The swinging, entertaining Texas Rendezvous Band kept the fish fry lively with their unique blend of Country Covers and 50s and 60s Pop music.

Selections played by the locally popular band from Austin included plenty of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard numbers. With well known Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, and Elvis Presley Hits thrown in for good measure.

Cody had never been to a live concert before. There were lots of things he had been deprived of in his short life. Although Cody did not know any of the famous performers who's songs he heard sung by the band, or any of the timeless tunes played while he stood down by the front of the stage, he was particularly enamored with the resonating, deep and loud "boom-boom-boom!" of Dale Lamb, the bassman's red instrument. He also liked Weed Carey's amazing fiddle playing.

Cody's belly was full of Bluegills. One actually. The one Sheriff Daniels made him eat. And French Fries, like any red-blooded boy's would be. He intently listened to the music, politely applauding along with the rest of the attendees there that night. Lost unto himself Cody even strummed his own air bass.

Sheriff Daniels and Beth Sorenson had another performance on their minds. A private party that featured each other. After Beth's little skirmish with Donna Anderson in the parking lot of the VFW, the Sheriff knew what would go a long way in cheering her up. He had always worked his special magic touchs before.

While the band loudly played on they slipped away into the Sheriff's aqua-blue Z28 Camaro for their little excursion. Heading east on Alamo Avenue it was nice to get up and go. At least they thought so.

A relaxing night of what the two of them had been romantically entertaining themselves with for the two years Beth had resided in Astatula was in order. Nothing else the Sheriff knew of eliminated stress better than being wrapped up in the arms of love. Beth's were the ones Sheriff Daniels constantly wanted around him.

He loved Beth Sorenson from the tip of her auburn hair all the way down to her pretty little pink toenails. The ring in his pocket proved how much he did. And, there was nothing he would not do for her either.

For her part Beth was well versed in pleasuring her man. She did too. She always extracted that "I won't take no for an answer" look she was world famous for...in Sheriff Daniels realm of existence, that is.

Their explosion of passion was completed on the blanket Sheriff Daniels spread on the ground in the privacy of Lapore Park. It was then Beth dropped the bomb on the Sheriff by announcing she had been snooping around on the Astatula Assassin. That was the name the Astatula Ledger newspaper had dubbed the deranged madman terrorizing the town.

"Beth, I have known you since before dirt was invented and I explicitly trust your judgment " the Sheriff bluntly told her then adamantly said, "but, there is no way, no way at all, he is the killer. He does not fit the M.O."

"Think about it this way, Brock," Beth tried to convince the Sheriff, "it runs in their clan. They are family, right? None of them are any good."

There was no changing the fact Ernesto Guttierrez, the quiet and dignified butcher at the Cattlemen's Beef and Packing Plant was the Green Belt Slasher's next of kin. The Green Belt Slasher had earned his name because he always strangled his victims with a green belt. He left it tied around their necks afterwards before carving them into little pieces.

Unfortunately for Ernesto Guitterrez he was the first cousin of the infamous rapist and murderer the Sheriff had captured eleven years ago.

Enrique Guittierrez awaited execution in Huntsville for slaughtering six women. Sheriff Daniels recalled he had a visit planned in his near future. One final attempt to get Enrique Guttierrez to confess to the heinous knife carving of the Sheriff's long time lover Diane Crews. The mother of his deceased infant son.

Guittierrez had long refused to do so and had always denied any guilty involvement in the act. Sheriff Daniels distinguished Peace Officer career proved otherwise. He knew Guttierrez was a blatant liar and he would nail the Astatula Assassin, too.

Beth was done talking. Especially about such dramatic points of the past. She reached over to where Sheriff Daniels lay beside her on the blanket.

Pulling him over on top of her she declared, "You won't regret your decision, Cowboy. Not at all!"

Nightmares from the past could wait for another time. Right now Beth wanted all the Sheriff would give her...and a whole lot more.