The Longest Winter
Chapter 21
Buck poured himself a scotch and drank it in one big gulp. He slammed the thick scotch glass down onto his desk. He glared up at the three men before him; his son Ralph, and his two lackeys, Bill Creiger and his brother Robert “Bobby” Creiger. Bill was the muscle - six feet tall with muscle and fat to spare. Bobby was the brains - smaller but that much more cunning. They both had greasy red hair and pale, freckled skin beneath their dirty coveralls. The two of them ran a small recycling and scrap yard in town and were Buck’s favorite goons. But the boss was not happy with them today.
“If you bums didn’t take the fluffies, then who did?” Buck asked sternly.
“We dunno boss.” Said Bill. “We weren’t even out there yet. We didn’t see anything.”
“The fluffies are pretty valuable.” Said Bobby. “Anyone could have taken them.”
“Bullshit!” Buck said, slamming his fist down onto his desk. “We run crime in this town. And we know every angle, every shady asshole this town has to offer. No one would dare commit a heist like this with us around.”
“Maybe they were from out of town?” Ralph suggested.
“Unlikely.” Bobby answered. “Not many people knew about them besides us, and they hadn’t been around long enough for word to spread out like that.”
Buck poured himself another scotch. “Then it looks like we need to shake down each other person that knew about those fluffies and find out who took them.”
“One of them is the sheriff!” Bill protested.
“Quit your whining, ya pansy!” Buck hissed. “All you gotta do is tail him and see where he’s going, find the fluffies, and steal em back when he ain’t lookin’.”
“That’s assuming that the sheriff is the one who took them.” Said Bobby.
“The plan is the same for each target.” Buck explained. “The vet, the hardware boy, and the sheriff. One of them is bound to have them.”
“My money’s on the vet.” Bobby said as he rubbed his stubbled chin. “He knows how valuable they are and how to breed them. I bet he took em.”
“Then go find out.” Buck said coldly. “And report back to me whatever you find.”
“I’ll check on Jeremy at the hardware store.” Ralph suggested.
“You would pick the easy target, wouldn’t you?” Buck sneered. “Fine. Just report back to me when you’re done.”
“What about me?” Bill asked nervously.
“You tail the sheriff, stupid.” Buck snapped. “Make sure he doesn’t see you. We don’t need anymore heat on us than we already have.” He said, glaring at Ralph.
“Why go to all this trouble for just a few shitrats?” Asked Bobby. “Are they really that valuable?”
“They’re a goldmine.” Buck said, sipping his scotch. “Dumb-dumb over here did too good of a job cleaning them from our city streets.” He explained, glaring at Ralph again. “Without any left to breed, the money we got from the city to deal with the problem has dried up. If we can get the old bat’s fluffies in our hands, we can breed them and fill the streets again, turning the cashflow back on.”
“Not to mention selling them on the black market.” Bobby said, beginning to understand. “Alright then, let’s get to work boys!”
The men exited the office and headed downstairs. They gathered in the side parking lot. Bobby handed bill his keys. “Take the caddy and find out what you can about the sheriff.” He said, gesturing toward the light blue 1982 Cadillac Coupe DeVille parked nearby. “Stay far back and DON’T let him see you. There’s binoculars in the trunk.”
Bobby then turned to Ralph. “Go down to the hardware store and keep an eye on Jeremy. He and the old crow are tight, so I doubt he did the kidnapping, but you never know. Holler at me on the CB radio if you find anything suspicious. Speak covertly just in case someone is listening.”
Ralph nodded and headed towards his van as Bill climbed into the Cadillac. That left Bobby with his old pickup truck he used for hauling scrap. He climbed into the driver seat and lit a cigarette before pulling out of the lot.
The three vehicles went their separate ways as the unsuspecting small town went about another day.