Spencerville

drinking beer with Larry Ingram one night at someone’s house in Spencerville, about a million beers ago, and, except for Larry saying, “I’ll have another,” Keith couldn’t recall much else that the man had said. Larry also never asked questions, so Keith volunteered, “Annie and I are leaving together.”
    Larry nodded.
    “I don’t think this will cause you any problems with Cliff Baxter, unless he knew about Annie and me being here.”
    Larry shrugged.
    “Somehow I feel you can handle that.”
    “Yup.”
    “I thought so.”
    Terry said to Annie, “Can you stay awhile?”
    Annie glanced at Keith, who said, “We really should get moving.”
    “Okay.” Annie’s eyes met Keith’s, and he thought she looked like she wanted reassurance.
    Keith said to Annie and Terry, “We’ll be fine. We don’t have to drive through Spencer County.”
    Terry nodded. “Good.”
    Keith noticed that Larry had disappeared, then he came out the side door carrying a suitcase and an overnight bag and put them in the rear compartment of the Blazer without a word.
    Annie thanked him, then said to Keith, “I brought my stuff here in shopping bags, but Terry is lending me her luggage.”
    Keith asked, “Is that all of it?”
    “That’s it. I pack light.”
    “I think I’m going to like traveling with you.”
    She smiled and said, “I can buy what I need on the road.”
    “Right.”
    Terry said to Annie, “I have the two letters for the kids, and I’ll go see Mom and Dad tomorrow morning. I’ll stop by Aunt Louise’s, too.”
    Keith wanted to get on the road, but he said to Annie, “Why don’t you take something from your memorabilia trunk?”
    She smiled at him. “You’re such a romantic.” She looked at Terry. “Isn’t he a doll? Can I get to that trunk?”
    “Sure. Come on in.”
    The two women went in the house, and Keith turned to Larry. “You’re a Chatham County deputy sheriff.”
    “Honorary.”
    “Do you have a police radio in the house or car?”
    “Both.”
    “Can you monitor the Spencerville police here?”
    “Sometimes. Weak signal.”
    “How about the Spencer County sheriff’s office?”
    “Yeah. Better signal.”
    “Can you do that tonight?”
    “Sure will.”
    “Can you call the Chatham County sheriff later and see if there’s an all-points out for my Blazer or her Lincoln?”
    “Will do.”
    “I’ll call you from the road.”
    “Okay.” He added, “Tell you what. You take my car.”
    “No, I can’t do that.”
    “Sure can.”
    “Larry, listen, I know you can handle that guy, but I don’t want him to know there’s any connection between what’s happening tonight and you and your wife.”
    “Don’t matter.”
    “If I get pulled over in your car, there’s going to be trouble for you. That bastard will be out to get you even if it takes him twenty years.”
    “Don’t worry about it.”
    “I
am
worried about it. Look, like it or not, he’s your kin. His children are your niece and nephew, and your children are his children’s cousins, and you have the same in-laws for now. You don’t need that kind of bad blood in the family. I’m okay in my own car.”
    Larry didn’t reply.
    Keith added, “And to tell you the truth, I don’t want to alarm the women.”
    Larry nodded.
    Keith said, “I don’t think there’ll be an all-points out for a few hours, anyway, and they’re going to look for Annie’s car first, then maybe mine. That’s all the time I need.”
    Larry thought a moment, then said, “Keep to the interstates as much as possible. Shouldn’t be any county police on those roads.” He added, “I don’t think the state highway patrol will get any all-points unless Baxter has some specific charge.”
    Keith replied, “He’s got no lawful charges against me.”
    “Well… you never know what he can come up with. It don’t take much for a pull-over. Then they got you, and they’ll call him.”
    “I understand.”
    “Where’s her car?”
    “Why do you ask?”
    “Well, if it’s just sitting on the side of the road, or in some parking lot, and she isn’t around, Baxter damn sure will call the state police and say his wife’s been abducted.”
    Keith nodded.
    “If her car’s at home, and she’s not, or if no one can find her car, then a lot of cops think domestic problem, or no problem, until they get more information. Understand?”
    Keith nodded again, then said, “The car is hidden.”
    “Good.”
    Not good,
Keith thought,
if the