Finders Keepers

By Billy Rhodes

Two elderly friends take a weekend camping trip to the panhandle of Oklahoma just to escape the everyday drudgery and boredom of their work. Stopping for breakfast in a small town in Northwest Oklahoma, they encounter a town bully that threatens them.

After the confrontation, they leave the cafe and try to regain their energy and excitement for the trip and not let this local bulldog of a person dampen their weekend they have planned for so long.

After driving for another two hours, they arrive at their destination that is isolated from the rest of the world, and they will be the only two camping in this area. While camping and enjoying themselves, they hear vehicles speeding toward them. Faintly, they can hear a siren. Running for cover, they hide in a deep gully covered with trees near the roadway.

As the cars speed by, two large suitcases are thrown from the front car with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in pursuit not far behind. After the cars are out of sight, they retrieve both suitcases and open each one to discover a large sum of money and drugs.

Now the adventure starts as they plan to keep the money, but the drug cartel has other plans. The weekend turns into a week while trying to elude professional killers and a local town bully.

It seems necessary to move farther away from home and deeper into the panhandle to keep their families safe from the drug lords and town bully. Under extreme duress and fear for their lives, they slip into survival mode.

Immersed deep in the dirty business of drugs, they encounter some very cruel and deadly people. Each turn they make could cost their lives. Along the way, they also meet some good people that are willing to help them even at the risk of being killed themselves. This risky venture takes them into the panhandle of Oklahoma, the panhandle of Texas, and the northeast part of New Mexico.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885058322

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The Trip

Standing on top of a mesa in Northeast New Mexico with shovel in hand and looking down at a burial spot he just dug, Carroll Adams wonders how in the world this camping trip turned into such a nightmare for him and his best friend Billy McDougall. Hanging his head in disgust and speaking to himself in a soft voice, I can’t believe how much trouble we’ve gotten into just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, no sense in crying about it now. We’ve crossed the line. We need to get these three bags in the ground, pronto, then get the heck outta here. Now pointing his head upward as if sending aloft a prayer, he stands silent for a moment then reflects back on the beginning of this weekend trip.

It is a cool day in late November when Billy McDougall and Carroll Adams start out for the northwest part of Oklahoma to do a little treasure hunting. They have both planned this trip for a long time and found an isolated spot near the panhandle just west of Fort Supply, about six or seven miles south on Highway 46 and back west about three or four miles. The spot they have chosen is not a place you would choose for an overnight campout by any stretch of the imagination, but because of its isolation from the rest of the world, it is perfect. They both need a break from their work, and this trip will wash away some of the hustle and bustle of everyday life and clear their minds of the things that seem important but are really not. And there is a chance they may find something of value, like an old silver dollar or a land-run relic—completely worth the trip.

Carroll was born and raised in Skellytown, Texas, and moved to Oklahoma City when he was in the sixth grade where he and Billy became lifelong friends. He worked for AT&T for about twenty-five years, then got a job as an ironworker for a large firm in Oklahoma City, and has worked there for about twenty-five years since his early retirement from AT&T.

He is seventy-nine years old now and feels like his job no longer has a challenge. He has worked on some of the tallest buildings in the downtown part of Oklahoma City and also on some of the large condos in the Bricktown area. He can outwork some of the younger people in his group, still plays soccer, and runs three miles a day. He has worked since he was in the third grade at small jobs just so he could have a little pocket change when he went to town with his mother. Still working at the age of seventy-nine because of some bad investments, he also feels the need for a change. He does not have a plan for retirement but often dreams of it.

He joined the Army when he was twenty-three and served his time in Vietnam. Then he came home after a two-year stretch, running up and down the Deltas and fighting an invisible enemy. He would, at times, share some of his war experiences with Billy. Some were funny, and some were sad. He told Billy he would do it all over again if he were given the chance.

Billy is a man of seventy-seven years and in exceptional good health. He and his wife are employed part-time at the state capitol as chaperones for the Page Program. He is excited about this new transition to a job that will, in his mind, be fun. Earlier in life, he had been an engineer for a contract company that provided installation and engineering services for AT&T, and he was getting tired of the same old routine and decided to make a change. This new job is at a lower rate of pay but less demanding.

He receives a retirement check each month from a small independent telephone company in Eastern Oklahoma but still needs to supplement it. Early in life, Billy was sent to a military school in La Mesa, California, when he was in the ninth grade for a behavioral problem and spent a year learning about the value of discipline and respect for others. His attitude changed while he was there, but after that training, he didn’t want any part of military life.

