Fic: The Philanderer and the Thief (4/11), blue cortina, dakfinv
Title: The Philanderer and the Thief (4/11)
Author: dak
Word Count: 2397 this part; approx 20,000 overall
Rating: blue cortina
Genre: buddy cop, humor, mystery
Warnings: language, mild violence
Summary: Fed up with their constant bickering, Gene sends Sam and Ray out to a remote village to stop a local crime spree. Will they solve the case before they kill each other, or will someone else get there first?
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
There was an elbow in his ribs. Though Carling appeared to be sleeping, Sam couldn’t help but decide it was intentional. Unable to sleep any longer, himself, Sam rolled out of bed and stretched his body, stiff from a night in the small bed. Taking the opportunity to have the bathroom to himself, Sam locked himself inside and took a long, hot shower, massaging the various kinks and cramps that had taken up residence in his muscles.
Satisfied that his body was now refreshed, and that he had used up all the hot water, Sam stood in front of the mirror and examined the clothes which he had draped over the toilet - the only clothes he had.
He hated the idea of wearing the same outfit two days in a row, but unless he planned on swapping shirts with Ray, he had no other choice. At least they weren’t very dirty, excepting, of course, the thin coating of dust and some heavy sweat stains in the armpits. Sam grimaced.
He had no fresh clothes and no deodorant or toothbrush. Shaving he could do without but deodorant? Sam sighed and grabbed the shirt. He meticulously rinsed out the armpits as best he could and set the shirt on the towel rack to dry. He brushed most of the dust off his trousers, then slipped them on over his pants and socks. The vest was a lost cause. Into the bin it went. He towel-dried his short hair, did a few more stretches, then put on the semi-dry shirt. At least it was cool out and he could wear his jacket.
When he finally emerged from the bathroom, Carling was still sound asleep, sprawled out across the whole bed. Sam pressed his lips together in a disapproving pout as he buttoned the cuffs on his shirt. Quickly he found his shoes, zipped up the boots, then grabbed his jacket off the nearby chair.
Ready to get started, he unceremoniously kicked the bed, causing Ray to sit up straight, eyes bleary.
“Wha’s it? Wha’s ‘appened?” He slurred through sleep.
“Rise and shine, Sergeant. We have a busy day ahead of us.”
Ray grumbled something Sam couldn’t make out, but was most likely a threat on his life, as he rolled out of bed and onto the floor. He slowly picked himself up then stumbled into the bathroom, barely closing the door behind him. Sam heard him pee then belch and less than three minutes later, Ray was out of the bathroom. He fumbled for his belt, draped his tie around his neck, struggled with his shoes, and finally grabbed his jacket.
“Alright. Let’s go then,” he yawned, and opened the door. Sam took a step back from the smell.
“When was the last time you bathed?” He sneered and reluctantly followed Carling out of the room.
*
Ray mopped up the last of his fried egg with a hefty slice of buttered toast and scooped it into his mouth. Tyler, still in a hissy fit that the old innkeeper, (who reminded Ray of Phyllis but with a smile), hadn’t any yogurt, silently picked at his plain piece of toast.
“What’s the plan then?” Ray asked, chugging his cooling cuppa.
“We’ll go to the station, report the Cortina stolen, and review the other cases,” Tyler replied, nibbling his toast then setting it aside.
“Yeah. And when are you going to tell the Guv?”
Tyler pursed his lips then leaned back and crossed his arms.
“You know,” Ray continued. “He’s probably wondering where we are. Supposed to be back yesterday, weren’t we?”
“Hunt’s not worried. He’s probably decided we’ve killed each other.”
“Yeah. But he’ll still want his car back,” Ray shrugged.
“Enough about the bloody car!” Tyler threw up his arms.
“Oh, aye! There you lads are,” PC Dunlap came hurrying up to their table wearing a modern plod’s garb, a helmet in one hand and a scrap of paper in the other. “Morning. Your Guv rang. DCI Hunt? Wanted to know about his car?”
Before he could hand the slip to Tyler, the Boss dropped his head onto the table. Ray chuckled into his tea.
“Erm, is summat the matter?” Dunlap asked, confused.
Sam lifted his head and finally acknowledged Dunlap, reaching out a hand for the note.
“I’m afraid the car was stolen,” Sam stated quietly.
“Cor! That nice motor you were driving yesterday?”
