Chapter 14
Sunday, September 3rd, 2006, had passed.
John stayed hidden in his hotel room while Clint was still in jail, Merijildo was still in the hospital, Bart and Charlie hung with the Devil Cowboys riding around Phoenix searching for John. Alicia stayed home thinking about her strange prisoner Clint. Angie was in her apartment and started packing.
It was Monday morning, September 4th, 2006.
At the police station, Alicia arrived at her desk with a cup of coffee from a Circle K she stopped off along her way to work.
She sat down at her desk and turned on her computer.
Hector walked over with a glazed donut in one hand and a cup of coffee in his other.
He sat down at his desk and munched on his donut and sipped on his coffee.
A female police officer walked up to Alicia's desk.
"Were you looking for a John Mathers?" she asked Alicia.
"I am, why?" Alicia replied and took a sip of her coffee.
"I heard of a call last night about someone breaking into an apartment over in Apache Junction. Units investigated and learned it belonged to a John Mathers. Someone kicked in the front door and rummaged through the place, but Mathers wasn't there. Plus, the guys that broke in the place wore the Devil's Cowboys jackets, and they both had pistols in holsters," the officer told Alicia.
"Thanks," Alicia replied.
The female officer walked away.
"Let's go, Hector. I want to check out Mather's apartment. See what we can dig up," she said.
Alicia and Hector got in their unmarked car and drove to John's apartment complex.
A little while later, and Alicia and Hector walked to the door with the complex manager. He unlocked the door that was repaired this morning.
"Let me know when you're done so I can lock it," the manager said then walked away.
Alicia and Hector cautiously entered with pistols drawn.
John's apartment looked like a tornado came through.
"Yep, it looks like our two outlaws were here," Alicia said while they looked around the living room.
"I'm going to check out the bedroom," Hector said and walked down the hallway.
Alicia walked around the living room and looked at all the items on the floor.
She saw the ripped up picture on the floor by the computer desk. She walked over to it, bent down and picked up the pieces and placed them on the computer desk. She pieced the ripped up pieces and put them together like it was a jigsaw puzzle.
"Look, Hector here's that same picture from the book," she said.
Hector entered from the bedroom with the picture of John and Angie and all those receipts in hand.
Hector walked over to Alicia and looked at the picture of Bart, Charlie, and John taken in Rattlesnake. "Yeah, it sure looks like the same picture," he said. "She must be his girlfriend," Hector added and showed Alicia the picture.
Alicia compared the Rattlesnake picture against the picture Hector had in hand. "Yep, it sure looks like this John Mathers went back in time to the old west. I wonder why?" she said.
Hector looked at the Rattlesnake picture. "To be a famous old western outlaw, I would guess," he said.
"I think you're right. But it sounds like things went sour on the kid," she said.
Hector nodded in agreement, and then he saw the other paper on the floor. He picked it up, and they looked at it then saw John's "X" through Oak Creek and the other 1880s cities listed.
"Looks like he was going to keep track of his crimes," Alicia said.
"Yeah, looks that way," Hector replied and laid the paper on the desk. He handed Alicia the receipts he discovered earlier.
Alicia looked the receipts over and saw they were for Mathers buying a 2006 Mustang, horse and selling guns, pistols, and money from the 1880s.
"Looks like he spent his money from being an outlaw here in present day Phoenix," Alicia said then shoved the receipts in his pocket.
Hector showed Alicia the picture of Angie. "He has a girlfriend," he said.
Alicia looked at the picture. "Let's find this girlfriend, and have a talk with her. I have a feeling we need to get this John Mathers before those two outlaws get him," she said the shoved the receipts in her pants pocket.
"Let's go," she told Hector.
They left the apartment and closed the door.
John checked out of his hotel room.
He walked to his car and put the duffel bag on the passenger floorboard.
He got inside, started it up, and drove off.
At the Devil's Cowboys house, Bear woke everybody up. They all took turns with the morning hygiene routine.
Sadie, Candy, and Melinda got on their Harleys and headed to the Devil's Playpen.
Bear, Bart, Charlie, and the other Devil's Cowboys got on their Harleys and drove off to the Western Snacks and Vending Company.
At the Western Snack and Vending Company, Angie sat in the break room with Peggy. On the bulletin board was a poster where Frank tried to sell his 1993 Chevy 1500 pickup for $900.
Angie and Peggy drank their morning coffee and snacked on some pastry at one of the tables.
"Anyway, I couldn't take his crazy outlaw stories anymore, so I broke up with him, Angie said depressed.
"How crazy?" Peggy asked.
"Babbling about going back in time and becoming a famous outlaw, some outlaws wanting to kill him and some Marshal who wants to arrest him," Angie replied then sipped her coffee.
"Wow, that sure doesn't sound like John," Peggy said.
