Archive for November, 2013

Rocky is the main character in my BORDER PULP SERIES. He’s a professional killer. If you were a hired gun, where would you live? Rocky chose Bankhead Springs. It’s an out-of-the-way kind of place. Rocky rents a house behind the Bankhead Springs Hotel. Here’s an excerpt from my novella, The In-Ko-Pah Spirit on what his cabin is like on the inside. Rocky’s pal, Hector Rosales, is paying him a late night visit.

(I took the photo when Rocky wasn’t looking.)

Hector hadn’t called, but since he was a long-time friend, Rocky would understand because of the emergency Gabriel had created.  Hector wound his way past boulders, parked and honked a code they used to identify each other.

He walked to the shack and knocked the code again.  Rocky opened the door slowly and eased his head out.  Hector saw the barrel end of Rocky’s Taurus revolver.

Rocky was clean-shaven and wore a black silk long-sleeve tunic and baggy pantaloons.  He resembled a karate instructor.  Smiling, he stood back from the door.

“Hey amigo, c‘mon in,” said Rocky.  “Makin’ tea. Like some?”

“Not if you got something with alcohol in it.”

“Got some Christmas Tequila you gave me.”

“Holy shit,” said Hector, “you can still see?”

“See spots now and then,” said Rocky with a grin.  “I use that stuff to start my truck in cold weather.”

“I’ll try some,” said Hector, “I know a good doctor.”

Inside, the cabin was white with chipped paint.  The bathroom was small with a pedestal sink and a white iron bathtub with lion-clawed feet.  An old commode sat in a corner, the water tank on the wall above it.  A languid Buddha two feet high rested on the floor next to the bathroom door, fingers curved in a blessing.

“Be careful where you step,” said Rocky.  “Don’t want you breaking a leg.”  Books and oddities cluttered the floor.  Rocky offered Hector a seat at a wooden table salvaged from a local condemned schoolhouse.  ABC’s were engraved along one edge  probably helping the wayward students who carved their initials in the center, but did little for their spelling; cat was spelled with a letter k.  “Trying to get organized,” Rocky explained with a gesture.

In the single room a kitchen counter with a sink lay against one wall.  Next to it a refrigerator with coils on top and an elderly white and blue porcelain gas stove with the manufacturer’s name Magic Chef on the oven gate filled the remaining space.

Hector picked up an old National Geographic from a pile.    “Look at those topless African women,” he said, “I like that.”

“Over there,” said Rocky, “you leave the city that’s what you get.”

“Been there?” asked Hector.

“Mogadishu.” said Rocky.  “Did some work for a business man.”

“Was it bad?” asked Hector.

“Just the food.”

Crackling ice clinked into a glass bowl.  Rocky set it on the table.

“You wouldn’t like it,” said Rocky, “it’s hot and filthy.”  He slid a saltshaker to Hector and placed a lime and a knife on the table.

“Like Mexicali, huh?” said Hector, grinning.

Hope you found that interesting. I won’t give you the code Hector honked. Wouldn’t want to piss off Rocky.

Happy reading.

 

Jacumba is mentioned in my Border Pulp Series. We’ll get there, but there are some interesting places to see before we make our destination.

Lets stop at Bankhead Springs. It was named after Tallulah Bankhead’s father, William B. Bankhead, who was Speaker of the House in the forties. It’s the home of Rocky, the main character in my Border Pulp Series. The building is the old Bankhead Springs Hotel, (click image to enlarge) where Tallulah’s dad stayed when he came to California to keep an eye on his daughter, Tallulah. She was pretty wild.

My characeter, Rocky doesn’t live in the hotel. He has a cabin behind it with a good view of the road and the surrounding area. His greatest fear is surprise. He’s a professional killer and there’s always a chance someone may want to pay him back for some past deed he’s committed.

If you want to know more about Rocky get The In-Ko-Pah Spirit, an action adventure paranormal Rocky novella that takes place in the nearby In-Ko-Pah Mountains, a spooky place.