Sam nodded solemnly. Ray grinned.
“Blimey. When?”
“Yesterday at Mr. Parker’s barn,” Tyler sighed.
“You know who did it?”
“The Celts,” Ray snorted. Sam kicked him under the table.
“We think it’s connected to your current crime spree, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to see those other case files as soon as possible,” Tyler folded the note and slipped it into his pocket.
“Sure. I’m headed back to the station now.”
“And we’re finished with our breakfast. Perfect timing.” Tyler daintily dabbed his mouth and rose from the table.
“But I haven’t finished me eggs, yet,” Ray motioned to his plate.
“If I’m paying, you’re finished.”
Tyler and Dunlap started towards the dining room’s exit. Ray hastily smeared one last bit of bread across the plate and popped it in his mouth as he rose from the chair and followed them out.
“Have a nice day boys!” Better Phyllis shouted after them.
Dunlap and Tyler were already out on the street when Ray caught up to them.
“How did you know where to find us?” Sam was asking.
“Erm, well, the Inn’s the only place for visiting folks to stay, and I knew Mrs. Beechum would have vacancies, it being the off-season and all. So, guess you’ll be wanting to ring your Guv first. Give him an update and all?”
Tyler coughed nervously.
“Actually, I think we’ll wait until the end of the day, when we’ll, hopefully, have more information.”
“Alright. But won’t he want to know about his car?”
“Yeah, Boss. Won’t he want to know about his car?”
Tyler turned and shot Ray a look. Ray smirked.
“When we have information for him, then we’ll notify him. Now, let’s get to work.”
Dunlap entered the station first, followed by Tyler, then Ray. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Ray couldn’t blame Tyler for not wanting to phone the Guv. Hunt was going to kill him as soon as he found out, surely.
*
Gene was going to kill him. There was no way around it. For a moment, Sam wondered what would happen to him if he died in this world before deciding he didn’t want to find out.
He had spent all day reviewing Sheepton’s case files, hoping to find a pattern, a clue, or best of all, a suspect, but all their searching had yielded nothing. He’d sent Ray to search the tiny village, hoping the Sergeant would spot the Cortina parked idly on the road or hidden under a tarp. Ray had returned tired, hungry, and empty-handed.
“You have to tell him,” Carling had grumbled, plopping into a rickety, wooden desk chair, immediately removing his shoe and rubbing an aching foot. The smell, Sam thought, was horrendous, but Ray’s feet, (like Sam’s own), had not yet recovered from yesterday’s excursion.
“He did ring again,” Sam admitted, staring at the offending phone. “I had PC Dunlap tell him we were busy.”
“If he don’t talk to you, he’ll know summat’s off. I’d call him now ‘fore he makes Chris drive him out here. Don’t need him any more angry than he’ll already be.”
“I know,” Sam paused.
“And?” Ray prodded.
“And what?”
“Well, since you’re agreeing with me and all, thought you’d finish that sentence with ‘you’re right.’”
“The sentence was finished. ‘I know.’ Noun. Verb. Nothing else was needed.”
“Ponce,” Ray reached across the desk, grabbed the receiver and chucked it at him. “’S your responsibility. Boss.”
Sam grimaced and finally made the dreaded call. The phone rang several times after the operator connected him and Sam less than secretly hoped Hunt would not answer.
“Hunt.”
Sam never had any luck.
“It’s me.”
“Who? Doris Day?”
“No,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “DI Tyler.”
“What I said, isn’t it?”
“Guv, look, Carling and I, we’re going to need...additional assistance.”
“A few knicked purses too much for you lads? Well, can’t say I’m surprised.”
“No. No it’s not that. It’s...we’ve become a bit sidetracked.”
“Tyler, I’m not helping you bury Ray’s body, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No, I...”
“Though, have to say I’m surprised. My money was on Carling.”
“We lost your car,” Sam blurted out, wincing as soon as the words were spoken.
“We?” Ray shouted. “Oh no. Weren’t me, Guv!” He tried to shout into the phone. “I weren’t driving. I didn’t leave the keys in it.”
“Shut up,” Sam hissed, holding out his free hand to keep Ray back. There was still no response from the other end of the line. Sam thought perhaps he missed it during Ray’s outburst. Finally, a very calm voice sounded.
“You lost my motor?”
“Yes, Guv. Well, we didn’t lose it, so much as it was stolen,” Sam clarified.
