Doing Time In Texas, Book 2

by James E Ferrell

  “Willy, you need to start acting like a father. You need to get a job or run this ranch,” Bonnie said pleadingly.

  “Jeez, Girl! We’re not married yet and you are already nagging me. Don’t you think I have thought about what I could do to make a living for us? This baby thing makes it even more important that I succeed in what I am doing,” he said.

  “It is more important that your baby knows you as a decent man and father,” she said.

  Willy started moving the hay again and said, “Just go back to the house and leave me be.” With that Bonnie left the barn. This new development added a new dimension to everything.

  Bonnie sat on the front porch swing, bewildered about the circumstances. She thought about her mother and how badly she needed her at this moment. She doubted that they still lived where they had eight years ago. Bonnie was alarmed that she may never see her mother again. This new situation made her want her more than ever. I want my mother, she muttered.

  The noise in the barn finally stopped and Willy came out of the barn. His muscles were shimmering with sweat. He was smart and strong as a bull. There was nothing he couldn’t do with a nudge in the right direction. Bonnie sat watching him from the porch swing as he walked to the house.

  “Willy, I don’t want you to do something you may never have done under different circumstances. So, this is all I ask, I want you to marry me for the child. You are under no obligation to me after that. I will not hold you against your will. I want to be able to tell the baby about her father and how much I loved him.” With that said, she went in the house and ran bath water for him.

  Willy sighed and sat down on the top step. The wind blew and behind him the swing made a squeaking sound. As he looked around at the place, he saw flowers everywhere. Bonnie had made the place come alive. He realized that he really wanted to marry her. He didn’t know how to show emotions. He never had cried and would be embarrassed to do so. ‘Why couldn’t he tell her he loved her?’ Getting up from the steps he gently pushed through the dogs and went in to get ready.

  C33 - No Wedding Cake

  Before noon, the two were headed for Bryan. The air between them seemed tense and little was said. For a long time, she sat smoothing the front of her dress. Looking through the windshield her mind was a million miles away. This was the day all girls longed for from an early age. They planned for a chapel wedding. A knight in shining armor and happiness forever. All girls long for the perfect wedding with bride’s maids all in a row. However, her path in life had changed all her schoolgirl dreams. She had given up the school proms and all the fun that growing up should bring. Here she sat, her wedding day filled with loneliness and a deep sense of regret. No father to give his favorite daughter away. No mother to fuss and plan for weeks before the wedding. The good things that all mothers wish for her daughter, she had forsaken. A bump on the road brought her back to reality.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Willy said. “What’s the matter, Babe? This is supposed to be a happy day for you!” Looking out the side window to hide the tears, she wished he could understand what was missing. The countryside flew by through blurry eyes. Across the seat Willy muttered, “Women.”

  Bonnie had dressed in her finest and the clothes that she laid out for Willy made him look very distinguished. It didn’t take long to find a parsonage behind a big Baptist church and Willy knocked on the door. The little man that answered the door was about half the size of Willy and bald.

  “Sir…preacher errs…my girlfriend wants to get married. Can you do that for us?” The pastor walked out on the porch and removed his glasses.

  “How about you? Do you want to get married?” the pastor asked Willy.

  “Yes, I meant to say we…want to get married,” Willy said almost stammering.

  The pastor replied, “Reckon I can, Son, but I would like to talk to the both of you first. Meet me at that door over there and we will go in my study.”

  A few minutes later Willy sat in the church office fumbling with the western tie Bonnie had bought for him. Wiping the dust off the big black cowboy boots, he was ill at ease. Even the gun he had under his right arm couldn’t help him in this situation. The pastor left to get the necessary papers. Willy cleared his throat and asked, “Bonnie, what will we use for our names?”

  Bonnie looked at him with puzzled look and asked him, “Willy, what is your real name?”

  “It’s Welford Baker, you know that well enough,” Willy said grimacing.

  “Don’t lie to me! Is that really your name?” Bonnie questioned with a smile.

  With a grin he pushed the hat back on his head and asked, “Bonnie, do you think I would make up a stupid name like Welford?”

