Speedy's
Friday 2, 1982
Lunchtime
Coy Dooley had just missed some kind of to-do at the local burger place as he pulled in. This was one of the places on the list he'd been instructed to check out when he got to town. There were several he was supposed to locate as part of his mysterious mission he'd received late Wednesday night.
The call had come in well after 10 PM two days earlier from Buck, a family friend who was well acquainted with Brandy Jo's son whom left town years ago when Coy was just a baby. Coy had never met Johnny Boy, or Tony as he'd been very specifically told to address him as, but he was a local legend in the community for all the wrong reasons. Tony had hoped to send Buck on the errand out to Texas, but he was laid up after a recent car crash and had a broken leg. The law was involved since he'd been drinking and he was out on bail and couldn't leave town.
Coy was far from the top choice, but Buck had been entrusted to find someone to get out to some little town near Dallas as soon as he could. The boy wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box and had no real talents or aspirations and was about to drop out of high school. It was all but certain he was not going back to school in the fall. Lacking a job and the only person Buck could find on short notice, he'd have to do.
Better known back home by his nickname "Tom", based on an old folk song from the late 50s, Coy Dooley came from a blue collar family and was likely going to end up in construction, working in a factory or an auto mechanic for the rest of life if he didn't wind up in jail. In the meantime, he hadn't done anything productive with his life all summer. He had few friends and no one could go with him, so he would have to undertake the journey alone.
The trip to get to Dallas from Phenix City, Alabama was about 12-15 hours. Phenix City was a quiet little town of just over 26,000 across the river from Columbus, Georgia. It was a nice community with lots of churches and overall, your typical all-American town. It was just a boring place where nothing ever seemed to happen and everyone knew each other. Coy had spent most of his life there and didn't have much travel experience, especially solo, driving across multiple states and got hopelessly lost mid-trip. He spent hours back tracking.
Since he didn't have money for a room, Coy slept a few hours at a rest area in his burnt orange Chevy Nova off the highway. Now he was starving and by sheer luck, had found Speedy's. He sat in the bay waiting for someone to skate over and take his order. Apparently, there had been some kind of brawl moments earlier, but things were slowly getting back to normal as the crowd dispersed. It was a shame he'd missed it. Judging from the commotion that had been stirred up, it must have been a good one. Right now, all he wanted was some food.
"What can I get you, hon," A cute car hop finally asked skating up to the car. Her name tag identified her as "Denise".
"Uhhhhhh," Coy began dumbly. "I reckon I just need me a burger, some fries and a Coke."
"What kind of Coke," Denise asked him. "We have regular, Tab, Sprite, Dr Pepper..."
"Regular," he responded.
"Medium? Everything on it," Denise asked referring first to the beverage size and then to the burger.
"Yeah," Coy said nodding to both questions. "Hey, what just happened?"
He pointed across the parking lot to where the crowd had been moments earlier. A cute brunette girl girl walked away from the order window, got back in the car and drove off from the spot where the incident had happened. There was spilled food everywhere and someone was cleaning it up near where they were parked. The chick that got in the car looked to be about his age. There were several other girls with her, but Coy didn't get a good look at the rest. From best he reckoned, the dipshit car hop had probably spilled the food and gotten into a fight with the people in the car.
"Oh, just some customer throwing a tantrum," She replied shrugging. "I don't know the details, I was taking orders in another section when it happened. Uh, it may be a couple of minutes while we get things cleaned up and we're a little shorthanded right now. I'll do my best to have that out to you as soon as we can."
"Was one of them waitresses involved," He asked immediately wanting to confirm his theory. "Did she get fired or something?" Denise just shrugged in response and skated off to get his order turned in.
Coy was running on very little sleep, but he was eager to get on with the rest of his assignment. Unknown to him, much of the information of this secret mission had been deliberately withheld. Buck knew better than to give the boy anything more than he needed to do the job. Coy was too likely to run his mouth to the wrong person. He'd been instructed not to ask too many questions and he knew nothing about Shelley, the car or the drugs in the trunk or what Tony's business in this town was.
