Doing Time In Texas, Book 2

by James E Ferrell

  Eyeing his hand Bonnie said, “I see you still have the wedding band on.”

  He smiled holding up his hand saying, “I like it there.”

  A second thunderstorm moved across the landscape. Wind blew sheets of rain across the meadow as Willy picked her up and carried her from the kitchen. Snuggling in his arms she said, “Willy, don’t let anything ever come between us. I could never love another man.”

  C39 - Trotline Bait

  The spring runoff had lessened and with it the trotline was not producing many fish. Thomas sat on the log he used as a catfish skinning table. He moved his campsite every few days.

  “Boy, you are getting hard to find. If it wasn’t for Baker, we would never find you. You went to Memphis with Baker and made the arrangements but that is all the information you got for us?” Bart asked.

  “Did you get drunk or something?” Ed added.

  “Listen, the gent is not talkative and didn’t meet with anyone. He did his talking in a phone booth. I couldn’t hear anything he was saying,” Thomas said.

  “Well, the locker is interesting, what do you suppose is in the bag?”

  “If exchanging the bag is how he plans to get paid for the merchandise, we need a plan to get our hands on it,” Bart said.

  “I just bet before he delivers the trucks, he probably will pick up that bag full of money. I don’t intend to take the scraps while he walks away with a bag full of cash. We deserve more than what he is giving us!” Ed exclaimed.

  Bart tossed a bottle into the river and said, “I don’t intend to put up with the drunks and rednecks of Huntsville much longer. This sheriff job is for the birds!”

  “Bart, you stay where you are! Don’t quit yet. We may need your badge to keep us out of trouble!” Ed said.

  “It sounds to me like you two are planning a double cross!” Thomas said.

  Bart replied, “We’re just making sure we get something for our trouble. It’s not going to be a double cross! I tell you what…we will just tell him upfront. We want more money! What’s he going to do? He can’t go find more drivers this close to the pickup.”

  Ed sat on a tree stump looking at the other two over the campfire. Looking at Thomas he said, “I know what you’ve got on your mind and you’re in whether you like it or not. You just drive and leave the rest to us. You know too much to quit now. Now let’s figure what we will do to protect ourselves. Bart, have you picked up any good hardware from those bums you have been arresting? We need some good weapons.”

  Bart contemplatively said, “The lockup room has a few good pieces I can take.”

  “You two get this straight. I’m not carrying a gun,” Thomas stated emphatically.

  “Thomas, you better take one, because we are way over the line,” Bart said.

  Later that night Ed and Bart sat in a small aluminum boat running trot lines while Thomas lay in a hammock back at the camp. Bart said, “The boy scares me, Ed. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and he is too weak to be trusted.”

  “Well, after we make this heist he could drown while we are fishing. We can’t depend on him,” Ed said without any feeling towards his young friend.

  “We will just plan on Thomas not spending his share of the money,” Bart stated. Ed nodded somberly. The two pulled their way across the river taking a few small catfish off the trot line and rebaiting as they went.

  Bart wiped the bait off his hands and laid the stinky towel on the floor of the old aluminum boat and said, “Let’s get something straight between us, Ed. You and I need to cover for each other. You watch my back and I’ll watch yours. We split everything fifty-fifty. If things go bad, we grab the cash and head for Mexico. I’ve spent some time in Mexico and even down in Columbia. If we get across the border we can head south as far as the tip of South America if we want to,” Bart said.

  “Funny you should mention that. Long ago when things were going good in the shine business, I had a feeling I needed a backup plan. I started working on a sweet old van that I had originally equipped for camping. I’ve powered it up and added a second large fuel tank. I added some secret compartments to carry money and weapons in. Not long ago I stocked it with can goods. You are the only one that knows I have the van. It’s parked back of my folk’s old place among a couple of junk heaps. If we have to run, I have a plan, and no one will know what we’re driving,” Ed said.

  “Sounds like you do have a plan. That makes me feel better,” Bart said.

