“It ain’t fair!” Possum went on, getting angrier. “What’d they have to go and kill that Seven-Eleven lady for? Now there’s a ‘scription of Smoke on the news ’cause somebody saw the shooting!”
Possum took a deep breath and glanced back at the closed door several times.
“Well, it’s time I did something, ” he whispered to Popeye. “And I’m gonna do it and just hope Smoke don’t find out!”
Possum typed an e-mail.
Dear Trooper Truth,
That Trader man you just wrote about is a pirate on the web who calls hisself Captin Bonny. I figured it out ’cause of what you said the other day on your web about Trader being relations with that woman pirate who I guess must be dead now.
I think you could trap Captin Bonny by sending him an e-mail and setting him up. Just say you will leave him a waterproof suitcase full of what he’s got coming to him and when he shows up, get him! Make up a screen name that’s the same as mine so he thinks the e-mail’s from me.
P. S. There is a score planned that has to do with Popeye! That Trader man is the one who set her up to be stolt!
Possum clicked on SEND NOW and glanced at the closed door with relief. Thank God, neither Smoke nor any of the other road dogs had seen what Possum had just done. Smoke would kill him for sure if he caught Possum sending an e-mail to Trooper Truth and turning in a source. Smoke would stomp, kick, and beat on Possum, leaving him for dead, just like Smoke had done to that innocent man Moses Custer, who, even as Possum was thinking all this, was being handed the telephone inside his hospital room.
It’s the governor, ” Nurse Carless said in a blaring voice as the cuff of her nurse’s uniform knocked over a cup on Moses’ food tray and spilled orange juice all over the front of his hospital gown.
“You sure?” Moses didn’t believe her and thought if she caused one more accident, he was going to find the emergency alarm button and push it hard. “I mean, what if it’s one of them pirates trying to find me?”
Nurse Carless took the phone away from him, clunking him in the chin. “I’m afraid he’s not here, ” she said over the line as she wiped up orange juice and elbowed Moses in the Adam’s apple.
“No!” Moses grabbed the phone back from her. “What if it is the gov’ner? I can’t be hanging up on him! Who is this, if you don’t mind me asking?” he said into the phone. “Before we go looking around room to room for Moses, assuming he’s even in this hospital or still alive, we need to make sure who wants to know. ”
“This is Governor Crimm. ”
“Which Gov’ner Crimm?” Moses asked, still unconvinced.
“Governor Bedford Crimm the Fourth. There is no other Governor Crimm because each time there’s been one, it’s always been me. I’ve been the governor of Virginia three times now. Or is it four?”
“We’re still looking for this Moses person, ” Moses said, not ready to trust the familiar voice quite yet. “But while I got you on the line, you mind I ask the names of your mama, wife, children, and any pets, and their ages and shoe sizes?”
“I most certainly do mind your asking that and anything else personal, ” the governor’ replied, deeply offended.
“Okay, okay. Hold on a second. ”
Moses put his hand over the phone and his heart began beating hard. It was the governor, all right, because no governor was going to answer personal questions like that, and a pirate trying to trick Moses into thinking it was the governor on the phone would have made up the answers.
“Hello?” Moses said in a slightly higher-pitched voice. “Moses Custer speaking. ”
“Yes, yes, ” Crimm said with a touch of impatience as he sat in his upstairs mansion office, dimly staring out at the fine view of the circular drive and guard booth. “Things seem very disorganized at your hospital, and whoever answers the phone is very rude. “