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Ford Maverick Truck
2021.06.04 05:46 Ford Maverick Truck
Unofficial Subreddit for the Ford Maverick Pickup Truck! Questions on your order status? Contact Ford Maverick Customer Service at 1800 334 4375
2009.08.05 02:37 MamsTaylor Road Trip!
/roadtrip is your source for everything road trip related. Whether you enjoy traveling by motorcycle, car, or recreational vehicle this is your destination for everything related to road trips!
2011.12.21 18:11 kingedwardxiii Truckers
The best trucker subreddit out there.
2023.05.31 17:35 dinny1111 8 wishlist features for Hot Wheels Unleashed 2!
Im a simple man I just want a few things from this game and I’ll be happy!
submitted by dinny1111 to HotWheelsunleashed [link] [comments]
- Randomly rolled stats on every car! Cars shouldn’t intrinsically be rare or legendary, but every car should drop with random stats with only the boost being static! This lets every car be viable, while incentivizing players to grind for a better and better role of the car they want to play. And by having the boost, weight, and shape of the car be pre set by devs this also keeps the cars feeling unique! It also makes the loot boxes more fun because there are really valuable rewards and I actually think loot boxes work well with this implementation especially if paired with a way to spend significantly more currency to buy a car directly!
- Weapons and Abilities! Like rockets and guns from hot wheels beat that or accelechargers from… well you know!
- Crossplay and cross save support! Also a port to Apple Silicon for Mac and iPad would be perfect if its ported fully to iPad it would be the best selling game on App Store I’m certain!
- Full live service treatment no more sequels just expansions! I like the idea of having seasons with and annual expansions!
- Better customization of cars! Like being able to customize the wheels or say the surfboards on the Diora II
- Track customization! So basically for this I want their to be multiple track variants with different decals like how we see in acceleracers!
- More fantasy environments! IE the something like the racing realms or world race or hell even the monster truck dlc having a toy table was perfect!
- ACCELERACERS! Like if I hadn’t hinted it enough I desperately want every car from acceleracers and hot wheels world race in game!
2023.05.31 17:35 SeverePin1185 Your favorite mowing businesses in seacoast NH area?
Who can name a reliable mowing service in the NH seacoast area? Extra points for saying why you like them and how much they are charging (range is fine). I've made several attempts at reaching companies via thumbtack etc (the people who call you back are in NYC!!??). We've used a company for a few weeks because we saw the truck in our neighborhood but they missed a lot today to be paying $50/week for less than quarter acre lot with large home on it. Am I wrong? Is that the usual here?
Thanks!
submitted by SeverePin1185 to newhampshire [link] [comments]
Thanks!
2023.05.31 17:22 gainsonly School list help for very average MCAT score
3.99 overall GPA, 4.0 sGPA
511 MCAT
Research: 600 hours/1.5 years wet lab physio/molecular bio research, strong PI LOR, no pubs or posters. Will project some future hours into the summer as well at the same lab.
Clinical: 650 hours spread pretty evenly over 3 different medical assistant jobs in 3 diff specialties over about 2 years, entered in as 3 separate activities.
Non-clinical volunteering: 280 hours total split among 3 different orgs: church volunteering (80 hrs), ESL TAing/tutoring refugee women (110 hours total split between TAing and tutoring), local homeless org shelter leader (redesigned intake sheet to be trauma-informed, created trainings, etc) and welcome volunteer during the winter shelter season (90 hours split between leadership role and shelter role working directly with guests)
Non-clinical work experience: 1030 hours my first 2 years of college working customer service jobs (retail, food service)
Hobbies: weightlifting and snowboarding
Non-trad who took most of my pre-reqs post bacc, CA ORM female
Struggling to make an OOS school list. I know I can't be too picky with that MCAT and I'm honestly pretty sad to see that score, but it seems silly to retake and postpone my app cycle a year (right? right?)
The start of my school list:
UCSF
UCLA
Stanford
Kaiser
UCSD
UC Davis
USC Keck
UC Irvine
Emory
Duke
Mayo
Ohio State
U Vermont??
Dartmouth?
Hofstra maybe?
How do I not shoot myself in the foot? Really unsure where realistic target OOS schools are. Appreciate any help.
submitted by gainsonly to premed [link] [comments]
511 MCAT
Research: 600 hours/1.5 years wet lab physio/molecular bio research, strong PI LOR, no pubs or posters. Will project some future hours into the summer as well at the same lab.
Clinical: 650 hours spread pretty evenly over 3 different medical assistant jobs in 3 diff specialties over about 2 years, entered in as 3 separate activities.
Non-clinical volunteering: 280 hours total split among 3 different orgs: church volunteering (80 hrs), ESL TAing/tutoring refugee women (110 hours total split between TAing and tutoring), local homeless org shelter leader (redesigned intake sheet to be trauma-informed, created trainings, etc) and welcome volunteer during the winter shelter season (90 hours split between leadership role and shelter role working directly with guests)
Non-clinical work experience: 1030 hours my first 2 years of college working customer service jobs (retail, food service)
Hobbies: weightlifting and snowboarding
Non-trad who took most of my pre-reqs post bacc, CA ORM female
Struggling to make an OOS school list. I know I can't be too picky with that MCAT and I'm honestly pretty sad to see that score, but it seems silly to retake and postpone my app cycle a year (right? right?)
The start of my school list:
UCSF
UCLA
Stanford
Kaiser
UCSD
UC Davis
USC Keck
UC Irvine
Emory
Duke
Mayo
Ohio State
U Vermont??
Dartmouth?
Hofstra maybe?
How do I not shoot myself in the foot? Really unsure where realistic target OOS schools are. Appreciate any help.
2023.05.31 17:20 PritchettRobert506 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in NE Hiring Now!
2023.05.31 17:20 JustUgh2323 Neighbor Rehabbing House & Filling Dumpster
I am just so tired of my new neighbor across the alley. I am on great terms with both my next door neighbors but we have a new neighbor across the alley who is doing the demo on his house and then hiring someone to do the actual reno.
First, we already have problems with our alley and trash pickups. We live in what is politely called a "transitional" neighborhood, which basically means the city is not doing any capital improvements. It was built in the 1960s, so the alleys are not paved and have deep ruts from trash trucks, especially since we live in West Texas and get all our annual rain in about a 2-4 week period, no joke. And like a lot of cities, there are problems with city services and we can't count on regular pickups.
But this new neighbor has not rented a rolloff for his debris. He is constantly filling the dumpster to the top so that none of the other 3 households that share the dumpster really have room for their trash and have to walk further down the alley or leave the trash on top and not close the dumpster. On more than one occasion this has meant the alley has been littered with trash. (We can't tell if it's from animals, but once we caught a dumpster diver going through things too.)
I have been able to live with this for a while. What really makes me upset today when I went out there is that he or his handyman has fixed it so that the entire lid structure is behind the dumpster and the lids cannot be closed at all.
Why is this a problem? We are actually moving and I am cleaning out my pantry and refrigerator, so there are going to be several trash sacks of food just sitting on top of the dumpster, waiting for the neighborhood's feral cats, possums and foxes to dig through and scatter to the winds.
I guess it will no longer be my problem, except that I really like my other neighbors, and they will be left with the "crap" to live with. Why can't people be more courteous?
submitted by JustUgh2323 to neighborsfromhell [link] [comments]
First, we already have problems with our alley and trash pickups. We live in what is politely called a "transitional" neighborhood, which basically means the city is not doing any capital improvements. It was built in the 1960s, so the alleys are not paved and have deep ruts from trash trucks, especially since we live in West Texas and get all our annual rain in about a 2-4 week period, no joke. And like a lot of cities, there are problems with city services and we can't count on regular pickups.
But this new neighbor has not rented a rolloff for his debris. He is constantly filling the dumpster to the top so that none of the other 3 households that share the dumpster really have room for their trash and have to walk further down the alley or leave the trash on top and not close the dumpster. On more than one occasion this has meant the alley has been littered with trash. (We can't tell if it's from animals, but once we caught a dumpster diver going through things too.)
I have been able to live with this for a while. What really makes me upset today when I went out there is that he or his handyman has fixed it so that the entire lid structure is behind the dumpster and the lids cannot be closed at all.
