’s I turned my back. So I threw ’im out.”
I give her another smile an’ said, “You don’t know how much you helped. I certainly am obliged.” When I tipped my hat, I thought she’d swoon. I decided it’d be safer to make my phone calls somewheres else.