"shit pork pie, what happened?"

"i aint sure baby, maybe she can tell us." sysco barreled up in a lexus minivan. she was pissed off, very pissed off. she got out of the van, all six foot three of her, dressed in shorts and a tee shirt that said "kiss my ass," her hair was even shorter and spiked, and those awful scars on her face.

"what the fuck are we gonna do now porkass!" she shouted.

"now, sysco, calm down, we gotta sit down and think," pork said, in his meagerest voice.

"put some goddamn clothes on and we will talk mothafucker!" pork scrurried back into the office.

"you still here mccord?" she asked.

"yeah, and you'd better be damned glad i am sysco, you and pork pie are too damn stupid to figure this out, i think i can."

sysco fumed. "god. let me kill her, just let me fuckin' beat her to death! little bitch comes here, starts all this shit, kidnaps my driver's boy!"

"sysco calm down, this aint gonna solve nothing," pork pie said in a rather serious tone. sysco cracked up. she started laughing hysterically. pork pie was dressed in a tux, the tails dragged on the ground, and on his head was a stove pipe hat that had to be two feet high. a cigar hung from his mouth. i couldn't help but smile.

"holy bejesus, who in the motherfuck are you suppose to be?" she asked.

"why, honest pork pie lincoln, that's who. you told me to git some clothes on." sysco punched me in the arm.

"mccord, just look at that crazy son-of-a-bitch, aint he somethin'? goddamn, makes my day," she laughed. i laughed too, couldn't help it.

"i should have come out with my pants off," he said.

"oh god no, i couldn't have stood it," she laughed.

"that's the first time i've heard you laugh in twenty years sysco, i didn't know you could," pork said.

"oh, fuck me in the ass, you're the funniest thing i've seen in twenty years," she said. sysco almost looked human in such a mood. her teeth were white and straight, and she was almost pretty. pork pie took a deep drag off his cigar and quoted.

"four score, and twenty years ago i met this terrible bitch." smoke was rolling out of his mouth and nose. "puff the fuckin' magic dragon.

sysco chided. "damn, if you aint a sight." pork pie smiled.

"now that i've broken the ice, exactly how many dollars worth of shit was terry hauling, sysco?"

"over eight million," she answered.

"suuuuey! that's a lot," pork pie smiled.

"maybe we could track the truck on your computer, pork?" i offered.

"idiot," sysco replied. "they have to key in the code where he stops before it shows up, don't you know anything mccord?" she spouted.

"sorry, i was just trying to be helpful."

"you'd have been fuckin' helpful if you'd stayed at home, mccord."

"yes sysco, i suppose you're right, i believe that i'll do just that, head home. oh by the by, take good care of sidney," i said, as i turned to walk away.

"ah, just a moment, mccord," sysco said, as i walked to the road.

"haven't got one sysco, gotta find my car." i sniffed.

"you're cryin', aint ya?" she asked.

"no i'm not."

"you are too, i can tell mccord, now stop with the tears, you ain't goin' home!" i looked her straight in the eyes.

"watch!" i said.

"look then, we need ya, me and pork ass can't figure all this shit out and take care of a kid too."

"why, my gracious sysco, i thought you were the smartest son-of-a-bitch on the planet, i was under the impression that you could figure out anything."

"ok, goddamnit, do you want me to say i'm sorry?"

"yes!" she came and hugged me. my nose struck her tits. this kind of felt nice, i didn't think sysco was capable of emotions.

"hey, can i film this, big market for ff stuff these days," pork said, and laughed.

"you fat bastard, you'd better concentrate on my shipment and your truck, me and carlee's ok."

"yeah she's just your type sysco, rough and tuff." sysco laughed again.

"honest pork pie lincoln, godalmighty i'm free at last!" she giggled.

"how do your drivers buy gas, sysco?" i asked.

"like everyone else carlee."

"what i mean, sysco, do you give them a gasoline credit card?" sysco looked up at me.

"yes, we do give them a card, why?"

"those transactions can be traced."

"she's right sysco," pork offered.

"is the card in your name?"

"the company's," she said.

"i have a friend who can access that information, at least we'd know where terry last got gas."

