Standoff
Chapter One
"I just heard the news bulletin on my car radio."
Tiel McCoy didn't begin this telephone conversation with any
superfluous chitchat. That was her opening statement the instant
Gully said hello. No preamble was necessary. Truth be known, he had
probably been expecting her call.
But he played dumb anyway. "That you, Tiel? Enjoying your vacation
so far?"
Her vacation had officially begun that morning when she left Dallas
and headed west on Interstate 20. She had driven as far as Abilene,
where she stopped to visit her uncle, who'd lived in a nursing home
there for the past five years. She remembered Uncle Pete as a tall,
robust man with an irreverent sense of humor, who could barbecue a
mean brisket and knock a softball out of the park.
Today they had shared a lunch of soggy fish sticks and canned
English peas and watched an episode of Guiding Light. She'd asked if
there was anything she could do for him while she was there, like
write a letter or buy a magazine. He had smiled at her sadly and
thanked her for coming, then gave himself over to an attendant who'd
tucked him in for his nap like a child.
Outside ... read full excerpt from Standoff ebook
