A Wrong Turn Towards Love (2 page)

“No; a fear of people running around in the woods wearing white hoods.”

Bodie’s expression grew fierce.  “That would be Sully Pranger; him and his buddies are playing games. The Klan don’t really suit up unless its parade day.” They had probably heard about the lone black woman at Stubby’s and decided to have some redneck fun.

She gave Bodie an amazed look.  “There’s really Klan here?!  I mean I just thought you all were just a bunch of rednecks…” The ‘
you all
’ comment was not lost on him, but he had to admire the fact that she was more outraged than afraid. She quickly climbed into the truck and then he did as well.

“I apologize for those boys in there.  You smack their faces and put ‘em in their place and they’ll leave you alone.”  He’d had to do that pretty often, hadn’t he? Especially when he was a kid. Back then it was other hate-filled names that he’d had to fight over. Bodie started up the truck and this time an Eagles tune was playing.  He reached up and cut off the radio.

“Oh let it play. I like The Eagles.”

To his credit, Bodie didn’t find it strange that a black woman listened to The Eagles. Good music was good music. He turned the radio back on.

“So what brings you to our neck of the mountains?”

She was huddled into the corner prepared to leap from the truck at the first sign of danger. “Well. I was on my way to Richmond to visit my Grandmother.”

“Richmond? How did you get up on the mountain?”

She gave him a horrified look. “You mean I am actually on a mountain?!”

Bodie’s brow arched. “Yup.”

She stared at the road. “I pulled off the highway to get something to eat and to fill up the tank. I guess I got turned around. I kept driving until I saw the store and stopped there to make a call.” She gave him a frown. “But I don’t think that was a real store…”

That was some big turnaround
. He didn’t bother to explain that Cobb Hill was dry and that she’d just stepped into an illegal bootleg establishment—though illegal was a stretch since the police also frequented the establishment. His hazel eyes moved to lock onto her brown ones. “You’re traveling to parts unknown, in the middle of the night…in a car that’s prone to transmission problems?” The statement didn’t leave any confusion to his thoughts on her level of stupidity.

“It’s a long story,” she replied stiffly at his implied insult. She shook her head and stared out her window. “Just wait until I tell grandma that I got lost in the mountain with a bunch of good ‘ol boys running around in white hoods.”

Bodie was starting to like her. She wasn’t easily intimidated. Not even Sully’s pals in the woods did much in the way of breaking her. It must have made Sully feel even more stupid than he should by wearing that dumb-ass costume out in public.

“Well my name is Bodie. I apologize for driving off earlier. If I knew those fools were playing around in the woods I would have never done it.”

“Well…thank you for coming back. My name is Shaundea, or just Shaun. I’m sorry if I came off like a bitch. I’ve been driving all day and most of the evening. When I stopped at that bar some guy just started in on me. I told him I wasn’t interested but he tried to block me in! Where I come from when you jump at somebody like that it means you want a fight.”

“Where are you from?”

“Chicago.”

After a few moments they pulled into the parking lot of the Holiday Inn.

“I hope they have vacancies,” she said distantly.

Bodie shrugged. “This isn’t the busiest place in the world. I doubt if they’ve ever been to capacity.”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled while walking to the entrance. “People on this mountain have a funny way of treating black folks.”

Bodie felt a streak of defensiveness but squelched it at the memory of this ladies plight. ‘Course it was her own lack of good judgment that left her in such a predicament. He followed her inside just to make sure that she didn’t run into any more trouble.

Bodie watched her as she checked in. Cute. Dark. Curly black hair that appeared wild and natural. Big black eyes like a does and plump lips with voluptuous attributes on her small frame.

She turned to him and smiled genuinely. “I want to think you Mr. Bodie. I don’t know what I’d have done in these boonies by myself. Damn AAA!”

“Just Bodie. And to AAA’s defense, I may need to update my pager with them. Hell it’s been years since they’ve sent anyone my way. Most people that need me already know me. So…Shaun, I’ll come by tomorrow about eight? Then we can take it from there.”

She gripped the key card to her room and then waved at him and got into the elevator.