Billy has also worked since he was in the third grade, selling programs and hot dogs at McClure’s concession stand at Taft Stadium on Friday nights when they had stock car races. The stadium now has been refurbished and does not have the same look or excitement when Billy was a boy. The sound of the Offenhauser engines in those old 1930 and 1940 model cars and the excitement of the oval dirt track are now gone forever. Only memories remain.

This has been the life of both boys since they could remember—work hard and play hard.

While Carroll has a lot of experience in the wild, Billy’s experience has been mostly at a desk, and in this trip, he felt it would introduce him to the outdoor life that he has often longed for. The plan is to camp out in their tents and just enjoy the weekend treasure hunting during the day and campfire talk at night. They don’t care if they find anything or not.

Driving this morning to Carroll’s house in Moore to pick him up and start the trip makes Billy feel excited about the trip. He stops by at McDonald’s and orders two senior cups of coffee with one crème in each, places one in the center console, and ponders the trip while he sips his coffee. It is 5:00 a.m., but he’s no longer sleepy, just enjoying the sheer excitement of the trip ahead. When he arrives at Carroll’s house, Carroll is already ready with his camping gear beside him, waiting in the driveway.

He says, Good morning, Billy, and loads his gear in the rear of the SUV. He gets in and says, Where’s my coffee?

Billy points to the center console and then starts out for I-35 North.

They chat for a while, and Carroll says, You didn’t forget your metal detector, did you?

Billy laughs and replies, No, dumbass, and I’m not sipping oatmeal through a straw yet either?

Carroll laughs too and begins sipping his coffee. With the warm smell of fresh coffee and the cool morning air along with the excitement of the trip, nothing can be better than this. They’re right; the first step in any trip is the best and most memorable.

Carroll and Billy have shared many trips together. They have been friends since childhood and look at each other as brothers. They both share secrets, confide in each other, and never let anyone say a bad word about the other. They both come from a world where a handshake is a binding contract and your word tells the world what kind of a person you are—honest and dependable.

They talk all the way to the town of Perry, and after that, it is quiet until they reach Highway 412 West. After the exit from I-35 to 412, Carroll asks Billy, Let’s get some breakfast at McDonald’s in Enid.

Billy looks at Carroll and says, Breakfast at a fast-food restaurant? Yum-yum. That will certainly make this a memorable trip, don’t you think? How about breakfast at a mom-and-pop restaurant? You know, soak up some of the local atmosphere. There’s always a good story or something that makes a small family-owned café interesting. That’s what this trip is all about anyway, Carroll. It’s not the food but the experience that we’re after.

Okay, okay, I’ll be on the lookout for a small mom-and-pop restaurant, but I’m really getting hungry, and I need to take a pee. I don’t think those small cafés still exist anyway, but I’ll still look.

They come to Enid and both look intently on both sides of the highway as they drive through town. Billy looks at Carroll. I can’t believe that all you see are more fast-food places. I believe we could make a good living by opening up a good old-time café, Carroll. What do you think?

Yeah, Billy, that’s just exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life, to open up a café and serve old farts like you a good hot beef sandwich for .75 cents and probably get a .15-cent tip. Those were the good old days, Billy, but they are gone forever.

Okay, Carroll, just keep looking.

They finally come to Atwoods Ranch and Home Supply on the west end of town and still nothing. Carroll looks at Billy with a little frown and says that he is really getting hungry and about to bust. Billy replies, I think there might be a small café in Meno just ahead, maybe about ten miles or so, and we can stop there. What do you think?

Sounds okay to me, just step on it a little. I kinda have an emergency.

Soon they are in the town of Meno, just west of Enid, and are stopping at the Harvest House to eat breakfast.

The morning air, as they step out of the car, reminds Billy that they will be sleeping outside tonight, and he wonders if he can take this kind of cold.

No need to worry about that now, just do it, Carroll says.

Billy likes Carroll’s attitude and willingness to do something like this at their age. It is exciting and makes them feel young again.

As they step inside the café, they can smell bacon frying and the fresh scent of coffee. There are several older men sitting in the corner, visiting with each other and drinking coffee. A few other customers are scattered throughout the café, and there is a feeling of excitement that makes them both feel good.

Carroll steps briskly toward the restroom while Billy finds a booth and sits down. It is warm inside, and the booth is comfortable. It reminds Billy of some of the old restaurants in Oklahoma City where he ate when he was young.

Carroll comes out of the restroom and looks around and sees Billy already seated and walks over to the table and sits down. They can hear the older gentlemen in the corner talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. It is good to be in this little café and have breakfast with these good people, Billy thought.

The waitress walks over to the table after they are both seated to take their order. She is neatly dressed in a light-blue dress with a white apron and a name tag that reads Jody. She takes their order and places it with the cook, returns with a hot carafe of coffee, fills their cups, and asks where they are headed.

