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. Giovante" 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.
"...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’s comments brought a blush and a frown to Joanne’s face. She would have preferred to keep their bedroom activities private, but Tony had practically just told Mr. Giovante that she’d been letting him tie her up. She began to wonder if Cathy had been letting Tony tie her up too, and what other little games the two of them might have played. It certainly sounded like Tony was planning on making a game out of interrogating her. Embarrassment and jealousy were fighting a battle to dominate her emotions, but she tried to refocus on her planning.
"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."
“It’s dangerous to use too much; she might not wake up. If I’m not going to know her weight, maybe I’ll just assume 120 pounds,” she muttered, and then waited for Tony to answer the other part of her question. It seemed to Joanna like the question bothered him, as he appeared to be thinking over his reply before answering, and that made her wonder if he had actually planned all this out or if he was just winging it.
"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."
Yeah, sure, he was talking about the car, she thought sarcastically. She didn’t believe that for a moment. And he wasn’t answering her question either, just talking about how and when they would take Cathy, without a mention of where they were going to take her or what they would do with her once they had her. She didn’t interrupt Tony, though; she got the feeling this wouldn’t be a good time for that.
"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.
"Let's not make any assumptions," Vince 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."
Joanna was about to ask Tony to please tell her that he wasn’t planning to carry out Cathy’s interrogation in a public hotel room with other people around, but Tony’s other comments grabbed her attention. Was he planning to use her as a sort of undercover spy, to investigate Cathy while he personally stayed hidden in a hotel room? She had thought her role in this caper was to help control the captive by keeping her sedated. Joanna didn’t like surprises, but admittedly the idea of playing spy sounded kind of intriguing. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being paired up with this Coy guy to do it, though; she knew nothing about him other than that he was some “kid” that Tony knew.
"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."
Joanna sat silently and listened to the conversation between Tony and Mr. Giovante. Obviously this girl they were planning to grab wasn’t a soldier or a spy; she was just some ex-girlfriend of Tony’s that had betrayed him and stolen some of his shit, so it seemed strange to hear Tony contrast her to those things. She supposed it must gall Tony pretty bad that he got ripped off like that by someone just out of high school.
"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.
"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 Gary might miss his blow jobs,” Joanna muttered. She was still feeling a little irritated that Tony and Mr. Giovante seemed more concerned about whether anybody would miss Cathy than about what they were going to do with her once they had her.
Mr. Giovante seemed like he had more to say, but he cut the conversation short and began communicating with the airport, since they were about to land. A few minutes later they were safely on the ground. As they were debarking from the plain, Joanna asked, “So this Coy dude is supposed to pick us up here, right? How well do you know him?” She expected to meet him soon, but Tony’s comments about her and Coy working together to investigate Cathy’s situation had her anxious to know more. She didn’t trust him, at least not yet.
"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’s comments brought a blush and a frown to Joanne’s face. She would have preferred to keep their bedroom activities private, but Tony had practically just told Mr. Giovante that she’d been letting him tie her up. She began to wonder if Cathy had been letting Tony tie her up too, and what other little games the two of them might have played. It certainly sounded like Tony was planning on making a game out of interrogating her. Embarrassment and jealousy were fighting a battle to dominate her emotions, but she tried to refocus on her planning.
"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."
“It’s dangerous to use too much; she might not wake up. If I’m not going to know her weight, maybe I’ll just assume 120 pounds,” she muttered, and then waited for Tony to answer the other part of her question. It seemed to Joanna like the question bothered him, as he appeared to be thinking over his reply before answering, and that made her wonder if he had actually planned all this out or if he was just winging it.
"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."
Yeah, sure, he was talking about the car, she thought sarcastically. She didn’t believe that for a moment. And he wasn’t answering her question either, just talking about how and when they would take Cathy, without a mention of where they were going to take her or what they would do with her once they had her. She didn’t interrupt Tony, though; she got the feeling this wouldn’t be a good time for that.
"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.
"Let's not make any assumptions," Vince 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."
Joanna was about to ask Tony to please tell her that he wasn’t planning to carry out Cathy’s interrogation in a public hotel room with other people around, but Tony’s other comments grabbed her attention. Was he planning to use her as a sort of undercover spy, to investigate Cathy while he personally stayed hidden in a hotel room? She had thought her role in this caper was to help control the captive by keeping her sedated. Joanna didn’t like surprises, but admittedly the idea of playing spy sounded kind of intriguing. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being paired up with this Coy guy to do it, though; she knew nothing about him other than that he was some “kid” that Tony knew.
"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."
Joanna sat silently and listened to the conversation between Tony and Mr. Giovante. Obviously this girl they were planning to grab wasn’t a soldier or a spy; she was just some ex-girlfriend of Tony’s that had betrayed him and stolen some of his shit, so it seemed strange to hear Tony contrast her to those things. She supposed it must gall Tony pretty bad that he got ripped off like that by someone just out of high school.
"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.
"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 Gary might miss his blow jobs,” Joanna muttered. She was still feeling a little irritated that Tony and Mr. Giovante seemed more concerned about whether anybody would miss Cathy than about what they were going to do with her once they had her.
Mr. Giovante seemed like he had more to say, but he cut the conversation short and began communicating with the airport, since they were about to land. A few minutes later they were safely on the ground. As they were debarking from the plain, Joanna asked, “So this Coy dude is supposed to pick us up here, right? How well do you know him?” She expected to meet him soon, but Tony’s comments about her and Coy working together to investigate Cathy’s situation had her anxious to know more. She didn’t trust him, at least not yet.
Addison Municipal Airport
Friday, July 2, 1982
Just before 5 PM
After finishing lunch, Coy had several hours to kill before he had to find the small airport on the outskirts of town. First up, "Chunky Cheese" which turned out to be formally named "Pizza Time Theatre". The mascot character's name was actually "Chuck E. Cheese" who was one of several mechanical characters in the dining room Coy discovered once inside. The place was a cross between an arcade and pizzeria for kids. Chuck, who the others called 'The Big C', was an obnoxious rat that called his subordinates names, insulted them and was particularly chauvinistic to the cowgirl character named Harmony. Although Coy hadn't met Tony yet, from what he'd heard, he'd appreciate the humor there.
Having just eaten, Coy wasn't hungry and didn't have any money to spend in the place. He just wandered around and watched the show which came on every few minutes. The next room over had a large arcade with the latest video games, a few skill games like skee ball and a skeet shooting simulator that used life-sized rifles and somehow worked off lights projected on a screen simulating the clay pigeons. Had the game not required game tokens, he might have played it a few times. There was also a giant cheese slide that resembled a block of cheese.