  C40 - The Shipment

  Arusty old cargo ship sat at the dock in Corpus Christi. It had been moored to the pier for the past three days. Once heavily loaded with merchandise it no longer sat deep in the water. Cargo marked as farm equipment from across the sea had found its way to this Texas port. High above the dock McDonald sat in the warehouse control room watching the loading of his trucks through a cloudy and weather-stained window. A short pudgy longshoreman with a cigar watched the important mobster from Chicago. “Relax, McDonald, you ain’t got no worry here on my dock. I say what goes and comes here and that includes the cops,” he said.

  “Shaw, I’m a cautious man. That’s how I got to be where I am,” McDonald replied. One by one the trucks left the dock. As each loading was finished, Smitty looked up at the window and signaled his stamp of approval until the last one pulled from the dock. McDonald nodded back and signaled Smitty to bring a valise from a sedan sitting in the corner of the warehouse. A minute later, two of McDonald’s men knocked on the door of the control house.

  For a long time, Shaw, the longshoreman, looked at the contents of the valise. Finally, he smiled and winked at McDonald. “Your boy Baker has made us both rich. Where’s he at anyway?” the longshoreman asked. McDonald gritted his teeth and looked at the smaller man and said, “He couldn’t make this trip.”

  “Well, tell him I appreciate the retirement funds!” the little man said with a laugh. A very nervous French ship captain took his money and hurried out of the warehouse. Within an hour the ship was steaming from harbor for open water.

  Making his way to the bottom of the stairs, McDonald met Smitty and Artie. “Follow the trucks and make sure they are secure. Leave Chubby Hawkins and the old man at the farm to guard the trucks. I will call Chicago as soon as I get back to the hotel,” McDonald said.

  While they stood talking, a longshoreman walked to a telephone booth a block down the dock. Looking around cautiously, he fished a handful of change from his pocket. A few minutes later, an old man attending a small service station south of Huntsville wiped his oily hands on a rag and answered the telephone.

  “You Jackson?” the longshoreman said.

  “Yes, this is Jackson,” he said.

  “The trucks are rolling,” the longshoreman said.

  C41 - Unlocking the Past

  "Willy, we’ve been need…ing to ssse…e you, wh…ere are you?” Billy said into the receiver.

  “Is Alice home? I need to talk with her Billy,” Willy said.

  “Alice is nnno…ot hhhere, she ha…s part-time wwwor…k at the diner down the stre…et,” Billy stuttered. "McDonald’s men pai…d us a visit. Smitty beat me up real bad while that creep Hawkins stood by and laughed. They wanted to know wwwhere you were. They knew all the time, you didn’t tell me nnnothing,” Billy said. “Word on the ssstree…t is McDonald is going on a road trip.”

  “Billy, listen carefully. Smitty and Hawkins will be coming back. You and Alice must not be there when they do. It’s time for you and Alice to make some changes in your life. I want you to go in my old room and look in the closet. There’s a key hanging above the door. You and Alice pack a bag and go to the bus station down the street from your apartment. Now don’t try and pack everything you own. Just take what you need and travel light. You won’t need your old things anymore. You just need to get away.” Willy continued, “The key is to a locker in the bus terminal. In the locker you will find a bag with money, bus tickets and a letter with instructions for you and Alice. The money is for you and Alice. I
t’s going to help you start a new life. Now, Billy, do exactly as the instructions in the bag tell you to do. I will be looking forward to seeing you again real soon. Don’t wait. You must leave tonight. Billy, you must do just as I tell you to do. Everything will work out for you and Alice if you do.”

  “Thththanks, Wwwilly. Things have been real bad for us since you left. McDonald wants you dddead and nothing shshshort of that will make him hhhappy. He will never gggive up on accomplishing that. Yyyyou will never be sssafe anywhere from that mmman,” Billy said.

  “Billy, as soon as Alice gets home, tell her everything I have told you and do as I have instructed,” Willy said.

  Willy hung the receiver up. Standing for a moment in the phone booth, he hoped that Billy would get the instructions right. Stepping from the booth he looked around the Huntsville square. There was very little activity this time of day. Getting back in his car he thought for a moment. Had he covered all bases? Dismissing the thought, he moved away from the curb. While looking in his rear-view mirror he saw Cage leave the courthouse. Willy smiled to himself. It’s time to go home. He missed Bonnie and wanted to see her in the worst way. His heart ached when he was not with her.

