SMALL TOWN BIG CATCH 25

for three weeks nafzigger wasnt seen or heard from. he had walked off into the mid night darkness and evaporated. the law enforcement people turned over every rock they could find. it was assumed he had left the country. a lot of folks let out a sigh of relief. but not jerry or del.del kept his snub nosed pistol in his chap pocket but went about his work as if it was just another day. and jerry proweled every back road and abandoned building he could find. nafzigger was a mad dog and would be back for revenge. but time ticked on with no sighn or mention of him. with some folks that was good, they let down the defences.but jerry and del? they just bacame more edgy not sleeping well, not eating a full meal. they knew that huge glob of muscle and grissle would show up sooner or later. and just what damage he would do was yet to be seen.

SMALL TOWN BIG CATCH 24

for the next week del was busy with the carpenters working on enlarging the house. sharon and mike stayed busy shopping for things to go in the addition. when he could del would take a horse and go ride through his cows. he was liveing the dream he had always wanted, thanks to a old batchalor he had befriended and respected. some times he felt he needed to pinch himself to see if it wasnt a dream. jerry had made a habit of being there every night for supper. and sharon was liveing it up. mike had drawen closer to jerry over time. del looked at the three of them and saw a budding little family group. that made him happy. del wanted to relax a bit and enjoy life. but jerry was still strung tight as a fiddle string. he admitted he didnt know why, just a feeling he had. del thought jerry came to supper every night to check on sharon and mike. del had stopped shoing horses for the public. he shod his own and took care of them as if they were his own children. he had been shopping for a replacement for the one that he had lost. he had one pictured in his mind just how he wanted to be. but had yet to find him. every morning when he stepped out on the porch on his way to the barn he looked to the sky and said a little thank you prayer. he wasnt very religious but he knew enough to know where all these good things he was experianceing came from. he no longer carrid a firearm. he was relaxed. he didnt constantly search the sky line while rideing. he took his time and looked at his cows. it was a healing process.at night he slept the sleep of the just. nafzigger was laying in the hospital on his side. his back was tender where the two bullits had taken him. he was hand cuffed to the bed byone hand. a deputy sat in a chair outside the door of his room. nafziggers back was tender, but he made every one think he was in great pain. he was far from helpless. the doctor who attended him was convinced nafzigger was not going anywhere. but nafzigger had it in his mind just what to do if this hand cuff was off. every time a nurse or doctor came in he whined about the hand cuff, he couldnt sleep, he couldnt lay where it didnt hurt. he was convincing them he was helpless. finally a new intern came in to check on him. he did theusual whine and cry. the intern couldnt check the wounds with him handcuffed. he asked the deputy to undo one end so he could attend the bullit wounds. it was all the big man needed. the deputy un locked the end hooked to the bed and went back out in the hall. as soon as the door closered nafzigger whipped the free end of the handcuff and hit the intern over one eye. when the young man clasped his hands over the hit. nafzigger jumped to his feet and put a strangle hold on the doctor. he searched the room for his clothes. only his pants and boots were there. he dressed. then he carefully cracked the door and saw the deputy standing with his back to the door watching a nurse walk down the hall.the big man reached through the crack, grabbed the deputy by the coller of his shirt and jerked him back into the room the door swung shut. with the deputys shirt and pistol belt nafzigger walked out of the hospital at mid nite and not one person saw him.