Near that was a section of kiddie rides. They were the kind that bobbed up and down and played music when you put a token in them. Kmart and grocery stores often had them out front. In the center back wall of the game room was a prize counter. Some games, like skee ball, awarded tickets that could be used to redeem candy, junky trinkets and carnival type prizes including plush versions of the characters. Finally, there was an additional dining room Coy missed when he came in. There was a lone mechanical hippo behind a piano. She required a token to turn on. No one was in that room at the moment, so Coy wandered through the arcade for awhile.
He saw several teenage employees including a guy named "Matt" according to his name tag. After wandering and keeping a low profile, he never did encounter anyone named Gary and he didn't want to call attention to himself by asking. If the guy was there, he'd then have to have a reason and story for why he was looking for him. Coy had no description of the man, so unless he was wearing a uniform and he could identify him by a nametag, he would have no way of recognizing him. Apparently, the guy had the day off, so after killing an hour or so, Coy moved on.
Finding the newspaper office proved a bit more challenging. Coy wasn't going to break down and stop at a payphone booth and use the yellow pages. It didn't occur to him to check convivence stores or the front lobby of any of the local sit down restaurants for copies of the paper. Coy unknowingly drove past the office several times. He just didn't look in the correct direction. The sign was not facing the main road as the newspaper was around the corner in a small business complex. It was only visible coming from the correct direction. Location, location, location was everything if you were in retail and relied on walk-in traffic. Fortunately for Mike and Cindy Wolfe, they were not as reliant on a visible location and needed a cheap office, so the fact the newspaper was neatly tucked away in the corner of a multi-business plaza met their needs. Most of their advertising sales and subscriptions were done over the phone as opposed to walk in traffic anyway.
After a few hours of driving around Teal Cove, Coy checked his watch. It was still about an hour before the private plane came in, but he figured he'd best get to the air strip. The small airport only handled small private and charter planes and was a few towns over. Not being familiar with the area, Coy decided he better give himself plenty of time to find it.
The drive was mostly down backroads and miles of open land. A large farm dominated both sides of a poorly paved road marked with barbed wire fence and cows. The only distinguishing feature was a red and white Victorian style house well off the road. The road narrowed to a one lane bridge there and a group of goats were hanging out under the bridge. About a mile later came another road; Trinity Mills. That was the one he was looking for. Another town or perhaps the other end of Teal Cove began to take shape ahead, although businesses were well spread out.
A few minutes later, Coy easily found Midway Road. The airport was somewhere off of this. Almost immediately upon turning, he found it. Off in the distance was some chain link fence surrounding some runways and a small control tower. Coy easily found his way to the road leading to the tower. Next to it was a small office. Obviously, he couldn't get directly on the runway. He had no idea how to pick someone up from a small airport like this, so he assumed Tony and his associates would locate him once they landed and deboarded. Therefore, there was nothing more to do than to wait in the car.
Friday, July 2, 1982
Just before 5 PM
After finishing lunch, Coy had several hours to kill before he had to find the small airport on the outskirts of town. First up, "Chunky Cheese" which turned out to be formally named "Pizza Time Theatre". The mascot character's name was actually "Chuck E. Cheese" who was one of several mechanical characters in the dining room Coy discovered once inside. The place was a cross between an arcade and pizzeria for kids. Chuck, who the others called 'The Big C', was an obnoxious rat that called his subordinates names, insulted them and was particularly chauvinistic to the cowgirl character named Harmony. Although Coy hadn't met Tony yet, from what he'd heard, he'd appreciate the humor there.
Having just eaten, Coy wasn't hungry and didn't have any money to spend in the place. He just wandered around and watched the show which came on every few minutes. The next room over had a large arcade with the latest video games, a few skill games like skee ball and a skeet shooting simulator that used life-sized rifles and somehow worked off lights projected on a screen simulating the clay pigeons. Had the game not required game tokens, he might have played it a few times. There was also a giant cheese slide that resembled a block of cheese.
Near that was a section of kiddie rides. They were the kind that bobbed up and down and played music when you put a token in them. Kmart and grocery stores often had them out front. In the center back wall of the game room was a prize counter. Some games, like skee ball, awarded tickets that could be used to redeem candy, junky trinkets and carnival type prizes including plush versions of the characters. Finally, there was an additional dining room Coy missed when he came in. There was a lone mechanical hippo behind a piano. She required a token to turn on. No one was in that room at the moment, so Coy wandered through the arcade for awhile.
He saw several teenage employees including a guy named "Matt" according to his name tag. After wandering and keeping a low profile, he never did encounter anyone named Gary and he didn't want to call attention to himself by asking. If the guy was there, he'd then have to have a reason and story for why he was looking for him. Coy had no description of the man, so unless he was wearing a uniform and he could identify him by a nametag, he would have no way of recognizing him. Apparently, the guy had the day off, so after killing an hour or so, Coy moved on.
Finding the newspaper office proved a bit more challenging. Coy wasn't going to break down and stop at a payphone booth and use the yellow pages. It didn't occur to him to check convivence stores or the front lobby of any of the local sit down restaurants for copies of the paper. Coy unknowingly drove past the office several times. He just didn't look in the correct direction. The sign was not facing the main road as the newspaper was around the corner in a small business complex. It was only visible coming from the correct direction. Location, location, location was everything if you were in retail and relied on walk-in traffic. Fortunately for Mike and Cindy Wolfe, they were not as reliant on a visible location and needed a cheap office, so the fact the newspaper was neatly tucked away in the corner of a multi-business plaza met their needs. Most of their advertising sales and subscriptions were done over the phone as opposed to walk in traffic anyway.
After a few hours of driving around Teal Cove, Coy checked his watch. It was still about an hour before the private plane came in, but he figured he'd best get to the air strip. The small airport only handled small private and charter planes and was a few towns over. Not being familiar with the area, Coy decided he better give himself plenty of time to find it.
The drive was mostly down backroads and miles of open land. A large farm dominated both sides of a poorly paved road marked with barbed wire fence and cows. The only distinguishing feature was a red and white Victorian style house well off the road. The road narrowed to a one lane bridge there and a group of goats were hanging out under the bridge. About a mile later came another road; Trinity Mills. That was the one he was looking for. Another town or perhaps the other end of Teal Cove began to take shape ahead, although businesses were well spread out.
A few minutes later, Coy easily found Midway Road. The airport was somewhere off of this. Almost immediately upon turning, he found it. Off in the distance was some chain link fence surrounding some runways and a small control tower. Coy easily found his way to the road leading to the tower. Next to it was a small office. Obviously, he couldn't get directly on the runway. He had no idea how to pick someone up from a small airport like this, so he assumed Tony and his associates would locate him once they landed and deboarded. Therefore, there was nothing more to do than to wait in the car.
Whatever concerns Jo had, they went unanswered. Tony could tell he'd gotten under her skin on several levels including sharing intimate moments with their bedroom play and also dismissing some of her concerns about their plan and giving vague details about what she obviously thought were important issues. Jo was overthinking things and some of what she was worried about frankly were not her concern. The men had things under control. That's all she needed to know.