"I think those western movies got to his head big time," Angie said.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to use my vacation time and visit my parents. I'll have some time alone to do some serious thinking about my life and where I want to go with it. I might come back and quit, so can you cover for me this week?" Angie said while a tear ran down her cheek.
Peggy reached over and held Angie's hand. "No problem," she said.
"Thanks," Angie said and smiled. Then she looked at her watch.
"I better get home and pack. My flight leaves later tonight," Angie said.
Angie and Peggy stood up, and Angie gave her a quick hug, then she left the break room.
She walked into Richard's office, and they had some small talk, then she left the building.
Outside the building, Bear, Bart, Charlie, and the Devil's Cowboys waited on their Harleys in the parking lot of the business next to the Western Snacks and Vending Company. They eyed the front door while they waited.
Angie exited the building and walked to her car in the parking lot.
Charlie's eyes widened with lust the second he saw Angie.
"There she is, the love of my life," Charlie drooled at the sight of Angie and blew kisses at her.
While Angie walked to her car, the Devil's Cowboys started up their Harleys.
Angie drove her car out of the parking lot and drove down the street.
The Devil's Cowboys pulled out of the other parking lot and followed Angie, who didn't suspect anything.
John drove his Corolla to a florist shop.
He came out a few minutes later with a dozen roses for Angie.
He drove to his former place of employment, but Kim, the receptionist, told him that Angie went home for a week's vacation and might quit. John felt guilty and left. He got in his Corolla and drove off down the street.
The Devil's Cowboys continued to follow Angie to the Sandy Mountain apartment complex.
She parked her car, and they parked at the other end of the lot.
Bear and the rest of the Devil's Cowboys waited while Bart and Charlie followed Angie to her apartment.
John drove his Corolla into the other end of the parking lot of Angie's apartment complex.
Bart and Charlie watched around the corner of a building while Angie entered her apartment.
John got out of the Corolla with the dozen roses in hand.
He walked to Angie's apartment building, and along the way, he rehearsed in his mind what he as going to say.
Bart and Charlie walked to Angie's door, and Bart got ready to knock on it. Charlie looked around, and his eyes widened when he saw John while he walked in their direction.
"There's Mathers!" Charlie said and pointed at John.
Bart looked and saw John, and he whipped out his pistol, as did Charlie.
They ran away from Angie's apartment door.
John walked closer to Angie's apartment building.
"Where's my loot?" Bart yelled at John, then he fired a shot.
At first, John didn't recognize Bart and Charlie. But when a bullet zinged by John's shoes, he recognized them and knew they wanted to kill him. He dropped his roses, turned around, and ran back to the parking lot.
Bart and Charlie raced after him.
Bart and Charlie stopped and aimed then fired their pistols.
A bullet zinged by John's ear while the other one hit a parked car five feet away.
People around the apartment complex heard the gunfire and dove for cover.
Bear and the Devil's Cowboys watched while John ran to his car. They started their Harleys and were ready for Bart and Charlie.
John jumped in his car and started it up.
He screeched out of the parking lot and fishtailed into the street.
He raced his Corolla off down the street.
Bart and Charlie ran to Bear and the Devil's Cowboys.
"Mather's ran off," Bart told Bear.
"We saw him," Bear said.
Bart got on the back of Bear's Harley while Charlie got on the back of Jessie Harley.
The Devil's Cowboys raced out of the parking lot and drove off down the street after John.
John raced his Corolla down the street. He glanced in his rear view mirror and saw the Devil's Cowboys on Harley's after him. He didn't know why they got involved.
Just my luck, Bart and Charlie joined a motorcycle gang! John thought to himself while he eyed his rear view mirror.
John raced his car down the street.
He screeched a right turn onto another street.
The Devil's Cowboys followed on their Harleys.
John raced his Corolla down that street.
He screeched a left turn onto another street.
The Devil's Cowboys followed on their Harleys.
John looked in his rear view mirror and hoped he lost them. He wanted to cry when he saw they were still on his tail.
John looked ahead, and his eyes widen in shock, and he slammed on his brakes. His Corolla screeched and fishtailed to a stop inches from the back end of another car stopped in traffic.
Bart and Charlie fired their pistols from the Harleys.
Bullets penetrated the rear end of John's Corolla.
John reached over and grabbed his duffel bag and backpack from the passenger floorboard.
He opened his door, got out, and ran away.
John ran between the stopped cars that were stopped because of a traffic accident up ahead at the traffic light.
John looked ahead and ran toward the Paradise Valley Mall sine it looked like a safe place to hide.
The Devil Cowboys rode up next to the Corolla. They stopped, and Bart looked inside and saw it was empty.
Bart looked down the street and saw John while he ran through the Paradise Valley Mall parking lot.
"There he is!" Bart yelled and pointed at the mall parking lot.