Why is this a problem? We are actually moving and I am cleaning out my pantry and refrigerator, so there are going to be several trash sacks of food just sitting on top of the dumpster, waiting for the neighborhood's feral cats, possums and foxes to dig through and scatter to the winds.
I guess it will no longer be my problem, except that I really like my other neighbors, and they will be left with the "crap" to live with. Why can't people be more courteous?
2023.05.31 17:19 LADelaney21 Wondering if my idea for a small business would be worth pursuing...
Hi! So I've been playing around with this idea for a while now and I just can't decide whether or not it'd be worth trying to achieve. My first job was at an ice cream shop, and the reason I left was mostly the manager (and insufferable customers but I realize I'll have to deal with that everywhere if I'm going to be in food service especially) but I LOVED making ice cream, I got so good at it, making it look beautiful, including ice cream cones, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream pies, and ice cream cakes. My favorite part was making the ice cream sandwiches and packaging them. My idea is starting a little shop making ice cream sandwiches with different flavors of ice cream, different kinds of cookies, all sorts of combinations and toppings and stuff like that. I think it'd be fun to do a food truck even, and taking it to fairs around the state (NY) including the New York State Fair. Anyone have any thoughts on whether or not this would be worth it? I know I'd have to save up a lot to even afford the equipment I'd need, let alone a business space or food truck. I'd probably even have to take a course or two because I know close to nothing about starting/owning a business. But if it'd be a good way to make money and allow me to have a nice vacation over the winter, and do something I enjoy for the summer months...I kinda want to give it a shot. Thanks for any input!!
submitted by LADelaney21 to smallbusiness [link] [comments]
2023.05.31 16:45 No_Bicycle5705 Classic Transport
 | submitted by No_Bicycle5705 to u/No_Bicycle5705 [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 16:41 Captain-Nubs 99 F250 7.3L value
I have a 99 F250 7.3L I am looking to get an idea of its value. Kid on the way and decided to get something easier in that regard and not put any more money into the truck. Located in RI
Has 150k miles, needs brakes, has bent flex plate that needs replacing, service engine soon light came on recently. Wasn’t able to pull code because electrical is a little wacky.
The truck was a MA DOT vehicle that rode rail tracks for 20 years. The frame is rock solid, body is in good shape, minus some rot under both doors. 2WD
Quite frankly I’m not much of an automotive guy, just trying to get a fair price for both me and whoever buys it. Paid 5500 3 or so years ago, put maybe 2k into it in that time.
Thanks for your help.
submitted by Captain-Nubs to FordDiesels [link] [comments]
Has 150k miles, needs brakes, has bent flex plate that needs replacing, service engine soon light came on recently. Wasn’t able to pull code because electrical is a little wacky.
The truck was a MA DOT vehicle that rode rail tracks for 20 years. The frame is rock solid, body is in good shape, minus some rot under both doors. 2WD
Quite frankly I’m not much of an automotive guy, just trying to get a fair price for both me and whoever buys it. Paid 5500 3 or so years ago, put maybe 2k into it in that time.
Thanks for your help.
2023.05.31 16:38 Not_the_EOD Is there a legal way to get some neighbor to stop hosting sales because idiots keep blocking our driveway?
They flip out if someone is buying their junk and blocks their driveway but they don’t care when someone blocks a shared driveway, which blocks in at least three people - ALL who need access 24/7.
We don’t live in town. These sales are beyond a nuisance and she has stolen from one neighbor and sold their property without their permission. Can we let the Sheriff’s department know ahead of time about this issue so they can make the county money writing tickets?
We’re looking at posting a sign or two but the people who have pulled this crap and parked refuse to move - meaning I can’t get family to the ER! Can you talk to a tow service or something? I personally don’t understand why they keep being such assholes and I realize people need to make money - but they’re rich and the people they block in (friends and family) are not.
I want to rip down their sale signs because they do this on such a regular basis - but the mailboxes are blocked, the driveways are blocked and assholes buying junk won’t move. If I have to drive a parent to the ER again I’m going to lose my mind if another fat mouth breather’s truck is blocking the driveway again!
submitted by Not_the_EOD to NoStupidQuestions [link] [comments]
We don’t live in town. These sales are beyond a nuisance and she has stolen from one neighbor and sold their property without their permission. Can we let the Sheriff’s department know ahead of time about this issue so they can make the county money writing tickets?
We’re looking at posting a sign or two but the people who have pulled this crap and parked refuse to move - meaning I can’t get family to the ER! Can you talk to a tow service or something? I personally don’t understand why they keep being such assholes and I realize people need to make money - but they’re rich and the people they block in (friends and family) are not.
I want to rip down their sale signs because they do this on such a regular basis - but the mailboxes are blocked, the driveways are blocked and assholes buying junk won’t move. If I have to drive a parent to the ER again I’m going to lose my mind if another fat mouth breather’s truck is blocking the driveway again!
2023.05.31 16:27 djwildstar Dealer Frustration
I have a relatively new 23 Lariat ER, and in driving around the last few days I've confirmed that the rain-sensing wipers are not in fact sensing rain: they're working as intermittent wipers. The rain-sensing wipers were a nice-to-have feature in my previous vehicles (2013 Flex and 2019 Flex), so I was pretty sure what to expect from the Lariat.
This is a minor annoyance, I know -- but this is a new truck, and in general I want things to work the way they're supposed to. I checked the rain sensor (it's in the plastic housing above the rearview mirror) and it is clipped securely in and doesn't appear to be obstructed. I've seen a reference that a module coding error in previous software update accidentally changed some Lariat rain-sensing wipers to intermittent wipers.
So I called my Ford dealer (the one I bought the truck from) to see if I could make an appointment to bring it in and have it looked at. I was told NO, you can't make an appointment -- bring it in and they'll need to keep it for 4 to 5 days before anyone can look at it. This is unusual for my dealer (they're usually very responsive to service issues). The only other option they could give me was to wait a month and see if I got a different answer then. This seems like a way of avoiding warranty repairs for "minor" issues.
I'm tempted to call other dealers and see if they can do better, but other than that don't have a good idea of what my options might be. I have an OBD2 reader, but ForScan Lite doesn't recognize the vehicle.
submitted by djwildstar to F150Lightning [link] [comments]
This is a minor annoyance, I know -- but this is a new truck, and in general I want things to work the way they're supposed to. I checked the rain sensor (it's in the plastic housing above the rearview mirror) and it is clipped securely in and doesn't appear to be obstructed. I've seen a reference that a module coding error in previous software update accidentally changed some Lariat rain-sensing wipers to intermittent wipers.
So I called my Ford dealer (the one I bought the truck from) to see if I could make an appointment to bring it in and have it looked at. I was told NO, you can't make an appointment -- bring it in and they'll need to keep it for 4 to 5 days before anyone can look at it. This is unusual for my dealer (they're usually very responsive to service issues). The only other option they could give me was to wait a month and see if I got a different answer then. This seems like a way of avoiding warranty repairs for "minor" issues.
I'm tempted to call other dealers and see if they can do better, but other than that don't have a good idea of what my options might be. I have an OBD2 reader, but ForScan Lite doesn't recognize the vehicle.
2023.05.31 16:18 No_Competition4897 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in SC Hiring Now!
2023.05.31 16:14 kaakub Need Advice....legal rights... please help.
Hi folks! Looking for advice. Sorry for long post.
I along with my family (my wife and 2 year old) had to travel to Barrie on Sunday, May 28th, for which I rented a vehicle from Turo rentals with Minimum Protection Plan ($2000 Deductible). While coming back to toronto via DVP all of a sudden front driver side tire blew up and the car hit the divider on the highway, after which the car got tilted on one side, I somehow got control back of the car and put it to stop with minimum damage (just a few scratches, images attached). Thankfully, I was driving on the extreme left lane, and no one got injured except for my wife, her shoulder got bruised and swollen. I immediately called Turo to report the issue and seek out help. Within 5 - 10 mins Toronto Fire and Toronto Police services came in and blocked the lane. After a long discussion with turo customer service, they agreed to arrange a tow service to pick up the car. However, even after 45 min, there was no tow truck arrived so Toronto police suggested to use the tow service provided by third party as they needed to clear highway. All this while I was on call with Turo but they were unable to provide ETA for tow service. Finally, I had to use third party tow service to have vehicle removed from highway and park it to closest parking lot. Which costed me $406. 30. After contacting turo again, we were suprised to know that the tow service has not yet started and 20 mins later turo updated that the ETA would be 60 mins for tow service to arrive and the drop off location for the car was the mechanic shop and we had to do uber to reach back home. After a lot of discussion with Turo, they said to submit the receipts (tow service and uber) which they MIGHT reimburse.