The plane got quiet as the boss man brought it in for a smooth landing. The weather in Tejas, land of steers and queers, was pleasant. Tony glanced to Jo. He was glad the discussion between the three had been cut short by their arrival. The truth was, since Tony had never met Coy, he didn't want to answer too many questions about him in front of Vince.
As for Jo, she'd take on whatever other duties were assigned to her beyond drugging Cathy whether she liked it or not. That was her primary function on the trip, but they had a small crew and so if they needed her to do anything else, she had better be agreeable.
Vince taxied the plane to a hanger. As soon as they deboarded, Tony began unloading the luggage. They were met by an airport official who brought a cart. Vince needed to go to the office to file some paperwork. Tony threw the suitcases and duffle bag they had in the luggage compartment onto the cart.
"Wait in the lobby," Tony ordered her. "I'll go look for the kid."
Cart in tow, Tony cut through the office and stuck his head out the door. That god damn kid better be out there, he thought. Sure enough, a burnt orange Nova was waiting in a parking spot just a few feet from the door. Inside, a slightly overweight kid with greasy hair was dozing.
Tony tapped on the glass and the driver awoke with a start. He stared for a moment like a deer in the headlights before quickly cranking the window down as fast as he could turn the handle.
"You Jooooooooooo... uh Tony," Coy asked quickly, almost slipping up. Whether Tony caught the faux pas or not wasn't clear. If he had, there was not a reaction to Coy's relief.
"Reckon so," Tony answered. "Coy?"
"Y-yes sir," he responded, throwing the door open and offering his hand. Tony intentionally squeezed the kid's hand as hard as he could. Coy winced a little bit, but didn't verbalize his objection. A moment later, the pain ended as Tony released his grasp.
"Pop the trunk, kid," Tony told him. He quickly gave Coy a run down of what he needed to know and how he'd best watch his mouth around Mr. Giovante and 'Miss Jo' as he referred to Joanna. About that time, the boss and 'his piece' emerged.
"Vince, meet Coy," he said just as they got the baggage in the trunk and slammed it shut. Robotically, the kid stuck his hand out. It was obvious he felt out of place and uncomfortable.
"Pleasure, sir," Coy immediately responded.
"Good to meet you," Vince returned. His handshake was firm, but not bone crushing like Tony's.
"This is Mr. Giovante, he's the boss man. You do as he says without question," Tony instructed sternly. "And this here is Miss Jo."
The boy did not offer a handshake. Instead, he just gave a polite nod. "Ma'am," he acknowledged.
The plane got quiet as the boss man brought it in for a smooth landing. The weather in Tejas, land of steers and queers, was pleasant. Tony glanced to Jo. He was glad the discussion between the three had been cut short by their arrival. The truth was, since Tony had never met Coy, he didn't want to answer too many questions about him in front of Vince.
As for Jo, she'd take on whatever other duties were assigned to her beyond drugging Cathy whether she liked it or not. That was her primary function on the trip, but they had a small crew and so if they needed her to do anything else, she had better be agreeable.
Vince taxied the plane to a hanger. As soon as they deboarded, Tony began unloading the luggage. They were met by an airport official who brought a cart. Vince needed to go to the office to file some paperwork. Tony threw the suitcases and duffle bag they had in the luggage compartment onto the cart.
"Wait in the lobby," Tony ordered her. "I'll go look for the kid."
Cart in tow, Tony cut through the office and stuck his head out the door. That god damn kid better be out there, he thought. Sure enough, a burnt orange Nova was waiting in a parking spot just a few feet from the door. Inside, a slightly overweight kid with greasy hair was dozing.
Tony tapped on the glass and the driver awoke with a start. He stared for a moment like a deer in the headlights before quickly cranking the window down as fast as he could turn the handle.
"You Jooooooooooo... uh Tony," Coy asked quickly, almost slipping up. Whether Tony caught the faux pas or not wasn't clear. If he had, there was not a reaction to Coy's relief.
"Reckon so," Tony answered. "Coy?"
"Y-yes sir," he responded, throwing the door open and offering his hand. Tony intentionally squeezed the kid's hand as hard as he could. Coy winced a little bit, but didn't verbalize his objection. A moment later, the pain ended as Tony released his grasp.
"Pop the trunk, kid," Tony told him. He quickly gave Coy a run down of what he needed to know and how he'd best watch his mouth around Mr. Giovante and 'Miss Jo' as he referred to Joanna. About that time, the boss and 'his piece' emerged.
"Vince, meet Coy," he said just as they got the baggage in the trunk and slammed it shut. Robotically, the kid stuck his hand out. It was obvious he felt out of place and uncomfortable.
"Pleasure, sir," Coy immediately responded.
"Good to meet you," Vince returned. His handshake was firm, but not bone crushing like Tony's.
"This is Mr. Giovante, he's the boss man. You do as he says without question," Tony instructed sternly. "And this here is Miss Jo."
The boy did not offer a handshake. Instead, he just gave a polite nod. "Ma'am," he acknowledged.
"Wait in the lobby," Tony ordered her. "I'll go look for the kid."
“Sure. No problem,” Joanna replied none too happily. She was still irritated with Tony over his loose lips about their bedroom activities, his refusal to give meaningful answers to her questions, and his apparent fascination with this Cathy (or his Firebird, as he claimed). She was getting the definite impression that Tony hadn’t thought this little mission of his through, but she knew enough to keep her mouth shut about it. It didn’t appear there was any point in pressing the matter further; she would probably just piss him off if she did. She walked over to a sofa in the lobby that had a low glass-topped coffee table in front of it spread with a variety of magazines and pamphlets featuring various tourists attractions in the Dallas area. Dropping into the seat on one end of the sofa, she crossed her arms, propped her feet up on the coffee table, and began waiting while Mr. Giovante took care of his business in the airport office and Tony went off in search of “Coy”.
After a few minutes, Mr. Giovante emerged from the airport’s office, apparently finished with filing whatever forms were required, so Joanna uncrossed her legs, got to her feet, and went to join him. “All done? Tony went out to find that kid that was supposed to pick us up,” she said.
The two of them headed out the front door and quickly spotted Tony and someone who must be Coy loading their luggage into the trunk of a Chevy Nova.
"Vince, meet Coy," he said just as they got the baggage in the trunk and slammed it shut. Robotically, the kid stuck his hand out. It was obvious he felt out of place and uncomfortable.
"Pleasure, sir," Coy immediately responded.
"Good to meet you," Vince returned. His handshake was firm, but not bone crushing like Tony's.
"This is Mr. Giovante, he's the boss man. You do as he says without question," Tony instructed sternly. "And this here is Miss Jo."
Miss Jo? Tony didn’t usually add the “Miss” honorific when addressing her personally. She wondered if Tony was actually prompting Coy to show her some respect, or if he was making a joke at her expense. It occurred to her that since they were in the Dallas area Tony might be riffing on the way Jock Ewing always called his wife “Miss Ellie”. Regardless of what Tony intended, Coy responded respectfully, giving her a polite nod and addressing her as “Ma’am”.