All Coy knew is he would be briefed as soon as Johnny, or Tony met him. He would be picking him and his crew up at small municipal airport outside of town later that evening. They were flying in a small private plane. In the meantime, he had a few tasks he was supposed to complete before they landed.
The first was to find a place called Speedy Hamburgers. Done. Next, there was some kind of pizza place called Chunky Cheese and he was supposed to find out if the town had its own newspaper. If so, Coy was supposed to get the latest copy and find out where the office was. He was not given Gary's address. Tony would handle that part himself. He was already nervous involving a kid he didn't know. This small recon assignment with no context would keep him from spilling the beans and give Tony some idea of his competence level. How much the kid was involved beyond that would be assessed based on how well he'd done up to that point.
Beyond that, if he learned anything of interest, he was to take notes. That last instruction was vague since Coy didn't know what might interest Tony. He was pretty sure a brawl at this dive wasn't what he wanted to know.
Friday 2, 1982
Lunchtime
Coy Dooley had just missed some kind of to-do at the local burger place as he pulled in. This was one of the places on the list he'd been instructed to check out when he got to town. There were several he was supposed to locate as part of his mysterious mission he'd received late Wednesday night.
The call had come in well after 10 PM two days earlier from Buck, a family friend who was well acquainted with Brandy Jo's son whom left town years ago when Coy was just a baby. Coy had never met Johnny Boy, or Tony as he'd been very specifically told to address him as, but he was a local legend in the community for all the wrong reasons. Tony had hoped to send Buck on the errand out to Texas, but he was laid up after a recent car crash and had a broken leg. The law was involved since he'd been drinking and he was out on bail and couldn't leave town.
Coy was far from the top choice, but Buck had been entrusted to find someone to get out to some little town near Dallas as soon as he could. The boy wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box and had no real talents or aspirations and was about to drop out of high school. It was all but certain he was not going back to school in the fall. Lacking a job and the only person Buck could find on short notice, he'd have to do.
Better known back home by his nickname "Tom", based on an old folk song from the late 50s, Coy Dooley came from a blue collar family and was likely going to end up in construction, working in a factory or an auto mechanic for the rest of life if he didn't wind up in jail. In the meantime, he hadn't done anything productive with his life all summer. He had few friends and no one could go with him, so he would have to undertake the journey alone.
The trip to get to Dallas from Phenix City, Alabama was about 12-15 hours. Phenix City was a quiet little town of just over 26,000 across the river from Columbus, Georgia. It was a nice community with lots of churches and overall, your typical all-American town. It was just a boring place where nothing ever seemed to happen and everyone knew each other. Coy had spent most of his life there and didn't have much travel experience, especially solo, driving across multiple states and got hopelessly lost mid-trip. He spent hours back tracking.
Since he didn't have money for a room, Coy slept a few hours at a rest area in his burnt orange Chevy Nova off the highway. Now he was starving and by sheer luck, had found Speedy's. He sat in the bay waiting for someone to skate over and take his order. Apparently, there had been some kind of brawl moments earlier, but things were slowly getting back to normal as the crowd dispersed. It was a shame he'd missed it. Judging from the commotion that had been stirred up, it must have been a good one. Right now, all he wanted was some food.
"What can I get you, hon," A cute car hop finally asked skating up to the car. Her name tag identified her as "Denise".
"Uhhhhhh," Coy began dumbly. "I reckon I just need me a burger, some fries and a Coke."
"What kind of Coke," Denise asked him. "We have regular, Tab, Sprite, Dr Pepper..."
"Regular," he responded.
"Medium? Everything on it," Denise asked referring first to the beverage size and then to the burger.
"Yeah," Coy said nodding to both questions. "Hey, what just happened?"
He pointed across the parking lot to where the crowd had been moments earlier. A cute brunette girl girl walked away from the order window, got back in the car and drove off from the spot where the incident had happened. There was spilled food everywhere and someone was cleaning it up near where they were parked. The chick that got in the car looked to be about his age. There were several other girls with her, but Coy didn't get a good look at the rest. From best he reckoned, the dipshit car hop had probably spilled the food and gotten into a fight with the people in the car.