  “Then we will be married as Mr. and Mrs. Welford Baker,” she said determinedly.

  “They won’t put it in the paper, will they? You know some of these cities publish who got married and who died,” Willy inquired.

  “I don’t know Willy, but the pastor will get suspicious if you tell him not to publish your name in the paper. Where were you from anyway?” Bonnie asked.

  “Amarillo,” Willy stated.

  Bonnie replied, “So it’s no accident we are in Texas?” Before he could answer she asked another question. “Do you have family here?” Suddenly she realized that she knew very little about the man she was about to marry. “You’ve never said that you want to marry me,” Bonnie said.

  Puzzled Willy said, “Well, I’m here!”

  The two sat looking at each other wondering what to say next when the preacher returned. The preacher stated, “These are the forms you need to fill out and then there is a three-day waiting period before you can get married.”

  Willy looked horrified at the thought of going through this again and asked, “Can’t you marry us today? It is mighty important.”

  The pastor stated, “Well I guess I can make an exception and we can back date the papers…I married so many young people in the war that couldn’t wait for the three-day period. I suppose another one will not hurt. I’ll get my wife and her sister to be the witnesses.” He got up and disappeared down the hall. Willy was relieved and sat slumped in his chair waiting for the next step in this ordeal. The wedding was short, and it seemed to touch Willy. The little preacher was able to explain what marriage was about and quickly earned Willy’s respect.

  After the wedding Willy walked out of the church as if he had been sent through a ringer. Bonnie followed him out of the church looking at the Bible that the preacher had given them for a wedding present. “This is a mighty fine Bible; I am glad you paid him good. I’m glad he was the one who married us. Willy, he was a nice man. Don’t you think?” Bonnie asked.

  “Yeah, yeah he was great. Let’s get some ice cream,” Willy said.

  The two walked down the street to a little ice cream parlor. Looking across the street Bonnie spied a jewelry store and said, “After we leave here let’s go over there! I want a wedding ring. Now tell me about your family!”

  “What do you want to know about me for?” Willy asked amazed.

  Bonnie responded quickly, “That’s a dumb question. I want to know something about the man I’m married to. I want to be able to tell the baby everything about her dad if you leave.”

  “If I have to leave, I’m not leaving without you. The kid will not need to know about my side of the family….my family was messed up. There is very little to tell,” Willy said.

  Bonnie crossed her arms and gave him a hard stare and said, “Willy, I want to know something about your family.”

  “Okay…Okay, I had a twin brother. We were close. He was good, and I was bad. He died a long time ago and I have been on my own since then. My father was killed in the war; I was told he was a brave man. My mother drank herself to death.” After saying that, Willy lapsed into silence.

  Bonnie, on the other hand told her life story over the ice cream cones. Willy sat and listened with renewed interest in her.

  Willy grinned at Bonnie and said,
“You were a real stinker weren’t you, Gal?” Bonnie looked at him with her big brown eyes.

  “Willy, do you think a person can change?” she asked.

  Leaning over the table and holding her hands, he said, “I honestly believe you have, and I love what I see.”

  “We can have a good life together, I will make you happy, but whatever it is you are doing, let it go,” Bonnie pleaded.

  “Bonnie, it’s gone too far to turn back. I have gone too far to quit now. Now, let’s go get that ring you want!” Willy said.

  “I want you to have a ring, too! Don’t you?” Bonnie asked.

  “I suppose so, Doll Face! After this wedding ordeal I need a ring or something to prove I made it through alive!” Willy said smiling.

  “Quit joking, Willy! Take this seriously, please. I want to remember this as a blessing all my life,” she said sincerely.

  Pulling her close he said, “I’m sorry, this is probably the only right decision I’ve made in my life.”

  The next morning a rain shower added humidity and the day promised to be a hot uncomfortable one. Bonnie sat composing another letter to her mother; this time it would be the truth. With no way of making it an easy blow she penned the letter. The tears flowed as she accepted the way she had lived as her own doing and begged for her mother’s forgiveness.

  Willy was walking out of the house as Bonnie sealed the letter and said, “Willy, mail this while you’re in town.”

