“From your fifty dollars, Hank,” she replied smoothly.

“That was supposed to be for food!”

“Awe, now, ya can’t blame a girl for having a little fun,” she said with a wink as she took a large gulp of her beer. “Go ahead,” she continued. “Drink a beer with me.”

“Fine!” I grumbled as I turned the bottle up and drank half of the contents.

After I’d swallowed the beer, I looked down at the label. It was a Bud Lite, but it didn’t taste like a Bud Lite. It had tasted odd.

“Something wrong, Hank?” she asked, a wicked smile coming over her lips.

“Did ya leave this beer out or something?” I asked as the room started to spin. “It tasted off…”

Taking the beer from my hand, she sat it down on the nightstand beside the bed. “You could say or something…”

My vision began to blur and my boots started to give out from under me. With a vicious cackle, Angie pushed me back onto the bed.

It was at that moment that I realized I’d been drugged.

As all began to go dark for me, I called out his name… “Austin,” I muttered weakly.

“Angie!” she screamed angrily.

And with that, I lost consciousness…

Grabbing my hand-written list off the counter, I was about to head out the door when I was stopped by the ringing of our home phone line.

Usually, it was only telemarketers or charities begging for money, but I glanced at the caller id anyway. I quickly spotted the name of the Red Roof Inn on the caller id, so I knew exactly who it was.

“What do you want?!” I hissed into the phone.

“I guess you and Hank got one of them fancy caller id boxes!” Angie declared sassily.

“What the hell do you want?” I asked again.

“I can’t believe that my own flesh and blood is cussing at me!”

“I’ve heard you say worse, Angie,” I shot back. “I know you all too well for you to play innocent!”

“Fine! I’m leaving town and I wanted to tell ya bye.”

“Good!” I exclaimed. “Bye!”

“But I ain’t leaving town without seeing ya one last time.”

“Well, I don’t wanna see you.”

“Well, sassy pants, I reckon I’ll stick around Cedar Rapids until ya change your mind then! I can come knocking on your door every day from here on out until ya do see me!”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine! If I come see you this one time, will you leave town today?”

“Yes,” Angie replied almost sweetly. “Room 147 over at the Red Roof Inn.”

“I can be there in half an hour,” I curtly replied as I hung up.

Angie turned around and looked at Hank’s nude form in her motel bed.

After drugging him, she had stripped off his clothes. “It’s almost showtime!” she laughed evilly. “I’ll teach that queer son of mine that he ain’t woman enough to take my man!”

Driving across Cedar Rapids, I was relieved.