On the drive home Bodie lit a cigarette. He seldom smoked unless he was drinking in a bar or maybe after sex…if he stayed awake long enough to light up. But sometimes when he had things to think about he did it. And tonight Miss Shaundea from Chi-Town had given him lots to think about.

The last lady that had spent any real time on his mind was DeeDee. But she had gotten tired of the mountain and the simple life that he loved so much. She had gone off to Lexington or was it Louisville?

Well there was no way he was leaving the mountain that he loved, especially for the fast paced life of the city. He liked fishing off his deck, getting his hair trimmed every other Tuesday and taking his mother to brunch every Sunday. He liked the fact that the old men still played cards on the worn old table in the post office where they kept the air conditioner running even when it wasn’t really hot out. He liked that his kindergarten teacher still remembered him and every one of his brothers and sisters and didn’t mind chastising any of them if she thought they deserved it. How could any other place stand up to this one?

He pulled into the driveway of a very big cabin style house. His grandfather had built the main portion of the house but when no one else in the family wanted to take it on he had moved in and completely modernized it without taking away any of its original integrity and beauty. Eight years later it was still a work in progress; one that he enjoyed so much that he constantly made updates and improvements. Everything had been modernized from the kitchen with its stainless steel appliances to a Jacuzzi in the back yard gazebo.

Bodie wasn’t rich but he couldn’t think of anything that he’d want that he couldn’t get—and what he couldn’t get was not something that he wanted. It was almost 3 am but he wanted a hot bath before bed. Even though he had a huge stand-a-lone shower in his master suite, he seldom used it. Who in their right mind would choose a shower over a whirlpool bath?

He lit another cigarette as the jets hit his tired body. That girl was something different in these parts. Pretty and feisty—not too bright maybe but she had the backbone of a bear.

Chapter 2

Shaun showered and pulled on her panties and a bra. She would have washed out her undies in the sink but didn’t think they’d be dry by morning.

She didn’t have any change of clothes with her, actually hadn’t thought about it when she was skipping town. Damn Craig! Damn him to hell! Grandma didn’t even know she was even coming so no need to worry her. And she didn’t care if Craig was worried.

She stretched out on the bed exhausted, calculating how much money she had on the credit card…not enough to cover a transmission job. Grandma didn’t have money like that, either. And what were the chances that Craig would wire her money after she had walked in on him with her friend Patrice and had thrown a mini fit? Actually he probably would wire her money but she’d give a Klansman a hand job before she’d take anything from him!

Shaun sighed. No big deal. She’d dump the car and hop a bus if she had to. She would have to pay that cowboy something, though. He said she was on a mountain. She’d never heard of any mountain just outside of Richmond Kentucky. He was probably pulling her leg.

She yawned. It wouldn’t surprise her if he was getting off on putting one over on her—just like that fool running around in the woods wearing the white hood—probably too poor to afford the robes—and not stupid enough to don a white bed sheet. She wasn’t so much afraid that he might actually be a Klansman but that any fool who dressed up like that just to scare her was just not right in the head.

And what about that freak in the bar?! What would make him think that she would want his old saggy ass?! The only person in the entire place that she’d even look at twice was Bodie and that was only because he was as big as a bear and had real muscles and not just fat masquerading as a physique. He was also kind of brown; tanned like maybe he was more than white even if his hair was that funny yellowish brown that seemed brown in certain light but then later blonde. He had hazel eyes that stood out and a goatee that surrounded real lips and not just a slash in his face. Yeah he was cute but she had no interest in white men, especially not some country bumpkin.

~
P
_P
~

There was a knocking noise. It seemed like it had been going on forever. How aggravating. She was so tired…what was making that damned noise?!

Suddenly Shaun leaped out of bed. Oh shit. Someone was knocking on the door.

“Uh…Just a minute!” She wrapped a blanket around her partially nude body and then ran to open the door.

When she checked the peephole she saw that Bodie was standing there looking pissed. She quickly unlocked the door and let him in.

“Not a light sleeper are you?”

“I am so sorry. How long have you been standing here?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Oh shit. I’m sorry!” She picked up clothes. “I must have been more tired than I thought,” then she hurried into the bathroom to change. Bodie had already noticed that Shaun hadn’t brought any bags. From Chicago Illinois to Richmond Kentucky with no luggage? And he was the fifth Beatle.

