again.
'Duff, who's watching us?' Karl said.
'I've got no idea but I think she's had her eye on us since the woods.'
'You think she saw what went down?'
'We were off in the woods so I doubt it. I guess in the confusion she could've followed from behind and saw,' I thought about it a little bit.
'She could be with Newstrom,' Karl said.
'Yeah or she could be a teacher getting some air.' We came up on the Cadillac and Al, hearing us, got up from his nap and barked out the window. I saw Karl smile out of half his face. He got in on Al's side and Al licked him once while climbing on his lap.
'Duff, it just like when I was over there. No resolution, no closure on shit. They got away with it there and they got away with it here.' Karl punched the car door. We pulled out and away from VHS and headed toward Crawford.
'Still…'
'Still, nothing Duff. Face it, I'm still nuts, and now, so are you. You've been discredited and no one will ever look at you the same way ever again. They won again,' Karl said while he petted Al.
I didn't have an answer. He was right, though. I had become a crazy, punch drunk fighter everyone laughed at behind his back. These fucking assholes went on to the next town to keep their own version of terror going, and they were still making millions. Karl and I sat in silence for a long time as we took the winding roads back home toward the city. We lost and really nothing left to say.
Almost to the city line, Karl spoke. 'Duffy, you promised me something.'
I felt him looking at me while I drove. 'I did?'
'Yeah. When we decided to do this I made you promise we could see something through to the end some time. That we could get somebody doing something wrong and put a stop to it-a complete stop to it. No bullshit, no cover ups, no ifs, ands, or buts.'
'Yeah, so. You got something in mind?' Karl looked down at Al. His whole face changed.
'You bet your ass I do.'
'You wanna clue me in?'
'We raid that no good fuckin puppy mill and shut it down once and for all.'
'Karl…'
'Duff, what the hell do we got to lose? Everyone thinks we're nuts already.'
'But Karl I don't think they're doing anything illegal.'
'Yeah-and technically neither are the security firms.' I didn't know what to say. I looked at Karl and I looked at Al. The idea started to appeal to me. It may not have been the guys we wanted, but it would be a chance to snuff out some evil shit. This might have been conclusive evidence I really was crazy but-you know what-I didn't give a fuck.
'All right Karl-let's do it.'
Karl smiled and petted Al.
'We're gonna need some help you know,' I looked at Karl.
'It would come in handy.'
'There's probably good reason they all think we're crazy,' I said.
'You don't think I know that?'
41
Karl could barely contain himself.
'Time for liberation and justice, liberation and justice, Duff!' Karl paced back and forth in the living room with Al watching him like a one-man tennis match.
'We need a plan Karl, let's go over what we know about the place.'
'Yeah, sure Duff, good idea. We know they got about 40 dogs and another 10–15 puppies ready to be sold off,' Karl said.
'We saw those three guys pull in there so we know there are three guys who live or work there. Hold it-'
'What is it?'
'The three guys we saw in the pick up who pulled in the gates when we went past on our way to Notre Dame…'
'What about them?'
'You remember I got a weird deja vu feeling?'
'Yeah?'
'Newstrom's three guys, the same guys who jacked me in the head. Holy shit!' I felt as crazy as people thought.
'I wonder what the hell it means. Uh, Duff?' Karl scrunched up his face. 'I didn't tell you this, but when I snuck in there, I found out there were more like 10–12 guys living or working in there. Sorry I didn't give you that detail.'
'That's kind of an important detail,' I said.
'Yeah, sorry.'
'Ten against two and forty or fifty dogs to rescue. Karl, how the hell are we going to pull this off?'
'And the guys running the place are all crew cut, tough guy types.'
'Oh good.'
We both got quiet for awhile. I began thinking as much as a mission like this might serve to exorcise both of our demons, it might do it by getting both of us killed. There was no way we could win against these odds.
The phone rang, jarring me out of my strategic thought..
'Duffy, for God's sake are you all right?' Trina said and she sounded desperate.
'Yeah, I think so-why?'
'You're in the news again. Something about interrupting a school emergency drill? They referred to you as delusional and disturbed or something like. Every one is worried about you.'
'Great.'
'Duffy, I'm worried about you.'
'Yeah, I get that a lot.'
'Duffy, I'm serious.'
'Look, Trina, I appreciate your concern, but I don't really have time right now. Karl and I have to plan something.'
'Karl-you and Karl are planning something. Oh my God…'
'Yeah, I don't expect anyone to understand. I don't care about that any more.'
'What are you up to?'
'We're going to shut down the puppy mill I told you about. We're going to go in there and close it down.'
'Duff-'
'Don't try to talk me out of it, Trina. We're doing it and I don't expect you or anyone else to understand. It is something we have to do for a lot of reasons.'
'You think you're just going to go in there and take the dogs?'
'It might be a little more complicated.'
'Complicated?' Trina sniffled.
'Well, there are about ten guys who live there we might have to deal with.'
'Duffy, that's suicide!'
'We could use a few extra hands, but with my reputation I don't think we're going to find anyone. If we have to, we'll do it alone.'
'Oh my God…'
She begged me to see her before we left and, like a sap, I said I would. She wanted to meet me at AJ's