After around 50 min stranded at a parking lot with a 2 year old, who was not well and getting cranky, the car owner came and started giving all the bullshit reasons to save his side of expenses. One was that I might have hit the car in the pothole, because of which the tire busted. I told him to check the DVP if he finds any pothole, to which he replies that I might have hit the pothole in or around Barrie (some 50 km away) because of which this happened. Next he tells me that all the tire are were new, to which I said the grooves on the tire doesn't resonate with his this statement and he is free to go and check the grooves on any of the cars that are parked there, to which he couldn't answer. He even had an audacity to ask me to replace the tire instead of using the tow service. Finally, he asked me to not report damaged on TURO and that he would give mechanic $100 and get the car repaired.
The next day I got a message from the owner that the mechanic said that the tire were way beyond safety limits and today I got a call from Turo stating that the renter has to pay all the damages charges if anything happens to the vehicle during the rental dperiod.
So now my questions are:
1) Tire blew up without any fault of mine, I literally saved the car and my family from a major accident and both the parties (turo and the owner) are putting the bills on me. So, will I have to pay for the damages. What can I do in this case?
2) My family suffered from trauma, being in the accident anything could have happened. We were stranded on highway and parking lot for 2 and half hours and my little one was all cranky and exhausted. I was continously on call with Turo and my wife was handling the kiddo with her bruised shoulder. I want to know what are my legal rights in this situation, I am so frustrated with the Turo service and owner's way of handling the situation.
Thankfully no other vehicle was involved, no collision happened. Everyone in the family is fine and even the car was not damaged. But a lot worse could have happened, because of the owner's fault of providing the car with proper tire.
Please advise what can be done ? Or any options that I can sue turo or turo host for providing us faulty car in first place.
Unable to find option to attach photos so will put it in comments section.
Appreciate your support.
submitted by kaakub to legaladvicecanada [link] [comments]
I along with my family (my wife and 2 year old) had to travel to Barrie on Sunday, May 28th, for which I rented a vehicle from Turo rentals with Minimum Protection Plan ($2000 Deductible). While coming back to toronto via DVP all of a sudden front driver side tire blew up and the car hit the divider on the highway, after which the car got tilted on one side, I somehow got control back of the car and put it to stop with minimum damage (just a few scratches, images attached). Thankfully, I was driving on the extreme left lane, and no one got injured except for my wife, her shoulder got bruised and swollen. I immediately called Turo to report the issue and seek out help. Within 5 - 10 mins Toronto Fire and Toronto Police services came in and blocked the lane. After a long discussion with turo customer service, they agreed to arrange a tow service to pick up the car. However, even after 45 min, there was no tow truck arrived so Toronto police suggested to use the tow service provided by third party as they needed to clear highway. All this while I was on call with Turo but they were unable to provide ETA for tow service. Finally, I had to use third party tow service to have vehicle removed from highway and park it to closest parking lot. Which costed me $406. 30. After contacting turo again, we were suprised to know that the tow service has not yet started and 20 mins later turo updated that the ETA would be 60 mins for tow service to arrive and the drop off location for the car was the mechanic shop and we had to do uber to reach back home. After a lot of discussion with Turo, they said to submit the receipts (tow service and uber) which they MIGHT reimburse.
After around 50 min stranded at a parking lot with a 2 year old, who was not well and getting cranky, the car owner came and started giving all the bullshit reasons to save his side of expenses. One was that I might have hit the car in the pothole, because of which the tire busted. I told him to check the DVP if he finds any pothole, to which he replies that I might have hit the pothole in or around Barrie (some 50 km away) because of which this happened. Next he tells me that all the tire are were new, to which I said the grooves on the tire doesn't resonate with his this statement and he is free to go and check the grooves on any of the cars that are parked there, to which he couldn't answer. He even had an audacity to ask me to replace the tire instead of using the tow service. Finally, he asked me to not report damaged on TURO and that he would give mechanic $100 and get the car repaired.
The next day I got a message from the owner that the mechanic said that the tire were way beyond safety limits and today I got a call from Turo stating that the renter has to pay all the damages charges if anything happens to the vehicle during the rental dperiod.
So now my questions are:
1) Tire blew up without any fault of mine, I literally saved the car and my family from a major accident and both the parties (turo and the owner) are putting the bills on me. So, will I have to pay for the damages. What can I do in this case?
2) My family suffered from trauma, being in the accident anything could have happened. We were stranded on highway and parking lot for 2 and half hours and my little one was all cranky and exhausted. I was continously on call with Turo and my wife was handling the kiddo with her bruised shoulder. I want to know what are my legal rights in this situation, I am so frustrated with the Turo service and owner's way of handling the situation.
Thankfully no other vehicle was involved, no collision happened. Everyone in the family is fine and even the car was not damaged. But a lot worse could have happened, because of the owner's fault of providing the car with proper tire.
Please advise what can be done ? Or any options that I can sue turo or turo host for providing us faulty car in first place.
Unable to find option to attach photos so will put it in comments section.
Appreciate your support.
2023.05.31 16:04 Bigtime1234 2018 Macan offered to me, worth it?
Long story short, a friend of a friend wants to buy a pickup truck and dealer offered him 20k in trade, and is willing to sell it to me at that price. Base model, almost 80k miles (he was in sales and drove everywhere), all service done through Porsche dealership with records to prove it.
I’ve never owned a Porsche, but have had multiple BMWs and Mercedes, so I have an idea of what I’m getting into.
Pass or buy? Any thoughts are appreciated.
submitted by Bigtime1234 to PorscheMacan [link] [comments]
I’ve never owned a Porsche, but have had multiple BMWs and Mercedes, so I have an idea of what I’m getting into.
Pass or buy? Any thoughts are appreciated.
2023.05.31 15:34 Top-Total692 [HIRING] 20 Jobs in Buffalo Hiring Now!
2023.05.31 15:31 disposal-queen Flexible and Sustainable Eco-Friendly Waste Disposal Services
 | submitted by disposal-queen to u/disposal-queen [link] [comments] Flexible and Sustainable Eco-Friendly Waste Disposal Services We provide a range of bin sizes and flexible pick-up schedules to suit your specific requirements. Our fleet of trucks is eco-friendly and operates using compressed natural gas (CNG). Equipped with GPS tracking, route management systems, sanitation equipment, and advanced safety features, we guarantee our vehicle operations' punctuality, sanitation, and safety. We offer 24/7 waste disposal services without any long-term contracts or hidden fees, and our commitment to providing unparalleled customer service sets us apart from other industry players. |
2023.05.31 15:23 chuckhustmyre [TH] THE DETOUR by Chuck Hustmyre
Not every town is on the map.
"Daddy, I gotta pee."
Dale Thornton looked over his shoulder at his six-year-old son belted into the back seat of their Jeep Cherokee. As the boy squirmed around, Dale looked at his wife in the passenger seat beside him. "Didn't he just go?"
Carol glanced at her watch. "That was over an hour ago." She twisted to look into the back seat. "Can you hold it?"
In the rearview mirror, Dale saw Jesse shake his head. His wife checked her watch again. He could almost see the wheels turning inside her head. She was the family mediator, and she had just come up with something that made perfect sense. One of the reasons he loved her so much was her ability to change gears. In himself, Dale recognized his single-mindedness as a drawback. He admired her flexibility. In more ways than one, he thought. She was a good wife and a good mother.
"It's almost five," Carol said. "Let's stop at the next town. We can all use the restroom and get something to eat."
Dale tugged the spiral-bound road atlas down from where he had wedged it between the visor and the roof. They had left Tulsa that morning, headed for Mardi Gras, and he hoped to be in New Orleans by 10 p.m. Looking at the LOUISIANA page, his eyes traced the route he had highlighted in yellow. They had detoured down old U.S. 167. Rural America was disappearing and Dale wanted his son to see something of it before it was completely gone.
