Dax stumbles upon an attempted rape. Due to past training and discipline, he quickly subdues two bad guys. In the process, he experiences a re-awakening of thoughts and memories. It's time to get the bad guys behind bars and get Lael home.
Dax looked at Lael as he spoke, "Yes, Lael, I'm fine; just coming down from an adrenaline rush. Hearing your name caused my mind to wander. You seem to have gathered yourself together pretty well. Are you O.K.?"
"I guess so. You know my first name. My whole name is Lael Jackson."
Sticking his hand out, Dax introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Lael Jackson. My name is Dax Connor. Now that we've gotten through that, we need to figure out what to do with these two goons." Looking at the two moaning creeps on the ground, Dax glanced through the back door at the battered pick-up. "Did they get you here in the truck?"
Shuddering, Lael confirmed. "They did, and I'm pretty sure that the keys are still in it."
"Those two boys aren't going to be able to walk too well, and putting them in the back of that truck won't help their condition. I remember walking through a town. It will probably be better for us to drive back into town and let the sheriff know about them and the need for an ambulance. Do you know where the sheriff's office is?"
Squinting, Lael responded, "I know where the sheriff's office is and I know the sheriff. I'm not sure we should go to him."
This wasn't Dax's town, so he had to ask, "Why wouldn't you want to go to the sheriff?"
"Sheriff Bailey used to be a good man, but I think he is too tight with Paul Boudreaux."
"All right, Lael, that's a lot of information, most I don't understand. Who is Boudreaux?"
Pointing at the two on the ground, Lael replied, "Well for one thing, he's the guy that those two work for. More than that, he seems to control all of the drugs that are going into our town, Hurstville, and the whole county. People used to turn a blind eye when it was just marijuana; most likely because a lot of it was grown around here. When it turned in to cocaine, and most recent, meth, it's gotten to be a real problem. Anyhow, I would feel more comfortable telling the deputy. His name is Jimmy Dent and I've known him since I was a little girl. Jimmy and my brother Luke used to be best friends."
"Did something happen between them?" Dax noticed a flinch and a slight reddening of her eyes.
Lael, explained, "Nothing really happened between them. Luke was killed in Afghanistan this last spring. What we heard was so much like Luke. He was a short timer and had permission to stay on the forward outpost, but he went out with his guys and was killed by a sniper."
"I am very sorry to hear that. I've been in and around the military and military organizations all my life. He was your brother, but to people like me, he was a brother in arms." Pausing to let Lael re-group, Dax continued, "Let's ride into town and look up Jimmy. Those two aren't going anywhere."
They confirmed quickly that the keys were in the truck. Lael was also glad to see her purse. It was a stick shift, so Dax asked, "Can you drive a stick?"
"Heck, yeah, you don't grow up in Hurstsville without driving a tractor, or a truck or something with gears. Since I know where I'm going, why don't I drive?"
Dax was always uncomfortable when it came to multi-tasking while driving. Lael seemed to have it down. She was talking on her cell phone to Jimmy and explaining what happened. When she needed to shift gears, she would tell Jimmy to hold on and grab phone and wheel in the same hand, shifting with the other. He could only hear one side of the conversation, but he could tell that Jimmy was not happy.
They were in downtown Hurstville within fifteen minutes. Dax looked around and felt embarrassed. He must have walked right through this town earlier in the day and not noticed a thing. Like so many small towns in the Southeast, Hurstville was built around an old square. The square not only had the obligatory statue of a southern soldier, there was a bubbling fountain as well. The whole square was lined with small American flags. This city, like many, tried to bring back the beauty of times gone by. Some of the streets had been taken back to the old brick , and trendy restaurants and law offices occupied the now beautiful, refurbished old buildings. It all seemed to work; a nice place.
The Sheriff's Department occupied an old marbled front, Art-Deco type building, right off the square. Standing on the steps, with arms crossed, was a tall, well put together deputy. His uniform was immaculate with shoes you could see your reflection in. Dax hoped this was Jimmy. It was.
Jimmy came down the steps and standing in front of Lael, grabbed both her arms and bent down to look her in the eye. "Are you all right brat?"
"Yeah, I'm o.k., but mostly thanks to Mr. Connor here. Jimmy, this is Mr. Connor, the one I was telling you about."
Jimmy took Dax's hand and with obvious emotion, thanked him. Then with a twinkle in his eye, he asked, "Where's your cape? According to Lael, you are Superman or something?"
"No, not Superman. I was just lucky to be at the wrong place at the right time and run in to a couple of goons whose arrogance made them sloppy. By the way, if you two want me to know that you are talking to me, call me Dax. I don't remember the last time that anyone called me Mr. Connor."
"Fair enough Dax. We need to do some paperwork, but it might make more sense to go pick-up the two guys. Lael said you left them needing a little medical assistance. When we have some more time, I want to find out how you handled those two. From Lael's description, I'm pretty sure I know who they are, and they are two bad hombres. Why don't you two ride with me. Officer Tate left right after you got here and is headed out with the medical team."
"Dax, we know who Lael is, but before we go, would you mind giving me your driver's license? I'd like to leave it with my assistant, Sylvia. She will do a quick check and you can pick it up when we get back?"
Dax did so. After giving Sylvia the license, the three headed out the door. The two men got in to the front seat, with Lael in the back. As they were heading back to the tending station, Jimmy queried Dax, "I don't mean to pry, but it was strange that you were walking down the road this afternoon. First, why were you on foot? Second, are you just passing through, or are you headed somewhere?"
Dax paused a moment before answering, "It's a complicated answer. I wasn't coming from anywhere and I wasn't really going anywhere either. When I crossed the railroad crossing, that old tending station looked like a pretty good place to spend the night. It was as simple as that. I could have just as easily kept on walking."
With that, Lael leaned over the seat, touched Dax's arm, and said, "I can only thank God that you didn't."
Just then, Sylvia apparently rang up Jimmy on his Blue Tooth headset. He spoke with her for a moment and turned to Dax. "We did a quick and dirty check on you, and there isn't a whole lot out there. About the only thing that we can find was that you have a clean driving record, have never been arrested and you were given a full medical retirement from the Department of the Treasury. Your records indicate that you were an accountant. Does all that sound about right."
With a slight smile, Dax replied, "most sounds about right."
“You’ve got to do me a favor. When we get those two guys back to the lock-up, you’ve got to promise to fill me in on the whole story. Since it will be after hours, I’ll even spring for a beer.”
“I feel totally burned out, so that beer will probably put me right out, but you’re on!”
