Page 3 of Stilettos & Whiskey
A cellphone rang.
I looked around and noticed a fancy phone mounted on the dash. I picked it up. “Hello?”
“Who are you?” A lady asked.
“I’m Julie. Who are you?”
The lady laughed. “I’m Tess. How old are you, Julie?”
“I’m eight.”
“What are you doing in Alex’s truck?”
“He found me.”
“I see. Where is he now?”
“He’s fighting with Papa Garza.”
“Why is he fighting with Papa Garza?” Tess sounded amused.
“Because of me. Papa Garza locked me out of the trailer and told me not to come back until it was dark. Which is okay because it stinks, and there’s lots of bugs, but it’s so hot outside and I’m really hungry.”
“Where are your parents?”
I burst into tears. “Dead. I need to find a new family. Can you help me?”
“Yes, sweetie, I can. Stay in the truck and don’t go anywhere with your grandfather.”
“Yes, ma’am.” A beat-up van stopped next to Captain Stone’s truck. “Ah oh.”
“What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“I think one of my grandfather’s friends just came for a visit.”
“What does he look like?”
I shivered at the expression on the man’s face. “Creepy.”
“Describe creepy,” Tess ordered.
“He smiled at me and licked his lips.”
“Is he white, black or Hispanic,” Tess demanded.
“He’s white, tall, has a bushy red beard and lots of tattoos,” I replied.
Tess growled, “Sonovabitch! That sounds like Igor Clements. Lock the doors.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I quickly hit the door lock button.
The creepy guy got out of his van. “Aren’t you a pretty little girl.”
“Go away.”
Creepy guy pulled on the door handle. “Open the door, my pretty.”
“Nope. Not gonna. You’re creepy.”
