Mango Motel

by Bill H Myers

  Her eyes flashed again. “It's not so much the money. It's the thought that he stole from me and thinks he can get away with it. It's not going to happen. I'm going to find him, and when I do, he'll pay in blood.”

  Not knowing what to say about what she was going to do when she found him, I just nodded. I didn't want anyone hurting Waldo. But if he owed her money, I wanted him to get right with her before I took him home.

  We'd been at McDonald's for almost an hour. Sitting underneath bright fluorescent lights. I'd been feeling pretty good since the first Coke. No indications that anything was about to go wrong. But just as we were getting ready to leave, I could feel it coming.

  It'd been two days since I'd last taken my anti-seizure med and it was probably two days too long. I could feel the change wash over me. First thing to go was my eyes. My vision narrowed then blurred. Soon I wasn't able to focus on anything in the room. Not even Erin.

  I tried my best to act like nothing was going on, but Erin noticed. She asked, “You feeling okay?”

  “Yeah. It's just that my eyes hurt. Probably from drinking too much last night. I'll keep them closed, and they'll clear up in a few minutes.”

  I pulled the car keys out of my pocket and slid them over to her. “I need to get back to my place and make a call. You mind driving?”

  She took the keys. “You sure you're okay? You're starting to look a little pale.”

  I nodded. “It's just my eyes. If I keep them closed for a few minutes, I'll be fine.”

  When she stood to leave, I could barely see her. But not wanting to be left behind, I stood and put my hand on her shoulder. Like the blind person I was at that moment, I let her walk me to the car.

  We had parked close to the entrance, so it wasn't much of a walk. Erin led me to the passenger door and opened it for me. As I got in, she repeated the question she'd asked earlier. “Are you sure you are okay? If you're getting ready to stroke out, let me know and I'll get you to the hospital.”

  “It's just my eyes. That's all. They'll clear up in a few minutes.”

  She closed my door and climbed in on the driver's side. I heard the engine start and felt the car move as she put it in reverse to pull out of our parking space. Then I felt the clunk of the transmission going into drive.

  For the next few minutes, neither of us said anything. I kept my eyes mostly shut, only opening them to see if my vision had cleared up. It hadn't.

  Erin finally broke the silence. “You know about this car, don't you?”

  I shook my head. “No, the only thing I know is Raif said I could use it as long as I needed it if I brought it back with a full tank of gas. Is there something I'm missing?”

  She reached out and patted me on the shoulder. “Raif doesn't let many people drive his car. The fact that he gave you the keys means that, for some reason, he trusts you.

  “To him, this car is pretty special. It was the one he was driving when he was shot. It's still got two bullets rattling around in the driver's door. Those bullets might have killed him if it weren't for the car.

  “But that's not the only reason the car is special. On the outside, it might look like a Plain Jane Ford Taurus. But it's not. It's a special order Police Interceptor. It has a twin-turbo Eco boost motor pumping out three hundred sixty-five horses and three hundred fifty pound feet of torque.

  “It's got a beefed-up heavy-duty suspension, all-wheel drive, and over-sized brakes. The frame has extra supports to help the car survive a crash. All this is from the factory.

  “It was tuned for sustained high-speed pursuits. Top speed is one-thirty and they say it can do that for an hour without any problem.

  “Ford didn't offer these cars to the public. They were police only. Raif was a detective at the time, so he had no problem ordering the car the way he wanted it.

  “He hadn't put many miles on it before he was shot, but when he recovered, he wanted the car. He said they may have retired him from the force, but he was keeping the car. And he did.

  “It was, and still is, a very special thing in his life. Keep that in mind next time you drive it.”

  I'd been sitting in the passenger seat with my eyes closed, listening to Erin tell me about the car. It was an interesting story about an interesting car. I'd not heard of the Police Interceptor model but thought I might look into one when I got back to my home base. But for the moment, my focus, or lack of it, was on my eyes. I wanted the vision problem to go away.

  I still had them closed when Erin said, “We're here. You need help getting out?”

  I opened my eyes and was happy to see that most of my vision had returned. My peripheral was still not right, but I could see well enough to get out of the car and walk to the RV.

  I opened the door and waited for Erin to join me. When she didn't, I asked, “Aren't you coming in? Bob will be really disappointed if you don't. I just need to make a quick phone call; then we can start looking for Waldo.”

  She hesitated like she was thinking it over but finally said, “I'll come in to see Bob. But after that, we need to look for Waldo. I want to get my money back.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Bob was waiting at the door. He meowed loudly as if to say, “I'm hungry, feed me.”

  I was pretty sure his bowl still had food in it, but I wasn't going to let him go hungry, so I went back to check. He normally follows when I do this, but this time he didn't. His bowl was nearly full, so it wasn't the food he wanted. I checked his water and litter box, both were fine.

  When I headed back up front, I could see why he hadn't followed me. He was more interested in having Erin pet him than worry about his food, water or litter. She was sitting on the couch; he was in her lap, purring loudly. They both looked contented and I didn't want to break the spell, so I left them alone.

