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The phone rang at two o’clock in the morning. Billy was deep in sleep and it took a dozen rings to waken him. “Hello,” he finally said, sleepily.
“Hello,” said a very quiet voice.
“What time is it?” asked Billy.
“Two.”
“Hello. Who is this?” asked Billy.
“I called you before. You hung up on me,” The voice said. “At the station.”
“ I remember. I didn’t hang up on you, I just put you on hold.”
“So you could trace the call,” said the voice. “Maybe I’d better go.”
“No. Hold on. What did you want to tell me?” asked Billy.” Who are you?”
“I can’t say,” said the voice, “It has to be a secret.”
“What has to be a secret?” asked Billy.
“Everything,” said the voice.
“What can I call you?” asked Billy. “I need a name to call you so I don’t have to just say, hey.”
“Just say ‘hey’.”
“All right, hey,” said Billy, “What do you want to tell me?”
“It has to be a secret. You have to promise me that you will never tell anyone about me or what I do.”
“What do you do?” asked Billy.
“I can tell you who killed the Mayor.”
“You know who killed the mayor?”
“Not yet but I can find out and tell you,” said the voice.
“How will you find out?” asked Billy.
“First you have to promise,” said the voice.
“Promise what?” asked Billy.
Billy was getting aggravated and it was becoming obvious in his tone of voice. The voice noticed and said so.
“Why are you sounding grouchy?” he asked.
“Look,” said Billy testily, “Are you going to tell me anything or not?”
Billy heard a click and the line went dead.

Billy lay there for some time staring at the ceiling and thinking about what had just transpired. He remembered what had been said but none of it made any sense. He finally dropped off to sleep. In the morning he thought about the conversation he had the night before. He shaved, had coffee and went to work.
When he got to work, Ann was at her desk. No one else was in the room.
Ann looked around and, after seeing the two of them were alone, told Billy, “When someone comes back in the office, you apologize to me and sound like you mean it.”
“For what?” asked Billy.
“So we can be friends again,” Ann answered.
Just then the door to the men’s room opened and the Sheriff and Charlie Ford came out. Billy was still standing in front of Ann’s desk and, taking the cue, said pleadingly, “Please, I’m sorry. How about giving a fellow officer another chance?”
Ann looked around at the other officers and, obviously embarrassed, said, “Well, all right. Let’s forget it.”
Charlie Ford said, “What’s that all about?”
Billy said,” It’s personal, never mind.”
Charlie looked at the sheriff quizzically and the sheriff laughed and said, “I think Billy got spanked!” Then they both laughed.

Two nights later, Billy’s phone rang. It was Ann. She sounded flustered, very upset.
“Did you say anything about our conversation to anyone?”
“No, I told you I wouldn’t,” Billy answered, “Why? Has something happened?”
“My car got totaled last night. It was right in front of my house and someone smashed into it. It’s a total wreck.”
Billy remembered what Ann had said about not telling anyone about the call he got and that the caller had told Ann that something really bad would happen if she told anyone about him.
“OK,” said Ann,” then let’s just forget it and I won’t ever mention it to you again.”
“The guy called me again, in the middle of the night a couple of nights ago,” Billy said.
“I don’t want to hear about it!” said Ann and she hung up the phone.

The next day Ann reported the incident to the sheriff and her insurance company. Ann, the sheriff and the insurance investigator went to Ann’s house and inspected the car. It was a total mess. Whoever did this had done a very thorough job of it. There wasn’t much that could be repaired. The insurance investigator said it looked like a total wreck to him. There was nothing there that gave any indication as to who had done this. No clues were found and no one heard anything unusual the night before. It seemed like, when a crime was committed in Tulla City, no one ever heard anything. It looked like another mystery.
The next day Ann bought a like new used car.

Mel Vernon posted a notice on the bulletin board of the sheriff’s office. It read,” Come one, come all, to partake of the Best Barbecue in Tulla City! Eats, drinks and ‘what-have-you!” Then it gave Mel’s address and a date and time.
Mel said,” I expect every one of you to be there.”
Ann and Billy said at the same time, “I’ll be there.”
The Sheriff and Tom, also, agreed to come. It was, of course, understood that Charlie would be there.
The barbecue was on Sunday and the sheriff closed the office for the day with a notice on the door and on the answering machine that, in case of an emergency, he would be at Mel’s number.
The festivities began at around eleven o’clock Sunday morning in the backyard. A lot of other people besides police officers and deputies were there. Music was piped to the back yard and soft drinks and beer were in coolers scattered around the yard. One of the neighbors brought his guitar and did his Elvis impression. Everyone laughed and he said it wasn’t supposed to be funny then he, too, laughed.
Charlie asked Ann who her date was and Billy shouted, “Me!” He was about two sheets in the wind and feeling his oats. He asked to play the guitar and ‘Elvis’ gave it to him. Billy began to strum softly and hum a song. It was a love song, an unrequited love, song. Ann stopped what she was doing and listened as Billy began to sing. The words of the song told about a man who had lost his love and didn’t know if he should live or die. As Billy’s voice rose, one by one the others listened. He seemed not to notice everyone watching him. It was as if the song was a story about him.
When he finished singing, there was quiet for a moment then everyone began to applaud him. He looked around at his friends, embarrassed at the applause.
“Thank you,” he said and stood up and handed the guitar back to its owner. At the edge of the yard, Buck stood quietly, tears coming from his eyes. He came over to where Billy stood.
“ That was a real pretty song,” he said, “ But it was kinda sad, too.” Then he turned away and left the yard.