“My motor.”
“Yes.”
“My car.”
“Yes.”
“You lost my car.”
“It was stolen.”
There was another long pause. Sam looked at Ray. Ray looked at Sam. They waited.
“DI Tyler, what did I say would happen if you did something to my car?”
“I believe you made reference to WPC uniforms?”
Sam waited again, trying not to picture how many pieces he would be in if he had been relaying the news face to face.
“Guv, if you could send someone out to get us, Chris, if he’s available, we could...”
“You think you’re going somewhere?”
“Well, we are without transportation and attempting to locate the Cortina without...”
“Don’t say her name!”
“Er, what?”
“You’re not going anywhere, Tyler, you or Carling, until that fine piece of automotive engineering is safe and sound in your custody.”
“What...if we don’t find her. It. Find it.”
“Then you better find yourself a nice local boy and settle down, Gladys! Cos it’s either you return and I take your scrotum and wee willy and make Cartwright a new handbag, or you stay in that bloody village till you find my car!”
Sam weighed his options before making a decision.
“Could we at least get an extra hand?” He asked. The line went dead. Sam stared at the receiver momentarily before replacing it on the hook.
“He wasn’t happy,” Ray said.
“No. No he wasn’t.”
“So, what’re we supposed to do now?”
Sam strummed his fingers against the desk, then rose and grabbed his jacket.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to Manchester.”
“What? After what the Guv just said?”
“As angry as Gene is, I don’t think he’ll actually remove my scrotum. I hope.” He flung on the jacket and adjusted the collar.
“So you’re giving up?”
“No. I’m going to get us more resources. The more men we have, and/or women, the sooner we’ll solve this mess.”
“But you can’t just leave.”
“Dunlap is one of two PCs here. They have no CID, and we’ve seen neither hide nor hair of his supervisor. We need help. And Hunt certainly won’t be sending any himself.”
A change of clothes would also be nice, Sam thought to himself as we walked towards the door.
“And how...” Ray started after him, but had to stop to put his shoe back on. “How you plan on getting there?”
“I’m sure I can find someone to give me a ride.”
“If we go back, we’ll lose time,” Ray argued. “We need to find the bastards now!”
“We can’t without proper support. Look, the car’s probably in pieces by now anyway, which will make it even harder to track down the persons responsible.”
“And if we wait any longer, it’ll be impossible. The Guv’ll...”
“The Guv will be upset.”
“More than that.”
“True. But, you know what, Sergeant? It is, after all, just a car. Not a missing child.”
“To him it is.”
They had made their way onto the street and Sam buttoned his jacket against the cool air.
“I’m going back to Manchester.”
“Then you’re going on your own,” Ray snapped. “I’m staying here. It’s what the Guv wants.”
“Fine. You find the car on your own, then you can have all the glory you want. I’m going back to Manchester and bringing in people who might actually be of some use.” Sam turned and started walking out of town.
“Fine. But the Guv’ll kill you soon as he sees you!” Ray shouted after him. Sam waved a hand in acknowledgement and continued on his way, happy to be on his own.
*
Ray had watched Tyler prance off down the street and gave the tosser’s back the ol’ two finger salute. Just like him to bail on the Guv like that, Ray thought. Fine. If that was the way he wanted to be, Ray would stay in Sheepton and he would find the Cortina and he would get all the praise and drinks he deserved.
It hadn’t taken Ray long to realize, though, that trying to accomplish anything other than drinking in Sheepton after five o’clock was downright impossible. He knew the town’s layout well after his door-to-doors this afternoon, but now all the shops were shut up tight, doors locked and blinds drawn, and near no one to be seen.
Ray contemplated going back to the pub and making a few enquiries, but if his reception there was anything like the previous night’s, he wouldn’t get much information. Remembering a promise of a hearty tea from Better Phyllis, Ray headed back to the Inn. After ignoring her questions about where his special friend had gone, he tucked into his bangers and mash, grinning as he thought of the bollocking Tyler would be getting.
*
“I really appreciate the ride.”
“Oh. ‘S no problem, mate. Were headed sort of that way anyhow.”
“Still, cheers. I’ll pay you for the trouble. It’s the least I can do.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t make no difference to me,” the man replied.
Sam settled into the seat of the old truck. He was so relieved to be off his sore feet that he allowed his eyes to drift shut. Eyes closed, he didn’t see the butt of the gun as it was slammed into the side of his head.