They were somewhere south of Ruston. He couldn't remember if they had passed Jonesboro or not, so the next town was either that or--if they'd already passed it--Winnfield. The gas gauge was on a quarter of a tank. They needed to stop anyway. "All right, honey," he said. "We'll take a break."
Carol laid a hand on his leg. "I'm glad we came this way. You can't see anything from the Interstate."
Ten miles later they sprang upon a small town. There was an old-fashioned, carved wooden sign posted beside the highway. Dale read out loud, "Welcome to Batesville. Population 875."
"What's that mean," Jesse asked.
Dale glanced at his son in the rearview mirror. "That's how many people live here."
"When somebody dies, do they change the number on the sign?"
Carol smiled over her shoulder at Jesse. "I bet they change it when a baby is born."
Just like her. She didn't like to talk about death or dying. Instead, she liked to focus on the good things in life, babies, birthdays, and family vacations. She had always been like that but more so since her grandfather passed away last year. She had been very close to him, closer than she had ever been to her father.
Dale sneaked a glance at her. She was his angel but an angel with dark secrets. She had shared some of those secrets with him but not all of them, probably because she knew the abuse in her life disturbed him so much. "That sign probably hasn't been changed in twenty years," he said.
"Why put it up if it's not right?" Jesse asked.
Good question. "I don't know, son."
As they got into the little town, Dale was impressed. The side streets that cut off of the highway were lined with neat wooden houses, most of them with white picket fences. A lot of the little towns they had passed through looked run down and dirty, but not this one. Batesville was clean and pretty.
When they came to the town's only traffic light, Dale saw a business on each corner: a hotel, a gas station, a restaurant, and the Batesville General Store. Before the light turned green, Dale pulled the Jeep beside the pumps at the gas station. A middle-aged man wearing oil stained coveralls stepped out from the office. "What can I do you for?" he asked. His tone was friendly, something you didn't hear at many gas stations these days.
Dale stepped out of the driver's seat and stretched. "I need a fill-up and some food." Then he jerked his thumb toward the back seat. "And my son needs to use the head."
The man wiped his hands on a rag he pulled out of his pocket. Then he shook Dale's hand. "Dudley Simpson. I can help you with the gas and the bathroom for your boy, but as for food, afraid all I got is potato chips and sodas." He pointed to the restaurant across the street. "Right over there is the best food in town." He laughed. "Only restaurant we got, but I wouldn't kid you. It's really good. Restroom's not too bad either."
Jesse said he could hold it until they got to the restaurant, so Dale sent him and Carol across the street to get a table. When he reached for the gas pump, Dudley Simpson stopped him. "I don't charge extra for full service. Every car comes through here I pump the gas, look under the hood, and check the tires."
"Don't see that too much anymore," Dale said.
"Guess I'm kind of old-fashioned."
After Dudley finished, Dale added a couple of bucks to the bill. He felt a little awkward, unsure if he could tip the owner of a gas station without insulting him. But Dudley took no offense, just said thank you and asked him to stop in again on their way home.
When Dale turned the key, nothing happened. He turned it again and still nothing happened. Just a click. No dash lights, the motor didn't turn over, nothing. Dudley told him to pop the hood again. After Dale turned the key a couple more times with Simpson's head buried under the hood, Dudley said he'd found the problem. "Alternator's shot. You must've been running on battery for a good while."
"Can you fix it?"
The gas station owner looked at his watch. "Not today. Parts store is closed 'till tomorrow."
Great, just great, Dale thought.
"I could arrange a tow to somewhere else, next town down the highway has a Goodyear Service Center," Dudley said, "but even they won't get to it until tomorrow."
Dale nodded, his mind stuck on having to spend the night in Batesville instead of New Orleans.
"I'll get to it first thing," Dudley said. "Have you out of here by ten o'clock." He pointed at the hotel. "Mrs. Jensen has a nice place. A-C, cable TV, and no bugs."
Great. No bugs.
Dudley told Dale that he could leave the Jeep right where it was. No need to worry about it, he said. They had a town marshal but nothing ever happened in Batesville. So quiet the state police never even came by.
"Sorry I'm blocking your pumps," Dale said.
Dudley shrugged. "Other side's open." Then he looked at his watch. "Besides, it's five-thirty. I close in half an hour."
As he crossed the street, Dale remembered his gun. A Smith and Wesson .357 revolver that he always brought with him on road trips. You never knew what could happen. They might break down on the highway and get attacked by a drug-crazed motorcycle gang. The gun was in the cargo compartment, wrapped inside a cloth and tucked between the spare tire and the side wall. It would be safe enough.
At the restaurant he told Carol the news and in typical Carol fashion she looked on the bright side. "It'll be fun being stranded in a small town," she said. "Who knows what'll happen?"
"Do they have TV?" Jesse asked.
A cute young waitress served them. The plastic tag pinned to her blouse said her name was April. When she brought out their food she set Jesse's down first.
"That's the cutest little mark on your face," she said. "Almost looks like lipstick."
Unabashedly, Jesse pointed to the red oval shaped birthmark set high on his right cheek. "It means I'm special."
She smiled. "It looks like a kiss."
"Really?" Jesse asked.
Dale saw a look of contentment on Carol's face. Jesse's birthmark was something she'd never wanted their son to be shy or embarrassed about.
The waitress set out the rest of the plates. "I heard a mark like that means that right before you were born an angel kissed you."
Jesse turned to his mom. "Is that true?"
Carol smiled at her son and nodded. "I think she may be right."
April bent down and kissed Jesse on the top of his head. "I'm not an angel, but there's a kiss from me."
Dudley Simpson had been right; the food was excellent. After they ate, Dale got up to use the bathroom. "You need to go again, Jess?"
The boy shook his head. "No thanks."
Dale handed Carol a credit card. "Let's save our cash."
She nodded. "All right, baby."
"Back in a sec," he said as he turned away.
***
When he came out of the men's room, Carol and Jesse weren't at the table. The waitress had been quick. Most of the dirty plates were gone; the only ones left were his. Dale looked for his family near the front door, then up by the cash register, but they weren't there.
Maybe Jesse had changed his mind and Carol had brought him into the bathroom with her. So Dale waited, but after several minutes passed and they didn't come out, he decided to check outside. They might have gotten cold or Jesse could've gotten restless and they were waiting out front for him. But they weren't out front, either.
Across the street the lights were out at the gas station--Dudley was closed for the night. The Jeep Cherokee sat at the pumps. Anxiously, Dale looked at the hotel. Maybe...but they wouldn't do that, wouldn't have gone without him. That wasn't like Carol. Smart and independent, but she liked her husband doing the man things, and in her mind, checking into a hotel was a man thing.
Back inside he knocked on the door of the women's restroom. No one answered, so he cracked it open. "Carol?" No answer. "Carol, Jess, you there?"
"Can I help you, sir?" It was their waitress.
Embarrassed, Dale forced a laugh. "I seem to have lost my wife and son." He nodded toward the men's room. "While I was in there."
"Your wife and son?" She looked confused.
"When I came back they were gone."
She had a blank look on her face.
Annoyed, he said, "I ate with them."
The waitress furrowed her brow. "Sir, I didn't see you with anyone else."
Dale stared at her. For a second he thought that maybe he was wrong, maybe this wasn't his waitress. He checked her name tag, saw it said April. "You waited on us." Dale pointed to his right cheek. "My son has that little birthmark. You said an angel kissed him."
She shrugged. "I think I'd remember that."
He pointed to himself. "You remember me?" Then at their table. "We were sitting right there."
She nodded. "Yes, sir. I remember you, but you ate by yourself." She turned to the table where Dale's dishes still sat. "I was just bringing you your bill."
He raised his voice. "Is this some kind of a joke?" People began looking at him.
April took a step back and raised her hands. "You need to talk to Mr. Simms."
"Who's Mr. Simms?"
"The owner."
"Well that's who I want to see."
Mr. Simms was already scurrying over. "What's the problem?"
Dale turned to him. "I can't find my family." He pointed at the girl. "She was our waitress and she's telling me she doesn't even remember them."
Mr. Simms looked at April.
She shrugged again. "I'm sorry but he was alone. I've never seen his family."
Simms looked like he didn't understand. April tried to explain it again, but Dale cut her off and pointed to the table. "My family and I ate right there. I went to the restroom, came out, and they were gone."
