Page 16 of Small Town Hunter

Her dazed eyes move to my Challenger and land on my plates. A line appears between her perfect eyebrows. “Is that a cardinal?” She asks.

“A what? On the plates? Yeah, it is. I, uh, I like birds.” I think of the mangled baby owls and shake my head. One thing at a time. “Listen, does your head hurt anywhere?”

Her mouth drops all the way open. She suddenly grabs me by the arms and says all in a rapture, “It’s acardinal. Oh, my God!”

“Uh, look here, honey. I don’t know how hard you hit your head, or if maybe you just —smoked something — but how about I give you a ride somewhere and we call it fair?”

“Yes!” She says joyfully. “Yes, you can give me a ride! God must have sent you to me. It’s a miracle!”

I glance at the motel. McCall is in there. So close. I can grab him and be done with this. Simple — back to Virginia, to a fat paycheck and an end to all my problems.

But actions come with consequences. I nearly turned this female into a bridal pancake. She might be utterly insane but I owe her now, that’s just manners, when you nearly run somebody over. And she ain’t bad on the eyes. Not like that makes any difference whatsoever.

“How about something to eat?” I suggest. I guess McCall can enjoy a few more hours of freedom. There’s still Jada keeping an eye out, if I want to put faith in Jada, which I do not. I’ll take care of Miss Cuckoo here and then get right back to the mission.

“Let me get you a hamburger or something,” I offer.

She hesitates, a light of reason perhaps dawning somewhere in her mind. “Mister, you’re not, like, some kind of rapist, right?”

“You think God sent you a rapist?”

The laugh bursts out of her and it’s a normal, nice laugh.

“Can I get a hamburger and fries?” She asks, eyes shining up at me again.

“With those pretty manners, you can get anything.”

“And I feel fine. You didn’t hurt my head,” she adds kindly. “So don’t worry about that. I’m just a little excited. I’ve had a very long morning.”

“Mm. Alright. Just let me do something first. Go stand by the car.”

“Okay,” she says dreamily. “God issogood.”

“Uh — amen.”

I go back to the fallen nest.

“Sorry little guys,” I grunt, turning the nest over and laying the dead chicks inside so they look like they’re sleeping. I know nature is brutal, and these things happen. But the truth is animals feel pain just like we do, and birds are more complicated creatures than you could ever imagine. I look around for the hen but she must have flown off.

Some birds are known to starve themselves from grief.

I clear my throat and go into the burger joint to wash my hands and order food for the crazy woman I nearly ran over.

If McCall flies the coop while I’m in here messing around…

I guess what the Boss doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Sure as fuck will hurt me not to have the money, though. That might hurt me all the way dead.

FOUR

TRINA

I sink low in the Challenger’s seat, trying not to be seen by passers-by and taking comfort in the soft Pendleton-style seat covers.

The man has a cross hanging from the rearview,Audubon’s Guide to Birds of the Eastin the glove compartment, and the empty holster of a gun. But every man I know owns a gun out here. It’s no big deal.

Right?

---