  I grabbed my phone, went to the bedroom and closed the door. I called the doctor's office, and after being put on hold and waiting five minutes, I finally reached his nurse. I explained the situation; that my meds had been stolen and I needed new prescriptions.

  She looked me up in her records and then put me on hold again. A few minutes later, she came back on the line and said, “Mr. Walker, your doctor said he could write you a prescription for the anti-seizure drug but not the pain meds. Will that work for you?”

  I told her it would and asked to have the prescription sent to the CVS pharmacy next to McDonald's in Saint Augustine. She said they would, and I'd get a text when it was ready.

  I ended the call and went back up front. Bob was still on the couch, but Erin was gone. I hadn't heard her leave, but since there weren't many places in the RV to hide and I couldn't find her inside, she had to be gone.

  I gave Bob a pet and went out to see if I could find her. It didn't take long because she was leaning against the front fender of Raif's car, talking on her phone. When she saw me, she smiled and pointed up with her index finger. I took it to mean she would be with me in a minute.

  When her call ended three minutes later, she asked, “Where do we find Waldo? You have any ideas?”

  I did, and I shared them with her.

  “We start at his trailer. Maybe he came back. Or maybe there's something inside that will tell us where he went.”

  We went next door; Waldo's car was still gone and there were no lights on inside. But it looked like his front door was slightly ajar. I wanted to check to see why, but Erin said no. She wanted me to stay outside and be her lookout. If I saw Waldo coming back, my job was to let her know so she could get out without him seeing her.

  She went up his steps and gently pushed on the front door. The door swung open, giving Erin a clear view inside. She looked in and then turned back to me. I could tell something was wrong, so I left my lookout post and went to join her.

  When I reached her, she was still standing outside his door. She said, “Take a look. Tell me what you think.”

  I stepped over the threshold to get a better view, and what I saw suggested someone else had been in t
he trailer, looking for something.

  Every drawer had been opened, with its contents dumped on the floor. Same with the kitchen cabinets. They were all open and whatever had been in them was on the floor below. The couch had been turned over, its cushions ripped open. It looked like nothing had been left untouched.

  Erin turned to me and whispered, “Let's go in. But don't touch anything.”

  She stepped past me and went in first. I followed.

  Inside, she gingerly made her way to the back bedroom. It, too, had been tossed. The few clothes that had been in the closet were now on the floor. The bedside table lamp had been shattered, broken beyond repair. The mattress had been stripped, turned over, and cut open.

  It was clear someone had been searching for something. It wasn't clear whether they had found it or not.

  Erin backed out of the bedroom and we left the trailer the same way we had gone in, being careful not to touch anything. We didn't want to leave our prints inside, in case the police came to investigate.

  Back outside, Erin turned to me and said, “Tell me who else is looking for him and why.”

  It was a question I knew the answer to. I could have lied and said I didn't know. But I didn't. I told her the truth. I gave her the short version. “Waldo borrowed money from people he shouldn't have. He didn't pay it back like he promised, and now they are looking for him. They're probably the ones who trashed his trailer.

  “We need to find him before they do. If we don't, you'll never get your money back.”

  She nodded as if she understood. Then she pointed at Raif's trailer. “We should check on him. See if he is okay; make sure that whoever tossed Waldo's place didn't do the same to his.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Raif wasn't sitting outside on his deck like he had been the last three times I'd been to his place. But there was a car parked in his driveway. A baby-blue Subaru Outback. I'd not seen it there before.

  Erin walked over to Raif's front door and knocked. I knew she had a key and could have let herself in, but seeing that Raif had company, she thought it better if she let them know she was outside.

  After hearing the knock, a woman wearing one of Raif's shirts and not much else came to the door. She saw Erin and said, “Oh, it's you.”

  Erin smiled and said, “Fay.”

  She said it in a way that made me think that maybe she and Fay weren't the best of friends.

  She took a deep breath and asked, “Is Raif okay?”

  Fay smiled. “I think he's better than okay. He sure was this morning. He's in the shower right now. You need to talk to him?”

  Erin shook her head. “It can wait. But let me ask you a question. Did either of you hear or see anyone next door? It looks like someone broke in and wrecked the place.”

  Fay leaned out to look at the trailer next door, giving me an intimate view of her long, tanned legs. For a woman in her late fifties, she looked to be in good shape.

  She saw me checking her out and winked. Then she turned back to Erin. “We didn't hear anything. We were kind of busy, if you know what I mean.”

  Erin smiled. “Well good for you. I'm glad to hear everything still works at your age.”

  She pointed back to me and said, “That's Walker. Tell Raif I'll be staying with him for the next few days. If he needs to talk to me, he can find me there.”

  Fay gave me the once over, and said, “You two have fun. I know Raif and I will.”

  Erin left the deck, walked over to me, grabbed my hand, and guided us back toward my RV. As soon as she was sure Fay couldn't hear her, she said, “Remember when I told you I was homeless? She's the reason. She's been bugging Raif about moving in with him. I guess she's gone and done it.

  “Raif told me all three of us could live in his trailer and Fay wouldn't mind. To me, it didn't matter whether she minded or not. I wasn't going to live under the same roof with her.