"Oh, just some customer throwing a tantrum," She replied shrugging. "I don't know the details, I was taking orders in another section when it happened. Uh, it may be a couple of minutes while we get things cleaned up and we're a little shorthanded right now. I'll do my best to have that out to you as soon as we can."
"Was one of them waitresses involved," He asked immediately wanting to confirm his theory. "Did she get fired or something?" Denise just shrugged in response and skated off to get his order turned in.
Coy was running on very little sleep, but he was eager to get on with the rest of his assignment. Unknown to him, much of the information of this secret mission had been deliberately withheld. Buck knew better than to give the boy anything more than he needed to do the job. Coy was too likely to run his mouth to the wrong person. He'd been instructed not to ask too many questions and he knew nothing about Shelley, the car or the drugs in the trunk or what Tony's business in this town was.
All Coy knew is he would be briefed as soon as Johnny, or Tony met him. He would be picking him and his crew up at small municipal airport outside of town later that evening. They were flying in a small private plane. In the meantime, he had a few tasks he was supposed to complete before they landed.
The first was to find a place called Speedy Hamburgers. Done. Next, there was some kind of pizza place called Chunky Cheese and he was supposed to find out if the town had its own newspaper. If so, Coy was supposed to get the latest copy and find out where the office was. He was not given Gary's address. Tony would handle that part himself. He was already nervous involving a kid he didn't know. This small recon assignment with no context would keep him from spilling the beans and give Tony some idea of his competence level. How much the kid was involved beyond that would be assessed based on how well he'd done up to that point.
Beyond that, if he learned anything of interest, he was to take notes. That last instruction was vague since Coy didn't know what might interest Tony. He was pretty sure a brawl at this dive wasn't what he wanted to know.
Vince's plane, on approach to Addison Airport
Friday, July 2, 1982
Around 4:30 PM
“Look, messing around with these knockout drugs isn’t as simple as you might think. There are two drugs involved, and neither of them is easy to smuggle out of the hospital,” Joanna was saying. “We use the first one to induce general anesthesia, because it’s really quick-acting, though not instantaneous. When I shoot her up with that, she ought to be out within, maybe, thirty to forty five seconds. But it doesn’t last very long; she’ll probably only be out for somewhere between five and ten minutes, depending on how much she weighs.”
Joanna didn’t say it aloud, but she was hoping this Cathy chick was going to turn out to be a lard-ass. The drugs wouldn’t keep her down as long if she was fat, but it would make her easier to compete against for Tony’s affections. Although Tony had told repeatedly told Joanna that she had won his heart and that Cathy no longer meant anything to him, Joanna wasn’t so sure; Tony seemed awfully obsessed with tracking her down. Of course, he claimed it was all about recovering the car and the drugs she had stolen from him, as well as some incriminating film or photo negatives or something that she had taken of him on the night she ran off, and that it had nothing to do with trying to rekindle his romance with her. But Joanna wasn’t entirely convinced.
“So that’s where the second drug comes in,” she continued her explanation. “Once the first drug has her knocked out, we can administer the second, which doesn’t act as fast, but it will keep her out for a lot longer. We can keep dosing her with that maybe once every six hours or so. I have enough to keep her knocked out for probably three days, maybe four, again depending on how much she weighs, but if we’re keeping her longer than that, well, I hope you brought a good supply of rope or something. Actually, you’ll probably need that anyway. You can’t question her while she’s unconscious, and you’ll probably need to to find out where the drugs and/or the pictures are. She’s not likely to have them on her when we take her, you know.”
As an afterthought, she added, “Do you happen to know how much she weighs? Or if not, are we going to have access to a scale to weigh her on? Where are we even gonna be taking her?” Most of what Tony had told her so far about this “mission” involved what he knew about Cathy's current situation, and how he planned to track her down. He hadn’t told her much about what he planned to do with her after they had her, and that worried her.
