Cooked Goose

money.”
    On a built-in desk at the end of the kitchen counter, a telephone jingled. Savannah and Dirk looked at each other. “Do you think we should...?” he said.
    “No, wait a minute. Let his machine pick it up.”
    They listened as Bloss’s gruff voice basically demanded that the caller leave a message or else.
    But after the long beep, instead of a human reply, they heard a series of beeps and clicks. Then the tape on the machine began to rewind.
    “It’s Bloss,” Savannah said. “He’s calling in to get his messages.”
    Dirk reached for the phone. “I think I’ll answer it. Ask him where the hell he is and what’s goin’ on.”
    Savannah grabbed his hand. “If he’s hiding, he probably won’t tell us. Wait...”
    They listened as two messages played, both from concerned personnel at the station, asking if he was intending to report to work today.
    Savannah pointed to the caller identification box. “We don’t have to ask him,” she said. “That’ll tell us.”
    They peered at the read-out.
    “Jackson’s Diner?” she said. “That sounds familiar. Where is that?”
    “It used to be Angel’s Taco Heaven. It’s just down the street from the Blue Moon Motel.”
    Savannah’s eyes sparkled. “Ah, ha! Figures. Let’s get going.”

    * * *

    2:25 P.M.

    The rapist sat on the edge of the bed in the dark room, armed and waiting.
    One more. Just one more, he told himself. This one was a matter of principle. Nobody got away. Nobody. It was his code.
    He gritted his teeth and promised himself that when this was over he was going to sleep, for days, weeks, for eternity.
    At this point he didn’t give a damn. His life was over anyway.
    This wasn’t fun anymore. Whatever charge he had gotten in the beginning—it was dead. As dead as he was inside.
    He knew he was a corpse walking. But alive or dead, he would settle this last score. Yes. It was a matter of principle. And only a matter of seconds. Because he could hear footsteps approaching.
    He wasn’t the only corpse walking. No, he wasn’t. There were two.

    * * *

    2:30 p.m.

    As Dirk drove toward the outskirts of town and the Blue Moon Motel, Savannah couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she had first experienced when she had driven Margie and the kids back to her house.
    “Still bothering you?” Dirk asked her as they passed over the Rio Verde Bridge , marking the city’s border.
    “Yeah,” she said. “And it’s getting worse.”
    She pulled her cell phone from her purse and gave Tammy a call.
    Briefly, she explained the situation to her assistant. “The kid’s really worried about her old man,” she told Tammy. “We had to ask her some questions and she’s no dummy; she figured out that something’s up.”
    “Do you want me to go over there?” Tammy offered. “I’ll just keep her company until you get back.”
    “Would you mind? I’d really appreciate it. Vidalia and Butch are a bit too wrapped up in themselves right now to provide much support for her. She’s been through a lot lately.“
    “No problem, I’m on my way.”
    “Thanks, Tam. I’ll give you a raise in pay.”
    “Pay? You’re going to start paying me? I don’t have to work for love and personal fulfillment anymore?”
    “Goodbye, smartass.”
    When Savannah hung up, Dirk said, “So, feel better now?”
    Savannah shrugged. “I guess so. A little.”
    “We’ll check out the motel and get you back as soon as we can,” he said.
    She continued to stare out the window and wonder. “Thanks.”
    He stepped on the gas.

    * * *

    2:37 P M.

    When the door opened and the intended victim stepped into the motel room, Officer Titus Dunn found that the feeble rush of adrenaline wasn’t enough to carry him this time. His hand shook violently as he lifted his gun from his lap and pointed it at Harvey Bloss.
    The infection was too deep, the fever was too high, and his strength was almost gone.
    But all he had to do was pull the trigger. Number Three would be properly dispatched. Vengeance complete. Mission accomplished.
    He had anticipated the look of shock on Bloss’s face when he flipped on the light and turned to see him sitting there. But he was disappointed. Bloss didn’t even look surprised as he walked across the room to the dresser, picked up a whiskey bottle that had been sitting there and poured a plastic cup half full.
    “Dunn,” he said calmly as he drank about half of the amber fluid in one gulp. “I was wondering what took you so