  Walking ahead of her to his automobile he frowned and looked back at her and said, “Bonnie, this is not the time for this; we need to wait a while before you contact your folks. I wouldn’t be surprised if McDonald was watching their house waiting for such as this to happen. I promise after this deal is over, I will take you to see them in” …looking at the address on the envelope he finished… “Darien, Georgia.” Bonnie crossed her arms and Willy saw the determined look on her face.

  “Okay, I will mail the letter.” He agreed knowing full well as soon as he was out of sight, he would tear the letter to pieces.

  The sound of a motor brought the two out of the discussion as Annie came bouncing into the yard in her father’s old truck. “You need anything from the store? I’m going to Huntsville for my weekly shopping,” she said. Spying the letter in Willy’s hand Annie took the letter from Willy and dropped it on the stack beside her in the seat. “I’m going right by the Post Office. No need in both of us going by there!” In another breath she gunned the old truck and shouted, “Toodle-do,” as the old truck sped down the dirt road.

  Astonished Willy stood and watched the dirt fly from the back of Annie’s truck as she picked up speed. ‘That woman is beginning to get on my nerves,’ Willy said under his breath.

  Bonnie almost laughed and said, “That’s okay, as long as it’s not me that’s getting on your nerves!”

  Willy’s trip to town was short he was back before noon. Bonnie could tell he had something on his mind and later that day Willy came out of the house with a traveling bag.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “I will be gone for a few days. If anyone asks, tell them that I left on business,” Willy said flatly.

  “Willy, where are you going?” Bonnie inquired.

  “We’ve been all over this before so listen to me…what you don’t know won’t hurt you. I will be back as soon as I can.” Pushing his hat back in the Clark Gable style he gave her a smile and said, “I never plan on being away from you for long, couldn’t stand it, Toots.” Kissing her passionately, he got in the car and headed down the dirt road repeating what Annie had said in a high-pitched voice, “Toodle-do.”

  C34 - Arraignments

  Thomas Taylor stood behind the diner in the pre-dawn darkness, his traveling bag hid behind an old car. It wasn’t long until Willy’s shiny new car rounded the Huntsville square. Flipping his cigarette into the gravel he opened the door and threw his bag into the back seat. Climbing into the passenger seat Thomas leaned back against the leather seats. “Nice car,” he said looking the mahogany dashboard over.

  “Listen, Taylor, we are not going to a party or getting drunk. This is business. Every time I get around Ed or Bart, I smell alcohol. You will not take a drink of anything until we are back here, and you are no longer in my company,” Willy said.

  “Actually, I don’t intend to drink anything stronger than coke ever again. That was the last cigarette in the last pack I will ever buy,” Thomas said.

  “You don’t say much but when you do it's confusing …what do you mean?” Willy asked.

  Thomas sighed and said, “I notice you do not drink or smoke and that is rare among the people I associate with. I never intend to do either again. After this job I will never do anything dishonest again in my life. You can keep the money. I don’t want it.”

  “Then why are you here?” Willy inquired.

  “The reason is my own business. I’m here as a driver unless you tell me you don’t need me,” Thomas said.

  Willy thought for a minute then said, “You don’t want the money and I know you don’t want to be in on this. You’re here, because Bart and Ed are blackmailing you, is that it?”

  Thomas said nothing for a minute then said, “All I want is to be free from those two. I saved a lot of money driving shine and one day soon I will have enough to purchase a new eighteen-wheeler. I promised my grandmother we will see the country when I do.”

  Willy responded, “Then you need the money?”

  “Yes, it would be more than enough, but like I said, I’m through with crossing the line,” Thomas added.

  Willy considered what he had heard and said, “Well boy, we have a lot of country to cover in a very short time.”

  “In that case, wake me when we stop for fuel and I will take over,” Thomas said and leaned against the passenger door and drifted off to sleep.

  The trip to Memphis was mostly uneventful. They stopped only for gas, refresh themselves, and to switch drivers.

  “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” Thomas said while pouring a bag of peanuts into a coke at one of the fuel stops.