*tags*
Friday, July 2, 1982
Around 4:30 PM
“Look, messing around with these knockout drugs isn’t as simple as you might think. There are two drugs involved, and neither of them is easy to smuggle out of the hospital,” Joanna was saying. “We use the first one to induce general anesthesia, because it’s really quick-acting, though not instantaneous. When I shoot her up with that, she ought to be out within, maybe, thirty to forty five seconds. But it doesn’t last very long; she’ll probably only be out for somewhere between five and ten minutes, depending on how much she weighs.”
Joanna didn’t say it aloud, but she was hoping this Cathy chick was going to turn out to be a lard-ass. The drugs wouldn’t keep her down as long if she was fat, but it would make her easier to compete against for Tony’s affections. Although Tony had told repeatedly told Joanna that she had won his heart and that Cathy no longer meant anything to him, Joanna wasn’t so sure; Tony seemed awfully obsessed with tracking her down. Of course, he claimed it was all about recovering the car and the drugs she had stolen from him, as well as some incriminating film or photo negatives or something that she had taken of him on the night she ran off, and that it had nothing to do with trying to rekindle his romance with her. But Joanna wasn’t entirely convinced.
“So that’s where the second drug comes in,” she continued her explanation. “Once the first drug has her knocked out, we can administer the second, which doesn’t act as fast, but it will keep her out for a lot longer. We can keep dosing her with that maybe once every six hours or so. I have enough to keep her knocked out for probably three days, maybe four, again depending on how much she weighs, but if we’re keeping her longer than that, well, I hope you brought a good supply of rope or something. Actually, you’ll probably need that anyway. You can’t question her while she’s unconscious, and you’ll probably need to to find out where the drugs and/or the pictures are. She’s not likely to have them on her when we take her, you know.”
As an afterthought, she added, “Do you happen to know how much she weighs? Or if not, are we going to have access to a scale to weigh her on? Where are we even gonna be taking her?” Most of what Tony had told her so far about this “mission” involved what he knew about Cathy's current situation, and how he planned to track her down. He hadn’t told her much about what he planned to do with her after they had her, and that worried her.
*tags*
Tony's mind was elsewhere. He was concerned about the kid Buck was sending his way to help. He was young and worse yet, Tony had never met him. Little things like the kid not addressing his boss as Vin or even Vincent instead of "Mr. Giovanti" was imperative. Names and titles were important after all. The kid had better remember it was "Tony" and not "Johnny" or "Johnny Boy" if he knew what was good for him. "Vin" or "Vinny" was a coveted privilege that was earned. Getting names right aside, the kid was still a major source of concern, although he had tried to downplay that as much as he could with Vin. Hopefully, he would play a very minor role in the plot.
The plot. Jo's question interrupted his thoughts. He hadn't been listening. Something about the shit she planned to shoot Cathy up with when they made their move.
"...I hope you brought a good supply of rope or something. Actually, you’ll probably need that anyway. You can’t question her while she’s unconscious, and you’ll probably need to to find out where the drugs and/or the pictures are. She’s not likely to have them on her when we take her, you know.”
"Oh don't worry, I do love me some bondage," Tony assured her with a wink. Jo should get that reference from some of their bedroom play. "You ought to know. Getting what I want to know outta her is the fun part. The bitch will cooperate if she knows what is good for her, but I hope she don't make it too easy. I am hoping she puts up a little bit of a fight."
Tony wanted very much to break the bitch. He would get annoyed when the game took longer than he liked and he was done with toying with his ex. However, if she submitted too easily, that would be a disappointment. Cath was feisty one, so that was highly unlikely.
"Do you happen to know how much she weighs? Or if not, are we going to have access to a scale to weigh her on? Where are we even gonna be taking her?”
"She's a tiny thing," Tony said with a shrug. "I dunno. Just over 100 pounds. Not much more than that. But here is the thing, she ain't no 150 pounds, but if you shoot her up with enough shit like she is, that would be more than adequate."
