Spencerville

to himself. Thus, Cliff Baxter’s ego was intact, while his predatory senses were always alert, a lone wolf who knew what prey was weak and vulnerable and what was dangerous.
    Still, he had rape fantasies about the snippy female attorney in the county prosecutor’s office, about the two female doctors at the hospital, and the uppity bitch bank president, and college girls home on vacation, and so forth. He knew that to fuck one of these women would be to fuck the whole class of people who looked down on him. Someday, he thought, he’d go for it. He’d cut one of the snobby ladies loose from the herd and lay the wood to her and dare her to make anything of it. Maybe she’d enjoy it. But for now, he’d settle for Sherry Kolarik and women like her.
    She came back into the bedroom, and Cliff looked at his watch. “Now, I ain’t got much time.”
    “I wanted to clean up for you.”
    “You don’t got to clean up for what you got to do.” He hopped out of bed and walked to the living room and left through the front door. He rang the bell and she came to the door and opened it, wearing a robe now.
    “You Miss Kolarik?”
    “Yes.”
    “Chief Baxter. I’d like to speak to you.” He backed her up and closed the door. “Miss, you got a hundred dollars in parking tickets downtown. I’m here to collect the money or take you in.”
    If Sherry Kolarik thought it was romantic of Chief Baxter to re-create how they’d met, she didn’t say so, didn’t laugh and put her arms around Cliff. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry, I don’t have the money.”
    He replied, “Then I got to take you in. Get dressed.”
    “No, please, I have to go to work. I can pay you Friday when I get paid.”
    “You had three months to make good on these here tickets. So now you’re under arrest. You come peacefully, or I cuff you and take you in just like you are.”
    In fact, she’d been wearing her waitress uniform when this scene took place a month before. But she’d felt just as helpless and exposed then as now. Only now she didn’t owe the bastard a hundred dollars. But there was still the matter of her car that had to pass the state inspection, and Baxter Motors could overlook some defects. She said, “Look, I work at the Park ’n’ Eat, you know, you’ve seen me in there, and if you come around Friday, about noon, we can go over to the bank with my check. Can’t you wait?”
    “
No
,
ma’am. I dragged my butt over here, and I’m goin’ back to the station with a hundred bucks or with you. Don’t mess with me.” He jiggled the handcuffs on his belt.
    “I’m sorry… I don’t have the money, and I can’t miss a day of work… look, I’ve got about twenty dollars…”
    Cliff shook his head.
    “A postdated check—”
    “Nope.”
    “I’ve got some jewelry, a watch—”
    “I ain’t a goddamn repo man. I’m a cop.”
    “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to…”
    He took the cuffs off his belt. They looked at each other a long time, and both of them remembered the moment when she’d figured it out. She asked, “Can you loan me the money?”
    “What’s in it for me?”
    “Whatever you want.”
    “Had lunch.”
    “Look, all I’ve got is me. You want me?”
    “You tryin’ to bribe me with sex?”
    She nodded.
    “Well, let’s see what you got for collateral before I decide. Take ’em off.”
    She unfastened her robe and let it fall, then pulled the T-shirt over her head and dropped it on an armchair. She stood in the middle of the living room, naked, while Chief Baxter circled around her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bulge in his pants.
    “Okay, Miss Kolarik, you got real good collateral for a loan. Kneel right there. Park ’n’ Eat, sweetheart.”
    She knelt on the rug.
    He unbuckled his gun belt and put it on the armchair, then undid his belt and zipper and lowered his pants and undershorts. “Go for it, darlin’.”
    She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and with one finger lowered his erect penis to her lips.
    When it was over, Cliff said, “Swallow it.” He pulled up his clothes, buckled on his holster, and threw a twenty on the armchair. “I’ll take care of the tickets, but you owe me four payments.”
    Sherry nodded and mumbled, “Thank you.” He’d said that the first time, and, for the last ten times, it had always been four more.
    Cliff, not particularly sensitive, nevertheless saw she was a little upset and patted her cheek. “Hey, I’ll see you later for