Read The Hitman's Last Job Online
Authors: Max Freedom
“
Hmmmm….” Jerry’s mind went blank. “I wonder where the fuck
they went,”
“
Well if you don’t mind me havin’ a say. I have a brother in
law in St Louis. Drove down there plenty of times. If he’s not
hidin’ in a field, which I suppose he’s not, then he’s probably
wondered into one of those quaint motels on the edge of
town,”
“
Are there many near where the car was found?” Jerry asked
desperately, his excitement was palpable.
“
Hang on,” frantic typing sounded. “Yuh… well four miles away.
A little place called Evergreen Motel,”
“
Thanks Callahan. I owe you one!” and Jerry hung up
abruptly.
“
Gerald?” she broke the silence.
“
Yuh?”
“
Do you always pick up hitch hikers?”
“
Hmmmm… not always. But I’m always on the road so maybe every
week or so I’ll pick up someone nice like yourself and help them
out,”
“
That’s real nice of you,” Anna smiled in the rear view
mirror.
“
Oh really it’s nothing. It’s just what the scripture teaches,”
and he smiled happily.
“
So do you travel for work?” she asked.
“
Uhuh… I’m a good old fashioned Bible salesman,”
“
You’re kidding? I didn’t know those actually
existed,”
“
Well,” Gerald shrugged. “Here I am,” and he smiled that goofy
grin again.
“
You look like you’re contemplating something there?” Gerald
talked to her through the mirror.
“
Just that… Don’t you get lonely and frightened out here on the
open road?”
“
Frightened? No!” he laughed. “This is freedom. This is the
true spirit of America,”
“
Have you always travelled alone?”
“
Oh no. No. I had a wife once. She used to come with me on all
my trips. But we were just married two years when the cancer took
hold of her. She died before I could make it home to say goodbye,”
the severity of his words however were not impacted on his
face.
“
May I ask if you’ve been married long?” Gerald asked so
innocently that it made Anna blush.
“
Er… not that long at all,” she didn’t care to
elaborate.
“
Well ain’t that nice. You should appreciate every moment you
have together. You never know when you’ll have to say goodbye,” and
he looked to the sky as if he could see to heaven. “But everyone
waits up there for us when we have to go,”
“
Do you think everyone is reunited with their loved ones?” she
quickly felt terrified at the thought of being with her father for
all eternity.
“
Yeah I really do. The way I see it is that we are all in debt
to God and then person by person he makes us repay that debt.
That’s when it’s our time to go back,”
“
I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” she mumbled under
her breath.
“
Yuh, who is it?”
“
It’s Jerry, boss,”
“
Sure come in,”
“
Don’t mind her she was just leavin’” Angelo zipped up his
pants and leaned over his desk to pick up a cigarette.
“
Oh, I didn’t know you’d finally met someone. How romantic,”
the sarcasm was dripping from Jerry’s voice.
“
Don’t talk shit, Jerry, I’m not in the mood,”
“
Havin’ pecker troubles again boss? If you don’t mind me
askin’,”
“
Yuh… the doc said it’s on account of my weight but what the
fuck does he know? Anyway….” He lit his cigarette and exhaled. “You
got news for me?”
“
Sure have! Callahan tracked down Carl’s SUV to a quaint little
country road on the edge of St Louis,”
“
St Louis? What the fuck’s he doin’ there?”
“
And there’s somethin’ else. The car was on fire. I mean
literally burnt to cinders. But no bodies,”
“
The clever bastard…” Angelo sucked on his cigarette angrily.
“He thought he could lose us….”
“
I reckon he walked the four miles to a small truck stop on the
edge of town,” and Jerry rifled through his pocket to look for the
scrap of paper he’d written the name down on. “An Evergreen Motel…
that’s where I think he went,”
“
What’s with the motels? He seems to have a thing for
them,”
“
I reckon it’s where he keeps the girl,”
“
The girl…. Such a shame she got dragged into this,” Angelo
looked to the smoke drifting from his cigarette. “But too
bad,”
“
So… Call Jorge. I want the both of you out there immediately.
With a bit of luck you’ll find them both holed up in their new love
nest,”
“
On it boss,” and Jerry gave a thumbs up as he turned to
leave.
“
Shit… how long was I out?”
“
Pretty much all day,” Anna held onto his hand.
“
We’re just comin’ up to Austin,” he announced.
“
Already?”
“
Yup… So your wife here has been telling me all about you being
a Navy Seal!”
“
Wife?” he silently mouthed to her.
“
Oh… yeah. Just a regular job you know,” he lied to end the
awkwardness.
“
Oh. Nonsense Sir. You’re a real hero,”
“
Thanks,”
“
So… Folks, where should I drop you off?”
“
Anywhere I guess,” Carl replied.
“
How about here?” Gerald asked as he pointed at an empty
parking spot.
“
Lovely,” and Gerald pulled in. “Well I guess it’s
goodbye,”
“
We’ll be fine,” he whispered. “We’re nearly there,”
“
Ok… Let’s go,”
“
Good luck!” he waved and then he was gone.
“
It’s funny… meetin’ people like that. They’re the most
important person in your life for a little while and then they just
go,” Carl remarked.
“
I wonder what happens to them,” Anna was still looking into
the distance.
“
And I wonder if they think about us,” and Carl put his arm
around her.
“
What’s wrong?”
“
Now what? Another empty road… another night on the
run,”
“
I promise as soon as the night is over we’ll be hurrying our
way over to Mexico. We can get the first bus and we’ll be there in
no time,”
“
Hmmmm…..”
“
You don’t seem happy about that,”
“
I’m just scared….” and she cuddled back into him.
“
Come on… let’s go find somewhere for the night,”
“
Yeah, hopefully we can find a cheap motel around
here.!”
“
I think I can do better than that,”
“
Wow, this must be five stars!” Anna looked up in
awe.
“
I think it is. Come on… we deserve a treat,”
“
That girl…. With the bad smell under her nose,” Anna giggled.
“Her face when you just showed her all that cash,”
“
Yeah, I wish I’d taken a picture,” he held out the key as
their door approached. “I hope you’re ready. This should be really
special?” and he slid in the key card.
“
I’ve always wanted to sit in one of these!”
“
Ah you just want to sit on the bubbles,” he laughed and
tickled her in the ribs.
“
You gotta see the bedroom,” he declared.
“
Oh my God. This bed is huuuuuuuuge!”
“
Yeah… King sizes are the best,”
“
We have loads of room to play,” Anna lay on her back and
flirtatiously opened her legs while she stared at him
seductively.
“
What’s up?” Anna asked anxiously.
“
Fancy ordering room service?”
“
You ever been to St Louis?” asked Jorge.
“
Never, but I hear it’s a shithole,” Jerry answered
grumpily.