“Hi Coy,” Joanna replied with a forced smile. She wasn’t very impressed by him. He looked greasy and seemed unsure of himself, and he came off to her as rather unintelligent, although she hadn’t interacted enough with him yet to know for sure. On the plus side, he was pretty big, a few inches taller than her and pretty stocky. Although he didn’t seem to be in particularly good shape physically, his size would probably allow him to manhandle a hundred-pound teenage girl like Cathy pretty easily, and she supposed that was the whole point of having him as part of their group. “Nice to meet you.”
It seemed all their stuff was already loaded in Coy’s car, so Joanna asked, “Okay, Tony, what’s next? Hotel? Dinner? Or do we go Cathy-hunting right away?”
*tags*
“Sure. No problem,” Joanna replied none too happily. She was still irritated with Tony over his loose lips about their bedroom activities, his refusal to give meaningful answers to her questions, and his apparent fascination with this Cathy (or his Firebird, as he claimed). She was getting the definite impression that Tony hadn’t thought this little mission of his through, but she knew enough to keep her mouth shut about it. It didn’t appear there was any point in pressing the matter further; she would probably just piss him off if she did. She walked over to a sofa in the lobby that had a low glass-topped coffee table in front of it spread with a variety of magazines and pamphlets featuring various tourists attractions in the Dallas area. Dropping into the seat on one end of the sofa, she crossed her arms, propped her feet up on the coffee table, and began waiting while Mr. Giovante took care of his business in the airport office and Tony went off in search of “Coy”.
After a few minutes, Mr. Giovante emerged from the airport’s office, apparently finished with filing whatever forms were required, so Joanna uncrossed her legs, got to her feet, and went to join him. “All done? Tony went out to find that kid that was supposed to pick us up,” she said.
The two of them headed out the front door and quickly spotted Tony and someone who must be Coy loading their luggage into the trunk of a Chevy Nova.
"Vince, meet Coy," he said just as they got the baggage in the trunk and slammed it shut. Robotically, the kid stuck his hand out. It was obvious he felt out of place and uncomfortable.
"Pleasure, sir," Coy immediately responded.
"Good to meet you," Vince returned. His handshake was firm, but not bone crushing like Tony's.
"This is Mr. Giovante, he's the boss man. You do as he says without question," Tony instructed sternly. "And this here is Miss Jo."
Miss Jo? Tony didn’t usually add the “Miss” honorific when addressing her personally. She wondered if Tony was actually prompting Coy to show her some respect, or if he was making a joke at her expense. It occurred to her that since they were in the Dallas area Tony might be riffing on the way Jock Ewing always called his wife “Miss Ellie”. Regardless of what Tony intended, Coy responded respectfully, giving her a polite nod and addressing her as “Ma’am”.
“Hi Coy,” Joanna replied with a forced smile. She wasn’t very impressed by him. He looked greasy and seemed unsure of himself, and he came off to her as rather unintelligent, although she hadn’t interacted enough with him yet to know for sure. On the plus side, he was pretty big, a few inches taller than her and pretty stocky. Although he didn’t seem to be in particularly good shape physically, his size would probably allow him to manhandle a hundred-pound teenage girl like Cathy pretty easily, and she supposed that was the whole point of having him as part of their group. “Nice to meet you.”
It seemed all their stuff was already loaded in Coy’s car, so Joanna asked, “Okay, Tony, what’s next? Hotel? Dinner? Or do we go Cathy-hunting right away?”
*tags*
It seemed all their stuff was already loaded in Coy’s car, so Joanna asked, “Okay, Tony, what’s next? Hotel? Dinner? Or do we go Cathy-hunting right away?”
Tony sighed. Jo was right but that was not the point. The biggest issue was the bitch talked too much. Way too much. Tony was sorely tempted to break out a roll of that big industrial-grade duct tape he had in the duffle bag. The tape that was intended for Cathy's hands and mouth later. That would hardly be professional, though. He would make a note to test it later tonight once they had a room.
Instead of correcting 'his piece' or going off on her in front of Coy and Vince, Tony forced a great big smile. "That sounds like a great idea," he replied after a moment. Joanna hadn't made a suggestion. She'd asked which of those things they needed to do and in what order.
Tony turned to Coy. "So you scope this place out," he asked. "Where can we get some chow? The lady is hungry."
Coy quickly explained he checked out the town. He found the pizza place where the guy worked but didn't see anyone named 'Gary'. There was a good burger joint in town, the one that Cathy worked at. He didn't see anyone matching her description either. They were currently the next town over from Teal Cove and he'd seen some hotels and places to eat not far from the airport that were just far enough away that it was unlikely they'd run into Cathy.
"Well, let's get on with it then," Tony stated, trying to sound authoritative but not cruel. He turned to Vince. "What are you in the mood for boss man? Steak? Lobster? I-talian?" Tony pronounced the first part as the word "eye", breaking it into two separate words in an obnoxious way.
Vince turned to the boy, expecting him to make a recommendation. "There are some real nice restaurants just up the way," Coy quickly answered. "I don't know about Italian, but I did see a real expensive looking steak kinda place."
"Perfect," Vince replied. "Let's go."
The Chevy Nova was a 2 door. Both the front and back had bench seats and a tan interior. Normally, Tony would never get in the back, but the boy had to drive and Vince out ranked him. It was an unspoken courtesy to yield shotgun to the boss without saying anything. Tony gestured for Jo to get in first and climbed in behind her. His eyes immediately noted the trash in the floor board. He also took notice of the discarded fast food bag, a few cans including at least one crushed beer can and soda cup sitting in the floor board by the front passenger seat. The look of disgust did not go unnoticed on Vince's face as his eyes went to the garbage as well.
Tony was mentally kicking himself for not taking a closer look at the car's interior. That was a failure on his part. Without missing a beat, Tony took corrective action. "Hey boy," Tony snapped, not holding back on his irritation of the situation. "Why don't you tidy your ride up a bit before we get on the road?"
He pointed at the trash dumpster sitting across 2 parking spots in the corner of the lot. "Huh? Oh, sorry," Coy apologized quickly, clearly embarrassed that he'd not thought to clean his car out before arriving. He quickly took care of the garbage in the front and tossed it in the dumpster. "Can you hand me that stuff," he asked after hurrying back referring to the garbage in the rear of the car.
Clumsily, Coy wrapped his arms around the trash, dropping a can or two between the car and the bin and not bothering to pick them up. Once the car was free of litter, at least what was visible as Coy didn't check under the seats or the door sills, they were on their way.