Mr. Simms clapped a hand on Dale's shoulder. "Maybe they're outside waiting for you."
"I've checked outside," he barked. "They're not there."
Simms glanced at the waitress. "Why don't you get back to work. I'll handle this."
Dale grabbed her by the arm. "She knows where they are."
Everyone in the restaurant stared at him.
Mr. Simms jerked Dale's hand away from the girl. "Sir, she said she doesn't know where your family is."
April pleaded with her boss. "He didn't have his family with him."
"She's lying!" Dale said, as he inched closer to April.
Simms stepped between them. Looking at Dale, he said, "Have you checked your car?"
He nodded. "It's broken down at the gas station across the street. We've got to spend the night at the hotel."
Mr. Simms smiled. "That's probably it."
"What?"
"I bet they're at the hotel."
"He was by himself," April said.
The restaurant owner snapped his head towards her and pointed to the dinning area. "Go."
She looked at her boss for a second, a half-formed protest on her lips; then suddenly she spun on her heel and stomped away.
Simms looked back at Dale. "Have you checked the hotel?"
"They wouldn't do that."
"Have you checked?" Insistent.
Dale could feel himself losing control as the sweat dripped from his armpits. He took several deep breaths, trying to force himself to calm down. "No, I haven't."
"Maybe your kids got tired."
The deep breathing had made him light-headed. "Just the one boy." As Dale turned toward the door, Simms patted him on the back. "I'm sure everything's going to be fine."
But things weren't fine. At the hotel, he woke up Mrs. Jensen. Turns out she and Mr. Jensen had an apartment behind the office. Dale had banged on the glass door of the office for five minutes before a light came on.
Mrs. Jensen had come out first. A white haired old lady, covered in a paper-thin pink housecoat, imprinted with blue flowers the size of a quarter. A minute later, Mr. Jensen, looking about seventy, dressed in a full set of dark green, silk pajamas and a pair of matching slippers, stumbled into the office, smelling like he'd taken a bath in Jack Daniel's.
Dale's heart sank. He went through the story anyway, but as he expected, the Jensens said that no one had checked in or even come by since mid-morning.
Walking back to the restaurant, he looked at his Jeep. Still empty and no one near it.
A marked police car was parked near the restaurant's front door. As he got closer, Dale read the decal on the side, BATESVILLE TOWN MARSHAL. Maybe now he could get some help.
Just inside, near the cash register, Dale found April the waitress, Mr. Simms, and a heavyset man in jeans and a T-shirt, talking. As he walked up, all three stopped and stared at him. He felt like a freak in a boardwalk exhibit.
"Did you find them?" Simms asked.
Dale shook his head. "The people at the hotel haven't seen them."
The big man in jeans took a step toward him. "Mr...?
"Thornton. Dale Thornton."
The man stuck out his hand. "Jerry Stillwell. I'm town marshal."
"Saw your car outside." Dale shook the marshal's hand. "My wife and son are miss--"
"I understand there was a problem here earlier."
"Yeah there's a problem. My family disappeared."
The marshal and Simms traded glances; then he looked back at Dale. "So I heard. What do you think happened to them?"
Something didn't feel right. "If I knew that, they wouldn't be missing."
Marshal Stillwell stuck his belly out. "No reason to get smart. You all ready scared some customers. Don't make--"
"Scared some customers. Is that why you're here, because I scared some customers? My wife and son are MISSING!" Everyone in the restaurant had stopped eating and was watching the soap opera at the door. With a sharp edge to his voice, Dale said, "What are you going to do about it?"
The marshal jabbed a finger at him. "You better calm yourself down or I'll do it for you. Now I need to ask you some questions," his eyes swept the customers, "and I don't think this is the place to do it."
"I'm not going anywhere." Dale pointed to the completely cleaned off table where they'd eaten. "Half an hour ago my family and I ate right there. Now they're gone. Someone in here knows what happened to them."
The marshal dropped a big hand on Dale's shoulder and tried to guide him out the door. "We're going to find your family, but not here, not like--"
Dale pulled away. He pointed to Simms and the waitress. "They coming with us?"
"I don't see the need for--"
Dale reached out for April. "She's lying!"
With surprising speed, the town marshal slipped behind him and clamped a meaty forearm around his throat, sealing off his windpipe. Dale grabbed at the hairy arm and tried to twist it away as the marshal whispered in his ear, "Take it easy, son." Then something jabbed him in the kidney that sent waves of pain shooting up his back.
Seconds later, Dale was on the floor, his cheek pressed against the cool tiles, as the marshal handcuffed his wrists behind his back.
***
"She said it was the kiss of an angel, huh?" Marshal Stillwell asked. Things had calmed down some. Dale and the town marshal were alone in his office. Dale was still handcuffed, but the marshal had moved them to the front. He sat in a chair in front of the lawman's desk, watching him fill out forms with a ballpoint pen. Stillwell touched his finger to his right cheek. "That mark you're talking about is right here?"
Dale nodded.
"That's strange."
The handcuffs were uncomfortable. Dale twisted his wrists, trying to get some circulation back. "What's unusual about it?"
"We had a preacher in town few years back with the same kind of mark on his face." Stillwell traced a small circle on his cheek. "Heard him say once during a sermon it was from an angel's kiss."
Dale stared at the marshal, his flesh suddenly crawling with goosebumps.
"But he was a strange one. Lots of rumors. Guess it goes with the territory."
"What territory?"
"Young, good-looking preacher. Single. Moves into town, starts preaching all hours of the night." He gave Dale a knowing wink, like they were sharing a secret. "Giving special counseling sessions to half the women in town."
Grasping at straws, looking for anything. Dale said, "Is he still here?"
Marshal Stillwell shook his head. "Church burned down."
"What about the preacher?"
"We never found his body."
"He was the only one in the church?"
Stillwell looked down at the form on his desk and pressed his pen to it. "He had six or eight ladies in there with him. Supposed to be some sort of social club. Fire was so hot, we couldn't tell one body from the next. That was when the rumors really started."
Dale flexed his fingers. His hands hurt. "What kind of rumors?"
The marshal laughed. "Just gossip. People 'round here are simple minded, superstitious, that's all."
"What kind of gossip?"
Stillwell looked up. "Not everybody you understand, but some people have been talking about how the preacher isn't really dead, about how he's gonna come back some day."
Dale needed to get out, to find Carol and Jesse. There was something terribly wrong here. "Am I under arrest?"
Stillwell nodded.
In the corner stood a single holding cell, the door gaping open, waiting. "What's the charge?"
The marshal jerked a thumb in the general direction of the restaurant. "Disturbing the peace."
"What about my family?"
The man tapped the pile of forms in front of him. "I'll forward these missing persons reports to the state police in the morning; then I'll call the judge and try to get a bond set for you."
Dale sprung to his feet. "I've got to find my family tonight!"
Marshal Stillwell eased out of his chair and stood up. "Just calm down. Soon as I get this information to them, the state troopers will be on the lookout." He jerked his thumb toward the south. "Their office is just five miles down the road."
Dale nodded at the phone on the desk. "Call them now."
The marshal shook his head. "Can't do that."
"Why not."
"I got procedures to follow."
Dale Thornton squatted and shoved the desk into Stillwell. The marshal's chair rolled back on its casters but snagged on something and tipped over, spilling Marshal Stillwell onto the floor. Dale scrambled over the desk, knocking papers, pens, and a near full cup of coffee on top of the lawman, then dropped a knee into the man's big belly. The marshal curled into a ball and moaned.
Stillwell didn't have a gun on him, at least not one Dale could find. The way he was dressed it looked like he had been called out from home. Maybe he forgot his gun, or maybe he just didn't carry one. Dale grabbed a handful of shirt and dragged the marshal into the open holding cell, then kicked the door shut. It locked automatically.
By the time Stillwell staggered to his feet Dale was searching his desk. The marshal tried to rip the steel bars apart with his bare hands. "Let me out of here, you crazy bastard!"
Dale ignored him. In the bottom right hand drawer he found a gun, a .38 caliber, five-shot Smith and Wesson. Stillwell started shouting for help. Dale leveled the gun at him. "Shut up."
Stillwell quit yelling.
Dale kept searching.
