The Garbage Bag Kid

She looked up at me with those big blue eyes, "Promise, no girls!"

I smiled, "You know me better than that. I made that promise a year ago. I'll never break it." When I got up the next morning Katie had breakfast for me and gave me a hungry kiss good bye.' After I had been on the road for ten minutes I thought, "Damn, this silly!" I picked up my cell phone and pushed a speed dial button for the charter plane company we use sometimes. I was told they could accommodate me with no problem and that if I was willing to split the fare. They had a customer who wanted to be in Miami at noon and return leaving Miami at five that afternoon. I agreed instantly. I tried to reach Kate but there was no answer, I looked at the time, she was at the doctor. I stopped and looked at some acreage I was interested in and just made it to the airport on time.

The meeting went well and I was back in Ocala and headed home in my car, headed home when my phone rang. It was Katie, she said she missed me. I heard music in the back ground. I asked her where she was. "OH! I'm at Angelo's. Don invited me to eat with him because you were gone. I miss you my love, please hurry home. I have been trying to get you all day on your cell. I didn't know I could miss someone so much. I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight. I wish you were here."

"Sweetheart, wish as hard as you can and maybe it will come true. I'll pray too."

"I will pray as hard as I can. I love you so much."

I pulled in to the front of Angelo's and Chuck hurried over and said, "If you are looking for Mrs. Flynn, she left with another man, she didn't look well. We are all worried about her."

"Thanks Chuck!' I peeled out and drove as fast as I could for home, When I pulled up at our house no lights were on. I looked at Rod's motor home. The lights were on there. I ran over and I tried the door. Locked!

Suddenly several men in dark clothing grabbed me. A hand went over my mouth. "Please be quiet Mr. Flynn, we are getting our door tool over here now the door will be open soon. Two men carrying a large framework ran past us. They placed it against the door, made some adjustments, looked at us and waved us over. One man whispered to me, Mr. Flynn get in number four position in front of the door team, when the door opens, follow us. Are you ready?" I nodded. I wished I had a gun or a baseball bat. The door popped off and we were suddenly in the vehicle. I saw Katie on the couch, her dress was down around her waist, Rod was sucking on her nipples. He looked up and saw several guns pointed at him. He slowly stood and looked around. Katie looked as if she was unconscious. Suddenly he bolted for the door brushing past the gunmen. He had a pistol in his hand. I caught him with a hard right hand to the face. I felt his face crush and felt a blaze of pain from my hand. I pushed him aside and ran to Katie, she didn't respond. I yanked her blouse up and was gently pulled away. A voice said, "A paramedic is here, let her look at your wife."

The medic looked up at me, "Does your wife drink?"

"No, not much, she has a very low tolerance for alcohol."

She was lifting Katie's eyelids now, "Did he know it?"

"Yeah! He sure did. He saw how tipsy she got with one beer, the other night."

"He probably gave her an extra big shot of whatever he was using. He knows that alcohol increases the effectiveness of the drugs. He wanted her hot and compliant. He knocked her out. He was going to use her and dump her somewhere and maybe kill her." While the Medic talked she was helping load Katie on a gurney. I helped them as best I could until the medic caught sight of my hand. She shook her head. "That hand is going into a cast when we get to the ER. Do you want something for the pain?"

I shook my head, "No I have to stay alert in case my wife needs me. Did you get a look at my poor wife, she has never hurt anyone in her whole life. She helps everyone she can. She probably felt sorry for that slime ball laying out there in that body bag. She will suffer over this for a long time. She is very non-violent she may never forgive me for killing him. I don't know how she will react."

"Hell, I will talk to her for you, I saw the whole thing. I was twenty feet back but I saw him lunge towards the door knocking two guys away and bringing a gun up from somewhere. I thought he was going to kill someone for sure. And you didn't flinch, you stayed in front of him and threw a beautiful straight right hand. I love boxing and that was the prettiest blow I have ever seen. He didn't know what hit him. OOpps! Sorry! Poor choice of words."

I was sitting by Katie, watching her sleep comfortably, she had had her stomach pumped and had awakened for a few minutes and smiled at me before going back to sleep. I heard a familiar voice say, "Hi Sweetie! How is Katie doing?" It was Nancy and Debbie. I told them that she appeared to be OK but that I was still worried about her, and I didn't want her to awaken and be frightened not knowing what had happened.

Katie opened her eyes again and looked around, "What's going on, what happened?" She looked about again saying, "Is this a hospital! Was there an accident? Where is Rod? We were at Angelo's having dinner. What happened?'

I didn't know what to say. A nurse walked in and looked around, She said, "Oh! You are awake, they said it was going to be on TV about your case after the commercial break- Let me turn it on for you." She turned the volume up on the wall mounted TV, The announcer said, "Now on 'just breaking news', an Ocala man and his wife are in a local hospital after a killing last night. The irate husband allegedly found his wife with a neighbor and killed the neighbor. The Sheriff's Department will be releasing further information on this story in a few minutes." Kate sat up and screamed, "You killed poor Rod, were you jealous. We didn't do anything, you are nuts. Sob."

The nurse hurried to Katie and pressed her back against the pillows. The nurse looked at me, "Are you the husband?"

I nodded. She said, "Please leave the room before I have to sedate her."

