The foreigner arrived near the town of Andun on foot, an odd circumstance since anyone of substance had an aero-mobile. Red set his book aside and watched him walking far in the distance along the flat straight road across the desert, but he couldn\u2019t make out details.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red punched his pal Buddy gently on the arm. \u201cHey, wake up!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy jumped. \u201cWhat! What?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLook. Out there! Someone\u2019s walkin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho? Where? Nowhere to walk to \u2018round here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTrue, Buddy. Who walks?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDunno. Nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>They stared down the road, squinting to see the distant figure approaching in the bright sunlight. From their perch on a large log bench under a gnarly oak with just enough leafy branches to pass for a shade tree, they watched as if it were some fascinating athletic contest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy broke the silence. \u201cHe\u2019s a little guy. Got a big stick. Shoot him with my stinker\u2014easy. Got it right here in my ass pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEase up, Buddy. We\u2019re bigger\u2019n him. Get him without the stinker.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>It wasn\u2019t unusual for Buddy and Red, pals since childhood, to take their lunch hour under this oak and not unusual for lunch hour to become lunch afternoon. They\u2019d worked together at the castle farm up the hill since their early teens doing manual labor jobs\u2014digging ditches and new gardens, cleaning out stables, spreading manure, slopping pigs, butchering animals for the markets. They\u2019d been at the farm for so long that they didn\u2019t even notice the stench of blood and manure that clung to them. The work was hard and nasty, but they were able to find ways to avoid working too hard, and they tolerated the nasty parts. They\u2019d been sent here to do farm work at age thirteen by authorities who said they were \u2018unruly and inattentive\u2019 in school, but Red, as he matured and developed an interest in reading anything he found in the town\u2019s library, believed it was a ruse to add to the work force. Having only seven years of formal education, they had been targeted and groomed to be laborers with no hope of advancement\u2014a trademark of this community\u2014and this had taught them to temper their expectations and pursue a minimally productive work ethic. Long lunches provided an escape from the monotony\u2014an antidote for their boredom and discontent.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHey, Red. Got \u2018nother beer over there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat? You still got half your beer. Drink that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s hot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNothin’ wrong with warm beer. Think we\u2019re made of money? In some places they like it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy sulked in silence for a minute while watching the slow progress of the foreigner on the road in front of them. Now they could see some details.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHey, Red! Look at that great big winter coat on that guy. Crazy in this heat. Least this is something different. Not good as a caper though. When we got \u2018nother caper, Red? Need a little buzz, ya\u2019 know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red was a little exasperated now, having explained this to Buddy at least three times. \u201cI told you. Last one was a close call. We barely dodged Sheriff Bonner\u2019s bullet. We gotta lay low for a while. D\u2019you want<\/i> to get caught?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo. Maybe we need stuff though?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re good. We got \u2018nough cash for two months.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red understood Buddy\u2019s desire to have some excitement. He could use some himself. In this town there was nothing but work and lunch. Reading about distant places and historical events was his only relief from their repetitive daily activities of work, lunch, more work in the miserable fields and stables, low pay, if any, and the awful hopelessness. Buddy never read and, in Red\u2019s mind, probably never gave life any serious thought as long as the boredom could be broken now and then and he had plenty to eat and drink\u2014beer and ice cream, his favorites.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy jarred Red back to the present. \u201cWait! What\u2019s wrong with his hair?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red punched him in the arm again. \u201cShush. He can hear you now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Whispering, \u201cHe\u2019s got funny hair. Real black. Or is it green? Balls! Balls on his hair!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShhh! Cool it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The foreigner gave his head a slight shake on purpose, causing the balls and his hair to shimmer in the sunlight. The long raven strands brushed over his face and shoulders. He could see, hear, and understand the two figures on the bench now and observed that they were having an extended lunch and a party under the oak\u2014obvious from the volume of food containers and beer bottles strewn on the ground around their bench. He wondered how tall they were but he could tell something about their overall size by their massive bellies. He knew which of the two was Red from a photograph he\u2019d seen the day before. He was at least six feet and built like a wall\u2014broad shoulders and barrel-chest with a generous head of carrot colored hair that had given him his name and with rosy cheeks to match. The other one, Buddy, was not as tall but broad-shouldered and tough-looking. He also knew their reputation around town for being nothing more than stupid laborers and less than honest. It was known that Red and Buddy were responsible for house break-ins and thefts over the past ten years, but the amount stolen was always so small that the \u2018victims\u2019 often didn\u2019t report it. No need to get closer for the foreigner to know that he was about to meet his mark.