Previously:

It's the only one I have. I know it works. I just used it to charge up a battery yesterday. I suppose I could let you borrow it. You said you'll bring it back. Right?" He sighed with indecision, then resignation. "Okay. But don't be gone long."

He paused before going to get the charger. "Oh, of course, I'll need some collateral before I let you leave with this."

**********

They simultaneously wrinkled their brows. Who had anything for collateral, whatever that amounted to?

Tommy volunteered. "We'll get it back, right?"

"Yuh, as long as nothing happens to the charger." The garage guy seemed to be weakening on his resistance.

Tommy glanced at his watch, studying it long, before removing it. "It's a prize. Got it for an award I won at a cooking contest a couple of years ago."

Liz 'tsked'. "Tommy, you don't need to do this. That is a very valuable watch, for more than one reason. We'll think of something else. Please, don't do this."

"He said I'll get it back. It's worth about the same amount as the battery charger. I doubt we have anything else to offer. We need to get your car back in operation, so you ladies can get going."

Turning toward the garage man, he held the watch in his extended hand."Sir, will this do for collateral?"

"The name's Wolf. That's what they call me. I was thinking more of having one of the women stay here. I've got coffee to be dumped, rinsed and a fresh brew for my cup, which will, of course, have been scrubbed by her, for the first time in months. The residue is getting pretty thick."

Liz's rubbery legs were back. She knew neither of them was staying back with this guy. She glanced at Linda who had a look of horror in her eyes with a deep furrow between them. They both shook their heads as they pleadingly looked toward Tommy.

"That'll never do. It's my precious watch or nothing. We will pay you well when you have attended to the car we are bringing you for your service."

Wolf looked toward the ceiling, mulling over the loss of money he'd be trading to have his coffee cup cleaned and filled with a fresh cup of joe.



"Alright, yuh, that'll do."

Sighs of relief from the three, were paralleled by Wolf's grunt of resignation.

As Wolf was receiving the watch, Tommy hoped his Native name might endear Wolf to them. "My name is 'Corn Flour'. F-L-O-U-R. I'm a chef. I'm a member of the Crow Nation. Can you eat nuts? I have some tasty sugared nuts, I can give you when we return with my car. Whadda ya say?"

Wolf's face lit up, smiling, he lowered his shoulders in relaxation. "I love nuts."

Setting his gun down on a grease-covered bench, he headed toward the corner where the precious battery charger sat.

Tommy assured him, they'd be right back with his car to load the charger in his trunk. Wolf opened the side door and let them out.

"Knock three times on this door when you get back with the car."

As soon as they got outside and began to create secure space between the double-barrel shotgun and Tommy's car, they heard two things, a slam and the grating sound of Wolf locking the door.

Liz raised the questions they all had. "What could he have possibly promised the Chief? And for what reason. What's she got on him. What did he do? It's messed up."

Linda grabbed two branches to serve as walking sticks.

"You do such a good job of taking care of us."

"Well," Linda said, "we know that is going to be a steep hill to climb and we're going to want to go faster than usual."

They huffed and puffed up the hill to the car. Their seatbelts remained unfastened for the short ride back to 'The Way Down Back Auto Repair Shop'.

The door hesitantly slid open, after Tommy knocked the specified three times. Wolf was standing there with the battery charger. Tommy was glad he'd put all of the foods on the front seat floor, so he could easily grab the few bags of nuts and have an empty trunk.

He popped open the trunk, so Wolf could set the charger down in it. As they shook hands, Tommy noticed his watch on Wolf's wrist. The seemingly frail man's grasp was tight and long. Tommy, uncomfortably, searched in his mind how to disengage from the prolonged handshake. The offer of candied nuts, worked.

The deal-maker was relieved to be in his Accord, back behind the wheel. Shuddering off the weird energy, he said, "That guy needs to be smudged some more, actually a lot more.

The backseat occupants nodded in agreement, fastened their seatbelts as Tommy said, "Fasten your seatbelts, ladies, we have a bumpy ride ahead of us.

Shrugging their shoulders, the two cohorts looked at each other. They figured they'd find out what that meant, sooner or later.

As they drove slowly up toward the exit, Liz turned her squinted gaze away from the car that looked so much like hers.