I stood and walked to the door I looked back, Katie screamed, "Get out, I never want to see you again." and burst into tears.

I thought, 'She'll get over this in a few minutes when she hears the true story.' I didn't know what to do. I was accosted by two officers in uniforms and was told I was under arrest for second degree murder. They tried to cuff me but couldn't get a cuff around the cast on my right hand and wrist. One of the cops looked at me, "What's this?" pointing at the cast.

I said, "That is the murder weapon."

He looked at me, "The cast?"

"No, my fist."

"I was taken to the Marion County Jail where I was booked. I made my phone call to a bail bondsman and was out on bond in an hour. I caught a cab home. My car was still sitting there with the door open and the keys still in lt. I was feeling a little upset by then so I went in the house and went to bed in the spare bedroom. I had been awake since early the previous morning. My hand hurt like hell so I took a couple Oxys they gave me at the hospital and went to bed. I couldn't even get my shirt off over the cast. They had wanted me to put on a hospital gown but I refused it because I didn't want to be walking around in one of those gowns waiting for Katie.

I woke up the next morning hungry, sore and mean as a snake. I called Nancy and was informed that Katie was there but didn't want to see me after what I did. I said, "Nancy, I guess I did wrong. Katie had a dinner date with Rod. I saw Katie on his couch in his motor home nude to the waist with her skirt up from the bottom with him on top of her. I guess that is where she wanted to be. So be it!" I hung up and went out to my shop and cut the cast off of my hand. I got out the first aid kit and wrapped my hand in an Ace bandage. It didn't feel much worse but at least I could use it a little. I changed clothes and packed a few things in a bag and got in my car and headed for a little hunting camp I had owned for years. I stopped at a grocery store and bought a few supplies. The camp is on 1200 fenced acres off Route 27 southeast of the little town of Williston. The gate was locked and I relocked it behind me. The little camp was in good shape. It was powered by solar panels and batteries. Everything was working, Even the A/C, the microwave, and TV. I turned on the hot water heater and the refrigerator. I was soon bored with TV and got back in the car and ran up to the Library in Williston. I took out four books. I stopped at the hardware store and bought a cane pole and a cup of worms. There is a nice pond behind the camp. It is full of bass and bluegills.

I was feeling somewhat better a week later. I was getting almost no sleep. If I slept I dreamed of nothing but Katie. I read and painted the outside of the cabin left-handed. I was reading the last of the books with the TV on Fox when I heard my name. I looked up and saw my picture on the screen. The announcer said I was still missing after being cleared of all charges and being proclaimed a hero by the Marion County Sheriff's Department for saving three or four lives.

I shut the damned thing off and didn't turn it on again. The next morning I was headed for the library to get more books, I was reading 4 books a day, and when I reached the gate a Sheriff's department car was blocking the gate on the outside. I opened the gate and asked what the problem was. The deputy said there was no problem and requested to see my ID. He looked at it and looked up at me and smiled, "Mr. Flynn, are you aware that many people are looking for you, Sir?"

"Not really, I am doing just fine, do you have to tell everyone where I am?"

"Well, Sir, there has been a missing person report filed on you. I guess I could report that you were found in good condition and not say where you are. I'll tell the Sheriff you do not want to be found." He grinned at me, "I'll tell you right now that no Marion county Deputy will find you. They will look the other way."

"Thanks Officer, I appreciate that." I got some new books and went back to my camp. I thought about things, I was worried about how Katie was doing. I decided to call Nancy.

Nancy answered, "Mikey, where the hell are you?"

"Hey, I'm right here, how is everyone there?"

"Everyone here is fine except Katie, the Doctors are afraid for the baby."

"What baby?"

"The one Katie has in her belly."

I couldn't say anything. Finally I sadly said, "Tell her I am so sorry, if I had known she was carrying his baby I would have let him kill me. I am so damned sorry, I only wanted her happiness and I ruined everything."

"NO! NO HONEY, IT IS YOUR BABY. She loves you, only you! She never had sex with him. She is two months pregnant. She hasn't slept or eaten much since you disappeared. She just sits and cries all the time. OH! Not for Rod! She cries and says your name in her sleep, then wakes up and calls for you out loud. You are killing her and your baby. Please come home."

I couldn't get my head straight. I said, "ME? She wants ME?"

"Yes Mike, just you, only you."

I ran for the car. It took me five minutes to drive to the gate, there was a Sheriff's car there with it's blue lights flashing. The deputy helped me with the gate. He said, "Are you headed home?"

I nodded.

He yelled, "Follow me!" and jumped in the car and took off at a good speed. I stuck with him. I saw other Deputies blocking traffic as we flew through red lights. The deputy was doing seventy five, but I stayed on his tail. We were haulin' ass down that old country road. I could see other cars with flashing lights way ahead of us. Nothing slowed us down. I got a good look ahead and there had to be ten or twelve cars ahead of us, with flashing lights, running interference. When we got to the entrance to the RV Park they all peeled off to the sides so I whizzed on through and skidded to a stop in front Of my trailer. My Katie ran out and hugged me when I got out of the car. The sheriff's cars all turned their blue lights off and left with a honk of their horns. I didn't notice, I was kissing my little 'Garbage Bag Kid'.