“What’s happening with the headless women, Max? There hasn’t been much about it in the Milwaukee Papers. Hap said you got a scoop on the first lady they found but I don’t get the Daily Citizen so I haven’t read it.”
“Maybe you should get it Sam. I did get the scoop on that but not much more information is being released. It’s getting so political that Harry is pretty tight lipped and Detective Williams wouldn’t so much as release a fart in my direction let alone any information.”
“You know Max, I don’t know if this will be of any interest, but that last girl I was dating was really into some crazy stuff like that bondage shit. I didn’t mind tying her up but there is no way I trust a woman to tie me up. She has this brother who gave me the creeps every time I went to their house to pick her up. She said he did some really bad stuff to animals in the neighborhood when they were growing up. He is so big that whenever he opened the door I couldn’t see anything behind him. Nothing! And he would just stare at me before moving. I swear there have been a couple of times he almost made me crap in my pants. I mean, I’m no cactus expert, but I do know a prick when I see one. Even though the sex was great, I had to stop seeing her and one of the reasons is her brother. I tell you, I sleep a lot better since I got out of that relationship. In my opinion, he’s the type of guy who wouldn’t hesitate to chop off someone’s head just to see what it felt like.”
“Well, there are times I feel like chopping some heads off myself, I replied. Some people seem to be put on this earth solely to annoy me and get in my way of accomplishing my life’s work.”
“What’s your life’s work Max?”
“I’m not sure; how much longer until we get there?”
Sam turned back to peer at the gauges and said, “About a quarter of a tank.”
“Shit Sam, will you quit that? How many miles?”
Sam ignored me, not out of rudeness, but because he didn’t know.
“How many broncs are you going to buy this time Max?” Sam asked.
“Probably five; a guy in Manitowoc called me last month and said he would take two if I had them and that Ojibwa Indian, Chipa Wolfe takes three every year.
“You and Hap coming back to haul them to Wisconsin?”
“No, I think we will wait until Coonass and O.D. Reynolds drive out to get a load and have them bring them back with what they pick up.”
“I don’t blame you. It’s a long ride when you are in a truck pulling livestock.
Who is this Allen DuPont guy we are going to see?” Sam asked as he banked the plane to the north and we dropped altitude.
“Allen DuPont breeds bucking broncos out in Loveland.”
“I know that, Max. Is he one of the DuPont’s from that Chemical family?”
“I’m not sure. I heard he’s a distant cousin or something. He supposedly got in some trouble up in Connecticut and to get the heat off the family, they shipped him down to one of their farms in Florida. Somewhere around Gainesville, I believe. Anyway, he didn’t last long down their either.”
“What happened?”
“Rumors were flying that he was getting a little too friendly with some of the goats he was raising, if you know what I mean.”
“You’re kidding?”
“I wish I was, but that’s the story I heard. They figured he would have a harder time mounting a bucking bronco so they sent him to Colorado.”
“Jeez, that’s disgusting.”
“I know. That’s why I want you to ride out there with me. To watch my back, if you get my drift.”
“I get your drift, but who’s got my back?”
“Don’t worry about it Sam.”
Sam shook his head and looked back out the window at the approaching mountains.
We rode the rest of the way in silence. Sam probably thinking how he could keep himself face up to Allen DuPont and I was worrying about the engines on his aircraft sputtering and not clearing the approaching mountains.