Butts flashed an ironic grin. "So, after living in the fast lanes of Chicago, are you enjoying the quiet life here in Pinewhittle's valley?" They both chuckled. Katie brought Mick's coffee.
Loneshark took a pensive sip. He slowly repeated the trooper's title and full name, "Captain Smoky Butts . . . that name sounds familiar. Oh! I remember. I saw you on television. Yes, you were interviewed the day after the explosion." Smoky smiled. "Wait, yeah, you were in charge of sealing off the valley," Mick added as if recalling at that moment.
"That's right, Mick."
"I believe you said the terrorists would have had to climb over the mountains to escape the valley. You know, Smoky, I must confess that I thought such a climb wouldn't be so hard. Since Clint has been leading me on mountain hikes, I know how difficult that escape would have been. It took me a month to be able to breathe the rarefied air without feeling lightheaded."
"You mean Clint Indigence?"
"Yeah, you know Clint?"
"Oh sure, he's a grand old man."
"Grand old mountain goat." They laughed. "How do you know Clint?"
Smoky furrowed his black brows in thought. "Let's see. I can't remember exactly how many years ago it was. Max was still a local patrolman. Anyway, at the time, I was having a lot of trouble with my car radio. The static was terrible. The sound would die in the middle of receiving a transmission. The state maintenance boys had tried to repair the unit and given up on finding the problem. They requisitioned a new radio for me, but it was going to be a month or more before the replacement was scheduled to arrive. I mentioned the problem to Max one day when I was passing through here. He immediately suggested I let Clint fix my radio. Mountain told me Mr. Indigence was incredibly gifted at repairing anything electronic. I was hesitant because such unauthorized tampering with state equipment is frowned upon, but Max was so sure of Clint's abilities that I decided to let Mr. Indigence have a try. I couldn't believe the results, Mick. Clint not only found and fixed the short but modified the radio with some kind of electronic filters. The sound suddenly became as smooth and clear as a top-of-the-line stereo. I'm still using that radio. When I was promoted to captain, I was authorized a new patrol car. The first thing I did was have that old radio installed in my new car. Clint wouldn't take a penny when I offered to pay him. Mr. Indigence told me I could bring him a book sometime if I found one in a used book bin."
"That sounds like Clint," Mick concurred, his azure eyes glittering. "Did you bring him one?"
"I most certainly did!"
"What book did you choose?"
