... I pushed Raven harder. She flew.
I took my eyes off the road long enough to glance
at my brother; despite his holding onto the dash, his face was filled with
glee! Then his attire caught my eye, and made me wince.
“José, I need to take you shopping. The Miami
look isn’t working. With no socks, and Italian leather shoes, someone will kill
you out here. You need some boots.” Suddenly, I realized José needed some
serious deviation from his norm.
A flashing red light in my rearview mirror had me
swearing. “Son-of-a-bitch, José, I’m going to jail. I’m driving like a maniac
going 90 miles an hour. I’ve a Glock .45 in my boot without my weapons permit.
To top it all off, my damn attorneys are from Miami. Not to mention, Amanda may
well be kidnapped and my wallet is in yesterday’s clothes, all because I was
feeling` love, last night.
You need to call Pop, now. Get me an attorney.
Take my damn phone. If Amanda calls, you lie to her as if your life depends on
it. Shit José, he is going to arrest me. This is a first for me. José, do you
have your license with you? I hope he lets you take Raven.”
I found a wide spot on the road and pulled over.
Jose was yammering on the phone, and I watched in the rear-view mirror as the
Trooper approached the car, with one hand on his weapon.
He stood looking at us for a moment, ran his eyes
over me and Jose, then across the back seat. “Going a little fast there, and
neither one of you look like you are in labor or bleeding.”
“My girlfriend is in danger.”
“Sure she is. Got papers on this ride?”
“Yes, the glove box… My wallet…I left it at home.”
“Let’s see the registration.” He glanced down at
the paperwork after I handed it over.
“Antonio Domínguez?”
“Dr. Antonio Domínguez, Anthropologist.” I elaborated.
“Is that so? Well Dr. Antonio Dominquez,
Anthropologist; your registration is expired, so are your tags. You are by your
own admission driving without a license while exceeding the speed limit, and
therefore I am going to have to ask you to get out of the car, and come with
me.”
As I opened the door and got out, I remembered
the Glock.
“Sir, my boot, my permit is in my wallet.” I
tried to explain.
“I thought you said your wallet was at home, now
you remember it’s in your boot? The Trooper asked sarcastically.
I realized suddenly that this situation could get
ugly real quick; I was standing on the side of the road, worried about Amanda,
armed, without identification or proper permits; and I had to get a Trooper
with a smart mouth.
Slowly, as if speaking to a child, I explained
about the Glock.
“Yes sir, my wallet is at home, but in my boot is
a Glock…” This was as far as I got, before the Trooper spun me around and
tossed me face down bent over the hood of Raven. I knew that was going to
happen! He pressed the button on his mike and called for back-up.
“Just be still. No sudden moves. I am going to
cuff you, and then sit you down over here on the ground.”
“You, in the car, hands where I can see them!”
Stern, but fair, his voice implied; I could see Jose through the windshield,
and his mouth was gaping open, and he had the phone resting between his ear and
his shoulder; like a good boy he threw both hands in the air.
“Now get out of the car and walk slowly around to
the front.” I watched José, slowly lower one hand and open the door; he walked
around to the front. The Trooper pulled me upright and walked me around the
front of Raven, then sat me down in the dirt.
“Which boot is the weapon in?” I held up my left
foot, and he jerked off my boot with a hard tug. The Glock was strapped to my
ankle, so he released the strap, took the weapon and dropped my foot.
“Now, as a learned man, and an official of the
law, I feel I must warn you I have judged the situation and come to the
conclusion that the shit just hit the fan.” He was looking at the Glock, and
expertly released the clip, took note of the fullness, and then looked back
down at me. Motioning, he gestured for me to raise the other leg. I held up the
other foot and he used one hand to remove that boot as well. Satisfied I was
not carrying an unannounced arsenal strapped to my other leg, he took a step
back.
“This is not a weapon that needs to be carried by
a man who is concerned about his girl-friend. No, this is a weapon a man
carries when he feels threatened or wants to threaten somebody. So which is it
Doc, you going to save your girl-friend or put a bullet in her head?” His voice
had gone from friendly Trooper just doing my job, to cold and hard. In the
distance I could hear the sound of sirens and knew more Troopers were on the
way.
I tried to explain about Amanda being in danger,
and how I needed to get too her as fast as possible.
“Sir, my girlfriend is in danger, I need to get
to her, and bring her back home as fast as possible.”
“Where is your girlfriend?”
I answered honestly. “She’s in Santa Fe at a spa
somewhere having an overhaul, not sure exactly which one.”
I knew as soon as the words left my mouth the
effect they were going to have. As if to prove it, I heard José hiss in
frustration behind me.
“At a spa having an overhaul? You thought that
was dangerous? What were you going to save her from…being tortured by the
masseuse? Or, maybe there is a mummy running loose in Santa Fe I should know
about. That is what you do isn’t it; chase mummies?”
“Actually no, what I do is study the origins of
human-kind, with emic and etic views of their culture relative to their
location as well as ethnography.” I automatically corrected. José was groaning
now, and I knew I wasn’t helping the situation.
“Does this study of human-kind include the habits
of men who chase women with guns in their boots?” Apparently he did not like
being corrected.
Before I could answer, two more Troopers arrive
with sirens blaring, rushed from their cars with guns drawn. One went to stand
behind Jose, and the other joined the Trooper who was interrogating me.
“What we got Bob?” The Trooper, who had now
joined ‘Bob’, was looking us over with true diligence.
“Drop the phone hombre.” Ordered the other
Trooper giving José a shove to his knees and I knew this was getting out of
hand real fast! Was it any wonder he thought we were dangerous? Jose was
dressed like a South American Drug Lord, and we were both as dark as sin itself
with our Cuban heritage.
I tried to gain control of the conversation.
After all I was looking like a fool, and I did not care for it.
“Sir, if you would let me explain, I am sure I
can straighten this entire mess out.”
“Right now Doc, your explanations have not been a
lot of help, if I were you I would be quiet.”
He added; “Chasing after a woman with a loaded gun
is never a good thing in my book.”
He elaborated for the other officers; “What we
have here is a fast as hell car driven by one Antonio Dominquez, or as he likes
to be called; Dr. Antonio Dominquez, Anthropologist.”
“Unfortunately for said Anthropologist, he is
also driving without a license, and had a concealed weapon hidden in his boot.
Haven’t had time to ascertain who the other one is yet, but from his clothes
I’d say he was a wanna be member of Miami Vice or just some poor druggy who is
way North of his home border.”
From behind me I heard José chime in. “Actually I
am neither; I am a lawyer with a healthy practice in Miami, and his brother.”
He sounded insulted over the aspersions the Trooper had cast on not only his
lifestyle but his clothes. Couldn’t blame him in my opinion, but I couldn’t
blame the Trooper either.
“A Miami lawyer, well that explains the clothes.”
“The Doc here says he has a great need to save
his girlfriend from the dangers of a spa, although he is not sure which one;
but apparently it required a fast car, a hasty trip to Santa Fe and a
concealed, loaded Glock .45.”
 |
| Sammy Sutton |
José had called Pop before
the Officer made him drop the phone. With any hope, he’d get my ID here before
they hauled my carcass to jail.
I prayed Amanda was still
alive, because I wanted to take care of her myself...Get Your Copy of HIDDEN MOUNTAIN Today on Amazon!
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Sammy Sutton