He knew it was risky, but he had no choice. He’d agreed to take Tricia for the weekend because his ex-wife had to go on one of her ‘business trips’, and if he didn’t take their daughter as a favor, he’d pay for it later in some Reno lawyer’s office. That he knew for sure.
The problem that made it tricky was that he was on call, too. It was his weekend ‘in the barrel’. He had to stay home near the phone with his truck loaded and ready to go, waiting for a service call. And just as he and his daughter settled in to watch the football game, the call came in. One look at who was calling and he knew he couldn’t duck it, which also meant it would be a four-hour round trip with Tricia by his side. Which would probably be alright except it was Sally’s Pleasure Ranch calling.
“Butch, this is Misty out at Sally’s. You’re on call today, huh? Good, haven’t seen you in a while. Look, our normal service is tomorrow, but we’re getting slammed this weekend. Horny devils! Anyway, we need you right now, Butchie Boy! The regular order. . . . and I know it’s already in the truck, ” the caller insisted in a nice way.
Butch thought for a moment, then answered, “Listen, Misty, I got a little problem here. My daughter has to come with me today. It’s a long story.”
Misty took a long drag on her perfumed cigarette, watched the smoke rise to the ceiling of the mobile home they called the lobby and finally said, “Do you have any idea what would happen if your little daughter was seen inside the compound, Butchie Boy? Any idea? We’d be on the front page of the Carson City newspaper so fast. And forget about our license.”
“Look, she’ll stay in the van,” Butch promised. “I’ll be in and out with your laundry order in, what, five minutes. You’re right, it’s all in the truck . . . the towels, the sheets, pillowcases, and the rubberized blankets, everything. But, bottom line, my daughter stays in the truck the whole time. Gotta be that way, Misty!”
“Okay, but we’re going to run it differently, then. You get here at three-thirty sharp, right? On the button, Butch! Carlos and Rory will meet you by the rear entrance. And Butch, have that little girl covered up before you get here. So far, so good?” Misty replied.
“Yeah, yeah, Carlos and Rory at three-thirty. I can make that easy,” Butch added.
“Okay, they’ll punch in the gate code, and you back in this time. Stay in the van with the kid and Carlos and Rory will unload the van for you. Don’t get out of that van, no matter what, okay? The surveillance cameras won’t pick up the front of the van if you back in, so you’ll be fine. Any questions, Butchie Boy?”
“Nope, I’m good. See you at three-thirty . . . sharp, Misty,” was Butch’s answer as he hung up his phone and turned towards his daughter.
“Honey, change of plans. We gotta make a delivery. Sorry. So get your doll and your blanket. We’ll be leaving in just a minute, okay?” Butch asked her.
“Sure, Daddy. We going to Sally’s in the desert, Daddy?”
Butch froze. ‘Did she just say what I think she said? My five year old daughter knows about Sally’s Pleasure Ranch?’ “Uh, yeah, honey, that’s where we’re going.” ‘Should I ask her how she knows? Do I really want to know?’
But before he could get up the nerve to ask his daughter, she piped up, “Oh, good, Daddy. Mommy says she worked there before she met you. That’s where she met grandpa and uncle Jeff.”
End