Chapter Forty-Four:
Autumn had finally arrived in Central Florida and it seemed to have arrived overnight. The summer humidity broke, and while the sun was still bright and strong, the air lifted fresh and breezy. It had people turning off the air conditioning in favor of throwing open their windows.
Rudd dragged his lawn chair around to the sunny spot next to his side door and opened a fresh bottle of Canadian Club rye whiskey. He filled a juice glass, leaned back and propped his feet up on an overturned wheelbarrow. He snapped a can of Bud and sipped at it.
He had a problem, but today nothing was insurmountable. He took a mouthful of whiskey, washed it down with beer and turned his face to the sun. He needed to get Suzie into the back of his truck. But how?
He took another slug of th