Billy tells her that they are heading for a place a little past Fort Supply and are planning to camp out this weekend and do a little treasure hunting.

She seems to be interested and asks if they have ever been to Fort Supply. There’s nothing there except a lot of flatlands and maybe a few trees.

Billy replies and says, We don’t care. We just want to get away for a little while and have a little fun while we do it.

She starts to share some of her experiences with them in that area. She was raised near Fort Supply and married her lifetime boyfriend after she graduated from high school and has a little girl. Her little girl is nine years old now, and her name is Rebecca. They both live in Alva where she is attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and Rebecca is in grade school. Her husband was killed in Afghanistan several years ago, and she really misses him. He was the love of her life, and he will never be replaced with anyone close to what he was to her.

Jody walks over to the counter, reaches underneath, and pulls a billfold from her purse. She then walks back over to Billy and Carroll and shows them a picture of him in his military uniform just before he was sent to Afghanistan and tells them that his name was Jerry.

He was a tall nice-looking young man of medium build and had a friendly look in his eyes. His picture was taken with an American flag in the background, and it is impressive. As she shows them the picture, she gets a little tear in her eye and takes a good long look at it herself, then puts it neatly away.

They can tell that she still misses him immensely and wishes he were still there with her now. They both commented on what a nice-looking young man he was. She tells them she now lives in a small house that she has just bought, and it needs some repairs, and that’s why she is working at the café on weekends to make enough money to fix several things that have been neglected over the years.

Billy and Carroll like to talk about home repairs, something they both enjoy. A couple of years ago, they both bought two old 1964 Shasta travel trailers that needed a lot of work. They bought them from a salvage located in Oklahoma City at a very low price. The gentleman that owned the salvage practically gave them away. They were both excited about the find, but their wives thought they had just bought two pieces of junk and didn’t want any part of their dream.

This, however, did not dampen the dream they had for these two little piles of junk. They both wanted to make them modern and still have the old look. Stripping them down first, then rebuilding them back like they were when they were new. Just about two weeks ago, they both had them painted by a paint shop in Oklahoma City. They haven’t tried them out on a camping trip yet but intend to do that soon.

When they take them out on their maiden voyage, the wives want to come along. The wives now have taken possession and are very particular about how to use them. That’s why this weekend is camping in a tent and sleeping on the ground.

They share some of their ideas with Jody about what to fix first and some of the secrets and shortcuts to make the jobs easier. She listens intently and shows some interest as they both tell her what they have done to their houses and the trailers.

Billy says, I’m sure you’ll get married again someday, and hopefully, your life will get much easier.

He tells her that he doesn’t know what he would do without his wife, Kathy. She makes my life much easier and fills the house with a touch that only a woman can do. It feels good to see her organize the house to make it feel warm and have that feeling of a home. You know, a man just doesn’t have the knack for that kind of thing. And she’s also my best friend.

CHAPTER 2

Johnny Roundwing

Billy and Carroll sit and talk with Jody for a short while. Carroll can now feel the warmth of this mom-and-pop café Billy was talking about. The people inside are friendly, and some even take part in the conversation between them and Jody. The old men in the corner laugh and are having a good time with Billy and Carroll while Jody walks to the kitchen to check on their order. There is an exchange of stories, and everyone has a good time. What a great little jewel they have accidentally run across and may have to make a return trip just to have breakfast with these good people. This little café will have a five-star rating as far as Billy and Carroll are concerned.

As Carroll looks up, he sees Jody carrying their breakfast to the table. She neatly places it on the table and asks if they want more coffee.

Yes, Carroll replies, and she goes back to the counter and picks up a fresh pot of coffee and returns to the table and fills their cups.

You can tell that she feels comfortable talking with these two old guys. Then she tells them that she doesn’t think she will ever marry again. Just got out of a bad relationship with a guy that lives in Meno, and I don’t care to take another gamble.

Just then, a young muscular man of about thirty years of age and over six feet tall walks through the front door of the café, and she instantly walks away from their table. The young man has a scowl on his face as he walks toward her. He doesn’t lower his voice when he speaks to her, and everyone in the small café can hear the entire conversation.

Carroll and Billy hear him say that he wants to get some things straighten out between him and her. He has a mean look on his face, like an angry man about to hit someone. But a woman beater doesn’t want other people to see what a coward they really are, so they usually do this kind of confrontation in private. His temper has complete control of his emotions now as Jody tries to ignore him. This infuriates him even more, and now he tries to gain control of the situation by talking louder.