"do it carlee," pork said. sysco nodded. i went into pork's private office and called the police department.

"hi, is lissell stacey around?"

"one moment," she said. i wasn't sure how much i could tell lissell, sysco was wanted, pork pie was suspect, and the truck contained a lot of drugs woth a ton of money.

"stacey."

"lissell?"

"oh carlee, god it's great to hear your voice."

"yours too honey. how are you?"

"missing you, but doing fine, where are you?"

"here lissell, here in louisville, working on a problem, hoped you could help."

"sure baby, anything."

"i, i'm looking for a missing truck lissell, and i need to know some credit card transaction information, it's really important lissell, it's sidney's dad."

"oh, is he missing?"

"well, let's just say he didn't arrive at his destination."

"run amok?"

"hope not, but maybe, the credit card thing might clear it up."

"is sidney alright, i've heard a little about him and you this morning."

"he's fine honey, here with me, sleeping."

"i'll need credit card information carlee." gulp.

"just a minute." i ran to sysco. "credit card information, sysco." she handed me a card.

"they're all the same," she said.

i gave lissell the information. "carlee, he used this in st. louis, mo, yesterday morning, in biloxie, that afternoon. then in texarkana this morning, and in phoenix, arizona about an hour ago. looks like he's heading west."

"thanks lissell, do you have time for me this evening?"

"spend the night, we'll have dinner."

"gosh, that's sounds great."

"i have my own house now." she gave me the address.

"he's in arizona, gang," i announced.

"alright," sysco said. "be right back," she continued as she headed for pork's office.

"she's not as bad as she seems carlee."

"sysco?"

"yeah, she was in the navy, a petty officer."

"our navy?" i smiled.

"i think so, she taught stuff, i believe."

"what kind of stuff?" i asked.

"secret stuff."

"is that where she got her scars?"

"huh, no, the big one was made with an axe in newark, i think the others are from knives."

"we got him guys, and thanks, carlee," sysco said, when she returned.

"mah pig truck is safe?" pork asked.

"yeah, but no terry."

"what!" i exclaimed.

"the truck was empty carlee, on the side of the road, don't know if terry was hijacked, or sold and ran."

"sold and ran, if you ask me," pork pie commented.

"we'll just have to wait it out," she advised.

sidney and i arrived at the zoo at five pm. "madam, how nice to see you again," the ticket master said. rings on every finger, second-to-none. i kissed him on the cheek.

"great to see you, too." he patted sidney on the head.

"you're not wearing the ring i gave you, madam."

"oh, don't worry, i have it in a safe and secret place, you never can tell, these days."

"it was expensive ya know."

"god yes i know, i love it." He smiled, showing large white teeth.

"i've missed the zoo, carlee," sidney said.

"it's a special place, sidney." sidney started crying, he hugged my waist.

"things aren't ever going to be be the same, are they carlee?"

"honey," i said, as i knelt beside him. "things aren't suppose to be the same all the time, that would make life boring." i kissed his cheek.

"i don't mind being bored," he said.

"say, look at that bird baby, he's new, he's huge, i love him."

"he's an osprey, carlee, he's not new, they just moved him up front."

"hmmm, what do ospreys do sidney?"

"they fly around and catch fish," he answered.

"nice life," i smiled.

"boring," he said. i hugged him.

"can i just squeeze you to pieces?" i asked.

"carlee, i heard uncle pork pie and miss boling talking about daddy, is he not coming back?"

"i don't know angel, i don't think he would forget you."

"is he in big trouble?"

"i don't know that either honey, it's too early to tell."

"hey sport, love your watch," second-to-none said. sidney held it closer to him for him to see. "oh yeah, very fine."

"it's not magic though."

"looks like it might be, to me anyway, somethin' special about it," he said and smiled.

"let's go see the tigers sidney," i said.

"he's a nice man carlee."

"i know baby, he's very nice." the tigers were their beautiful selves, the babies were especially cute. we walked around for over two hours. "would you like to spend the night with me and officer stacey tonight?" i asked him.

"the pretty girl with long red hair?"

"well, the last time i saw her, it was short, but she was still pretty."

"sure."