“Borrowed? Why?”
Helton flapped a sheaf of papers. “That camera ya solt me’s right nice, but holy jumpin’ jehossafats!” He frowned at the papers, whose front page read OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS - SONY HI-DEF HVR SERIES. “‘Tis true I ain’t had no proper schoolin’, but my Maw, she made dang shore I learnt ta read. I gotta tell ya, though, these damn ‘structions? I cain’t make head’re tails of ’em. May as well be readin’ Alfred Einstein!”
Veronica’s face seemed to slowly droop, like melting wax. “Helton. Are you saying that you abducted me because you don’t understand the instruction booklet for the Sony?”
The shaggy head nodded. “Yeah, hon. All these buttons’n switches? A hill fella like me’d never figure it all out. So’s I need you ta show me how to work the dang thing.”
Are these men on drugs, or are they just out of their minds? she thought.
“We’se need ya to help us out is all.”
“Helton, couldn’t you have just asked me? Did you really need to abduct me in a parking lot?”
Helton sighed. “Reason we didn’t do that, is ’cos, well, this is a ‘mergency. A family ‘mergency. We’se need a favor is all, and since I knows you to be a nice-type gal, I took it unta myself—”
“To abduct me!” she yelled.
Helton appeared downcast. “It’s only ’cos ya don’t understand the whole ball’a wax. But this is dang important.”
“Family videos at Christmas is important enough to abduct someone against their will?” she continued to bellow. “Helton, you’re not making any sense!”
Micky-Mack had been staring fixedly at Veronica’s bosom the whole time. He seemed pent up sitting there on his crate, but finally he rubbed his crotch, said, “Hail, Unc Helton, this gals tits stickin’ out are killin’ me. I’se just got to have me a feel,” and then his callused redneck hand reached for her bosom.
CRACK!
Micky-Mack fell off his milk crate due to the mammoth open palm that slapped him upside of the head. “Dang, Unc Helton! That hurt!”
“This ain’t no ruckin’, boy, and you know it!” came Helton’s authoritative scold. “Veronnerka’s our friend, and we ain’t layin’ a cotton-pickin’ finger on her less’n she says we can. Ya hear me, boy?”
“Aw, fuck yeah, Unc,” Micky-Mack whined and sat back on the crate, “but Gawd dang that hurt.” Dumar up front was laughing.
The truck rocked and rocked, and Veronica’s unsorted thoughts rocked with it. Madness, madness… Certainly, abductions of young women were always founded by some sexual motive. So…
Why haven’t they raped me? Why this nonsense about needing help with the camera?
“Okay, Helton”—it was the only thing she could think to say—“I’ll show you how to operate the Sony.”
“Why that’s just dandy, girl!”
She picked up the weighty unit, flicked some switches, turned on the lamp. “There. It’s ready now.” She turned the unit around to show him. “See that little square? That’s the view-screen. Whatever you see in that is what you record. And to shoot”—she shouldered the camera and began to record Helton’s astonished face—“you squeeze this little button here on the grip.” She panned around the inside of the truck, released the record button, then showed the view-screen to Helton. “Now I’m replaying the movie I just made. Watch.”
Micky-Mack rushed over and squatted next to his uncle. In the modest view-screen they watched.
“Hey! That’s you, Unc Helton!”
“Shore is! Dang if that ain’t a fine movin’-picture camera!”
“It’s all stored on the camera’s memory, but it’s also copied onto this”—she snapped out the mini memory card. “You know, this doohicky that you bought twenty of. So for your friend to see your Christmas movies, all you have to do is give him this.”
Helton held out his hands. “It’s too good to be true!”
“That shore is some fancy camera!” Micky-Mack enthused.
Even Dumar, peering back, exclaimed, “Dang!”
Veronica set the camera back down. “There. Now you know how to use it, so you don’t need me any more. You can drop me off right here.”
Helton grit his teeth. “Naw, see, hon, it ain’t that easy.”
I KNEW it! “So it’s all a lie then, right?” she spat. “You abducted me because you want to rape me!”
“Please don’t think that,” Helton pleaded. “You’re right. We done sort’a took ya ‘gainst yer will, but it’s all fer a greater good. It’s like this…” Helton rested his shaggy chin on his dirty fingertips. “When a poe-leece man’s follerin’ some bad fellas, if that poe-leece man’s car breaks down, then it’s all right for him to stop the next car that come by and take it—I think it’s called common-deerin’. See, that poe-leece man’s allowed to take another car. Why? ’cos it’s fer a greater good.”
Oh my God! she thought. This is crazy! “Helton? How long are you going to…keep me?”
“Aw, won’t be long, couple’a days or—”
“A couple of days?” she shrieked.
“—or maybe a couple’a weeks, I s’pose. See, Veronnerka, it all depends how long it takes, and don’t ask me to ‘splain that, ’cos…ya simply wouldn’t understand.”
Madness, madness… “Helton, if I don’t show up for work tomorrow morning, then my boyfriend Mike will call me, and if I don’t answer, he’ll go to my apartment, and if I’m not there…he’ll call the police.”
Helton shrugged. “Don’t matter none. Oh, and since ya will be missin’ some workin’ time, we’ll’se pay double fer what’cha miss. How’s that?”
“How’s that?” she wailed. “That’s outrageous! You can’t just take people, Helton! It’s against the law!”
Helton’s tone grew stern. “So’s what was done ta my grandson.”
“What?”
Helton sighed. “Ya just wouldn’t understand, missy. So it’s easier ta just trust me…”
“Here we is, Paw,” Dumar said.
The truck slowed, jostled more violently, then stopped. Veronica, at last, broke down in tears and half-collapsed on Helton, hugging him.
“Please, Helton, don’t do this to me. Don’t hurt me—”
“We ain’t gonna hurt a hair on yer purdy head,” the bulky man assured. “And as fer you…bein’ our guest fer a spell… Believe me, it’s fer somethin’ real important.” Helton took something out of his pocket. “And it ain’t that we don’t trust ya, but, well, we’se just need ya ta stay put fer now,” then—
snap!
Veronica moaned when she was handcuffed to the metal table leg. Then Helton moved her knapsack far out of reach—the knapsack that contained her cellphone and wireless laptop.
“Git yerself some rest, why don’t’cha?” the younger man said.
Helton smiled. “Micky-Mack’s a crack shot with the sling, so’s he’s gonna catch us a squirrel or two while Dumar’n me build a campfire. But we’ll be just outside so’s if’n ya need anything, just holler.”