Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 34, No. 13 & 14, Winter 1989

Billy Joe stood without moving and let Boss sniff him to his heart’s content. Boss had walked into the front yard two years ago, and while he acknowledged no owner, he showed no inclination to leave either. Visitors had to stand and be sniffed the same as Billy Joe. The only exception to this rule was Pa. And the only time Boss and Pa acknowledged each other’s presence was when they hunted wild hogs together.

When Boss went back under the porch Billy Joe darted into the house and plundered through the cupboard until he found a brown paper bag like the one the coon had tom apart. But try as he might he couldn’t find any of the large plastic storage bags.

He ran back outside, dragged his rusty old bicycle from behind the barn, and started pedaling down the road to town. Pa usually stopped off at Lonzo’s for a drink after work or he could’ve probably borrowed his truck. It was just as well, Pa would’ve given him the third degree about why he wanted to borrow it. And if Billy Joe told Pa he needed to go into town to buy a box of gallon size storage bags, Pa would quite naturally want to know what he needed them for. It was not a discussion Billy Joe wanted to have.

Twenty minutes later and out of breath, Billy Joe dropped his bicycle outside Cutter’s IGA Foodliner and rushed inside just as Mr. Cutter was getting ready to lock up. Fortunately, Mr. Cutter was in a hurry to get home to his supper and didn’t bend Billy Joe’s ear with stories of his youth as he normally did.

Billy Joe fidgeted while Mr. Cutter counted out his change and then, after what seemed like an eternity, he rushed back outside. With the storage bags clutched under his arm, he pedaled home by the light of the full moon. As he pulled up into the yard and stood for Boss’s inspection, it dawned on him that he had forgotten to buy anything to replace the powder with.

Billy Joe tore through the house looking for something, anything, white and powdery, silently thanking God that Pa still wasn’t home. Finally he found an unopened sack of flour in a cabinet and filled one of the plastic bags with it. The weight felt right. Maybe in the darkness, the two men wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Pa still wasn’t back at eleven when Billy Joe headed for Cedar Lake. Much to his dismay, Boss came out from under the porch and decided to tag along. Billy Joe didn’t want to chance angering Boss by trying to shoo him back.

Billy Joe got to the lake about eleven thirty and got out of sight in the shadow of a large oak tree. The moon illuminated the clearing where the men would park their car, and from where he stood, Billy Joe had a good view of everything. Boss wandered off down by the lake sniffing the ground.

While he was waiting, Billy Joe had a disturbing thought. What was to keep the men from killing him and just taking the powder back? He racked his brain. How could he switch the powder for the money without getting himself killed?

The car topped the hill and pulled into the clearing. God! What could he do? Billy Joe could feel sweat trickling down his side. The two men got out and looked around for him. The tall one had a white cloth bag in one hand. Seeing the bag, Billy Joe decided to take his chances and stepped out of the shadows.

“Give me the stuff,” said the tall one, pointing to the bag under Billy Joe’s arm.

“The money first,” said Billy Joe, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

“Guess again, kid,” the short one said and pulled out a pistol. “Don’t screw around with us if you know what’s good for you.”

“I’m-m-m not alone,” said Billy Joe. “My friend is in the shadows. He’s got a gun too!” Both men grinned and Billy Joe knew he hadn’t fooled anyone.

The short one pointed the gun at Billy Joe. Billy Joe cursed himself for being such a fool and started praying.

Then from the shadows came a familiar low rumbling growl. Billy Joe stiffened. The two men turned toward the sound and the tall one said, “What the hell—”

Boss came out of the shadows running full speed, his hackles raised, his fangs glistening in the moonlight. He left the ground from ten feet away and hit the short man in the chest, knocking him into the tall one. Both men tumbled to the ground, and the cloth bag flew out of the tall man’s hands.

Seizing the moment, Billy Joe dropped his brown paper bag, grabbed the cloth bag, and started running. He ran into the woods with the men’s screams and Boss’s snarls ringing in his ears. Billy Joe had no idea why Boss decided to attack and at that point he didn’t care.

Billy Joe didn’t stop running until he got home. Pa still wasn’t there. He must really be tying one on at Lonzo’s. In the security of his bedroom, Billy Joe opened the bag and breathed a sigh of relief. It was full of money. Ten thousand dollars just like they’d promised and all in brand new twenty dollar bills. They must have just drawn it out of the bank. Billy Joe hid the money under his mattress and fell asleep thinking about a certain redheaded fancy lady he knew who worked at Lonzo’s.