Page 48 of Rocky Ride

From the mess at the package store, Ted identified two of the thieves who wrecked the place and stole the beer and liquor.

Billy sent me and Virge to go arrest the assholes and bring them to the station. Jason Kassinger lived in Cut Bank and so did Mike Roach. One stop shopping.

Roach Residence. Cut Bank.

We hit the Roach residence first. Little brick house on Pine Street. Virge knocked and an older lady opened the door. Gray hair and glasses. Wearing a white apron over her flowered dress.

I held up my badge and said, “Sheriff’s Department, ma’am.”

She squinted at the badge through her thick glasses. “What do you boys want?”

“Is Mike here?” asked Virgie.

The old lady hollered over her shoulder, “Mikey, there’s some kids here to see you.”

Mike came running to the door to see who it was, and I said, “Mike Roach, you are under arrest for robbery. Down on your knees with your hands on your head.”

He turned to run but Virge was quick. He pushed past granny and knocked Mikey down to the floor. Mike rolled and twisted trying to get free of Virge and my brother struggled getting the cuffs on.

I jumped in to help and between us, we got his hands cuffed behind his back.

Grandma screamed, not at us but at Mikey. “What did you do, Mikey? You just got out of jail.”

“Nothing, Gran. I didn’t do nothing. These guys got it wrong.”

He never said anything else while we secured him in the back of the squad.

“There you go, Mike. You’re all set,” said Virge. “We’re going to get your buddy now, so you’ll soon have company back there.”

“Fuck off,” snapped Mike. “I ain’t going back to Juvie.”

“Wouldn’t be too sure about that,” said Virge and gave a little chuckle. Virge enjoyed his work.

Kassinger Residence. Cut Bank.

We parked in front of a shabby frame bungalow on another of the back streets in Cut Bank. I rang the bell, and we waited on the front step in the snow.

Virge shivered and I had the urge to light up a smoke just to keep warm.

A guy in his early forties opened the door and he wasn’t happy to see us.

“We need to talk to Jason, sir,” I said.

“He’s busy. Too busy to talk to punks like you boys.”

“I’m afraid we’re here to bring Jason to the station, sir. You can make that easy or hard.”

The guy laughed. “I don’t think you boys know what the hard way is.” He reached behind him and pointed a Smittie at us.

“Put the gun down, sir,” I said politely. “You don’t want to get shot.”

More laughing. “It won’t bemegetting shot.” He raised the barrel of the gun only slightly and Virgil fired. Fast and low enough on the father’s leg to knock the fucker off his feet.

As soon as he hit the floor, I kicked the gun out of his hand.

Jason heard the shot and came running into the front hallway. “Dad, what the hell is going on?”

“Down on your knees,” yelled Virge. “Hands on your head, Jason. Do it now or I shoot you just like I shot your father.”

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