Page 39 of River Ride

When she had everything of Bobby’s packed neatly, Tammy got dressed and ready to leave. She put clean clothes for Bobby on the bed and sat down next to him to take the cuffs off.

Bobby’s arms and hands were numb from being attached to the bed over his head for hours on end. He figured he’d be fairly helpless against Tammy until the feeling came back, but he had to try.

Tammy wasn’t in her right mind, and he’d end up dead on the floor like Ray if he didn’t do something in his own defense the second she took the cuffs off him.

Bobby smiled at her and waited patiently while she fiddled with the key. The instant the second cuff clicked open, he acted.He gave Tammy a hard shove backwards and tried to jump off the bed to knock her out.

Tammy growled like a provoked cat and swung the cuffs at him. She hit him across the face with the chain and broke the skin on his cheek.

Bobby grabbed for her arm, but the circulation hadn’t returned, and he had no strength or control over his hands.

“I told you to be nice, Eldon.” Tammy raised her boot as she screamed at him and kicked him hard in the nuts.

Bobby hollered and dropped like a stone. He rolled on the floor holding onto his package and yelling at her, “Ow, Tammy. I’ll get you for that, you bitch. I’ll hurt you real bad. I never hurt girls, but I’m working up to it pretty damned quick.”

While Bobby squirmed on the floor focusing on his private parts, Tammy put a pair of jeans on him and pulled a T-shirt over his head. Fully dressed, she rolled him over and cuffed his hands behind his back.

“On your feet, Eldon. It’s time to go.” Tammy pointed and Bobby shoved his bare feet into his boots.

Holding him by the chain behind his back, Tammy led Bobby to the front door.

When they passed Ray in the front hall covered in flies and maggots, Bobby turned his head and wouldn’t look.

“You didn’t have to kill Ray. He was harmless.”

Tammy pushed Bobby out the door and pointed at the garage. She marched him across the driveway and when they got inside the garage and Bobby saw the Bronco, he did more hollering.

“No. I ain’t riding in a cop car. You steal that?”

Tammy opened the back door and Bobby fought against her. She swung the butt of her gun and swiped him hard across the temple. “Get in the fuckin squad.”

Bobby fell into the back seat of the Bronco and Tammy secured him in place. “You’re all set, Eldon.” She slammedthe back door and hopped in behind the wheel. “Here we go, sweetheart.”

Tammy backed out of the garage and left the overhead door up. “What radio station do you want to listen to, Eldon?”

Bobby moaned as blood dripped down the side of his face.

9:00 a.m.

Less than an hour later, Virge pulled into the driveway at Bobby Prescott’s cabin and parked behind the pickup. “Somebody’s here.”

“Let’s take a look. They might have seen Tammy if she came here.”

“No sign of your Bronco, Dad,” said Virge.

I knocked on the front door of the cabin with Dad and Virge standing behind me. No answer.

Dad rang the bell, got nothing and then tried the door handle. “Door isn’t locked.” He opened the door to go inside and almost stepped on a dead guy covered in flies.

“Who’s that?” Virge made a face and swatted a swarm of flies away from us.

“No idea,” said Travis, “but we have to call it in. We’re cops, Virge, and that’s a dead body.”

“Think Tammy capped that guy, Dad?” asked Virge.

“We don’t even know who he is, son. The Bronco ain’t here so Tammy may not have been here at all. This dead guy could be completely unrelated to Tammy.”

“You believe that, Dad?” I asked.

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