The fancy steak place was not actually what Coy thought it was. It turned out, Kobe Steaks* was a Japanese-style hibachi restaurant. Not only was it upscale, but the meal was prepared in front of the guests. A large grill was at the heard of the table and a chef cooked the meal in front of them. The patrons sat on pillows after removing their shoes. The chef, dressed in traditional attire, dazzled everyone making a show of lighting the grill causing the flames to dance and twirling utensils as each course was served hot off the grill.
There had been a brief wait to be seated as the group had no reservation and dinner took about an hour. It was after 8 PM by the time Vince paid the bill and they headed out.
"What's the hotel situation," Tony inquired as they piled back into Coy's Chevy. He noted an expensive looking motel nearby. "These look real nice, but I reckon they are a bit too close to town. What about off the highway?"
"Well, 35 is out the other way," Coy explained. "Not much there. If we cut across town, hop on the highway, and run out about 10 minutes down the road there is some other highway that crosses it. I seen a Days Inn off the exit by that. One of them places where the doors open outside and..."
"Nah, Nothing like that," Tony pressed pointing at the nicer hotel with its faux gold roof. "What about a place like that?"
"Reckon not," Coy answered sheepishly.
"Boss man," Tony inquired. He intentionally didn't get Joanne's thoughts. Her input didn't matter.
"I think we'll be fine there," Vince responded after mulling it over for a moment. "Let's see if they have rooms available." He indicated the fancy hotel with the golden roof was up to his standards.
A short while later, the group was checking in at the front desk of the InterContinental Hotel**. Jo would share a room with Tony and Vince and Coy would each get separate rooms. It was unclear how long it would take to find Cathy and restrain her, but once they did, they'd be on their way. Vince made the decision to book the rooms for several days. At worst, he was out several hundred dollars if they left early and couldn't get a refund. That was small money to him. Having to find a new hotel because someone else had a reservation would be an inconvenience if they didn't have to relocate sooner.
There were several complimentary newspapers in the lobby near the brochure rack including The Dallas Times Herald, The Dallas Morning News and a smaller local paper; The Teal Cove Chronicle. He'd look at them once they got their rooms. "Let's unload the car and get settled," Vince suggested.
Tony nodded and cut his eyes to Coy. "You heard the man," he barked. "Pop the trunk, get one of them luggage carts and bring our shit to the rooms." Tony had been civil up until now but he had now taken on a much harsher authoritative tone with the boy. That was partly due to a long day and his getting tired. He needed to hit the sack. Tony was also showboating for his boss and wanted Vince to see that he knew how to leverage having a lackey.
Tony took his key, handed his boss one and took Joanna by the arm as if he was escorting his date to the prom. "Room 107, 108 and yours is 109," he called after Coy. He'd give the boy his key once he brought the bags to his room. He could unpack his shit last.
Editor note: *Was a real restaurant in Addison opened in December 1980 on Beltline Road. It closed sometime during the pandemic.
** InterContinental Dallas was a fancy hotel near Kobe Steaks. It closed in the late 80s or early 90s and has been multiple hotels since and the building still exists. It was known for its golden facade roof. The building was very ornamental and all of the fake gold and decorations were stripped when the InterContinental closed. Whatever hotel is there today looks extremely plain by contrast.
Tony sighed. Jo was right but that was not the point. The biggest issue was the bitch talked too much. Way too much. Tony was sorely tempted to break out a roll of that big industrial-grade duct tape he had in the duffle bag. The tape that was intended for Cathy's hands and mouth later. That would hardly be professional, though. He would make a note to test it later tonight once they had a room.
Instead of correcting 'his piece' or going off on her in front of Coy and Vince, Tony forced a great big smile. "That sounds like a great idea," he replied after a moment. Joanna hadn't made a suggestion. She'd asked which of those things they needed to do and in what order.
Tony turned to Coy. "So you scope this place out," he asked. "Where can we get some chow? The lady is hungry."
Coy quickly explained he checked out the town. He found the pizza place where the guy worked but didn't see anyone named 'Gary'. There was a good burger joint in town, the one that Cathy worked at. He didn't see anyone matching her description either. They were currently the next town over from Teal Cove and he'd seen some hotels and places to eat not far from the airport that were just far enough away that it was unlikely they'd run into Cathy.
"Well, let's get on with it then," Tony stated, trying to sound authoritative but not cruel. He turned to Vince. "What are you in the mood for boss man? Steak? Lobster? I-talian?" Tony pronounced the first part as the word "eye", breaking it into two separate words in an obnoxious way.
Vince turned to the boy, expecting him to make a recommendation. "There are some real nice restaurants just up the way," Coy quickly answered. "I don't know about Italian, but I did see a real expensive looking steak kinda place."
"Perfect," Vince replied. "Let's go."
The Chevy Nova was a 2 door. Both the front and back had bench seats and a tan interior. Normally, Tony would never get in the back, but the boy had to drive and Vince out ranked him. It was an unspoken courtesy to yield shotgun to the boss without saying anything. Tony gestured for Jo to get in first and climbed in behind her. His eyes immediately noted the trash in the floor board. He also took notice of the discarded fast food bag, a few cans including at least one crushed beer can and soda cup sitting in the floor board by the front passenger seat. The look of disgust did not go unnoticed on Vince's face as his eyes went to the garbage as well.
Tony was mentally kicking himself for not taking a closer look at the car's interior. That was a failure on his part. Without missing a beat, Tony took corrective action. "Hey boy," Tony snapped, not holding back on his irritation of the situation. "Why don't you tidy your ride up a bit before we get on the road?"
He pointed at the trash dumpster sitting across 2 parking spots in the corner of the lot. "Huh? Oh, sorry," Coy apologized quickly, clearly embarrassed that he'd not thought to clean his car out before arriving. He quickly took care of the garbage in the front and tossed it in the dumpster. "Can you hand me that stuff," he asked after hurrying back referring to the garbage in the rear of the car.
Clumsily, Coy wrapped his arms around the trash, dropping a can or two between the car and the bin and not bothering to pick them up. Once the car was free of litter, at least what was visible as Coy didn't check under the seats or the door sills, they were on their way.
The fancy steak place was not actually what Coy thought it was. It turned out, Kobe Steaks* was a Japanese-style hibachi restaurant. Not only was it upscale, but the meal was prepared in front of the guests. A large grill was at the heard of the table and a chef cooked the meal in front of them. The patrons sat on pillows after removing their shoes. The chef, dressed in traditional attire, dazzled everyone making a show of lighting the grill causing the flames to dance and twirling utensils as each course was served hot off the grill.
There had been a brief wait to be seated as the group had no reservation and dinner took about an hour. It was after 8 PM by the time Vince paid the bill and they headed out.
"What's the hotel situation," Tony inquired as they piled back into Coy's Chevy. He noted an expensive looking motel nearby. "These look real nice, but I reckon they are a bit too close to town. What about off the highway?"
