"Where is there a pay phone nowadays?" Martha asked. "Everyone uses cell phones."
"Are we positive we've got this right?" Quinn cautioned. "I mean, we're siccing the police after someone Howie saw in . . . a vision, for God's sake!"
Betsy was beside herself. "We have to do it! Let the police check him out! He might kill the boy!" She began working on her lap top vigorously. I looked over her shoulder as she typed in pay phones. "The Internet says try gas stations or convenience stores. They still have them, or the big box stores."
"I can't do it!" Howie whimpered. "I'm sorry; I couldn't get the words out of my mouth."
"I can," Martha answered with a snarl in her voice. "I'd kill the bastard myself!" She held up her pad of copious notes. "I agree with Betsy. If that son of a bitch gets away with this it would kill me!"
"Shouldn't we discuss this first?" Quinn said. "This is important stuff and risky as hell."
"God, people!" Betsy screamed, "It's like if The Lord Jesus was standing here, writing a mother's day card to the Virgin Mary, you'd be sitting around on your asses discussing if it was really the month of May! There's a life at stake! This is a must-do situation; fuck the consequences!" I'd never experienced my wife being so upset.
Martha searched for her keys. I started to follow.
"I'll go with you," Betsy said.
Martha shooed me away. "We can't have a gang hanging around a phone booth. People will wonder. Stay here."
I stopped them. "No, Betsy and I will do it. We have an out of state rental car and no one could possibly recognize either of us." I turned to Martha and grabbed her written notes. "You live here; you just might bump into someone you know." I grabbed my wife's hand and the tape recorder and left before anyone could object. Quinn looked on, opened mouthed.
Betsy had the foresight to take her computer. She searched out other tip line numbers and the Warwick Police as well.
My heart was racing as I tried to remember the route Martha had taken this morning. I spotted a gas station on a corner as we entered the city of Lynn but as we pulled closer, we saw the place was out of business. We drove another mile before spotting a corner variety store. We parked and entered together. There was a pay phone near the door but it was out of order. A police car raced by with its siren screaming. It's a wonder we didn't raise our arms in surrender.