Chapter 11
*~* Cannon *~*
Pres has stuck me with Vortex as a chaperone and he also told me that since I had my truck now, I was to use that rather than my hog. I understand the reasoning, I really do, but for fuck’s sake, do I honestly need a babysitter?
Vortex knows exactly what is going through my head as he keeps grinning at me. I imagine it would be just the same for him if the roles were reversed.
“Suck it up, Cannon. It could all be over in no time.” Vortex winks at me. I’ve noticed this winking thing creeping in at the MC. Not all the time, but every now and again someone does it. Where the hell has that come from, I wonder?
First stop this morning is a visit to the guys at the pet crem to see what’s going on there.
Last time I was here there was no dog to be found anywhere and I’m sure Barbara found it odd that I had to ask what Whisky looked like.
I suppose the guys could have dealt with him already, but they would have had to have worked damn fast to get him done so quickly.
At the crem I leave the pickup round the back of the building away from any prying eyes, and take Vortex on a quick tour. While we’re looking at the furnace Prophet joins us.
“Very amusing, Cannon. Where is it?” Prophet folds his arms across his chest and looks anything but amused.
“Oh, good. What’s amusing and where is what?” I fold my arms across my chest just to copy him.
“Hiding the body. Now, where is it? I need to get on with it. These things have a habit of decomposing, you know.” He looks at me with the most unamused face he can muster.
“What body am I supposed to have hidden? Talk sense, man.” This is all getting a little too weird for me now.
Winger and Zion walk up at this point, both grinning at me.
“What are you two grinning at? What do you know about whatever it is he thinks I’ve done that you’ve obviously had a hand in?” I have to take a breath after all that.
“It was very funny when we came in and spent ages running around looking for a missing dead dog, but it’s kinda worn off now. So, where is it?” Winger asks and looks at me for an answer.
“Let me put this in as simple terms as I can, so you three numbnuts can understand. I don’t have a fuckin’ clue what you're talking about. Is that simple enough?” I look at Vortex, though heaven knows why, to see if he has a clue.
“Don’t look at me,” he says, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I am as clueless as you are.”
“Did you or did you not hide Barbara’s dead dog?” Zion asks me outright, and I look at him flabbergasted.
“Don’t tell me you’ve lost a fucking dead animal?
Don’t tell me you’ve lost my Barbara’s dead animal?
Her neighbor's dog, Whisky? How the fuck do you lose a dead dog?” I feel my temper rising at an astronomical level.
“I thought you’d processed him damn fast, but it never occurred to me you’d lost him. ”
“When did you last see him?” Winger asks me.
“I’ve never seen him. I thought it odd that there was no dog when I was here yesterday, but I thought you guys had been super-efficient, not super-negligent.”
“He was here yesterday morning, I know that much. I didn’t check to see if he’d gone before we locked up, but he wasn’t here when I opened up this morning.” Winger looks genuine enough when he tells us this, and the other two look so confused that I don’t think they are lying.
“So, what we’re saying is that sometime between yesterday's opening time and me coming in, a dead dog got up and walked off without anyone seeing a thing? What were you all doing yesterday?” I find all this a bit much to take in. How the hell have they lost a dead dog?
“From the moment a dead animal, pet, whatever, comes into the building, talk me through the process.” Vortex looks at the four of us, and I run through the process for him. “So at no time would he have had to be put on ice or into a cooled area or such like?”
“Yes, normally they would but we were going to deal with him quickly as a favor to Barbara,” Prophet informs him.
“But none of you did anything once he was wheeled in here on his gurney?” Vortex looks from one to the other, and we all shake our heads.
“Let’s have one last look around and then we’ll go to the cameras and see if anyone snuck in and stole a dead dog.
” Vortex has taken control, and we all disappear in different directions to search.
Once we’ve looked in every corner of the building, twice, we gather back at Vortex and report no success.
“Okay, I’ve been onto Bull and he’s checked the security footage.
He’s found where Prophet wheels him in and he’s put just out of camera shot.
No one comes in or out of the back doors other than you guys, so there is no intruder.
Only you guys come in and out from the connecting door to the front of the building, so no intruder from there.
There is no evidence that the dog gets up and walks away by himself.
So, other than divine intervention, he just evaporated into thin air.
” Vortex shakes his head and holds his palms open to us to say he’s done all he can.
His phone rings, and he takes a call that he tells us is Bull again.
He looks at me, wide-eyed, and then runs out the back door.
We all follow and look around the lot, expecting to see Whisky trotting around.
When we don’t see him or anything out of the ordinary, we just stare dumbly at Vortex as he puts his phone away.
“Bull has all the brothers on alert and he’s checking any cameras he can access in town. Sorry, Cannon, but we’ll find it.” Vortex reaches out and places his hand reassuringly on my shoulder.
“It’s just a dead dog at the end of the day.
Prophet lost it, he’ll just have to find some roadkill that we can put in a coffin so there are ashes for the family to bury.
We just need to be more careful in the future.
We don’t need the brothers tearing up the town looking for a zombie dog wandering the streets.
” I don’t think Whisky, bless him, deserves all this attention.
“They’re not looking for the damn dog. They’re looking for the scumbags that stole your truck while we were inside.” Vortex looks at the empty spot where my truck had been parked.