On Tuesday morning a young man, not much more than a kid, came into the sheriff’s office. He asked to speak to Ann Barton. Ann answered,” I’m Detective Barton. What can I do for you?”
The young man said,” I need to tell you something. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”
Ann said yes and motioned him to a small room that was sometimes used as a conference room.
She left the door slightly ajar. Then she said,” Now, what is the problem?”
The man was obviously nervous and stammered slightly.
“I w-was the one who ran into your car. It was with my p-pickup. It has a crash bar on the front. It didn’t hurt my truck at all.”
Ann waited silently for a moment, to see what else the man would say. He didn’t say anything more so Ann asked,” Why did you do it?”
“I don’t know why,” said the man.
“What do you mean,’ you don’t know why’?” asked Ann.
“I just don’t know why,” said the man.

“What is your name?” asked Ann.
“Troy Rayburn,” said the man. “I live in Fowler.”
“What were you doing in Tulla City?” asked Ann.
“I don’t know,” said the man. “I just started driving around like I sometimes do and I wound up in Tulla City.”
“Do you know anyone here?” asked Ann.
“No,” said the man.
“Then why did you come here? Is there something here that you like to see; some reason for being here?” asked Ann.
“No,” said the man. “I don’t know why I came here. I didn’t know then and I don’t know now.”
“All right,” said Ann, “Tell me what happened.”

“Well,” said the man,” I was just driving around, like I said, and I found myself in Tulla City. I turned down a road, the one you live on I guess, and I saw your car at the curb. I just turned into the side of it and then, backed up and rammed it three more times. I rammed it as quietly as I could so as not to arouse anyone. Then I left and went home.
That’s all I know.”
“Have you ever seen me before?” asked Ann.
The man said he hadn’t. Ann asked why he did it then and he said he didn’t know. Then Ann said he would have to make a written statement saying what he did and he said he would.
Then Ann said,” Why did you come in and tell me about what you did? I had no clue as to who did it.”
The man said,” This morning I found a note under the windshield wiper blade on my truck. It said I should turn myself in.”
“Who left the note?” asked Ann.
“I don’t know,” answered the man.
“ You don’t know who left the note but you just did what it said?” asked Ann, incredulously. “Why would you do that? Who knew you wrecked my car? Who did you tell?”
“I didn’t tell anyone,” said the man, “No one at all. No one knew except me and whoever left the note under the windshield wiper. Whoever that was even knew it was your car. That’s the truth.”
“Maybe someone saw the damage to your bumper,” said Ann.
“There isn’t any damage to my bumper. I told you, there is a chrome crash bar on it that goes all the way across the front of the pickup bumper. There are a couple of small scratches on it. That’s all.”

“All right,” Said Ann, “I’ll get someone in here to take your statement. Are you sure you are telling me everything?”
“You know as much as I do,” said the man.” “What are you going to do with me now?”
“That’ll be up to the judge,” said Ann. “You did turn yourself in. That might help some.”

Ann left the room. She said to Billy,” Billy, I think you’d better take this man’s statement. You might find it interesting.”


After Billy took a statement from Troy Rayburn, he booked the suspect into jail. After the booking, he stood for a moment in front of Ann’s desk, looking at her. She returned his gaze but neither of them spoke.
Billy turned away and spoke to the sheriff. “I think I’ll make the rounds. I’ll be back about noon.” Then he left the station.
The sheriff walked to Ann’s desk and sat on the edge of it, looking at her. After a few seconds she looked up at him and said,” What?”
He asked,” What is going on between you and Billy?”
“What do you mean,’ what’s going on between me and Billy?’ Nothing’s going on between me and Billy. Why do you ask?"
“Don’t try to bullshit me, detective,” said the sheriff. “I’m not blind and I’m not stupid. Something is going on between you two. I haven’t said anything about it before now but I think it is beginning to affect the station. I can’t let that happen. If you want whatever it is to be secret, you have to keep it out of the station and away from the job. If it’s about business then it’s my business. If not, if it’s personal than keep it away from the job. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” said Ann. “I do and I will.”
That night Ann called Billy at his home. She said,” Billy, we have to make some changes about the way we are acting with each other. The sheriff said something to me about it today.”
Billy said,” What do you want me to do?”
“Just be yourself like before. Act as if we never talked about anything. That’ll be better for me, too.”
“OK,” said Billy, “Consider it done. Back to lusting after you!”
“I can’t wait!” chuckled Ann, and hung up the phone.