her pocket. She had taken it with her, intending to show it to Lou and maybe Jack, but Lou didn’t seem interested, and then she forgot all about it. She put it on her key ring, hoping Lou was right about it being a good luck charm. She went to bed with her television and a light turned on in every room.
* * *
“I told you to do some SNOOPIN’, not destructin’,” a voice boomed over the receiver. “Shoot . . . if you had bird brains you'd fly backwards.”
“ Well shucks, boss, I thought you wanted to find somethin’, not diddle around.”
“ If I wanna diddle around, I’ll diddle AROUND,” he yelled into the phone. “It’s my gallderned money. All you did was draw attention. You didn’t find a thing or accomplish anything. Slow and steady, do you hear me?”
“ Yeah, I hear ya. You wanna diddle around. But like ya said, it’s yer money. I just thought you wanted that key she found.”
“ You know what? I do want that key. Find it, galldernit. I want you to stay on Ms. Tess Tremaine like mud on a pig. I wanna know about every new little home improvement she makes, even if it's only a new toilet paper hanger. But listen and listen good. You can't make it look like we want the key. It has to look like she lost it. Gad night a livin' you're ignert. From now on, you keep drinkin’, and I’ll keep thinkin’.”
Get Your Straw Out of My Kool-Aid
over to : preposition \oh-ver too\ at
She was over to the diner.
[ 1932 ]
One week after three witnesses identified Rod Pierce as one of the bank robbers, he was in court. Unlike the last time Nate Hunter, John Hobb, and Mrs. Maggard had seen Pierce, he was now dressed neatly in a suit and tie in the courtroom. His hair was clean and combed, face soft as a baby’s bottom, and false teeth in place.
John Hobb did a double take as he stepped up to be sworn in for testimony. He was asked, “Is this one of the men you saw rob the First National Bank of Goose Pimple Junction, on March 9, 1932?”
Hobb stared at Pierce. He didn’t look exactly like the man he’d seen twice before, but even with his improved looks and seated behind a table, John was absolutely positive. “Yes, it is,” he replied.
“ Can you tell the court what happened that day?”
John’s voice was clear and strong. “Mr. Pierce and two associates entered the bank. While one of them stayed as a lookout at the door, Mr. Pierce and another man brandished firearms, and demanded the clerks fill their pillow cases with the money from the cash drawers and the vault. Then they forced our clerk, Nate Hunter, to go with them, and they went runnin’ down the street like scalded cats.”
As John left the witness stand, he recognized a face in the back row. He went straight to Chief Preston, seated in the third row, sat down next to him, and whispered in his ear.
Next on the stand was Nate Hunter. After being asked if the defendant was one of the men who robbed the bank on March ninth, he replied, “Yes, it is.” He went on to corroborate John Hobb’s account of the robbery.
When Tallulah took the stand, she was nervous but sure of herself.
“ Is this the man you saw brandish a gun on March ninth and rob the First National Bank?”
“ It shore is.”
“ How can you be so sure?”
“ He stood right in front of me and said they were robbin’ us. I remember Mr. Pierce said I looked as nervous as a sinner in a cyclone.” A tittering went through the courtroom from a few of the people in the audience. “As God is my witness, he's the one,” she said, pointing at Pierce.
“ Thank you, Mrs. Maggard.”
The defense attorney stood and said, “Your honor, I have one witness today.”
“ Call ‘em,” the judge said.
“ I call Calista Castle to the stand.”
While the gaudily-dressed woman sashayed her way to the front of the courtroom, Chief Preston made his way to the back of the room.
When the witness was sworn in and seated, she was asked her
* * *
“I told you to do some SNOOPIN’, not destructin’,” a voice boomed over the receiver. “Shoot . . . if you had bird brains you'd fly backwards.”
“ Well shucks, boss, I thought you wanted to find somethin’, not diddle around.”
“ If I wanna diddle around, I’ll diddle AROUND,” he yelled into the phone. “It’s my gallderned money. All you did was draw attention. You didn’t find a thing or accomplish anything. Slow and steady, do you hear me?”
“ Yeah, I hear ya. You wanna diddle around. But like ya said, it’s yer money. I just thought you wanted that key she found.”
“ You know what? I do want that key. Find it, galldernit. I want you to stay on Ms. Tess Tremaine like mud on a pig. I wanna know about every new little home improvement she makes, even if it's only a new toilet paper hanger. But listen and listen good. You can't make it look like we want the key. It has to look like she lost it. Gad night a livin' you're ignert. From now on, you keep drinkin’, and I’ll keep thinkin’.”
Get Your Straw Out of My Kool-Aid
over to : preposition \oh-ver too\ at
She was over to the diner.
[ 1932 ]
One week after three witnesses identified Rod Pierce as one of the bank robbers, he was in court. Unlike the last time Nate Hunter, John Hobb, and Mrs. Maggard had seen Pierce, he was now dressed neatly in a suit and tie in the courtroom. His hair was clean and combed, face soft as a baby’s bottom, and false teeth in place.
John Hobb did a double take as he stepped up to be sworn in for testimony. He was asked, “Is this one of the men you saw rob the First National Bank of Goose Pimple Junction, on March 9, 1932?”
Hobb stared at Pierce. He didn’t look exactly like the man he’d seen twice before, but even with his improved looks and seated behind a table, John was absolutely positive. “Yes, it is,” he replied.
“ Can you tell the court what happened that day?”
John’s voice was clear and strong. “Mr. Pierce and two associates entered the bank. While one of them stayed as a lookout at the door, Mr. Pierce and another man brandished firearms, and demanded the clerks fill their pillow cases with the money from the cash drawers and the vault. Then they forced our clerk, Nate Hunter, to go with them, and they went runnin’ down the street like scalded cats.”
As John left the witness stand, he recognized a face in the back row. He went straight to Chief Preston, seated in the third row, sat down next to him, and whispered in his ear.
Next on the stand was Nate Hunter. After being asked if the defendant was one of the men who robbed the bank on March ninth, he replied, “Yes, it is.” He went on to corroborate John Hobb’s account of the robbery.
When Tallulah took the stand, she was nervous but sure of herself.
“ Is this the man you saw brandish a gun on March ninth and rob the First National Bank?”
“ It shore is.”
“ How can you be so sure?”
“ He stood right in front of me and said they were robbin’ us. I remember Mr. Pierce said I looked as nervous as a sinner in a cyclone.” A tittering went through the courtroom from a few of the people in the audience. “As God is my witness, he's the one,” she said, pointing at Pierce.
“ Thank you, Mrs. Maggard.”
The defense attorney stood and said, “Your honor, I have one witness today.”
“ Call ‘em,” the judge said.
“ I call Calista Castle to the stand.”
While the gaudily-dressed woman sashayed her way to the front of the courtroom, Chief Preston made his way to the back of the room.
When the witness was sworn in and seated, she was asked her
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