  “I doubt it,” Willy said then added, “Don’t spill that coke on my seats.” Thomas lapsed into silence he seemed nervous and deeply troubled. Thinking back over the years, Willy wondered how he had managed to keep from becoming a Thomas the way he had lived his earlier years. The miles stretched out before them and Willy found himself daydreaming about Bonnie and how things had changed for them in the past few months.

  “Taylor, I worked for a guy by the name of McDonald in Chicago. I found out about the shine coming into Cuba through my sources down there. I contacted Harlan and bought every bottle of shine that Judd Smith and Harlan didn’t sell in Cuba. I was secretly working between two mobsters that had a bitter hate for each other. I only knew one man from each family. Joey Rice was my contact with Gino LaSalle. I used a go between so my boss, McDonald, or his goons didn’t know I was running a business separate from working for him,” Willy said.

  “That was a dangerous business. It could have gotten you killed,” Thomas said.

  “I did business through Harlan rather than Judd Smith. You probably made the deliveries and may have seen me once or twice. How well did you know Harlan?” Willy asked.

  “I had made several runs before I ran into Harlan at the farm. I made a late delivery to the farm where they were waiting to bottle it. Harlan was shocked at how young I was and was irate with Judd for using a kid. After that meeting Harlan Williams set me up with a banker and made sure my savings was invested. Smith did the leg work side of the shine business for Harlan Williams. Ed and I built cars and I delivered the shine. Harlan knew all the shine makers across the country,” Thomas said.

  “Judd Smith was Harlan’s right-hand man. You know the mobster, LaSalle, is looking for the man who killed his nephew and the albino. He thinks it was the Shine Ghost,” Willy said.

  “I can tell you it wasn’t the Shine Ghost. I have never killed anybody and d
on’t intend to,” Thomas said.

  “Do you know why you are making this trip with me?” Willy asked.

  Thomas looked over at Willy, “I guess to help you drive, is that not true?”

  “Not true! Yesterday two men came to Huntsville. They are looking for the Shine Ghost. Gino LaSalle has put a contract on your head for killing his nephew and the albino. I wanted to get you out of town,” Willy said.

  “I told you I didn’t kill anyone. Why do you care what happens to me?” Thomas asked.

  “Before Harlan died, he asked me to see if I could help you get out of the mess that he unknowingly put you in. I aim to oblige if I can,” Willy said.

  He noticed Thomas was very thoughtful. “Mr. Baker, if there is anything you can do to help me get free of this mess, I’m in! I will be grateful. I am at the end of my rope,” Thomas said.

  “I’m already working on it,” Willy said.

  Thomas sighed. It was a heavy burden to carry. He was at ease behind the wheel, so Willy let him drive, relieving him only when he asked for a break. Ten hours later the two pulled into a service station along the main highway north of Memphis. Stepping from the vehicle Willy stretched and studied the bus station across the highway.

  “Taylor, I assume you know this place. Top off the tank then stretch your legs. We will be here for a while, but don’t wander off.” Thomas filled the car with gas then walked around the station to find the restroom located in the rear. For Thomas it had been a relaxing drive from Huntsville. He eyed the old cannery warehouse and wondered if any of the mob men were in there now.

  “Thomas, go across the street to the bus station diner and get us a burger and coffee,” Willy said.

  “That’s a first,” Thomas said.

  Willy studied the youth for a moment then asked, “What’s a first?”

  Thomas smiled and said, “You called me by my first name.”

  Willy gave him a tight smile and pointed to a shady place beside the station where picnic tables had been setup for weary travelers. Willy said, “Meet me at the table over there under the trees and don’t talk to anyone, try not to make yourself noticed by the local folks.” The next half hour the two ate mostly in silence and watched as traffic passed on the highway. “I’m going over to the phone booth and make some phone calls. Sit here and wait for me.” Getting up from the table Willy walked to the telephone booth. Fishing a fold of paper from his pocket, he stepped in the phone booth and dialed a number on the paper. The phone calls lasted more than thirty minutes and he was about out of change when he finally finished. Clearing his thoughts Willy looked once again at what he had written on the paper and committed everything to memory. Tearing the paper up, he let the wind take the piece of paper out of his hand.