  C42 - The Tracker

  "Operator, there was a call just placed from this number. Can you tell me the number that was called? Yes, this is police business and I am a Texas Ranger. This is most important, please hurry,” Cage said. Getting the number, Cage called Austin and gave the number to his Captain. He had followed Baker around and after he had made a call, Cage relayed the number to Austin. Hanging up the receiver, he headed for the alley where his car was parked. It was time to arrest Baker and put some pressure on him with the information he had. Baker was up to something and he was the only possible lead to the murders here in Huntsville. Arresting him in possession of a gun would put him back in prison and Cage was sure he was carrying today.

  It was late afternoon when Willy drove up the dusty road in front of his house. He was confronted by a worried Bonnie who came off the porch to meet him.

  “Settle down, Honey, and quit ringing your hands! Now what has you in such an uproar?” Willy asked.

  “Annie came to see me this morning,” she began. Then she blurted out, “Cage is coming out here to arrest you! They think you committed the murders at the cemetery. I told her I was with you all night and you could not have killed those people nor could have done such a thing. The rangers know all about your past here in prison.” Bonnie began to sob. “I couldn’t ever face Annie. I just sat inside with the door locked and talked to her through the door. She asked me to come out, but I was crying too hard. I can’t stand the thought of losing you! She finally gave up and went home,” Bonnie said.

  Willy led her to the porch swing, and they sat down. Willy said, “Listen to me, Honey! They know there is no way I had anything to do with the murders. The rangers are baiting you. They are fishing and want to see what I will do when you tell me the news. Right now, we are being watched,” he said. Pushing his hat back on his head he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Go in the house and get us a coke. I'm thirsty. I want you to walk out to the barn with me.”

  Across the dirt road, a hill offered Lightfoot the best place to watch the two as they walked to the barn. Settling back against a tree and resting his binoculars on his chest, he wished he could hear what they were saying. Dozing in the shade he looked at his watch. They had been in the barn for over an hour. He had better try to locate them. Just as he was about to leave his position and start moving through the woods, he spotted Bonnie coming out of the barn alone. Lightfoot jumped to his feet and headed back through the trees at a run. Instinctively he knew Willy was gone. More than likely Willy had a vehicle stashed back in the woods for just such a situation. ‘Where was the kid ranger? He was supposed to have been watching Baker in town and should have been here by now!’ thought Chief Lightfoot.

  ααααααα

  “A couple of your sparkplug wires had slipped off your car. It’s running fine now,” Ed said.

  “What’s the charge? I need to be on my way!” Ranger Cruise stated.

  “No charge for that! Glad to help the law when I can,” Ed said.

  It took almost an hour before Cage pulled into the trees where Lightfoot’s motorcycle was parked. Getting out of the car, he found the chief sitting on a stump. “We have been snookered, my young friend. He and his misses took a walk down to the barn and she returned at least an hour later alone. Where the heck have you been?” Lightfoot asked.

  “He pulled sparkplug wires off the engine of my car. I spent an hour getting the local mechanic to get the engine to run,” Cage said.

  C43 - Highway 45 Oasis

  “What will it be, Mr. Baker? Premium or regular?” asked Mr. Jackson, the old attendant.

  Willy shook the old man’s hand and greeted him warmly saying, “Premium, Mr. Jackson. Have you received any messages for me?”

  “Yep, a feller called this morning and wanted me to let you know the trucks were moving,” the old attendant stated.

  “How long ago was that?” Willy asked.

  “Around eleven…about two hours ago,” Jackson replied.

  “Thanks! I need to use your phone,” Willy said.

  “Help yourself. You know where it is. There’s sandwiches in the fridge if you’re hungry,” the old man said.

  Willy’s voice came over the phone in Ed’s garage, “Weeks, it’s time to move. Pickup Taylor and Bart. I will be waiting at the meeting place. Call me here at this number in about an hour. Be cautious and watch for a tail. If you think you are being followed drop them off one at a time like I told you and I will pick them up.”

  Ed closed his shop and walked to the row of old junk cars behind his garage. In a few hours, he would have some real money. This just might be the start of a new career.