In a cool manner, Jody starts to walk away from him, and he grabs her by the arm and pulls her close to him, then looks around to see if anyone is watching. He sees Carroll and Billy looking at him, releases the grip on her arm, walks over to their table, looks them both in the eye, and says, What the hell are you two old son of bitches looking at? You just need to mind your own business and stay out of mine.

Carroll stands up and looks him square in the eye and says, You need to stay out of my business and back off, you coward son of a bitch.

Billy stands up beside Carroll and doesn’t say a word, but his presence makes the young man feel a little uneasy. It is silent for a minute, and the young man backs up a bit, not knowing what these two guys are capable of doing.

Then he grins at them and says You guys are pathetic. Sit down before I beat the hell out of the both of you. He seems to be a little nervous in his presentation but still tries to get his bluff on these two unknowns. He then points at her and says, I’ll see you after work—then points at them and says—and you two guys better not be here when I get back.

After he clears the door, everyone is watching, and they all seem to be afraid of this guy. Carroll says, That guy must be the local town bully and her ex-boyfriend, but I’m not afraid of him.

Billy looks up at Carroll and says, That guy looks dangerous, Carroll, and I don’t mean average dangerous, I mean really like a killer dangerous.

Jody walks over to both of them and thanks them for standing up for her. She apologizes for his bad behavior and tells them to stay away from him. She tells them that his name is Johnny Roundwing and that he has also been charged with the rape of a sixteen-year-old mentally challenged girl from Tahoma, but the court could never get enough witnesses or evidence to bring him to trial. The little girl never said a word about the rape but was always afraid when he was around. People thought he probably threatened her with her life if she ever said anything about it. There were other people that saw him with her, but they were afraid that he might do something to them or their families.

Jody says she didn’t know about his dark past when she first met him but wants to stay clear of him now. He has been in several fights with other people and almost killed a truck driver last month over a ten-dollar bet on a pool game. This all happened in Enid at a local bar, and the truck driver would not file charges against him for fear of his life. Johnny spent two days in the Enid jail over that barroom fight, and the truck driver spent two weeks in the hospital. He laughs about the incident now and says the guy should have paid him the ten dollars. The truck driver won the game.

Billy and Carroll both tell her to quit this job and go back to Alva.

He would just track me down and make my life miserable. She feels the need to confront him now and then move on after the relationship is completely terminated by both of them. She also tells them that she is pursuing a degree in engineering, works another job in Alva at the local hardware store, and is raising Rebecca by herself.

Billy says to her in a serious tone, Stay away from that guy, Jody. He’s dangerous.

She apologizes again for talking so much. She reminds Billy of one of his granddaughters—extremely responsible, bright for her age, and has a tremendous amount of courage. Billy and Carroll both think she has a good plan and admires her for her good attitude. She isn’t feeling sorry for herself but seems to think of her situation as a challenge. They leave her a twenty-dollar tip after finishing their breakfast. They both feel really bad for her when they leave that little café.

After getting into the car, Carroll tells Billy, Someday, someone will kill that son of a bitch, and this town will be a much better place without him.

Man, Carroll, you’re using language that I haven’t heard you use except when you’re really mad.

Well, Billy, do you think that guy made me feel good?

Point well taken, Carroll. It’s okay, you can curse as much as you want after meeting that sorry piece of crap.

That remark seems to make Carroll a little less agitated. They both grin at each other as they start the car and pull out on the highway.

Driving west out of Meno, they both start to tell stories of their past to try to lighten the mood. Although both of them have heard of these stories over and over again, they are still interesting. Billy listens to Carroll tell his story of his getaway marriage when he was only eighteen and his bride-to-be was only sixteen. Carroll laughs as he tells the story to Billy.

His older brother Ethan had loaned Carroll his new 1958 Dodge, which had buttons on the dash for drive, low, reverse, neutral, and park. Carroll drove to the school where his girlfriend, Sharon, attended, and they got married in the next county and drove from Texas to Oklahoma for their honeymoon. Sharon was only sixteen years old, and Carroll was eighteen. Sharon’s dad, however, did not give his consent for the marriage, and if he had found Carroll that day, they might have had him up for murder. Carroll had to dodge her dad for quite some time after that. Carroll and Billy laugh about that story while driving past the Gloss Mountains on Highway 412.

The trip is already paying off as they begin to forget about Johnny Roundwing and just concentrate on the road ahead. In late November, the sun doesn’t start to peek up over the horizon until around 7:30 a.m. As they drive west from the Gloss Mountain region, the darkness starts turning to gray, and soon they will have the bright-orange sun at their backs.

It’s still a long trip to Fort Supply and a lot of stories can be told in that length of time. Time to rehash