Peak Oil by Arno Joubert Read Free Book Online Page B

going to be a simple procedure,” she said and bit her lower lip.
    “Why?” Voelkner asked with a frown.
    “Well, we had some spare plaster that I had to use up.”  
    “Where?” Voelkner asked with a trembling voice.
    She pointed toward his crotch.  
    Voelkner’s eyes widened. “Down there?”
    She nodded with a pained expression on her face. “It kept standing up.”
    Voelkner slapped his forehead. “Oh, dear Mary, help me survive this day,” he said in French.  
    Nurse Betty bounced up and down and clapped her hands. “Ooh, I love it when you speak foreign.”

Alexa's phone rang and she glanced at the screen. Her body stiffened. She swiped the phone to answer.  
    “Voelkner?”
    “Good day, Captain. How are you?”
    She clicked her fingers at Neil. “Just dandy, thank you for asking. Where the hell are you?”
    Neil walked closer.  
    Alexa cupped the microphone. “It’s Voelkner,” she whispered and pointed to the phone. A relieved expression spread over his face.
    “I’m at the Saint Josephine’s Clinic in Dabbort Creek, Captain.”
    Alexa punched the air and jogged to door, grabbing the car keys from a table. “All right, Lieutenant, see you in five minutes. I’m on my way.”

Alexa sped into Saint Josephine’s parking area and spotted Voelkner sitting on a white bench in the gardens. A plump nurse sat next to him, sharing a cigarette and laughing. Alexa screeched to a halt, trailing two black rubber lines behind the rented Chevy. Voelkner looked up and waved at her. He kissed the nurse’s hand and hurried to the car.
    Voelkner slid into the backseat and saluted. “Captain.” He smelled like antiseptic and tobacco smoke. His head was cleanly shaven, and he had several stitches on his crown. His eyelids were puffy and swollen, the eyebrows gone.
    Alexa turned around and examined her troop. “Voelkner, you had me worried, there. Where is Latorre?” she asked in French.
    Voelkner shrugged. “I don’t know, Captain. Apparently he didn’t arrive at the hospital with me.”  
    “Shit.”
    Voelkner smiled at her. “You were worried about me?”
    Alexa sighed, made a K-turn, and headed toward the main road, aptly named “Main Road.” She turned right and drove into town. “What happened?” she asked, looking at Voelkner in the rearview mirror.
    He shook his head. “I don’t know, Captain. Everything is still hazy. I remember that Jackson got into a fight with some biker guy.” He grinned. “Obviously, Latorre stepped in.”
    Neil turned around in his seat. “Hang on a sec. Who is Jackson?”
    Voelkner massaged his shoulders, bending his neck backward and forward. “A hitchhiker we picked up along the way. Nice guy, from Canada. Speaks perfect French.”
    Alexa slammed the steering wheel with her palm. “Dammit, Voelkner, you had us worried. You can’t start getting into fights with the locals for no apparent reason.”
    Neil glanced at her and she mouthed the words “Shut up.”
    Voelkner looked down. “Sorry, Captain.” He looked up and smiled broadly, his broken nose bending slightly in the middle. “The general promoted us to full Lieutenants.”
    Alexa nodded. “Good, you deserved it.” She winked at him in the rearview. “I’m glad for you. You did manage to save my life once.”
    “Twice,” Voelkner said.
    “What?”
    “We saved your life twice, remember? First in Geneva and then again at Metcalfe’s estate,” Voelkner said, staring out of the window.
    Alexa skidded to a stop in front of a building. A flashing neon sign in the window said, “Mo’s Diner.”
    She pulled the key from the ignition and lifted the hand break. “The last time doesn’t count; I would have made it out on my own.” Alexa climbed out of the car.
    “If you say so,” Voelkner mumbled.
    She looked back at him and smiled. “Come on, I guess you must be hungry.”
    Voelkner’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “Like an ugly Parisian prostitute.”
    Alexa grinned and then hugged him.