Author: dak
Word Count: 2397 this part; approx 20,000 overall
Rating: blue cortina
Genre: buddy cop, humor, mystery
Warnings: language, mild violence
Summary: Fed up with their constant bickering, Gene sends Sam and Ray out to a remote village to stop a local crime spree. Will they solve the case before they kill each other, or will someone else get there first?
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
There was an elbow in his ribs. Though Carling appeared to be sleeping, Sam couldn’t help but decide it was intentional. Unable to sleep any longer, himself, Sam rolled out of bed and stretched his body, stiff from a night in the small bed. Taking the opportunity to have the bathroom to himself, Sam locked himself inside and took a long, hot shower, massaging the various kinks and cramps that had taken up residence in his muscles.
Satisfied that his body was now refreshed, and that he had used up all the hot water, Sam stood in front of the mirror and examined the clothes which he had draped over the toilet - the only clothes he had.
He hated the idea of wearing the same outfit two days in a row, but unless he planned on swapping shirts with Ray, he had no other choice. At least they weren’t very dirty, excepting, of course, the thin coating of dust and some heavy sweat stains in the armpits. Sam grimaced.
He had no fresh clothes and no deodorant or toothbrush. Shaving he could do without but deodorant? Sam sighed and grabbed the shirt. He meticulously rinsed out the armpits as best he could and set the shirt on the towel rack to dry. He brushed most of the dust off his trousers, then slipped them on over his pants and socks. The vest was a lost cause. Into the bin it went. He towel-dried his short hair, did a few more stretches, then put on the semi-dry shirt. At least it was cool out and he could wear his jacket.
When he finally emerged from the bathroom, Carling was still sound asleep, sprawled out across the whole bed. Sam pressed his lips together in a disapproving pout as he buttoned the cuffs on his shirt. Quickly he found his shoes, zipped up the boots, then grabbed his jacket off the nearby chair.
Ready to get started, he unceremoniously kicked the bed, causing Ray to sit up straight, eyes bleary.
“Wha’s it? Wha’s ‘appened?” He slurred through sleep.
“Rise and shine, Sergeant. We have a busy day ahead of us.”
Ray grumbled something Sam couldn’t make out, but was most likely a threat on his life, as he rolled out of bed and onto the floor. He slowly picked himself up then stumbled into the bathroom, barely closing the door behind him. Sam heard him pee then belch and less than three minutes later, Ray was out of the bathroom. He fumbled for his belt, draped his tie around his neck, struggled with his shoes, and finally grabbed his jacket.
“Alright. Let’s go then,” he yawned, and opened the door. Sam took a step back from the smell.
“When was the last time you bathed?” He sneered and reluctantly followed Carling out of the room.
*
Ray mopped up the last of his fried egg with a hefty slice of buttered toast and scooped it into his mouth. Tyler, still in a hissy fit that the old innkeeper, (who reminded Ray of Phyllis but with a smile), hadn’t any yogurt, silently picked at his plain piece of toast.
“What’s the plan then?” Ray asked, chugging his cooling cuppa.
“We’ll go to the station, report the Cortina stolen, and review the other cases,” Tyler replied, nibbling his toast then setting it aside.
“Yeah. And when are you going to tell the Guv?”
Tyler pursed his lips then leaned back and crossed his arms.
“You know,” Ray continued. “He’s probably wondering where we are. Supposed to be back yesterday, weren’t we?”
“Hunt’s not worried. He’s probably decided we’ve killed each other.”
“Yeah. But he’ll still want his car back,” Ray shrugged.
“Enough about the bloody car!” Tyler threw up his arms.
“Oh, aye! There you lads are,” PC Dunlap came hurrying up to their table wearing a modern plod’s garb, a helmet in one hand and a scrap of paper in the other. “Morning. Your Guv rang. DCI Hunt? Wanted to know about his car?”
Before he could hand the slip to Tyler, the Boss dropped his head onto the table. Ray chuckled into his tea.
“Erm, is summat the matter?” Dunlap asked, confused.
Sam lifted his head and finally acknowledged Dunlap, reaching out a hand for the note.
“I’m afraid the car was stolen,” Sam stated quietly.
“Cor! That nice motor you were driving yesterday?”
Sam nodded solemnly. Ray grinned.
“Blimey. When?”