  ααααααα

  Neither Rain, Snow nor Dark of Night. Cotton Wright had never missed finishing the rounds he started. He had served as mailman for the 101st airborne unit for three years before getting a medical discharge caused by shrapnel. The mail he was responsible for in the army had always been delivered to the anxious soldiers and he took his job very seriously. Now he was a civilian mailman. He knew every name and house in the small town of Darien, Georgia. Today, all else could wait until he had delivered the letter in his hand. For fifteen years he had known the Wilkerson’s and their kids. He and his wife had prayed with them, and for them, in the terrible years after Bonnie left. While sorting his mail, he came across the letter that bore her name with a return address. Dropping everything and running out of the post office he headed down Main Street. Cotton had once had the opportunity to be a courier for General Dwight Eisenhower and had sensed the importance of the correspondence he carried. Today this letter gave him a sense of hope far more than the confidential correspondence of the general. The delivery today was the most important letter he had ever delivered. He was not about to be distracted from this appointed round.

  “Well, what in the world has gotten into Cotton?” Gloria asked. Craning her neck around the arm load of mail, she watched him through the Post Office window.

  Sticking a pencil in the large bun on top of her head Bernice Wilson adjusted her bifocals and continued stuffing mail in boxes. “Cotton can be weird sometimes,” she said.

  Cotton walked down Main Street as fast as his mail carrying legs could carry him. He wanted to catch Ginny and Ben before either of them left for work. He didn’t want one of them to open the letter without the support of the other. All these years he and his wife had thanked God for not putting such a trial on them as He had the Wilkerson’s. They had constantly prayed for the family in the small church they attended. He had seen the Wilkerson’s growing stronger and more caring because of their troubles. Never had they complained but had maintained hope all these years.

  Jerry was headed for school and waved a greeting as Cotton rounded the street corner. “Jerry, are your mom and dad st
ill at home?” he asked without slowing his pace.

  Jerry Wilkerson replied, “Yes, Sir! Dad is about to leave. He got a job digging ditches on the city gas lines for a few days. Mom and Dad are on the front porch drinking coffee.” Waving back over his shoulder, Cotton quickened his pace.

  Ben spotted him coming down the road and shouted a greeting, “Cotton Wright, what’s the hurry? You have a letter from the president to deliver today?”

  Opening the gate leading to the Wilkerson’s home he slowed his pace and said, “Better than that, this is for you…I want you to brace yourselves.” Ginny sat her cup down and straightened, never taking her eyes from the letter Cotton held in his hand. With a shaking hand he handed the letter to Ginny as Ben rose to look over her shoulder. The three eyed the letter held in Ginny’s hand for a time. Ginny gently ran her fingers over the return address as if she was afraid she might erase it. Her lips trembled and her eyes ebbed with tears.

  “What do you think, Cotton? Is this for real?” asked Ben.

  “I believe it is the answer to years of prayer. We will never know if Ginny doesn’t open it! I know this will be personal and I don’t want to pry. If I go home and tell Phoebe you have a letter from Bonnie without knowing that everything is all right, I will never hear the end of it!”

  “Cotton, this town knows all there is to know about us. We live in a glass house. Sit down and I will read it out loud.” Ginny cleared her throat and gathered her composure and stated, “First, this is her handwriting and she starts her letter with Dear Mom and Dad. Now we know she is alive and well after all these years.” Her body shook from the sobbing and she wiped her eyes with her apron and started again.

  Dear Mom and Dad,

  I don’t know if you are still in Georgia or even alive. I hope this letter finds you. If it does, I wouldn’t blame you if you burned this letter without reading it. I can only say that over the years I have yearned to see you and at times I have been so desperate that I contemplated ending my life. Knowing what you had taught me about the Bible I was afraid it would be far worse on the other side than what I have experienced here on earth. The longer I put off contacting you, the worse my life got. Even now as I write my life is still full of problems. My past follows me like a bad dream. I make no excuse for the way I have been living. I fully accept the blame for the course my life has taken. The broad road does lead to destruction, but now it is safe for me to say that my life has a new direction and I no longer worry about the future. Living one day at a time is all I can handle, and I lean on the Lord to get me through. I know without you in my life it will never be complete.