"Well, 35 is out the other way," Coy explained. "Not much there. If we cut across town, hop on the highway, and run out about 10 minutes down the road there is some other highway that crosses it. I seen a Days Inn off the exit by that. One of them places where the doors open outside and..."
"Nah, Nothing like that," Tony pressed pointing at the nicer hotel with its faux gold roof. "What about a place like that?"
"Reckon not," Coy answered sheepishly.
"Boss man," Tony inquired. He intentionally didn't get Joanne's thoughts. Her input didn't matter.
"I think we'll be fine there," Vince responded after mulling it over for a moment. "Let's see if they have rooms available." He indicated the fancy hotel with the golden roof was up to his standards.
A short while later, the group was checking in at the front desk of the InterContinental Hotel**. Jo would share a room with Tony and Vince and Coy would each get separate rooms. It was unclear how long it would take to find Cathy and restrain her, but once they did, they'd be on their way. Vince made the decision to book the rooms for several days. At worst, he was out several hundred dollars if they left early and couldn't get a refund. That was small money to him. Having to find a new hotel because someone else had a reservation would be an inconvenience if they didn't have to relocate sooner.
There were several complimentary newspapers in the lobby near the brochure rack including The Dallas Times Herald, The Dallas Morning News and a smaller local paper; The Teal Cove Chronicle. He'd look at them once they got their rooms. "Let's unload the car and get settled," Vince suggested.
Tony nodded and cut his eyes to Coy. "You heard the man," he barked. "Pop the trunk, get one of them luggage carts and bring our shit to the rooms." Tony had been civil up until now but he had now taken on a much harsher authoritative tone with the boy. That was partly due to a long day and his getting tired. He needed to hit the sack. Tony was also showboating for his boss and wanted Vince to see that he knew how to leverage having a lackey.
Tony took his key, handed his boss one and took Joanna by the arm as if he was escorting his date to the prom. "Room 107, 108 and yours is 109," he called after Coy. He'd give the boy his key once he brought the bags to his room. He could unpack his shit last.
Editor note: *Was a real restaurant in Addison opened in December 1980 on Beltline Road. It closed sometime during the pandemic.
** InterContinental Dallas was a fancy hotel near Kobe Steaks. It closed in the late 80s or early 90s and has been multiple hotels since and the building still exists. It was known for its golden facade roof. The building was very ornamental and all of the fake gold and decorations were stripped when the InterContinental closed. Whatever hotel is there today looks extremely plain by contrast.
InterContinental Hotel Dallas
Friday, July 2, 1982
A little after 10 PM
Joanna was in the bathroom of the hotel room where she and Tony were staying, trying to free her hands, which were secured behind her back with duct tape. She was attempting to use the edge of the sink counter to scrape one of the ends of the duct tape loose, in hopes of unwinding it from around her arms. She wasn’t having much success, unlike the first time. She’d been able to free herself on Tony’s first attempt to restrain her.
Shortly after they’d gotten their belongings moved to their hotel room, Tony had retrieved a large roll of duct tape from one of his bags and announced that he wanted to practice tying Cathy up to make sure she wouldn’t be able to escape, and since Cathies were in short supply at the moment, he wanted to use her as a “test subject”. While she generally enjoyed it when Tony tied her up, it irritated her that Tony was thinking of her as a stand-in for Cathy. Tony irritatingly seemed to have a knack for frequently making her feel like she was just a substitute for his previous girlfriend. But she didn’t want Tony to see her annoyance, so she put on an enthusiastic smile, said “Okay”, and turned to face away from him while putting her hands together palm-to-palm behind her back. She immediately heard that distinctive sound duct tape makes when it is being pulled off the roll, and felt Tony wrapping it tightly around her forearms starting at the wrist, looping it around and around up to her elbows, and then back down to her wrists again. After a few more loops around her wrists he cut the tape loose from the rest of the roll and pressed the end of the tape down.
“Okay, see if you can get loose,” he said.
Trying to escape when Tony tied her up was something she hadn’t done before, at least not seriously, though she’d given a token playful effort to escape from time to time. But this time was different; Tony needed to be sure that Cathy wouldn’t be able to escape, so she needed to make a real effort. She knew she had no chance of trying to pull her arms free of the tape, but she thought she might be able to unwrap the tape. Tony hadn’t bound her feet, so she walked into the bathroom, put her back to the sink counter, and started scraping her bound wrists against the edge of the counter until she felt the end of the tape starting to pull free. With a few more scrapes against the counter she got a few inches of the tape free, and then she wrapped the loose end around the bathroom doorknob to anchor it in place. She moved her arms in a sort of twirling motion, each time pulling loose one of the loops of duct tape. It took some time and effort, but she eventually got free.
“Clever girl,” Tony said. “We’re going to try it again. This time put your forearms parallel to each other horizontally behind your back, with your left wrist next to your right elbow and your right wrist next to your left elbow.”
“Fine,” she said, feeling a little frustrated. She turned her back on Tony again and positioned her arms as he had instructed. Again she heard the sound of the tape being pulled loose, and felt it being wrapped tightly around her forearms, this time starting at the middle of her forearms rather than at one of her wrists. Also, it didn’t feel like Tony had pressed the end of the tape against her skin, but rather had left that end hanging loose. Tony began wrapping loops of the tape tightly around her arms, working his way toward her left wrist/right elbow. With each loop he made, he pulled her arms away from her back far enough to force the roll of tape between her arms and back, which was a little painful on her shoulders. After reaching her left wrist/right elbow, he started working his way back toward the other wrist/elbow combination. Upon reaching that, he worked his way back to the middle of her back, leaving her forearms completely taped together, but with the two ends of the tape still hanging loose. Then it felt like Tony was somehow tying the two ends of the tape together, in what might be some kind of triple or quadruple knot.
Tony spun her around to face him. “Alright, let’s see you get out of that!” he said with a smirk on his face.
Joanna knew the way she was bound now was going to make it much harder to get loose. Even if she could get one end of the tape loose (which seemed unlikely), she wasn’t going to be able to unwrap it as she’d done before, not with the tape going between her back and arms. Still, she couldn’t think of a better idea, so she went back to the bathroom and started trying to get at least one end of the tape loose. She didn’t seem to be making any real progress, and it didn’t help that Tony was occasionally taunting her for her inability to escape. She was just getting frustrated rather than getting free.
When she’d first started her escape attempts, Tony had watched her with amusement for a while, but after a few minutes he seemed to be getting bored and flipped on the TV. The local news was on, but Tony turned the volume all the way down. For the next few minutes his attention was divided, sometimes looking at the images on the screen and other times watching her attempts to free herself. After a while, Tony looked at his watch and said in a taunting voice, “It’s been, like, fifteen minutes. Aren’t you free yet?”
Joanna stopped struggling and turned to him. “I don’t think I can get out of this. Not unless I can find something sharp to cut the tape,” she admitted.