“Yesterday at Mr. Parker’s barn,” Tyler sighed.
“You know who did it?”
“The Celts,” Ray snorted. Sam kicked him under the table.
“We think it’s connected to your current crime spree, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to see those other case files as soon as possible,” Tyler folded the note and slipped it into his pocket.
“Sure. I’m headed back to the station now.”
“And we’re finished with our breakfast. Perfect timing.” Tyler daintily dabbed his mouth and rose from the table.
“But I haven’t finished me eggs, yet,” Ray motioned to his plate.
“If I’m paying, you’re finished.”
Tyler and Dunlap started towards the dining room’s exit. Ray hastily smeared one last bit of bread across the plate and popped it in his mouth as he rose from the chair and followed them out.
“Have a nice day boys!” Better Phyllis shouted after them.
Dunlap and Tyler were already out on the street when Ray caught up to them.
“How did you know where to find us?” Sam was asking.
“Erm, well, the Inn’s the only place for visiting folks to stay, and I knew Mrs. Beechum would have vacancies, it being the off-season and all. So, guess you’ll be wanting to ring your Guv first. Give him an update and all?”
Tyler coughed nervously.
“Actually, I think we’ll wait until the end of the day, when we’ll, hopefully, have more information.”
“Alright. But won’t he want to know about his car?”
“Yeah, Boss. Won’t he want to know about his car?”
Tyler turned and shot Ray a look. Ray smirked.
“When we have information for him, then we’ll notify him. Now, let’s get to work.”
Dunlap entered the station first, followed by Tyler, then Ray. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Ray couldn’t blame Tyler for not wanting to phone the Guv. Hunt was going to kill him as soon as he found out, surely.
*
Gene was going to kill him. There was no way around it. For a moment, Sam wondered what would happen to him if he died in this world before deciding he didn’t want to find out.
He had spent all day reviewing Sheepton’s case files, hoping to find a pattern, a clue, or best of all, a suspect, but all their searching had yielded nothing. He’d sent Ray to search the tiny village, hoping the Sergeant would spot the Cortina parked idly on the road or hidden under a tarp. Ray had returned tired, hungry, and empty-handed.
“You have to tell him,” Carling had grumbled, plopping into a rickety, wooden desk chair, immediately removing his shoe and rubbing an aching foot. The smell, Sam thought, was horrendous, but Ray’s feet, (like Sam’s own), had not yet recovered from yesterday’s excursion.
“He did ring again,” Sam admitted, staring at the offending phone. “I had PC Dunlap tell him we were busy.”
“If he don’t talk to you, he’ll know summat’s off. I’d call him now ‘fore he makes Chris drive him out here. Don’t need him any more angry than he’ll already be.”
“I know,” Sam paused.
“And?” Ray prodded.
“And what?”
“Well, since you’re agreeing with me and all, thought you’d finish that sentence with ‘you’re right.’”
“The sentence was finished. ‘I know.’ Noun. Verb. Nothing else was needed.”
“Ponce,” Ray reached across the desk, grabbed the receiver and chucked it at him. “’S your responsibility. Boss.”
Sam grimaced and finally made the dreaded call. The phone rang several times after the operator connected him and Sam less than secretly hoped Hunt would not answer.
“Hunt.”
Sam never had any luck.
“It’s me.”
“Who? Doris Day?”
“No,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “DI Tyler.”
“What I said, isn’t it?”
“Guv, look, Carling and I, we’re going to need...additional assistance.”
“A few knicked purses too much for you lads? Well, can’t say I’m surprised.”
“No. No it’s not that. It’s...we’ve become a bit sidetracked.”
“Tyler, I’m not helping you bury Ray’s body, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No, I...”
“Though, have to say I’m surprised. My money was on Carling.”
“We lost your car,” Sam blurted out, wincing as soon as the words were spoken.
“We?” Ray shouted. “Oh no. Weren’t me, Guv!” He tried to shout into the phone. “I weren’t driving. I didn’t leave the keys in it.”
“Shut up,” Sam hissed, holding out his free hand to keep Ray back. There was still no response from the other end of the line. Sam thought perhaps he missed it during Ray’s outburst. Finally, a very calm voice sounded.
“You lost my motor?”
“Yes, Guv. Well, we didn’t lose it, so much as it was stolen,” Sam clarified.
“My motor.”
“Yes.”
“My car.”