A few seconds later, the marshal said, "You'll never get away with this."
Holding his wrists up, Dale rattled the handcuffs. "Keys?"
The cop pointed to the desk. "Bottom left."
After he got the handcuffs off, Dale finished going through the desk, then did a quick search of a filing cabinet that was set against the wall. There he found keys to the holding cell and a roll of duct tape.
As Dale approached the cell, Marshal Stillwell backed against the far wall. "What are you gonna do?"
Aiming the revolver at Stillwell's belly, Dale ordered him to lie on the floor. A few minutes later he relocked the cell door, leaving the marshal with his hands cuffed behind his back and a strip of silver duct tape wrapped around his head that sealed his mouth shut. On his way out of the marshal's office, Dale tossed the revolver back into the desk drawer and kicked it shut. That was trouble he didn't need.
The state police. "Their office is just five miles down the road," the marshal had said.
Darkness had settled over the Batesville. How long had he been in the marshal's office? Everything in town was closed and locked up tight. There wasn't a light to be seen, and not a soul on the street. He didn't see any payphones.
He had to get out of town. Which way had the marshal pointed when he mentioned the state police? Thinking about it, Dale decided it had to be south. They'd driven in from the north and he was sure they hadn't passed a state police troop.
The night had turned cold. If he was going to walk for five miles he needed a jacket.
It took just a few minutes to make it to the gas station. His Jeep was right where he'd left it, but when he reached into his pocket for the keys they weren't there. An image flashed through his mind. A close up shot just like in a movie. His hand reaching toward Dudley Simpson's, and in his hand, his keys.
Damn!
He looked into the rear window, saw their luggage lying in the back. Dale thought about breaking the window and getting a jacket, maybe his gun, too. Not the gun. He was in enough trouble all ready for what he'd done to the town marshal. Assault, kidnapping--maybe not kidnapping, he hadn't taken him anywhere, just locked him in his own cell--but something like kidnapping. Desperation had driven him to it. That's the only reason he had done it. Because he had to find Carol and Jesse.
He could make it without a jacket.
Old Highway 167 south. Dale Thornton started walking. Ten minutes later he saw headlights behind him, coming from town. He crouched in the bushes beside the highway, but the beat-up pickup glided to a stop next to him. An old man sat behind the wheel, alone in the truck. "You need a ride?"
Feeling like a complete fool, Dale stood. "Yeah, I guess."
"Where you headed?"
"You know where the state police office is?"
The old man nodded, then jerked his head toward the passenger side. "Hop in."
As he climbed into the pickup truck, Dale shot a glance at the old man. Probably at least seventy, with long ghost white hair and a bushy mustache, wearing a stained undershirt and a pair of denim overalls. Dale scanned the dashboard for a clock but didn't see one. "What time is it?"
The old man shrugged. "Haven't worn a watch in thirty years. Do things as quick as I can. A timepiece strapped to my wrist ain't gonna make me move any faster."
The drive was torture. Never did the old man go over thirty-five miles an hour. Only good thing was that he didn't ask any questions. Just dropped Dale off in the parking lot of the state police troop. As he walked through the door into the police station, Dale glanced over his shoulder and saw the old man's pickup rumbling down the highway.
Inside, sitting behind a chest high counter, was a uniformed trooper, sergeant stripes on his sleeves. Mid-40's, with an iron gray crew cut. "Can I help you, sir?" the sergeant said.
Dale spat out the story as fast as he could, leaving out the part about how he'd handcuffed the town marshal and left him gagged in his own jail cell.
The sergeant's face had remained inscrutable while Dale talked. "What was the name of that town again, sir?"
"Batesville."
The sergeant wheeled his chair over to a map hanging on the wall. "And where'd you say it was?"
The state cop demonstrated the same bureaucrat mentality as the town marshal. Any minute now he'd break out a sheaf of forms and start filling them out. Dale pointed north. "Five miles that way."
"What'd you say your name was again?" The sergeant glided the chair back over to his work area and pulled a pen from his shirt pocket.
"Thornton. Dale Thornton."
As soon as the sergeant finished jotting Dale's name on a pad, he looked up. "There's no town named Batesville."
"I was just there!"
The sergeant stood up. "Take it easy, sir. I'm sure you just got the name mixed up."
Just like in the restaurant.
"...get to the bottom of it." The desk sergeant was still talking, but Dale hadn't heard everything. He felt dizzy. Was everyone around here crazy? "We ate dinner there," he mumbled. "I left my car at the gas station. Dudley Simpson's gas station."
The sergeant nodded as he walked around the counter. A big man, at least six feet, with the beefy build of a weightlifter. "I know Simpson's place. Old 167 and Highway 90. But there's no town there, just the gas station."
"The gas station's smack in the middle of the town. There's a restaurant, a general store, and a hotel, too."
The sergeant closed on him, his body bladed, his gun side away from Dale. "I need you to put your hands on the counter, sir."
"What?"
With his right hand resting on his holstered pistol, the state trooper took hold of Dale's wrist with his left hand and pushed it to the top of the counter. Dale's other hand followed. The sergeant said, "Pull you feet back."
"What are you doing?"
"You have any weapons on you?"
"No! Of course not." Glad he'd left the marshal's gun, glad he hadn't gotten his own out of the Jeep.
"I'm just gonna pat you down."
"Why?" Dale said. "I haven't done anything. My family's missing?"
The sergeant slid his hands over Dale's waist and the outside of his pockets. "It's for safety, sir."
"Whose?"
"Yours and mine," the trooper sergeant said as he stepped backward a few feet.
"Something's happened to my wife and son. I came here for help."
"What happened to them?"
"I don't know," Dale said. "That's why I need your help."
"Mr. Thornton, I've worked this area for nineteen years. There is no town called Batesville."
"I don't care what you call it, but there's a town five miles away and we need to go there right now."
"Closest town is twelve miles from here and it's south."
The gas station. At least the sergeant knew about the gas station. Dale looked over his shoulder at the big cop. "Can I stand up?" After getting a nod, Dale pushed away from the counter and stood straight. Arguing wasn't getting him anywhere. "Look sergeant, maybe I seem a bit confused, but I know my wife and 6-year-old son are missing. Our car broke down at Simpson's gas station. Can you drive me there and help me look for them?"
The sergeant took his hand off his pistol and relaxed a little. "How'd you get here?"
"An old man in a pickup gave me a ride."
"You get his name?"
Dale's mouth opened but nothing came out as he realized he couldn't remember a thing about the old man or his truck. No details at all.
"What's the matter?"
Dale shook his head. "He...he just gave me a ride. I didn't get his name."
The trooper sergeant held up his hand. "Stay right here. Soon as I get someone to cover the desk, I'll give you a ride back to Simpson's."
Ten minutes later Dale climbed into the passenger seat of the state police car. The sergeant looked over at him. "Put your seatbelt on." Dale strapped himself in but noticed the sergeant didn't.
On the highway the trooper asked him to go over the story again. As Dale repeated what had happened, the sergeant asked several questions about Simpson's: what time of day, what was wrong with the car, who had the keys; but he asked nothing about what happened in the restaurant. The restaurant that wasn't there, according to the sergeant.
A few minutes later the police cruiser's headlights lit up the darkened gas station and Dale's Jeep parked at the pumps.
There was nothing else--absolutely nothing else.
The sergeant slowed down as he turned into the parking lot. "That your Cherokee?"
Stunned, Dale couldn't answer. Staring out the window, struck dumb by what he saw, or didn't see. No restaurant, no hotel, no Batesville General Store--no town. Just empty farmland and a few trees surrounding the gas station.
The trooper pulled his car up behind the Jeep, leaving a car-length gap between the two of them. "Stay here," he said as he pulled a flashlight from a charger mounted to the dash.
Dale leaned his head against the window and watched the sergeant creep up to the driver's door of his Jeep Cherokee, flashlight held out in front of him, his other hand on the butt of his pistol. The state cop opened the door--the locked door--and poked his head inside the passenger compartment of Dale's Jeep. The trooper backed out and held up his hand, Dale's keys dangling from his fingers. "Keys were inside," he shouted.
With legs quivering, Dale stepped out of the police car. He couldn't understand this. The Jeep had been locked, Dudley Simpson had the keys. He stumbled toward the trooper.
