Page 35 of Jagger
Almost like an answered prayer, the lights came back on and the sound of the heater kicking in echoed through the room. Releasing Jackie, I stepped back and pulled my flannel and my cut on.
“I’m gonna see what’s going on. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded as I walked out, and the bitter cold was shocking as I walked down the sidewalk to the office. The door was locked, so I looked through the glass to see if anyone was inside.
“I was just going to let you know we’ve got breakfast next door when you’re ready. Kitchen’s gas, so we always have hot food,” the woman from last night remarked as she walked out of the first room by the office.
“Thanks. We’re hoping to get back to Rapid City. Have you heard how the roads are?”
“County said the roads are clear. The snow missed most of this side of the state, and that wind dried the roads before the temperature dropped, so you should have a good ride back to Rapid.”
“I’ll let my wife know, and we’ll be up for breakfast in a few minutes,” I replied.
She smiled and said, “It’s nice to see such a kind husband. You must really love her.”
“More than anything in the world,” I told her, and her smile grew.
Walking away, I returned to our room and found Jackie had everything packed up and ready to go.
“Breakfast is ready. They said we’re welcome to come on down to eat,” I explained.
“We can pack everything into my car before we go over, so when we’re done, we can get headed home if the road will allow us.”
“The roads are clear, so we can get moving as soon as we get some coffee,” I reasoned, and she nodded.
We packed her car, put the extra food from last night on the backseat, and made sure to have their thermos before we walked to the restaurant. Jackie was shivering, and her hands were like ice. The temperature inside the diner wasn’t much above outside, but they had cups of coffee waiting for us at the bar.
“Thank you,” Jackie said as she picked hers up and took a swallow.
“Do you know what you want for breakfast?” the man asked.
“Something simple. Eggs and toast are fine with me.”
“Make that two, please,” Jackie added.
We took a seat in the same booth as last night, and as she held her cup for warmth, I placed my hands over hers, hoping to break her chill.
“I was thinking last night about something but want your opinion,” she began as she lowered her voice.
“What’s on your mind, darlin’?”
“I think we need to go into the back country. I know I’ve seen the house from the picture before, and if we can find it, maybe we can get ahead of Blur,” she suggested.
The lady walked up with two plates, and when she saw our almost empty cups, she left, only to return immediately with a pot to top our cups off. Jackie and I started eating, and she walked away with a smile.
“I don’t want you out there looking for trouble. If you give me some idea where you traveled around the time you think you saw that house, I can get Animal and Comet to help me look.”
She set her fork down and crossed her arms as she looked at me. “I don’t want to be a pain in your ass, but there’s no way you would be able to find the places I have.” I wanted to say something, but the look on her face said I should give her the chance to say her piece. “I’ve spent years getting permission from people to photograph their lives, their homes, and their poverty. I’ve earned people’s trust, so they tell me where I need to focus my attention. No offense, but three bikers riding into town, asking questions about things that aren’t their business, will get you kicked off the reservation.”
Hardheaded woman.
I didn’t want to say she was right, but she had a point. While the club may have been trusted in certain places and situations, invading Native sovereignty to interrogate people about something that didn’t involve them could blow up in our faces.
“I’ll agree to let you go, only after you prove to me you know how to handle a weapon. I don’t want to run into trouble and worry that you can’t handle yourself.” Her eyes narrowed briefly.
“Deal,” she replied before picking up her fork and eating a bite of eggs.
Over the next few minutes, we finished our breakfast then walked up to the counter.
