mad?” Sofie persisted.
“ Annie got him arrested so he's
probably still in jail. It was some whiskey sop that tried to
collect the bounty and nailed Annie,” Jake said as he tossed the
bloody jacket in the closest chair.
“ The whiskey sop get away?” Sofie
asked casually as she gently removed Annie's
blouse.
“ Nope, he's molding in the dark a
mile away, waiting to be discovered.” Jake frowned, wrinkling his
forehead. “Problem is plenty more like him is looking for
us.”
“ I don't want to know any more about
that there dead fellow. Less I know the better I like it. I'm here
to tell you getting arrested must have got Big Ed plenty steamed,”
Sofie warned. “I cain't do no more to this gal
here.
Help me move her to the living room
couch so she's flat while she's passed out. Easier for me to work
on her, and she can stay there until she can stand up. No need
moving her but this once that way. Like you said, she's lost a
bunch of blood. Maybe too much to live no matter how good a doctor
I am.”
Chapter 12
Annie jerked in her sleep. A serge
of pain brought her to consciousness. She groaned as she opened her
eyes. A strip of dirty white wallpaper on the ceiling hung down
over her like sticky fly paper.
Annie moved her head to look around
her and grimaced from the pain. The walls were covered with faded
stripes of flowered wallpaper.
A spring in the dark brown couch was
poking into her back just itching to pop out of the thin
upholstery. An old recliner with the back turned to her was at the
end of the couch. A secretary desk with a beveled glass cabinet
attached was across the room by a wooden rocker. Not one thing
about any of the furniture or the living room looked
familiar.
Annie turned her head sideways.
Jake, with his chin resting on his chest, was sitting by her in a
kitchen chair. Annie patted his arm. He straightened up and rubbed
sleep from his eyes. “Easy, girl. You got to lay still.”
Annie licked her dry lips and rasped
weakly, “I'm surely and purely nervous. You're the only thing I
recognize in this here place. Where am I?”
Jake gave her an anxious once over.
“You said you wanted to go some place to get fixed up. Remember you
were gunshot?”
“ No! How could I forget that?”
snapped Annie, holding her shoulder as she fought the
pain.
“ Well, you were, and I brought you to
my friend, Sofie's house. She's a pretty good doctor when folks
need her that cain't pay,” Jake bragged.
Annie asked, “How long have I been
in this house?”
Jake said, “Two days.”
“ Two days!” Annie tried to sit up.
The quick motion was too much for her. Her head swirled, or the
room did. She wasn't sure which way it was, so she laid back down.
“Where are we anyway?”
“ Sofie's house is on the north edge
of town. You were right. The bullet went clean through so Sofie
bandaged both wounds. Just lay still now so you don't start
bleeding again. You lost too much blood already. You ain't in no
shape to move fast,” Jake scolded.
“ Use your head, hombre! Two days is
too long to stay in one place with Big Ed looking for us. As soon
as I can stand upright and stay on my feet, we got to get out of
this house.
It ain't safe to stay here for long
for you, me or Sofie now that she helped me. Big Ed won't take
kindly to her interfering with his plans to kill us,” Annie
worried.
“ I been going out in the night to see
what's going on. I stay out for two or three hours at a time,” Jake
told her. “So far it's pretty quiet on the streets. No one seems to
know nothing about Big Ed.
They do know the cops found the dead
bum. What happened to the bum is a mystery to everyone? They're
pretty quiet about what they know about anything to do with us.
Afraid for themselves if Big Ed finds out they talked to me. Now
it's all right that you rest some more.”
It was almost morning when Annie
woke at the sound of door hinges squawking. It couldn't be Sofie
coming or going. She'd have
“ Annie got him arrested so he's
probably still in jail. It was some whiskey sop that tried to
collect the bounty and nailed Annie,” Jake said as he tossed the
bloody jacket in the closest chair.
“ The whiskey sop get away?” Sofie
asked casually as she gently removed Annie's
blouse.
“ Nope, he's molding in the dark a
mile away, waiting to be discovered.” Jake frowned, wrinkling his
forehead. “Problem is plenty more like him is looking for
us.”
“ I don't want to know any more about
that there dead fellow. Less I know the better I like it. I'm here
to tell you getting arrested must have got Big Ed plenty steamed,”
Sofie warned. “I cain't do no more to this gal
here.
Help me move her to the living room
couch so she's flat while she's passed out. Easier for me to work
on her, and she can stay there until she can stand up. No need
moving her but this once that way. Like you said, she's lost a
bunch of blood. Maybe too much to live no matter how good a doctor
I am.”
Chapter 12
Annie jerked in her sleep. A serge
of pain brought her to consciousness. She groaned as she opened her
eyes. A strip of dirty white wallpaper on the ceiling hung down
over her like sticky fly paper.
Annie moved her head to look around
her and grimaced from the pain. The walls were covered with faded
stripes of flowered wallpaper.
A spring in the dark brown couch was
poking into her back just itching to pop out of the thin
upholstery. An old recliner with the back turned to her was at the
end of the couch. A secretary desk with a beveled glass cabinet
attached was across the room by a wooden rocker. Not one thing
about any of the furniture or the living room looked
familiar.
Annie turned her head sideways.
Jake, with his chin resting on his chest, was sitting by her in a
kitchen chair. Annie patted his arm. He straightened up and rubbed
sleep from his eyes. “Easy, girl. You got to lay still.”
Annie licked her dry lips and rasped
weakly, “I'm surely and purely nervous. You're the only thing I
recognize in this here place. Where am I?”
Jake gave her an anxious once over.
“You said you wanted to go some place to get fixed up. Remember you
were gunshot?”
“ No! How could I forget that?”
snapped Annie, holding her shoulder as she fought the
pain.
“ Well, you were, and I brought you to
my friend, Sofie's house. She's a pretty good doctor when folks
need her that cain't pay,” Jake bragged.
Annie asked, “How long have I been
in this house?”
Jake said, “Two days.”
“ Two days!” Annie tried to sit up.
The quick motion was too much for her. Her head swirled, or the
room did. She wasn't sure which way it was, so she laid back down.
“Where are we anyway?”
“ Sofie's house is on the north edge
of town. You were right. The bullet went clean through so Sofie
bandaged both wounds. Just lay still now so you don't start
bleeding again. You lost too much blood already. You ain't in no
shape to move fast,” Jake scolded.
“ Use your head, hombre! Two days is
too long to stay in one place with Big Ed looking for us. As soon
as I can stand upright and stay on my feet, we got to get out of
this house.
It ain't safe to stay here for long
for you, me or Sofie now that she helped me. Big Ed won't take
kindly to her interfering with his plans to kill us,” Annie
worried.
“ I been going out in the night to see
what's going on. I stay out for two or three hours at a time,” Jake
told her. “So far it's pretty quiet on the streets. No one seems to
know nothing about Big Ed.
They do know the cops found the dead
bum. What happened to the bum is a mystery to everyone? They're
pretty quiet about what they know about anything to do with us.
Afraid for themselves if Big Ed finds out they talked to me. Now
it's all right that you rest some more.”
It was almost morning when Annie
woke at the sound of door hinges squawking. It couldn't be Sofie
coming or going. She'd have
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