The sergeant shined his flashlight into the back, into the cargo compartment. Suddenly, his face turned to stone. He dropped the keys, drew his gun, aimed both it and his flashlight at Dale. "Don't move!"
Dale stopped dead. What the hell was...
"Get on the ground!"
Not comprehending, Dale just stood there.
The trooper screamed at him, "Get on the fucking ground--now."
Dale Thornton dropped face down onto the pavement. From the corner of his eye, he saw the sergeant side-stepping around him until he was behind Dale and to his left.
The trooper said, "Turn your head to the right."
Dale did as he was told. Then the sergeant closed in and cuffed his hands behind his back. Just the second time in his life Dale had been handcuffed, both on the same night.
After backing up a few steps, the sergeant keyed the radio clipped to his belt and called the state police troop. When the dispatcher answered, the sergeant said, "I need back up units," Dale heard him take a deep breath, "and notify the corner."
The tinny voice from the radio said, "What you got, sergeant?"
"Homicide," the trooper answered. "Suspect is in custody."
Homicide?
The sergeant hooked Dale's elbows and jerked him to his feet, then picked up the keys and opened the tailgate of the Jeep.
Lying in the back, in the cargo space, arms and legs twisted into a torturous configuration, was the naked body of his wife, Carol. At the back of her head, her golden hair was tangled and caked with dried blood. Her face chalk white, her forehead blown out where the bullet had exited. On the carpet next to her was a .357 revolver--Dale's .357 revolver.
She was alone.
"Jesse!" Dale screamed at the dark and empty fields.
***
In 1885 the town of Batesville, Louisiana burned to the ground. Scores of people were killed in the predawn fire that swept through the town. Among those reported killed in the blaze was the town's only minister, but many bodies were so badly burned that positive identification was impossible.
The fire started in the Batesville church and was allegedly set by a preacher from a nearby town. The preacher, a God-fearing and righteous man, was said to have been outraged at the evil deeds going on in Batesville, which he had called a modern-day Sodom.
The town of Batesville was never rebuilt.
THE END
submitted by chuckhustmyre to shortstories [link] [comments]
"Daddy, I gotta pee."
Dale Thornton looked over his shoulder at his six-year-old son belted into the back seat of their Jeep Cherokee. As the boy squirmed around, Dale looked at his wife in the passenger seat beside him. "Didn't he just go?"
Carol glanced at her watch. "That was over an hour ago." She twisted to look into the back seat. "Can you hold it?"
In the rearview mirror, Dale saw Jesse shake his head. His wife checked her watch again. He could almost see the wheels turning inside her head. She was the family mediator, and she had just come up with something that made perfect sense. One of the reasons he loved her so much was her ability to change gears. In himself, Dale recognized his single-mindedness as a drawback. He admired her flexibility. In more ways than one, he thought. She was a good wife and a good mother.
"It's almost five," Carol said. "Let's stop at the next town. We can all use the restroom and get something to eat."
Dale tugged the spiral-bound road atlas down from where he had wedged it between the visor and the roof. They had left Tulsa that morning, headed for Mardi Gras, and he hoped to be in New Orleans by 10 p.m. Looking at the LOUISIANA page, his eyes traced the route he had highlighted in yellow. They had detoured down old U.S. 167. Rural America was disappearing and Dale wanted his son to see something of it before it was completely gone.
They were somewhere south of Ruston. He couldn't remember if they had passed Jonesboro or not, so the next town was either that or--if they'd already passed it--Winnfield. The gas gauge was on a quarter of a tank. They needed to stop anyway. "All right, honey," he said. "We'll take a break."
Carol laid a hand on his leg. "I'm glad we came this way. You can't see anything from the Interstate."
Ten miles later they sprang upon a small town. There was an old-fashioned, carved wooden sign posted beside the highway. Dale read out loud, "Welcome to Batesville. Population 875."
"What's that mean," Jesse asked.
Dale glanced at his son in the rearview mirror. "That's how many people live here."
"When somebody dies, do they change the number on the sign?"
Carol smiled over her shoulder at Jesse. "I bet they change it when a baby is born."
Just like her. She didn't like to talk about death or dying. Instead, she liked to focus on the good things in life, babies, birthdays, and family vacations. She had always been like that but more so since her grandfather passed away last year. She had been very close to him, closer than she had ever been to her father.
Dale sneaked a glance at her. She was his angel but an angel with dark secrets. She had shared some of those secrets with him but not all of them, probably because she knew the abuse in her life disturbed him so much. "That sign probably hasn't been changed in twenty years," he said.
"Why put it up if it's not right?" Jesse asked.
Good question. "I don't know, son."
As they got into the little town, Dale was impressed. The side streets that cut off of the highway were lined with neat wooden houses, most of them with white picket fences. A lot of the little towns they had passed through looked run down and dirty, but not this one. Batesville was clean and pretty.
When they came to the town's only traffic light, Dale saw a business on each corner: a hotel, a gas station, a restaurant, and the Batesville General Store. Before the light turned green, Dale pulled the Jeep beside the pumps at the gas station. A middle-aged man wearing oil stained coveralls stepped out from the office. "What can I do you for?" he asked. His tone was friendly, something you didn't hear at many gas stations these days.
Dale stepped out of the driver's seat and stretched. "I need a fill-up and some food." Then he jerked his thumb toward the back seat. "And my son needs to use the head."
The man wiped his hands on a rag he pulled out of his pocket. Then he shook Dale's hand. "Dudley Simpson. I can help you with the gas and the bathroom for your boy, but as for food, afraid all I got is potato chips and sodas." He pointed to the restaurant across the street. "Right over there is the best food in town." He laughed. "Only restaurant we got, but I wouldn't kid you. It's really good. Restroom's not too bad either."
Jesse said he could hold it until they got to the restaurant, so Dale sent him and Carol across the street to get a table. When he reached for the gas pump, Dudley Simpson stopped him. "I don't charge extra for full service. Every car comes through here I pump the gas, look under the hood, and check the tires."
"Don't see that too much anymore," Dale said.
"Guess I'm kind of old-fashioned."
After Dudley finished, Dale added a couple of bucks to the bill. He felt a little awkward, unsure if he could tip the owner of a gas station without insulting him. But Dudley took no offense, just said thank you and asked him to stop in again on their way home.
When Dale turned the key, nothing happened. He turned it again and still nothing happened. Just a click. No dash lights, the motor didn't turn over, nothing. Dudley told him to pop the hood again. After Dale turned the key a couple more times with Simpson's head buried under the hood, Dudley said he'd found the problem. "Alternator's shot. You must've been running on battery for a good while."
"Can you fix it?"
The gas station owner looked at his watch. "Not today. Parts store is closed 'till tomorrow."
Great, just great, Dale thought.
"I could arrange a tow to somewhere else, next town down the highway has a Goodyear Service Center," Dudley said, "but even they won't get to it until tomorrow."
Dale nodded, his mind stuck on having to spend the night in Batesville instead of New Orleans.
"I'll get to it first thing," Dudley said. "Have you out of here by ten o'clock." He pointed at the hotel. "Mrs. Jensen has a nice place. A-C, cable TV, and no bugs."
Great. No bugs.
Dudley told Dale that he could leave the Jeep right where it was. No need to worry about it, he said. They had a town marshal but nothing ever happened in Batesville. So quiet the state police never even came by.
"Sorry I'm blocking your pumps," Dale said.
Dudley shrugged. "Other side's open." Then he looked at his watch. "Besides, it's five-thirty. I close in half an hour."
As he crossed the street, Dale remembered his gun. A Smith and Wesson .357 revolver that he always brought with him on road trips. You never knew what could happen. They might break down on the highway and get attacked by a drug-crazed motorcycle gang. The gun was in the cargo compartment, wrapped inside a cloth and tucked between the spare tire and the side wall. It would be safe enough.
At the restaurant he told Carol the news and in typical Carol fashion she looked on the bright side. "It'll be fun being stranded in a small town," she said. "Who knows what'll happen?"
"Do they have TV?" Jesse asked.
A cute young waitress served them. The plastic tag pinned to her blouse said her name was April. When she brought out their food she set Jesse's down first.
"That's the cutest little mark on your face," she said. "Almost looks like lipstick."