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The foreigner addressed the two from several yards away to avoid the unpleasant smell of beer and salami mixed with the more unpleasant scent lingering from their morning\u2019s work cleaning out the pig sty.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGood afternoon, gentlemen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red and Buddy looked at each other as if puzzled, Buddy mouthing the word \u2018gentlemen.\u2019<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Speaking louder, \u201cGentlemen? Can I assume you are residents of the town here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>They still didn\u2019t respond, but they were looking in his direction as if stunned. No one had come along this road and spoken to them in more than twenty years.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red answered, \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cVery good, indeed. Then you know the area, I suppose. Can you tell me how far it is into the town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.\u201d Red\u2019s sarcastic response didn\u2019t seem to affect the foreigner, who after a significant period of silence, ventured another question, \u201cThen . . .\u00a0 <\/span>how far is<\/i> it into the town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAbout five minutes by aero. Don\u2019t know about walkin\u2019. Nobody walks around here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cVery helpful. Thank you, gentlemen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red and Buddy glanced at each other mouthing the word \u2018gentlemen\u2019 again.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou gentlemen<\/i> appear to be having a fine meal this afternoon. Is this your usual lunch place?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red, the leader of the two, answered, \u201cYeah, you could say so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou must work at the castle up there?\u201d The foreigner pointed to the immense stone building at the top of the hill behind Red and Buddy. \u201cAre you, by any chance, zoology experts?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNope. We slop pigs and clean shit out of those horse stalls up there. Not much to it,\u201d Red responded.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI see. I\u2019ll be looking for lunch myself. Can you . . . mmm. Where did you get the food for your magnificent feast here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDown the road a piece at the road stop place. Can\u2019t miss\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy, impatient with this conversation, interrupted, \u201cHey, mister. What\u2019s with that funny hair you got?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red gave him a harder hit on the arm, now trying to appear polite to the stranger. \u201cHush, Buddy. Can\u2019t you see this guy’s just lookin\u2019 for information?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Eyeing the foreigner with contempt, \u201cI don\u2019t like his looks, Red. Don\u2019t like \u2018em at all. What kinda guy are you, anyway? Weird lookin\u2019 balled hair. Funny clothes. Where\u2019d you come from? What\u2019re you doin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Smoothing things over, Red continued, \u201cWe sure do need to know who it is we\u2019re talkin\u2019 to. What\u2019s your business here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou are correct, Mister . . .? Your name, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s it to you?\u201d Buddy jumped in.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red decided to cool the conversation. \u201cI\u2019m Red and this here\u2019s Buddy. And you<\/i> are?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Avoiding the question of identity, the foreigner pivoted to a different subject. \u201cAh, yes. I\u2019ve been sent by the mayor of the town of Astrin on the other side of the mountain back there to investigate the cultural amenities of your town. We\u2019re in the market for some art works, sculpture, and perhaps religious objects for our new museum. Is there, by any chance, a museum in town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy whispered. \u201cWhat\u2019s amenity?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>He got no reply because this was Red\u2019s specialty\u2014something he liked to show off about. \u201cNo museum. Got a historical society and big library.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow about a grand church\u2014with artifacts?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red addressed this question with enthusiasm. \u201cWe got a Cathedral. Big one, too. Buddy and me\u2014we go every Sunday. Big procession. Incense. The works. Those bells ring out hymn tunes on Sunday, and we got a big organ. Real music.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDoes the cathedral have paintings and sculpture? Or maybe a gold or silver chalice on the altar?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy was pleased with himself that he knew the answer to this one. \u201cSure! Pure gold. Real beauty!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd . . . is the altar accessible? Can you just walk into the cathedral and go up to the altar . . . to say a prayer? And get a better look at that chalice?