SAM
After Danny left our Zoom connection, I asked Clair what she was thinking about that could help Danny’s family. She told me what he had told her when she first talked to him, and the very idea of talking to that man again gave her shivers. “I’ll get in touch with my FBI friend and ask her what she and Marty Barnes had come up with, and maybe have another Zoom conference. Oh, and I’ll ask her to have her research team look into finding that Bubba W fellow online.
I was surprised that Helen called only minutes after we had hung up. It was great that our ‘team’ was already becoming a team. “I told her what Danny said about the idea of an out-of-town couple nosing around the little town of Flowers and the probability of his deputy sheriff dad putting them in jail. Marty Barnes was on the phone with her and wondered if it would be possible to incapacitate the dad somehow and grab the mom and girls and get them out of town as quickly as possible?” He asked how they might figure out when Ratso would be drunk enough to be knocked out of commission.
Helen asked, “Could we get into the house and take mom and the girls just because we think they are in danger? What do you think, Marty? After all, we only know he is a dangerous criminal bastard, as Danny says he is. I believe Danny, but we need something that will hold up in court. That Robert E. Lee fellow is evil, and he is clever, and he seems to have covered up things and intimidated everyone in that dinky little county.”
Marty suggested that they do more digging before taking any overt actions. “Let’s see if we can find Bubba, the truck driver. I’ll check on Bubba, and Helen, why don’t you see if there is anyone in Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, who has a file on our ‘friendly’ sheriff.”
I agreed that we wouldn’t do anything until we could get Ratso arrested when we took action to rescue Danny’s mom and sisters. I told Helen and Marty that I’d do my best to keep Danny safe and as emotionally level as possible. I saw Danny right before our morning pep rally and told him we were working on it and that I hoped he would have a good day.
Helen said there was a large file on Robert E. Lee in Jackson. Still, every entry stated that there were reports of spousal abuse. During his twenty-three-year career as a Deputy Sheriff, there were no serious reports that warranted sending a state police detective to Flowers to follow up on the incidents. As far as the state was concerned, Flowers was a serene and peaceful little town.
Helen and Marty called late in the afternoon. Helen reported her disappointment about Ratso’s non-record at the state level. Marty had better luck finding information, but it was horrible news about Bubba, the truck driver. Marty had tracked Bubba down and found him in the hospital in San Antonio. It seems that the poor man was found unconscious in the parking area at a huge truck stop there. He had been robbed and beaten nearly to death the previous Saturday, there in San Antonio. He had needed several surgeries and was currently at a rehab facility near the hospital. He did not have any visitors and was conscious and cussing up a storm about the ‘sombitch’ that had beaten him up. He didn’t know him, but the nurse, Marty, had spoken with him and said she thought he might know more than he was letting on.
Marty concluded, “I think that Helen and I should fly to San Antonio and talk to Bubba Wilson. So, Danny was right, it was a ‘W’ something last name. I think the poor man will talk more easily if a woman is with me, don’t you?” Helen imperiously tilted her head back and looked down her nose at the two men. They smiled.
I said, “Yes, I do. And, I’m like you, Marty, I don’t believe in coincidences, and I’m sure Ratso perpetrated the assault.“ I paused and then added, “The name ‘Ratso’ has really caught on for us, and we’ll need to be cautious about using it. I hope Bubba has not lost his memory after the attack. How far is San Antonio?”
“About five hundred miles from New Orleans, I’ll get tickets for tomorrow. Is that okay with you, Helen?”
She nodded, “Yes. And I’m wondering if it might be a good idea to take Danny with us?”
I immediately said, “No, for two reasons. One, we are not absolutely sure Ratso is the one who assaulted Bubba, and more importantly, Danny has already been through a lot, and I don’t want to add to his trauma. So, let’s talk when you get back tomorrow, okay?” They both nodded and hung up.