Where were they taking her? That question annoyed Tony. Like the kid, Jo was on a need to know basis. She had a specific function in their mission. She didn't need to know anything beyond what was needed to serve in her role and if she did, she'd be given that information at the right time. Fuck buddy or not, or the delusion she was his new girlfriend, Jo was not his equal. She was his subordinate. Her temporary expanded role in his life was a privilege and if she wanted to "move up" in Tony's world, she best figure that out soon.
Tony paused to think how to answer that. Did he put her in her place since Vin was listening? It was a very small plane and the cockpit was not private. That was Tony's first impulse to show Vince his "piece (of ass)" was under control. Or...did he make it a playful tease, like a surprise trip to the toy store for a child that got an A on their report card?
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Tony finally answered. He kept his temper in check even though he was irritated, but he made the statement firmly so she got the message. "Think of this as a covert operation. We ain't gonna go chargin' in and just grab her. Our first order of business is to collect some intel... get the lay of the land. I already got boots on the ground. We are going to find her and watch her and find the right moment. Don't get too comfortable in this little shit hole. It will be a short stay. A few days at best. Once we find the right moment, it will be a well-oiled machine, sort of like the Firebird she absconded with. That was one bad ride... Damn, I miss her... the car, not Cathy."
"When we make our move, she, the car and any other assets will be gone without a trace before anyone has time to miss her," Tony concluded. His intention was to get a feel for the girl's routine, hopefully find a moment when she was with the car alone, strike before she ever knew what hit her and get as far the fuck out of Dodge as they could. Of course, the risk in doing it that way would be he might not find out about the coke or photos until it was too late and he didn't want to have to turn around. That's why Jo might need to move in undercover and feel things out before that moment.
And no one would miss her. They couldn't. It had only been a few weeks, not even a month since she'd gotten here. She couldn't possibly have settled in and gotten to know anyone in such a short time. Therefore, nobody would miss her when she moved on without warning.
The plot. Jo's question interrupted his thoughts. He hadn't been listening. Something about the shit she planned to shoot Cathy up with when they made their move.
"...I hope you brought a good supply of rope or something. Actually, you’ll probably need that anyway. You can’t question her while she’s unconscious, and you’ll probably need to to find out where the drugs and/or the pictures are. She’s not likely to have them on her when we take her, you know.”
"Oh don't worry, I do love me some bondage," Tony assured her with a wink. Jo should get that reference from some of their bedroom play. "You ought to know. Getting what I want to know outta her is the fun part. The bitch will cooperate if she knows what is good for her, but I hope she don't make it too easy. I am hoping she puts up a little bit of a fight."
Tony wanted very much to break the bitch. He would get annoyed when the game took longer than he liked and he was done with toying with his ex. However, if she submitted too easily, that would be a disappointment. Cath was feisty one, so that was highly unlikely.
"Do you happen to know how much she weighs? Or if not, are we going to have access to a scale to weigh her on? Where are we even gonna be taking her?”
"She's a tiny thing," Tony said with a shrug. "I dunno. Just over 100 pounds. Not much more than that. But here is the thing, she ain't no 150 pounds, but if you shoot her up with enough shit like she is, that would be more than adequate."
Where were they taking her? That question annoyed Tony. Like the kid, Jo was on a need to know basis. She had a specific function in their mission. She didn't need to know anything beyond what was needed to serve in her role and if she did, she'd be given that information at the right time. Fuck buddy or not, or the delusion she was his new girlfriend, Jo was not his equal. She was his subordinate. Her temporary expanded role in his life was a privilege and if she wanted to "move up" in Tony's world, she best figure that out soon.
Tony paused to think how to answer that. Did he put her in her place since Vin was listening? It was a very small plane and the cockpit was not private. That was Tony's first impulse to show Vince his "piece (of ass)" was under control. Or...did he make it a playful tease, like a surprise trip to the toy store for a child that got an A on their report card?