A pleased smile appeared on Tony’s face. “Okay, come here,” he said. She walked over to where he was standing beside the bed, thinking he would free her. Instead he pushed her down so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Now that I know you can’t get free, it’s time for the next part of the test. We need to see if I can keep you quiet.” Before she could respond, he quickly took the roll of tape, put it over her mouth, and started wrapping the tape around her head so tightly that it hurt a little. He made several loops around her lower head, each time putting another layer of tape over her mouth while keeping the tape below the level of her nostrils.
“MMMP! MMMMM!” Joanna said, trying to protest. She found this infuriating, both because it took away her ability to communicate with Tony and because he hadn’t asked permission first; he hadn’t even told her he was going to do it, at least not until the last second. Besides, getting all that tape off her long hair was probably going to be a pain, literally. Joanna gave Tony an angry look and continued to make noises. If Tony thought the duct tape alone would be able to keep Cathy quiet, that notion would be quickly disabused by all the sounds Joanna was making. She may not be able to form intelligible words, but she could still make plenty of noise.
Once Tony was finished taping her mouth shut, he settled into a chair next to the stand the TV was on and looked at her with a self-satisfied grin. “You don’t look happy. Is something wrong?” he asked with a false sense of concern in his voice. “Is so, just tell me what’s wrong and I’ll fix it. What was that? I’m having trouble understanding you.”
Joanna frowned at him, but then she noticed something on the TV screen that made her eyes go wide. She tried to say “Isn’t that Cathy?”, but what came out sounded more like “Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?” Tony didn’t seem to quite understand what she was saying, so she lifted her foot and pointed it toward the TV screen, and yelled “AAA-EEEE! Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?”
*Tag Tony*
Friday, July 2, 1982
A little after 10 PM
Joanna was in the bathroom of the hotel room where she and Tony were staying, trying to free her hands, which were secured behind her back with duct tape. She was attempting to use the edge of the sink counter to scrape one of the ends of the duct tape loose, in hopes of unwinding it from around her arms. She wasn’t having much success, unlike the first time. She’d been able to free herself on Tony’s first attempt to restrain her.
Shortly after they’d gotten their belongings moved to their hotel room, Tony had retrieved a large roll of duct tape from one of his bags and announced that he wanted to practice tying Cathy up to make sure she wouldn’t be able to escape, and since Cathies were in short supply at the moment, he wanted to use her as a “test subject”. While she generally enjoyed it when Tony tied her up, it irritated her that Tony was thinking of her as a stand-in for Cathy. Tony irritatingly seemed to have a knack for frequently making her feel like she was just a substitute for his previous girlfriend. But she didn’t want Tony to see her annoyance, so she put on an enthusiastic smile, said “Okay”, and turned to face away from him while putting her hands together palm-to-palm behind her back. She immediately heard that distinctive sound duct tape makes when it is being pulled off the roll, and felt Tony wrapping it tightly around her forearms starting at the wrist, looping it around and around up to her elbows, and then back down to her wrists again. After a few more loops around her wrists he cut the tape loose from the rest of the roll and pressed the end of the tape down.
“Okay, see if you can get loose,” he said.
Trying to escape when Tony tied her up was something she hadn’t done before, at least not seriously, though she’d given a token playful effort to escape from time to time. But this time was different; Tony needed to be sure that Cathy wouldn’t be able to escape, so she needed to make a real effort. She knew she had no chance of trying to pull her arms free of the tape, but she thought she might be able to unwrap the tape. Tony hadn’t bound her feet, so she walked into the bathroom, put her back to the sink counter, and started scraping her bound wrists against the edge of the counter until she felt the end of the tape starting to pull free. With a few more scrapes against the counter she got a few inches of the tape free, and then she wrapped the loose end around the bathroom doorknob to anchor it in place. She moved her arms in a sort of twirling motion, each time pulling loose one of the loops of duct tape. It took some time and effort, but she eventually got free.
“Clever girl,” Tony said. “We’re going to try it again. This time put your forearms parallel to each other horizontally behind your back, with your left wrist next to your right elbow and your right wrist next to your left elbow.”
“Fine,” she said, feeling a little frustrated. She turned her back on Tony again and positioned her arms as he had instructed. Again she heard the sound of the tape being pulled loose, and felt it being wrapped tightly around her forearms, this time starting at the middle of her forearms rather than at one of her wrists. Also, it didn’t feel like Tony had pressed the end of the tape against her skin, but rather had left that end hanging loose. Tony began wrapping loops of the tape tightly around her arms, working his way toward her left wrist/right elbow. With each loop he made, he pulled her arms away from her back far enough to force the roll of tape between her arms and back, which was a little painful on her shoulders. After reaching her left wrist/right elbow, he started working his way back toward the other wrist/elbow combination. Upon reaching that, he worked his way back to the middle of her back, leaving her forearms completely taped together, but with the two ends of the tape still hanging loose. Then it felt like Tony was somehow tying the two ends of the tape together, in what might be some kind of triple or quadruple knot.
Tony spun her around to face him. “Alright, let’s see you get out of that!” he said with a smirk on his face.
Joanna knew the way she was bound now was going to make it much harder to get loose. Even if she could get one end of the tape loose (which seemed unlikely), she wasn’t going to be able to unwrap it as she’d done before, not with the tape going between her back and arms. Still, she couldn’t think of a better idea, so she went back to the bathroom and started trying to get at least one end of the tape loose. She didn’t seem to be making any real progress, and it didn’t help that Tony was occasionally taunting her for her inability to escape. She was just getting frustrated rather than getting free.
When she’d first started her escape attempts, Tony had watched her with amusement for a while, but after a few minutes he seemed to be getting bored and flipped on the TV. The local news was on, but Tony turned the volume all the way down. For the next few minutes his attention was divided, sometimes looking at the images on the screen and other times watching her attempts to free herself. After a while, Tony looked at his watch and said in a taunting voice, “It’s been, like, fifteen minutes. Aren’t you free yet?”
Joanna stopped struggling and turned to him. “I don’t think I can get out of this. Not unless I can find something sharp to cut the tape,” she admitted.
A pleased smile appeared on Tony’s face. “Okay, come here,” he said. She walked over to where he was standing beside the bed, thinking he would free her. Instead he pushed her down so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Now that I know you can’t get free, it’s time for the next part of the test. We need to see if I can keep you quiet.” Before she could respond, he quickly took the roll of tape, put it over her mouth, and started wrapping the tape around her head so tightly that it hurt a little. He made several loops around her lower head, each time putting another layer of tape over her mouth while keeping the tape below the level of her nostrils.
“MMMP! MMMMM!” Joanna said, trying to protest. She found this infuriating, both because it took away her ability to communicate with Tony and because he hadn’t asked permission first; he hadn’t even told her he was going to do it, at least not until the last second. Besides, getting all that tape off her long hair was probably going to be a pain, literally. Joanna gave Tony an angry look and continued to make noises. If Tony thought the duct tape alone would be able to keep Cathy quiet, that notion would be quickly disabused by all the sounds Joanna was making. She may not be able to form intelligible words, but she could still make plenty of noise.
