Chapter Thirty- Two: Thanks for Saving My Life

"Mornin', McNeal," Rollins greeted Bradley McNeal that morning as he walked into Blair's spacious kitchen.

McNeal only gave him a brief nod, sipping his coffee.

"Rollins, I don't know about you but we've really gotta do something about this case. It's just not working like this. We've got to do something other than just wait. It'd be one thing if these girls were hardened criminals or something but…damn it, this is making us look bad."

He then sighed loudly. "Maybe they're not moving or maybe that little fucker they were with lied to us."

"Highly unlikely, McNeal," Rollins said confidently. "Weston has absolutely nothing to gain by lying. He already took their money. I'm not quite sure exactly what we're dealing with, honestly. But anyway, it went out last night on NLETS [National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System]. Let's just wait it out a little while longer. She said she'd call back so just sit tight."

McNeal let out a long breath of air. "Not like we have a fucking choice, do we?" he grumbled. "I don't know if those girls are really smart or just really, really lucky."

"It doesn't matter," Rollins replied. "Brains will only get you so far and luck always runs out."

At that moment, a cop walked into the kitchen holding a file with Jo's full name on the front of it. Rollins took it and opened it up.

"Ah…interesting," he muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the paper. It was a lengthy incident report of a rape in Texas and a record of Frank Hanley, the man Rose Polniaczek had told him about. A piece of shit, Rollins thought in disgust. Stamped right across the paper were the words "GUILTY" on it.

A feeling of uneasiness ran throughout Rollins' body as he read it. This poor young lady, he thought sadly as he thought about Jo. Rollins had told himself earlier not to get too emotionally attached to Jo and this case but damn if he was already finding that hard to do.

Something doesn't look right, Blair thought to herself as she and Jo continued their drive through the New Mexico desert. We're going in the wrong direction.

"Hey, Jo?" Blair asked.

Jo turned to her. "Yeah, Blair?" She asked.

"Um…we're still going to Mexico, aren't we?"

"Of course we are. Why?"

Blair hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"Aren't we going in the wrong direction?" She then asked.

"Well, Blair," Jo said, a slight tinge of annoyance in her voice. "I figure if ya gonna take a state cop, shoot up his car, take his gun and lock him up in his own car, your best bet is to just get the hell on out of Dodge if ya can."

"Oh," Blair said flatly. "Just asking."

Blair then kept quiet, digging through her bag for a piece of beef jerky to nibble on.

"Want some beef jerky?" She asked Jo, holding out a piece in front of her.

Jo nearly gagged. "I don't wanna see anymore beef jerky!" She exclaimed, making a face. "I mean it, Blair! The next piece of jerky ya hand me is goin' right out the window! It's drivin' me nuts! The whole damn car even smells like it!"

"But it's good," Blair debated. "It's what the pioneers ate."

"I don't give a rat's ass what the damn pioneers ate! You keep that shit away from me! I mean it!"

Blair set her bag down. Jeez, what's eating her? She thought, rolling her eyes.

"And I don't want any Southern Comfort, either," Jo added. "It's burnin' a hole in my stomach."

"Well, I also got tequila," Blair offered, willing to do anything to help brighten Jo's sour mood.

Jo turned her head to face Blair, a small smile creeping near the corner of her lips.

"Ya do?" She asked.

"Yep. You want some?"

Jo nodded. "Yeah," she said.

Blair then began rummaging around in her purse, looking for the tequila. "I know it's in here somewhere," she muttered.

She then pulled it out a minute later and handed it to Jo.

"Thanks," Jo replied, opening the tiny bottle and taking a sip.

Blair reached down and grabbed a bottle of beer, opened it and began drinking it.

"Jo, you OK?" Blair asked worriedly, setting down her bottle in a drink holder.

Jo looked extremely tired and exhausted. Blair wondered if their flee from the law was beginning to take a toll on her.

Jo sighed. "I'm just fuckin' tired, Blair," she admitted. "I think I really fucked up here. I can't believe I didn't just call the police! I got us both into a situation where we could've gotten ourselves killed! Why didn't I just call the police?"

Blair only sat stoically, staring at Jo.

"You already said," she said quietly.

"What'd I say?" Jo asked confusedly.

"You said nobody would believe us," Blair reminded her. "We'd still get in trouble and still have our lives ruined. And you know what else?"

"What?" Jo asked, tears already starting to form in her eyes as she listened to Blair, remembering what she'd said that night after Blair got attacked and Lee getting shot.

'About a hundred goddamn people saw ya dancin' cheek to cheek all fuckin' night! Who's gonna believe ya!? We just don't live in that kind of a world, Blair!'

"That guy was really hurting me, Jo," Blair said. "And if you hadn't come out when you did, I bet a lot worse would've happened to me. And nothing probably would've happened to him. Because everybody did see me dancing all night with that jerk and they would've assumed I asked for it. And then my life would've really been hell – hell of a lot worse than it is now."

She then rested her head on Jo's shoulder and began absentmindedly running one of her fingers across Jo's arm.

"But you know, I've had a lot of fun on this vacation and I'm not sorry at all that son of a bitch is dead. I'm not! I'm only sorry it was you that did it and not me. And Jo, if I haven't said so already, I want to take the time to thank you for saving my life."

She then gave Jo a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Jo's cheeks began to grow red. "Jeez, Blair," she said, blushing. "I said all that?"

Blair gave Jo a look. "No, silly. You said the first part. I said all the rest."

Jo only shook her head. "Whatever," she replied, too tired to figure out what Blair meant. Blair only rolled her eyes in mock irritation.

That's my Jo, she thought admirably. She kissed her cheek again. And God, do I love her.