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Tony finally answered. He kept his temper in check even though he was irritated, but he made the statement firmly so she got the message. "Think of this as a covert operation. We ain't gonna go chargin' in and just grab her. Our first order of business is to collect some intel... get the lay of the land. I already got boots on the ground. We are going to find her and watch her and find the right moment. Don't get too comfortable in this little shit hole. It will be a short stay. A few days at best. Once we find the right moment, it will be a well-oiled machine, sort of like the Firebird she absconded with. That was one bad ride... Damn, I miss her... the car, not Cathy."
"When we make our move, she, the car and any other assets will be gone without a trace before anyone has time to miss her," Tony concluded. His intention was to get a feel for the girl's routine, hopefully find a moment when she was with the car alone, strike before she ever knew what hit her and get as far the fuck out of Dodge as they could. Of course, the risk in doing it that way would be he might not find out about the coke or photos until it was too late and he didn't want to have to turn around. That's why Jo might need to move in undercover and feel things out before that moment.
And no one would miss her. They couldn't. It had only been a few weeks, not even a month since she'd gotten here. She couldn't possibly have settled in and gotten to know anyone in such a short time. Therefore, nobody would miss her when she moved on without warning.
Vince had been listening to Tony and Jo quietly. They would be landing soon so his attention had more been on waiting for incoming instructions from the tower. He had, however, heard every word and decided to chime in.
"Let's not make any assumptions," he finally said. "I taught you better than that."
"Yes sir, you did," Tony returned. "That's why we are doing the recon and observing first. We'll get a hotel off the highway away from the action but not too far. I'll make sure to stay well out of sight so Cathy doesn't run into me. That's where Jo and the kid come in as far as doin' a little sniffin' around for us."
It would be unbecoming to suggest Vince should join in that part of the mission. That was grunt work and there was a certain etiquette in business, legal or otherwise. Unless the boss man informed them he would take care of it, Tony and the others would be overstepping to even suggest it.
"You are assuming she doesn't know anyone here. Running scared or not, Texas is a long way from home," Vince added firmly. "Such assumptions could prove dangerous."
"Not gonna argue with you, boss man. You're right," Tony acknowledged. He hoped Jo would keep her trap shut. The men were talking and she best recognize that and know her place.
"But just remember, she's a fresh face off the turnip farm. She just grad-gee-ated 6 grade," Tony continued. The graduating 6th grade was a reference to Jethro Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies regarding the fact that Shelley had just gotten out of high school. "We ain't dealing with an ex-CIA operative or someone with military experience, so it's no surprise she went clear across the country before she stopped."
"But we can't be sure that she doesn't have some friend from years ago or a distant relative here," Vince pushed back, still not upset but wanting to make sure Tony had thought things through.
Tony nodded. "But we're pretty sure that ain't the case," he pointed out. "She's shacking up with a guy named Gary. She don't know nobody. I mean, if she's lying to her mama, why not tell her she met some young lady her own age? I'm sure she told the truth there and betting she didn't think her shit through before she called her. She needed them keys and some cash. Otherwise, had she been real smart, she would have made up a better story so she didn't look like a fuckin' whore like 'remember my friend Barb from the 6th grade?' She's living out here in Texas and I'm staying with her for awhile."
Vince couldn't argue with that thought process. There was a reason he trusted Tony, despite him being a dumb ass redneck from the sticks. That was a long time ago and he'd lived up north since his teens. Beside the southern accent and his annoying redneck speak he hadn't lost along the way, Tony generally had a good head on his shoulders. But then again, he'd been stupid to have "his piece" in the car during a drug deal and not only had the little bitch seen too much, she'd also apparently snapped photos and slipped through the net in the process not to mention having gotten away with some very expensive product. That was sloppy work on Tony's end. This was his chance at redemption. He'd best not fuck it up.
"Anyway, boss man, I hear you loud and clear on your concerns. We ain't gonna do nothing stupid. We'll assume the worst and that she's gotten attached to someone, likely this Gary guy she's shackin' with," Tony assured him. "But I guarantee, she's paying the guy in blow jobs, not rent money or she'd have got her own place. She might hunker down if things get serious and they think about gettin' hitched. But things just can't be that serious in a few weeks. She's in the perfect position to get some quick money and move on. If that bitch needs to fly the coop in the middle of the night, he could wake up one mornin' to find her gone and never hear from her again and that is what we got goin' for us."