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red and Buddy gave each other a curious look, as if they\u2019d considered this question on many occasions. Red responded thoughtfully, \u201cYou . . . wouldn\u2019t want to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhy is that, Red?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell, there\u2019s always a lot of people around and besides\u2014God would see you walkin\u2019 up there. Why do that, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA simple question. I\u2019ll need to get a good look at the cultural objects in your town to see if our town would want something like it. Thank you, gentlemen. You\u2019ve been quite helpful.\u201d The foreigner turned suddenly and left, walking quickly down the road toward the town.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red was dumbstruck and Buddy completely bewildered. Why would a weird stranger walk up during their lunch break and ask about paintings and sculptures? It was strange enough to see someone on foot, but dressed like that with silly-looking balled hair\u2014that was unimaginable.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRed? What do you make o\u2019 that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t know. Somethin\u2019 strange about it.\u201d He seemed deep in thought considering whether this could be an opportunity.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYa\u2019 think he\u2019s gonna\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSteal it? Maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>They sat in silence contemplating this unlikely possibility. Red thought Sheriff Bonner might be in on whatever was coming down. He\u2019d tried to trap them once by sending a cute girl over to get them to talk about their petty thefts, but he didn\u2019t think the sheriff would bother to come up with a character like this foolish-looking foreigner. Could this be a chance to show themselves as heroes instead of dopes and get the town\u2019s attention to the life they were being forced to live?<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBuddy, if he\u2019s planning to steal that communion cup .\u00a0 <\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>. He can\u2019t do that. That belongs to the church .\u00a0 <\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>. the town.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCouldn\u2019t trust him. Trust a guy with balled hair? Funny talk? Nope. Don\u2019t trust him. Not a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRight. That\u2019s a bad guy!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat do we do about it, Red? We gotta figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah. We gotta protect that chalice. He\u2019s walkin\u2019 and we got the aero. We don\u2019t need to use the road. We\u2019ll take the back way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou got it. Let\u2019s get goin\u2019.\u201d They picked up the cooler with the remainder of the beer leaving the clutter from their lunch on the ground with the clutter of past lunches, and they lumbered up the hill toward the castle building where the aero-mobile was parked.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019d gotten the aero from the dump about a decade ago and by now it was old technology\u2014an antique by any standard. Buddy, the mechanic of the two, had rehabilitated it and kept it in excellent running condition, although his skills weren\u2019t challenged by maintaining an aero. A solar powered vehicle that hovers above the ground and doesn\u2019t roll along pothole-marked roads shows little wear and tear.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>As Buddy engaged the starter, they heard the familiar and satisfying whir of the power system. The aero lifted\u2014much like the two-hundred-year old Citroen automobile at the historical society. Hovering a few feet above the ground, Red aimed the aero around the back of the castle and across the pasture, dodging a couple of cows on the way. He pushed the accelerator to the limit and they arrived at the cathedral in less than five minutes, parking behind the building so the foreigner wouldn\u2019t suspect anything when he arrived on foot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>They entered through the parish hall door, avoiding the cathedral close and front steps. The building was uncharacteristically empty\u2014no visitors and no clergy. Red thought this was strange, but it was well past lunchtime when people would stop there to light a candle. Bathed in sunlight from the windows high above the transept, the gold chalice sat on the altar, the light seeming to come from within the cup. Red and Buddy had never seen it glow like that, and for a moment Red thought it could be a different cup substituted for the chalice they were used to seeing at early morning services.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHey, Red. How about we stand inside the rail and have a standoff with that balled-hair guy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThink, Buddy. We don\u2019t know about his weaponry under that big winter coat\u2014or if he has super powers. For all we know, he could be a magician\u2014a Merlin clone. Better plan is to hide the chalice until he\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>They scanned the nave, and seeing no one, Buddy dashed up to the altar and grabbed the chalice. They ran down the altar steps and around to the left to hide in a small dark chapel off the transept. It was quiet and cool in there, and the only sound they could hear was their own excited breathing. Buddy tucked the chalice under his beer-soiled shirt and peeked out into the cavernous space outside the chapel.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy whispered, \u201cThink we should get out of here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>At that moment they heard the click of the latch of the gigantic oak doors at the front entrance and the creak of hinges.