Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘Ray’

So Close To Steak Tips

So there we were at the Dry Gulch, me, Bernie and Ray. Colonel Bob was supposed to meet us but where was he? Also Ray was wearing a wire. How come? Those were two problems. There were probably more but I don’t go past two. Once we were at a party down at the college – love college kids! the fun they have! who wouldn’t want to go to college and stay forever? – and this math professor had too much to drink. All of a sudden he started crying. “What if nothing important is quantifiable?” he said. Bernie patted him on the back and called a cab.

But right now he was putting his finger across his lips, human sign language for zip it. Then he reached for a cocktail napkin,wrote something on it and held it so Ray could see. Ray nodded, a little nod. He was real scared. I could smell it. I could also smell steak tips just about done in the kitchen, but this probably wasn’t the time.

Dry Gulch (More)

Ray was wearing a wire? I’d seen wires before in this job. Bernie had even worn one himself on a real dangerous case we once worked involving a cult. No idea what a cult is, exactly, but they had this college kid and the parents wanted her back. A wire is for recording conversations with no one else knowing.

Bernie gave Ray a real hard look. At the same time, he buttoned up Ray’s shirt so the wire no longer showed and said, “What’s up, Ray?”

Ray licked his lips, the way humans do when they’re nervous. I opened up my mouth real wide, not sure why.

“Something to drink?” the bartender said.

Dry Gulch (More)

Ray came over to where we were sitting. Human fear has a smell and I was smelling it big time.

“What are you doing here, Ray?” Bernie said.

“My … dad sent me.”

“Colonel Bob?”

Ray nodded.

“I thought you weren’t on speaking terms,” Bernie said.

Ray shrugged. That’s a human thing I always watch for. It can mean a few things, usually not good.

“When’s he coming here?” Bernie said.

“That’s the thing – he got … tied up temporarily. He’d like it if you came to him.”

Bernie gave Ray a long look. “Where’s that?” he said.

“I can show you.”

Bernie nodded. Then he did something surprising: He reached out and unbuttoned the top buttons of Ray’s shirt. I’d seen wires before: that’s basic in this business. Ray was wearing one.

Dry Gulch (More)

I was just finishing the steak tips – best I’d ever had, at least since the last time – when Bernie glanced over at the archway that led from the main part of the restaurant to the patio. Humans get this look of surprise sometimes, their eyebrows going up and all of a sudden looking younger than they are, and Bernie had that look now. A guy was coming toward us, but not Colonel Bob, who was the guy we were expecting, unless I’d gotten it wrong. And that can happen. Take in that warehouse down in Mexico, when I’d expected Peanut to pull up in front of that metal roll-up door and come to a stop. Was I wrong about that or what? That’s in To Fetch A Thief unless I’m wrong about that, too.

But forget all that. The point is the guy coming toward us was not Colonel Bob, although he looked kind of like a younger version. Hey! It was Ray.

Happy Birthday, Rosie! And many many more.