Once Tony was finished taping her mouth shut, he settled into a chair next to the stand the TV was on and looked at her with a self-satisfied grin. “You don’t look happy. Is something wrong?” he asked with a false sense of concern in his voice. “Is so, just tell me what’s wrong and I’ll fix it. What was that? I’m having trouble understanding you.”
Joanna frowned at him, but then she noticed something on the TV screen that made her eyes go wide. She tried to say “Isn’t that Cathy?”, but what came out sounded more like “Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?” Tony didn’t seem to quite understand what she was saying, so she lifted her foot and pointed it toward the TV screen, and yelled “AAA-EEEE! Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?”
*Tag Tony*
InterContinental Hotel Dallas
Friday, July 2, 1982
A little after 10 PM
Joanna frowned at him, but then she noticed something on the TV screen that made her eyes go wide. She tried to say “Isn’t that Cathy?”, but what came out sounded more like “Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?” Tony didn’t seem to quite understand what she was saying, so she lifted her foot and pointed it toward the TV screen, and yelled “AAA-EEEE! Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?”
Tony smiled mockingly at Jo. He enjoyed having power over her and belittling her. "Reckon yer gonna have to speak up," Tony continued to taunt. It was then he noticed her look toward the tv. Since she had no use of her hands, she used her foot. It took Tony a moment to figure out what she was trying to communicate. He scanned the dresser the TV was sitting on.
It was at that moment the TV caught his eye. He did a double-take. Cathy! She was there on the screen. Wait... no... Shelley? Who the hell was Shelley? Shelley... Higgins? Higgins! Tony's mind was racing faster than he could think. He knew that face. That was definitely her! Wasn't it? Surely, it couldn't be her... and yet... it was! He scrambled for the remote to turn the volume up.
Her interview was almost over by the time he did. Something about an abduction. Tony was kicking himself for missing the segment. It was 10 PM and they likely wouldn't repeat it again. Back home, where it was an hour later, the news came on at 11 PM. He doubted they'd run the story again at that time here in Texas.
Suddenly, Tony was lost in thought as his mind reeled. For a moment, he forgot his plaything. Jo was struggling and trying to get his attention through the tape over her mouth but he ignored her. The news cast moved on to its next story. Tony was consumed with thought trying to process why she'd used a different first name but used her real last name. Maybe they got her name wrong?
Just then, there was a sharp knock at the door. Tony snapped out of it and looked toward the door. Continuing to ignore his captive's protests, he opened the door and without thinking, allowed Vince to walk into the room. His eyes immediately settled on Jo, lying on the bed, her face red and eyes wide with horror.
"I'm sorry, am I... interrupting something," Vince asked, turning to Tony.
"Not at all, boss man," Tony replied completely ignoring Jo. "We was just doin' us a little rehearsal."
Vince then directed his attention to the television. "I see you have the TV on," He commented. "I assume you saw it?"
Tony nodded. "Oh yeah, I had the volume down so I missed what happened, but it was her," Tony replied. "Although they had her name wrong on the screen. They showed her name was 'Shelley'..."
Vince proceeded to summarize the news story and the events of several days ago and confirmed the reporter had in fact called her "Shelley" in the interview.
"Sounds like Cath has had quite the little adventure," Tony remarked. His eyes cut to the newspapers he brought up with him. "Looks like I have some readin' to do before bedtime. We need to find out all we can. Busy day tomorrow!"
Vince and Tony talked for a few minutes before returning to his room. Tony completely ignored Jo and grabbed the paper and began scouring it for information. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for.
"Well, whaddya know? Listen to this, Jojo! It's storytime," Tony announced plopping down next to his still bound girlfriend on the bed and proceeded to read the news story aloud.
Friday, July 2, 1982
A little after 10 PM
Joanna frowned at him, but then she noticed something on the TV screen that made her eyes go wide. She tried to say “Isn’t that Cathy?”, but what came out sounded more like “Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?” Tony didn’t seem to quite understand what she was saying, so she lifted her foot and pointed it toward the TV screen, and yelled “AAA-EEEE! Ih uhnt aat Aaa-eee?”
Tony smiled mockingly at Jo. He enjoyed having power over her and belittling her. "Reckon yer gonna have to speak up," Tony continued to taunt. It was then he noticed her look toward the tv. Since she had no use of her hands, she used her foot. It took Tony a moment to figure out what she was trying to communicate. He scanned the dresser the TV was sitting on.
It was at that moment the TV caught his eye. He did a double-take. Cathy! She was there on the screen. Wait... no... Shelley? Who the hell was Shelley? Shelley... Higgins? Higgins! Tony's mind was racing faster than he could think. He knew that face. That was definitely her! Wasn't it? Surely, it couldn't be her... and yet... it was! He scrambled for the remote to turn the volume up.
Her interview was almost over by the time he did. Something about an abduction. Tony was kicking himself for missing the segment. It was 10 PM and they likely wouldn't repeat it again. Back home, where it was an hour later, the news came on at 11 PM. He doubted they'd run the story again at that time here in Texas.
Suddenly, Tony was lost in thought as his mind reeled. For a moment, he forgot his plaything. Jo was struggling and trying to get his attention through the tape over her mouth but he ignored her. The news cast moved on to its next story. Tony was consumed with thought trying to process why she'd used a different first name but used her real last name. Maybe they got her name wrong?
Just then, there was a sharp knock at the door. Tony snapped out of it and looked toward the door. Continuing to ignore his captive's protests, he opened the door and without thinking, allowed Vince to walk into the room. His eyes immediately settled on Jo, lying on the bed, her face red and eyes wide with horror.
"I'm sorry, am I... interrupting something," Vince asked, turning to Tony.
"Not at all, boss man," Tony replied completely ignoring Jo. "We was just doin' us a little rehearsal."
Vince then directed his attention to the television. "I see you have the TV on," He commented. "I assume you saw it?"
Tony nodded. "Oh yeah, I had the volume down so I missed what happened, but it was her," Tony replied. "Although they had her name wrong on the screen. They showed her name was 'Shelley'..."
Vince proceeded to summarize the news story and the events of several days ago and confirmed the reporter had in fact called her "Shelley" in the interview.
"Sounds like Cath has had quite the little adventure," Tony remarked. His eyes cut to the newspapers he brought up with him. "Looks like I have some readin' to do before bedtime. We need to find out all we can. Busy day tomorrow!"
Vince and Tony talked for a few minutes before returning to his room. Tony completely ignored Jo and grabbed the paper and began scouring it for information. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for.
"Well, whaddya know? Listen to this, Jojo! It's storytime," Tony announced plopping down next to his still bound girlfriend on the bed and proceeded to read the news story aloud.
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