“Yes.”
“You lost my car.”
“It was stolen.”
There was another long pause. Sam looked at Ray. Ray looked at Sam. They waited.
“DI Tyler, what did I say would happen if you did something to my car?”
“I believe you made reference to WPC uniforms?”
Sam waited again, trying not to picture how many pieces he would be in if he had been relaying the news face to face.
“Guv, if you could send someone out to get us, Chris, if he’s available, we could...”
“You think you’re going somewhere?”
“Well, we are without transportation and attempting to locate the Cortina without...”
“Don’t say her name!”
“Er, what?”
“You’re not going anywhere, Tyler, you or Carling, until that fine piece of automotive engineering is safe and sound in your custody.”
“What...if we don’t find her. It. Find it.”
“Then you better find yourself a nice local boy and settle down, Gladys! Cos it’s either you return and I take your scrotum and wee willy and make Cartwright a new handbag, or you stay in that bloody village till you find my car!”
Sam weighed his options before making a decision.
“Could we at least get an extra hand?” He asked. The line went dead. Sam stared at the receiver momentarily before replacing it on the hook.
“He wasn’t happy,” Ray said.
“No. No he wasn’t.”
“So, what’re we supposed to do now?”
Sam strummed his fingers against the desk, then rose and grabbed his jacket.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to Manchester.”
“What? After what the Guv just said?”
“As angry as Gene is, I don’t think he’ll actually remove my scrotum. I hope.” He flung on the jacket and adjusted the collar.
“So you’re giving up?”
“No. I’m going to get us more resources. The more men we have, and/or women, the sooner we’ll solve this mess.”
“But you can’t just leave.”
“Dunlap is one of two PCs here. They have no CID, and we’ve seen neither hide nor hair of his supervisor. We need help. And Hunt certainly won’t be sending any himself.”
A change of clothes would also be nice, Sam thought to himself as we walked towards the door.
“And how...” Ray started after him, but had to stop to put his shoe back on. “How you plan on getting there?”
“I’m sure I can find someone to give me a ride.”
“If we go back, we’ll lose time,” Ray argued. “We need to find the bastards now!”
“We can’t without proper support. Look, the car’s probably in pieces by now anyway, which will make it even harder to track down the persons responsible.”
“And if we wait any longer, it’ll be impossible. The Guv’ll...”
“The Guv will be upset.”
“More than that.”
“True. But, you know what, Sergeant? It is, after all, just a car. Not a missing child.”
“To him it is.”
They had made their way onto the street and Sam buttoned his jacket against the cool air.
“I’m going back to Manchester.”
“Then you’re going on your own,” Ray snapped. “I’m staying here. It’s what the Guv wants.”
“Fine. You find the car on your own, then you can have all the glory you want. I’m going back to Manchester and bringing in people who might actually be of some use.” Sam turned and started walking out of town.
“Fine. But the Guv’ll kill you soon as he sees you!” Ray shouted after him. Sam waved a hand in acknowledgement and continued on his way, happy to be on his own.
*
Ray had watched Tyler prance off down the street and gave the tosser’s back the ol’ two finger salute. Just like him to bail on the Guv like that, Ray thought. Fine. If that was the way he wanted to be, Ray would stay in Sheepton and he would find the Cortina and he would get all the praise and drinks he deserved.
It hadn’t taken Ray long to realize, though, that trying to accomplish anything other than drinking in Sheepton after five o’clock was downright impossible. He knew the town’s layout well after his door-to-doors this afternoon, but now all the shops were shut up tight, doors locked and blinds drawn, and near no one to be seen.
Ray contemplated going back to the pub and making a few enquiries, but if his reception there was anything like the previous night’s, he wouldn’t get much information. Remembering a promise of a hearty tea from Better Phyllis, Ray headed back to the Inn. After ignoring her questions about where his special friend had gone, he tucked into his bangers and mash, grinning as he thought of the bollocking Tyler would be getting.
*
“I really appreciate the ride.”
“Oh. ‘S no problem, mate. Were headed sort of that way anyhow.”
“Still, cheers. I’ll pay you for the trouble. It’s the least I can do.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t make no difference to me,” the man replied.
Sam settled into the seat of the old truck. He was so relieved to be off his sore feet that he allowed his eyes to drift shut. Eyes closed, he didn’t see the butt of the gun as it was slammed into the side of his head.