Sitting in Pres’ office, I watch the footage from the crem parking lot for the tenth time.
A young guy walks nonchalantly over to my truck, fiddles with the door for only a few seconds, opens the door, slips inside, and in under a minute sedately drives away.
I was convinced that the thief would be Santos, but that is definitely not him on the screen.
Footage from the front of the building shows an everyday sedan pulling up.
The young man gets out, and when the truck pulls onto the highway from the lot, the sedan quietly follows as it drives away.
They have done this before, and it was very professional.
There was no rushing around, it was all very practiced and calm.
“Whoever is responsible for this, I’m going to tear them limb from limb.
I’m going to do it slowly and calmly, just like the way they stole my pickup.
If they’ve damaged her in any way, I’ll inflict the same level of damage on them before I start removing limbs.
” My knuckles are white from clenching my fists, and as the footage starts once again, Pres leans over and closes the laptop.
“Okay, you’ve seen that enough times. There’s nothing to be gained by watching it another ten times.
Bull is working on trying to find where they took it, but it seems that they avoided all the mainstream cameras.
The registration visible on the sedan matches the car, but it’s registered to an eighty-year-old farmer from out of state.
So, it’s going to be a cloned vehicle. Have you reported it stolen to the local police department?
” Whack looks at me and he must know the answer.
“Hell, no. I don’t want them finding it. If they get involved, the thieves will get a slap on the wrist and be sent off with a bug in their ear. I have a more permanent punishment in mind for the scumbags.” Bull walks back in at this point, shaking his head at Pres.
“This isn’t their first rodeo, and I’d say that they have inside knowledge of all the cameras they need to avoid.
Apart from an occasional glance from an out of focus or poorly angled camera, they could have gone anywhere.
I think it’s safe to say that the truck is out of town and somewhere safe to them by now. I’ll keep on it.”
Bull takes the laptop and leaves. I look at Whack and wonder what to do next. I don’t like not having a direction to go in and he knows this.
“I know how difficult this is going to be, but all you can do is wait for information to come in. It will come. We have everyone possible looking for your truck and I’ll personally help you with their punishment.
If they are as professional as they appear, it may take longer, but we will find them.
Go get a drink, some food, and stay focused on the positives.
You and Barbara are safe. A truck can always be replaced, you two can’t. ”
As I walk to the door he adds, “Don’t go off half-cocked if you hear anything. You come to me first, and we'll do this right so that it stays done, and no one is any the wiser. Got it?”
“Got it, Pres. I’ll behave until you tell me it’s time not to behave.” I give him my evil grin, and he gives me a chin lift in return.
“Good enough. Oh, call church, too. I think we have enough shit to discuss that we can call it earlier than the weekend. Get everyone in tonight and let the club women know to put on enough to feed the hungry mob that will be here.”
Walking into the rec room, there is no sign of Barbara. I know she wasn’t happy that Jamie and Molly ganged up on her and told her to stay away from the practice today. Not sure how long that will last.
Hearing her laughter from the kitchen, I head that way. I stop dead in my tracks when I see Barbara, Anya, and Pattie covered in flour. They all look at me like children caught misbehaving before they burst into a fit of giggles.
“Pres wants extra food laid on for tonight. He’s calling Church so everyone will be here and probably wanting to be fed.” Seeing Pattie and Anya sober up fast, I know they understand the mission I’ve just bestowed upon them. Barbara is quick to read the situation.
“Give me five minutes with my man and I’ll be back to help.” Taking my hand, she pulls me into a corner of the rec room and gives me the third degree on my stolen truck. Telling her all I know and more of what and who I suspect is behind it, she takes my face in her hands.
“We’ll get your truck back and we’ll deal with the assholes who were stupid enough to mess with us. You tell me when and where, and I’ll stand by you while we sort this.” Seeing the earnest look on her face, I don’t doubt for a minute the strength of her words.
She gives me a deep and passionate kiss, then tells me she’s going to help in the kitchen.
I’m not surprised that she would help, I’ve learned that about her quickly, I am surprised that she is so thick with Pattie and Anya.
As much as I like those two club women, I didn’t see them as friend material for Barbara.
Hell, as long as she’s happy, I’m happy.
I’m just debating my next move when a shadow appears, and Vortex takes a seat opposite me.
“You’ve got yourself one hell of a good woman there, you know that, right?
” He looks toward the kitchen from where another peal of laughter escapes.
“She’s arranged for self-defense and weapons training for the old ladies and any club women who want to join in.
She has Ghost and Hellion on board with it.
From what Ghost tells me, he thinks they are going to be a force to be reckoned with under her leadership. He’s looking forward to it.”
“She sure as hell isn’t letting any grass grow under her feet, that’s for sure.
I didn’t know that, but I shouldn’t be surprised.
I’m learning fast that she’s a go-getter.
I don’t suppose it will be long before she has the wedding planned and all the women involved in it.
” I grin at my own attempt at humor to lighten my mood.
“Oh, she’s asked Whack to perform the ceremony at his earliest convenience. They were talking about this weekend. That’s why he’s called Church early. Didn’t you know?” I’m just about to fly into a rage at Pres’ cheek when I see Vortex fighting to hold his laughter back.
“Fucking asshole. I wouldn’t mind the wedding, but I’d be pissed if that ape of a Pres knew about my wedding before I did.”