Traffic started to move a little around the accident.
A car behind the Corolla blew its horn at the Devil's Cowboys.
Bart got pissed and looked behind him. He aimed his pistol at the car and fired at the car.
Steam hissed out of that car's radiator when it was it by a bullet. The man got out and ran away, scared down the street.
The Devil Cowboys raced down the street and headed to the Paradise Valley Mall parking lot.
John ran through the mall parking lot. He looked behind him and saw the Devil's Cowboys while raced through the lot after him.
John ran to some glass doors, and he opened them and ran inside the mall.
He turned left and ran down the mall in the direction of Macy's.
John ran through the mall. He didn't know where he would go and figured he would run until he didn't see those Harleys anymore.
The Devil's Cowboys crashed their Harley's through the glass doors to save time.
John stopped and turned around. He saw people while they ran and dove for cover while the Devil's Cowboy's raced their Harleys down the mall.
John didn't know where to go then he saw a Champs Sports store. He figured he could dodge in there and run out the back door.
John ran into the Champs Sports store.
John stopped when he heard the Harleys. He turned around and saw the Devil's Cowboys at the entrance of Champs Sports.
"We got ya cornered, you yellow-belly. You shouldn't have stolen our money," Bart yelled.
"You shouldn't have killed that deputy," John yelled back.
"You killed him. Didn't he, Charlie?" Bart yelled.
"Yeah, he did. The Kissing Bandit killed Elmer Filson," Charlie yelled.
People in Champs Sports looked scared at the sight of a motorcycle gang at the entrance.
John dropped to the floor, and he scampered through racks of sports clothes.
The Devil's Cowboys inched their Harleys inside the store.
Bart and Charlie stood up on their Harley's. They scanned the store while the Devil's Cowboys slowly inched farther down the central aisle of the store.
"Come out, Mathers, you're going to die, so you might as well get it over with now," Bart yelled out.
John scampered down an aisle near the end of the store, then he stopped and looked around.
He saw a bin of baseballs ten feet away toward the central aisle, and he scampered over to them. He grabbed a couple of baseballs then scampered to the central aisle, then he stood up.
"I'm over here, Bart," he yelled out and hoped his plan would work.
The Devil's Cowboys stopped their Harleys. Bart saw John at the end of the central aisle.
He laid his duffel bag and backpack on the floor. He stood in the central aisle and faced the Devil's Cowboys who were at the other end of the aisle by the entrance doors.
Bart aimed his pistol at John while Bear raced his Harley down the central aisle.
All the customers and employees in Champs Sports ran scared out the entrance.
John went into his pitcher's wind up. He threw the baseball at Bear's approaching Harley.
The ball smacked Bear in his forehead. Bear's eyes crossed, and he lost control of his bike. He crashed into a merchandise display, and Bart flew off in the air, and he crash-landed in another merchandising display.
Charlie stood up on Jesse's Harley while he raced after John.
John took another wind up. He threw the ball at Jesse's approaching Harley.
The ball smacked Jesse in his left eye. He lost control and crashed into another merchandising display, and Charlie flew in the air and crash-landed in another merchandising display.
John looked proud of himself, and for the first time, he was thankful for his mother, forcing him to play baseball. He picked up his duffel bag and backpack.
He ran to the door at the end of the store.
He opened it and went inside and left the door open.
John ran through the storeroom and headed to the back door.
He opened it and ran outside to the parking lot.
Bart and Charlie got up in pain.
Bear and Jesse got their Harleys upright.
Bart and Charlie got on Bear and Jesse's Harleys.
"Let's try to find him," Bart said.
Bear looked and saw the back door was open.
"He's outside," Bear said.
Bear turned his Harley around and drove down the central aisle to the store entrance. Jesse and the other Devil's Cowboys followed.
People ran scared while the Devil's Cowboys raced their Harleys down the mall to the exit they crashed through.
John ran through the parking lot.
A city bus drove to the bus stop on the street in front of the mall.
John ran faster to the buss stop. He got there just in time.
The bus stopped, and the doors opened.
John rushed inside the buss, and he quickly opened up his wallet and gave the driver the fare.
He rushed to an empty seat and sat down.
The bus drove off down the street, and John felt relieved.
From the bus windows, John watched while the Devil's Cowboys drove out the exit they crashed through.
The Devil Cowboys Harley's drove through the parking lot. Bart and Charlie stood up and scanned the lot, and John was not in sight anywhere.
"Where did he go?" Charlie asked.
"He got away," Bart said, then he thought for a second, and then he smiled. "He's on foot, so he ain't very far," Bart added.
Bart and Charlie reloaded their pistols.
"Let's get the scoundrel," Bart said then patted Bear's shoulder.
The Devil's Cowboys raced their Harleys through the parking lot, searching for John.