To her credit she didn’t leave him waiting for long and when she came out of the bathroom she looked even prettier than she had the night before.

“Bodie…I’ve been thinking about ditching that piece of shit car and just taking a bus into Richmond.”

He stroked his goatee. “Well, I guess I could junk it for you. Might get you a couple hundred.” He could get a nice tidy sum off the parts. This venture might prove quite lucrative. “I brought the tow truck so we’ll go up to the bar, pick up the car, take it down to the garage and then I’ll drive you into town and drop you off to the bus station.”

She smiled relieved. “Thank you Bodie. How much do I owe you for the tow?”

“Nothing. We’ll call it a win win situation.”

Back in the tow truck Bodie passed Shaun a cup of coffee. “You drink coffee?”

“Oh God yes! I’m fiending!” She took it gratefully, sipping it black.

“Cream or sugar?”

“No, this is good. Thank You. You’re going to make me lose my negative impression of country boys…or is it mountain men?”

“Just old fashioned common courtesy, Ma’am. Sorry about that guy in the woods wearing that costume. We’re not all like that you know. There’s quite a large population of Native Americans on this mountain and the Klan don’t like us just as much as they don’t like you.” He had been called a Bush nigger, Prairie nigger, Redskin, Savage, Cochise, Featherhead and a half a dozen other names in his life.

“You’re Indian…uh native American?”

“Part Cherokee.” The other part was a Frenchman that had made his way to the states in order to seek his fortune.

Shaun appraised him. So that’s why he had that dark skin. But he didn’t look like an Indian beyond that, especially not with those hazel green eyes and that sun-blonde hair. She wondered how old he was; definitely older than her but not as old as Craig who was 42. No, Bodie appeared to be in his thirties and she was twenty-four.

She sniffed and looked out the window, dismissing the direction of her thoughts.

When they arrived at Stubby’s there were two police cars parked next to Shaun’s Honda. Her mouth dropped open.

“You didn’t steal that car did you?” he asked while pulling up alongside the police cruisers.

Shaun just looked at him wide-eyed.

“Shit.” Bodie cursed and stepped down from the truck. Should’ve minded his own business last night and kept on driving. “Stay here.” He commanded.

“Hey Bodie.” One of the deputies greeted.

“Hey, Lloyd. What’s goin’ on?”

“Hey Bodie.” Cyrus spoke. “See you got that colored gal in your truck.” Cyrus really was a good ol’ boy and the words he used not only offended Bodie but Lloyd didn’t seem too happy about them either. Bodie was suddenly happy that he’d had Shaun stay in the truck. Somehow he suspected that she’d let him know how outdated that term was.

“There was a shooting last night. Keegan McMichaels turned up dead in those woods,” Lloyd continued.

Bodie’s brow drew together. “What time?”

“Found him early this morning. We don’t know how long he’s been dead. Not long, though.” Lloyd glanced at the tow truck. “Funny thing is, he was wearing Klan gear; just the hood. Heard about the black woman in Stubby’s last night and how a couple folks might have given her a hard time.”

Bodie turned back to the truck. Shaun was watching them with a frightened expression. He looked at Lloyd again. “How many times was he shot?”

“Twice.”

“I didn’t smell any gunpowder and I was in my truck with her. I drove her down to the Holiday Inn about 2:30.” He nodded at Lloyd. “I’ll vouch for her.”

Lloyd nodded agreeably. They had gone to school together, but more importantly, they had played college football together. To Lloyd Bodie’s word was his bond.

“Good enough for me. We’re going to need to get a statement from her. Can you bring her down to the station in a few hours? I’d carry her down now but that’d just scare her.”

“No, I’ll do it.” He went back to the truck to the passenger side. Shaun rolled down her window.

“There was a shooting last night.”

Shaun gasped.

“Some fool man in the woods wearing a Klan’s hood was found dead earlier this morning.” He sucked air through his teeth. “You don’t know anything about any Klansman in the woods, you got me?” He said, voice growing low. “Last night you didn’t see anything out of the ordinary—other than JD making a fool out of himself—which isn’t all that out of the ordinary.”