That was what Tony was betting on and why he was sure that if they could just find an opportunity when no one was around they could get her and the car and no one would ever notice. She'd vanish as mysteriously as she'd appeared and no one in that tiny Texas town would give a second thought about Miss Cathy Higgins.
Vince was about to bring up his concerns about the boy next, but they were now about to be on final approach and he picked up the tower in his headset and radioed in to get landing instructions. He would address that situation once they were on the ground.
"Let's not make any assumptions," he finally said. "I taught you better than that."
"Yes sir, you did," Tony returned. "That's why we are doing the recon and observing first. We'll get a hotel off the highway away from the action but not too far. I'll make sure to stay well out of sight so Cathy doesn't run into me. That's where Jo and the kid come in as far as doin' a little sniffin' around for us."
It would be unbecoming to suggest Vince should join in that part of the mission. That was grunt work and there was a certain etiquette in business, legal or otherwise. Unless the boss man informed them he would take care of it, Tony and the others would be overstepping to even suggest it.
"You are assuming she doesn't know anyone here. Running scared or not, Texas is a long way from home," Vince added firmly. "Such assumptions could prove dangerous."
"Not gonna argue with you, boss man. You're right," Tony acknowledged. He hoped Jo would keep her trap shut. The men were talking and she best recognize that and know her place.
"But just remember, she's a fresh face off the turnip farm. She just grad-gee-ated 6 grade," Tony continued. The graduating 6th grade was a reference to Jethro Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies regarding the fact that Shelley had just gotten out of high school. "We ain't dealing with an ex-CIA operative or someone with military experience, so it's no surprise she went clear across the country before she stopped."
"But we can't be sure that she doesn't have some friend from years ago or a distant relative here," Vince pushed back, still not upset but wanting to make sure Tony had thought things through.
Tony nodded. "But we're pretty sure that ain't the case," he pointed out. "She's shacking up with a guy named Gary. She don't know nobody. I mean, if she's lying to her mama, why not tell her she met some young lady her own age? I'm sure she told the truth there and betting she didn't think her shit through before she called her. She needed them keys and some cash. Otherwise, had she been real smart, she would have made up a better story so she didn't look like a fuckin' whore like 'remember my friend Barb from the 6th grade?' She's living out here in Texas and I'm staying with her for awhile."
Vince couldn't argue with that thought process. There was a reason he trusted Tony, despite him being a dumb ass redneck from the sticks. That was a long time ago and he'd lived up north since his teens. Beside the southern accent and his annoying redneck speak he hadn't lost along the way, Tony generally had a good head on his shoulders. But then again, he'd been stupid to have "his piece" in the car during a drug deal and not only had the little bitch seen too much, she'd also apparently snapped photos and slipped through the net in the process not to mention having gotten away with some very expensive product. That was sloppy work on Tony's end. This was his chance at redemption. He'd best not fuck it up.
"Anyway, boss man, I hear you loud and clear on your concerns. We ain't gonna do nothing stupid. We'll assume the worst and that she's gotten attached to someone, likely this Gary guy she's shackin' with," Tony assured him. "But I guarantee, she's paying the guy in blow jobs, not rent money or she'd have got her own place. She might hunker down if things get serious and they think about gettin' hitched. But things just can't be that serious in a few weeks. She's in the perfect position to get some quick money and move on. If that bitch needs to fly the coop in the middle of the night, he could wake up one mornin' to find her gone and never hear from her again and that is what we got goin' for us."
That was what Tony was betting on and why he was sure that if they could just find an opportunity when no one was around they could get her and the car and no one would ever notice. She'd vanish as mysteriously as she'd appeared and no one in that tiny Texas town would give a second thought about Miss Cathy Higgins.
Vince was about to bring up his concerns about the boy next, but they were now about to be on final approach and he picked up the tower in his headset and radioed in to get landing instructions. He would address that situation once they were on the ground.
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