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShhh. Too late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>They could hear the tapping of footsteps approaching up the aisle. They recognized the foreigner\u2019s accent, and then they heard the even more familiar voice of Sheriff Bonner talking to the deputies.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAs we expected, the chalice has been removed. Officer Herbert, what do you hear from the deputies in back?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Referring to the voice in his earbud, \u201cThe aero is back there. They must still be in the cathedral.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCheck the chapels, the parish hall, and the choir room. Don\u2019t forget to look behind the choir robes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Officer Herbert and two other deputies left the otherwise quiet and empty cathedral nave to search. As they hauled Red and Buddy out of the chapel by the back of their collars, the chalice slipped out from under Buddy\u2019s shirt and clattered to the floor.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The sheriff gave out a hearty laugh. \u201cAt it again, Buddy? Officer Herbert, book \u2018em and read \u2018em their rights. Any weapons?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNaw. Buddy had a sling shot in his back pocket, but nothing lethal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHey, wait a minute, Sheriff.\u201d Buddy protests. \u201cWe didn\u2019t steal it. We protected it from that balled-hair foreigner trying to steal it. He<\/i> was gonna steal it\u2014not us<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTell that to the judge. We caught you red-handed this<\/i> time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>A look of horror came over Buddy\u2019s face as he was being handcuffed, \u201cWhat\u2019re ya\u2019 doin’? What\u2019re you gonna do to us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJail, Buddy. You\u2019re finally going to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>As they began the long walk toward the front doors of the cathedral, Officer Herbert received another message. \u201cSheriff, Rick is out at the castle farm and says we need to charge \u2018em with criminal littering.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOk. Tell him to make nice with the farm manager. He won\u2019t like losin\u2019 his farm hands. And don\u2019t forget to return the chalice to the altar. We can get it if we need it as evidence. I don\u2019t expect this to go to trial. Go ahead and close down this operation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Red, Buddy, and two deputies continued slowly down the aisle between the rows of seats, passing through patches of sunlight filtering down through stained glass windows. This hadn\u2019t turned out as Red had expected with the two celebrating their heroic actions in saving the chalice, but he saw it as possible relief from their purgatory. Although he couldn\u2019t be sure, \u2018felon\u2019 sounded better than \u2018grunt\u2019 and, finally, someone\u2014maybe a judge\u2014was going to pay attention to them. Their lives couldn\u2019t get any worse than they\u2019d been for the past twenty years.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Buddy glanced at Red who always seemed to have an answer. \u201cDo you think they\u2019ll make us slop their<\/i> pigs now and shovel shit out of horse stalls in jail, Red?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDoubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJail might not be so bad, then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCould be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThink they have ice cream in jail?\u201d Buddy never did well with changes, and Red could hear the fear and uncertainty in his voice.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDon’t worry, Buddy. Keep your head up. We\u2019ll make it through. Like you said, Jail might not be so bad compared to the castle farm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The massive oak doors bumped closed behind them leaving the sheriff and the foreigner standing in the transept of the cathedral. The foreigner had already shed the heavy winter coat to reveal an attractive pastel summer pantsuit.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSheriff, could one of your agents give me an aero lift home? I\u2019m beat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The foreigner\u2019s metamorphosis was no surprise to Sheriff Bonner, who had planned the ruse to end the irritating thefts that had plagued his office for so many years.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNice work, Barbara. We finally caught those two no-good, small-time criminals in the act. They\u2019ve always managed to dash off in their aero before we could catch ’em. Thanks to you, we got \u2018em in custody now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The foreigner reached up to her forehead, grasped the balled black wig. As she slowly removed it, long tresses of honey blond hair cascaded in slow motion over her shoulders.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s my job, sheriff.\u201d She flashed an enigmatic smile. \u201cAll in a day\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The foreigner arrived near the town of Andun on foot, an odd circumstance since anyone of substance had an aero-mobile. Red set his book aside and watched him walking far in the distance along the flat straight road across the desert, but he couldn\u2019t make out details. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Red punched his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266,"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions\/266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmajoystories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}