Page 53 of Nomad

“’Bout an hour. The way my wife drives it might be forty-five minutes.”

“There’s a place on the way called Lunker’s Grill. Burgers. Chicken fried steak. How’s that sound?”

“Burger. Yes! Cann wouldn’t let me eat anything good since we crossed into Mexico. He kept going, ‘That’s not safe. That’s not safe either’. He wouldn’t even let me have my birthday cupcake.”

After a pregnant pause, Brant said, “Cann got you a birthday cupcake?”

Garland caught Brant’s gaze in the rearview mirror and the two of them exchanged a look.

“Did you make a wish?” Garland asked.

Bud smiled. “Oh, yeah. I wished that he wouldn’t have to spend more than three nights in jail.”

“Why three nights? Why not one or five? Or none?” Garland asked.

Bud related the whole story about the pool, the bathrobe, the Bloody Mary, andThe Secret.

“And he said, ‘I don’t want to spend more than three nights in jail’.”

Garland looked at Brant in the rearview mirror again. He knew that look.

Brant pressed Brash’s contact number.

“What’s happenin’?” said Brash when he saw it was his dad calling.

“Got the package. Russ has got Cann. Want you to find out which federal judge he’ll be in front of. See if you can pinpoint his heart’s desire.”

Brash grinned into the phone. “I will, but there’re already a whole bunch of powerful reasons for the judge to see things our way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Pro Lifers all over the news. They’re gathering outside District Court and over at the capitol, too. Demanding Cann’s release. Never saw anything like it. All these church folk demandin’ release of a biker?” He laughed. “You gotta admit it’s a twist of fate.”

“That it is.”

“Preachers are down there with ‘em. They’ve been interviewed by the local news stations. All say the same thing. That we ought to be erecting a statue of Cannon Johns, not puttin’ him in cuffs.”

“Hmm,” Brant grunted. “Couldn’t hurt to grease the judge anyway. I like insurance.”

“Yeah. Those guys, the fed judges, are more prickly than usual, since they’re appointed and all.”

“You know how to get around that.”

“Indeed I do.”

“Keep me posted.”

“Hey. You probably didn’t see yourself on the news.”

“No,” Brant said slowly. “I think I’d hoped to make it safely to death without ever hearing those words.”

Brash laughed. “That little girl did us proud. Said Cann is a hero who helped a stranger, at great risk to himself.”

“She said that?”

“Yeah.”

“Jesus.” Garland and Bud, who were eavesdropping, exchanged a glance. “We need to try to get him out of there before he spends a fourth night in jail.”