Free Dead Red Cadillac, A by R. P. Dahlke Page A

"He was in for murder? Maybe Spike and my dad's shotgun will need more backup."
    "There's a twenty-four-hour patrol here, but since everyone's looking for him, I think you're safe for now. C'mon, let's go."
    I stood, opened the front door and called back into the cool recesses of the house. "We're going into town to pick up my Caddy!" I closed the door quickly to keep out the rising heat and any requests for groceries… or dog food.
    Driving into town, we sat in silence, thinking our own separate thoughts, sentimental things, like guns, drowned cars, dead bodies in the lake, and appropriate murder suspects.
    Caleb said, "I'm going to stop by the office and pick up the old boy's police record. Then we'll see what's up with his trial and conviction." He put a little more foot to the pedal, and in no time at all, we pulled up and parked in front of the county offices.
    While Caleb was getting his information, my stomach spoke to me in no uncertain terms. In my worried state, I'd forgotten to eat breakfast. And since I get all wobbly and disjointed when I'm low on blood sugar, I went looking for a quick fix. I vaguely recalled someone saying being in love is much the same feeling. Nothing, I had decided, that a candy bar wouldn't cure.
    I stood in front of the candy machine outside Caleb's door, trying to come up with enough change. Finding none, and knowing Caleb frequently kept snacks in his desk, I asked in a voice loud enough to be heard all the way through his office, "Hey, Caleb! You got anything good to eat in your drawers?"
    Caleb's head shot up liked he'd just been goosed. He blushed crimson and then ducked again to hide behind the folder he'd been reading at his desk.
    I stood there wondering why he was ignoring me and his office mates were chuckling behind their papers. He stacked the pile of messages, came around the desk, handed me a wrapped, if slightly crushed, candy bar, and pushed me out the door. I wasn't sure, but I thought our departure was accompanied by the muffled laughter of his co-workers.
    I bit at the wrapper to get at it, grumbling about its doubtful heritage and biting around the stale candy bar when Caleb grabbed my arm and propelled me down the hall and out of the building.
    He shoved me into the cruiser, got in, and buckled up.
    "Hey," I said, "what was that all about? You were kinda rough there, chum."
    Caleb, with a bland expression on his face, said, "Fasten your seat belt."
    "I know that look! It's your Batman-laser-beam stare. Garth and I got it last night, and I gotta tell you, I didn't appreciate it then, and I certainly don't now."
    He harrumphed and, turning on the air-conditioning, gunned the big engine into reverse, then slammed the gearshift into forward and we tore down the street.
    "You going to put your siren on?" I asked sweetly.
    Nothing.
    Well, two can play this game, I thought silently. I sat munching stale peanuts in the candy bar and ignoring his lead foot while the scenery whirred past in a blur.
    In a few minutes we were out of the city limits and turning onto a country lane. He pulled over, shifted into park, unbuckled the seat belt and eased around to face me. In his best Officer-Stone-voice, he said, "Lalla, we need to talk."
    "Now what? I thought you said we weren't going there," I said, prodding at a nut lodged between my back teeth with a fingernail.
    I could see Caleb was working up to a temper tantrum. That's when his iceberg blues go a shade colder and the side of his neck looks like somebody with rosy red lips had taken a swipe at it. It obviously wasn't my idea of a temper tantrum. No knives thrown, no doors torn off, not so much as a dewdrop of sweat broken.
    Instead, he used words that cut right through the quagmire of preamble, like right now when he said, "You take me for granted, Lalla. I'm just another useful appendage for you. You're selfish, self-absorbed, and vain."
    "And your point is?" All I could hear was "selfish, self-absorbed and vain." It cut me to