  “I'm happy he has found someone, even if it’s Fay. But I don't want to be the third wheel and I don't want to hear them at night, in the morning, or whenever else they go at it.

  “So, as of today, I'm officially moving out. And since I haven't found another place yet, I'm homeless. Unless you let me bunk in with you for a few days.”

  I didn't hesitate with my answer. “I'm sure Bob would love to have you around. And I could probably learn to put up with you.”

  She crossed her arms and said, “You think you could learn to put up with me? Is that what you said? You're kidding, right? I'd be doing you a big favor if I stayed with you. You need someone like me around to keep you out of trouble. So say, ‘Yes, please come stay with Bob and me.’”

  And that's what I did. “Erin, nothing would make me happier than if you were to spend a few days with us. It would be the highlight of my life.”

  She smiled. “You bet it would. It'll be something you won't soon forget.”

  She grabbed my hand and led me to my front door mumbling, “If Fay thinks she's the only one around here who knows how to have a good time, she's wrong.”

  I didn't dare ask her what she meant. But I definitely was looking forward to finding out.

  Back inside my RV, Erin looked around and asked, “Does the couch fold out into a bed?”

  I nodded. “It does. You'll be comfortable there.”

  She grinned. “I'm sure one of us will be. Not so sure it'll be me though.”

  She walked to the back bedroom, where I'd be sleeping, and found Bob on the bed. She asked him if it would be okay if she joined him, and he said, “Murrrph.” Yes, he would like it very much if she got into bed with him.

  She lay down beside him and after a minute said, “Walker, why don't you come join us? I need to ask you something.”

  I wasn't sure what she was going to ask, but if she were going to ask it while we were lying on my bed, I definitely wanted to find out what it was. I pulled off my shoes, walked back to the bed and got in beside her.

  It wasn't the first mistake I had made that day. And it wouldn't be the last.

  Chapter Thirty

  I had just gotten comfortable beside Erin when she rolled over to face me and asked, “What are we going to do next?”

  I didn't answer right away. I could think of several pleasurable things we could do, but I wasn't totally sure that's what she had in mind. I thought about it and said, “We can do whatever you want. You're the guest here. Tell me what you want me to do. Where to start.”

  She laughed. “No, Walker, I'm not asking about that. And if the time ever comes, I won't need to ask, you'll know.

  “I'm asking about Waldo. Where do we go from here?”

  I was somewhat disappointed that after she asked me to get in bed with her, she wanted to talk about Waldo, and apparently nothing else.

  I thought about her question for a moment, then said, “You were the last person who we know spent time with him. That means two things.

  “First, it means you may have heard him say something that might help us find him.

  “And, second, the goons looking for him will probably come looking for you after they figure out you owned the taco stand he wanted to buy.

  “They'll think you know where he is. That means trouble. For you. And maybe even Raif if they can't find you.

  “So what we need to do is make sure they can't find you. Or me—because if they ask the park manager about Waldo, she might mention that I, too, was looking for him.

  “If she tells them I'm in the park in my RV, they'll come looking for me. If they find you here, it'll look bad. They'll think we both know where he is. And they'll do whatever it takes to get it out of us.

  “So we need to move. To someplace they won't find us.”

  Erin nodded in agreement. “You're right. We don't need to be here if they come looking for either of us.”

  She rolled out of bed, stood and said, “I'm going over to Raif's; let him know what's going on. You get the motorhome ready to move. I won't be gone long.”

  I would have l
iked to stay in bed a bit longer with her. After my early morning's blurred vision episode, a little quiet time giving my eyes a rest was something I was looking forward to.

  But it wasn't in the cards. I needed to get the motorhome ready to roll.

  I reluctantly got up out of bed, walked to the front of the RV, and brought the two front slides in. Then I went back to the bedroom, picked up Bob, and brought the rear slide in. He didn't like it when the walls were in motion and couldn’t figure out which direction they'd be going. I always worried he might panic and run into the path of one of the moving walls. So I always made sure I was either holding him or he was locked in the bathroom when the slides were going in or out.

  After getting them in, I put Bob back on the bed and went outside to unhook from shore power. Before going to the power pole at the rear of the RV, I checked to make sure the guys in the black SUV hadn't parked nearby and were watching me.

  They weren't. I took care of the hookups and headed back inside. I walked from front to back picking up anything that might slide off a counter or break while I was driving. Then I locked all the cabinet doors and made sure we were ready to travel.

  A few minutes later, Erin came back, carrying a small, black overnight bag. Apparently, she had two of them. The one she had brought with her the night before and the one she had just brought from Raif's. She dropped the bag on the couch and said, “I filled him in and he agrees we should move, at least temporarily. He suggested we go to Anastasia State Park. They are usually full up this time of year, but I called and they had two sites available. One in the sun and one in the shade. The one in the shade was only available for a day, but the one in the sun was open for the next four days. I told them we'd take it and would be there within the hour.

  “Raif said to keep his car as long as we needed it. If he wanted to go anywhere, Fay would take him.”