Unabashedly, Jesse pointed to the red oval shaped birthmark set high on his right cheek. "It means I'm special."
She smiled. "It looks like a kiss."
"Really?" Jesse asked.
Dale saw a look of contentment on Carol's face. Jesse's birthmark was something she'd never wanted their son to be shy or embarrassed about.
The waitress set out the rest of the plates. "I heard a mark like that means that right before you were born an angel kissed you."
Jesse turned to his mom. "Is that true?"
Carol smiled at her son and nodded. "I think she may be right."
April bent down and kissed Jesse on the top of his head. "I'm not an angel, but there's a kiss from me."
Dudley Simpson had been right; the food was excellent. After they ate, Dale got up to use the bathroom. "You need to go again, Jess?"
The boy shook his head. "No thanks."
Dale handed Carol a credit card. "Let's save our cash."
She nodded. "All right, baby."
"Back in a sec," he said as he turned away.
***
When he came out of the men's room, Carol and Jesse weren't at the table. The waitress had been quick. Most of the dirty plates were gone; the only ones left were his. Dale looked for his family near the front door, then up by the cash register, but they weren't there.
Maybe Jesse had changed his mind and Carol had brought him into the bathroom with her. So Dale waited, but after several minutes passed and they didn't come out, he decided to check outside. They might have gotten cold or Jesse could've gotten restless and they were waiting out front for him. But they weren't out front, either.
Across the street the lights were out at the gas station--Dudley was closed for the night. The Jeep Cherokee sat at the pumps. Anxiously, Dale looked at the hotel. Maybe...but they wouldn't do that, wouldn't have gone without him. That wasn't like Carol. Smart and independent, but she liked her husband doing the man things, and in her mind, checking into a hotel was a man thing.
Back inside he knocked on the door of the women's restroom. No one answered, so he cracked it open. "Carol?" No answer. "Carol, Jess, you there?"
"Can I help you, sir?" It was their waitress.
Embarrassed, Dale forced a laugh. "I seem to have lost my wife and son." He nodded toward the men's room. "While I was in there."
"Your wife and son?" She looked confused.
"When I came back they were gone."
She had a blank look on her face.
Annoyed, he said, "I ate with them."
The waitress furrowed her brow. "Sir, I didn't see you with anyone else."
Dale stared at her. For a second he thought that maybe he was wrong, maybe this wasn't his waitress. He checked her name tag, saw it said April. "You waited on us." Dale pointed to his right cheek. "My son has that little birthmark. You said an angel kissed him."
She shrugged. "I think I'd remember that."
He pointed to himself. "You remember me?" Then at their table. "We were sitting right there."
She nodded. "Yes, sir. I remember you, but you ate by yourself." She turned to the table where Dale's dishes still sat. "I was just bringing you your bill."
He raised his voice. "Is this some kind of a joke?" People began looking at him.
April took a step back and raised her hands. "You need to talk to Mr. Simms."
"Who's Mr. Simms?"
"The owner."
"Well that's who I want to see."
Mr. Simms was already scurrying over. "What's the problem?"
Dale turned to him. "I can't find my family." He pointed at the girl. "She was our waitress and she's telling me she doesn't even remember them."
Mr. Simms looked at April.
She shrugged again. "I'm sorry but he was alone. I've never seen his family."
Simms looked like he didn't understand. April tried to explain it again, but Dale cut her off and pointed to the table. "My family and I ate right there. I went to the restroom, came out, and they were gone."
Mr. Simms clapped a hand on Dale's shoulder. "Maybe they're outside waiting for you."
"I've checked outside," he barked. "They're not there."
Simms glanced at the waitress. "Why don't you get back to work. I'll handle this."
Dale grabbed her by the arm. "She knows where they are."
Everyone in the restaurant stared at him.
Mr. Simms jerked Dale's hand away from the girl. "Sir, she said she doesn't know where your family is."
April pleaded with her boss. "He didn't have his family with him."
"She's lying!" Dale said, as he inched closer to April.
Simms stepped between them. Looking at Dale, he said, "Have you checked your car?"
He nodded. "It's broken down at the gas station across the street. We've got to spend the night at the hotel."
Mr. Simms smiled. "That's probably it."
"What?"
"I bet they're at the hotel."
"He was by himself," April said.
The restaurant owner snapped his head towards her and pointed to the dinning area. "Go."
She looked at her boss for a second, a half-formed protest on her lips; then suddenly she spun on her heel and stomped away.
Simms looked back at Dale. "Have you checked the hotel?"
"They wouldn't do that."
"Have you checked?" Insistent.
Dale could feel himself losing control as the sweat dripped from his armpits. He took several deep breaths, trying to force himself to calm down. "No, I haven't."
"Maybe your kids got tired."
The deep breathing had made him light-headed. "Just the one boy." As Dale turned toward the door, Simms patted him on the back. "I'm sure everything's going to be fine."
But things weren't fine. At the hotel, he woke up Mrs. Jensen. Turns out she and Mr. Jensen had an apartment behind the office. Dale had banged on the glass door of the office for five minutes before a light came on.
Mrs. Jensen had come out first. A white haired old lady, covered in a paper-thin pink housecoat, imprinted with blue flowers the size of a quarter. A minute later, Mr. Jensen, looking about seventy, dressed in a full set of dark green, silk pajamas and a pair of matching slippers, stumbled into the office, smelling like he'd taken a bath in Jack Daniel's.
Dale's heart sank. He went through the story anyway, but as he expected, the Jensens said that no one had checked in or even come by since mid-morning.
Walking back to the restaurant, he looked at his Jeep. Still empty and no one near it.
A marked police car was parked near the restaurant's front door. As he got closer, Dale read the decal on the side, BATESVILLE TOWN MARSHAL. Maybe now he could get some help.
Just inside, near the cash register, Dale found April the waitress, Mr. Simms, and a heavyset man in jeans and a T-shirt, talking. As he walked up, all three stopped and stared at him. He felt like a freak in a boardwalk exhibit.
"Did you find them?" Simms asked.
Dale shook his head. "The people at the hotel haven't seen them."
The big man in jeans took a step toward him. "Mr...?
"Thornton. Dale Thornton."
The man stuck out his hand. "Jerry Stillwell. I'm town marshal."
"Saw your car outside." Dale shook the marshal's hand. "My wife and son are miss--"
"I understand there was a problem here earlier."
"Yeah there's a problem. My family disappeared."
The marshal and Simms traded glances; then he looked back at Dale. "So I heard. What do you think happened to them?"
Something didn't feel right. "If I knew that, they wouldn't be missing."
Marshal Stillwell stuck his belly out. "No reason to get smart. You all ready scared some customers. Don't make--"
"Scared some customers. Is that why you're here, because I scared some customers? My wife and son are MISSING!" Everyone in the restaurant had stopped eating and was watching the soap opera at the door. With a sharp edge to his voice, Dale said, "What are you going to do about it?"
The marshal jabbed a finger at him. "You better calm yourself down or I'll do it for you. Now I need to ask you some questions," his eyes swept the customers, "and I don't think this is the place to do it."
"I'm not going anywhere." Dale pointed to the completely cleaned off table where they'd eaten. "Half an hour ago my family and I ate right there. Now they're gone. Someone in here knows what happened to them."
The marshal dropped a big hand on Dale's shoulder and tried to guide him out the door. "We're going to find your family, but not here, not like--"
Dale pulled away. He pointed to Simms and the waitress. "They coming with us?"
"I don't see the need for--"
Dale reached out for April. "She's lying!"
With surprising speed, the town marshal slipped behind him and clamped a meaty forearm around his throat, sealing off his windpipe. Dale grabbed at the hairy arm and tried to twist it away as the marshal whispered in his ear, "Take it easy, son." Then something jabbed him in the kidney that sent waves of pain shooting up his back.
Seconds later, Dale was on the floor, his cheek pressed against the cool tiles, as the marshal handcuffed his wrists behind his back.
***
"She said it was the kiss of an angel, huh?" Marshal Stillwell asked. Things had calmed down some. Dale and the town marshal were alone in his office. Dale was still handcuffed, but the marshal had moved them to the front. He sat in a chair in front of the lawman's desk, watching him fill out forms with a ballpoint pen. Stillwell touched his finger to his right cheek. "That mark you're talking about is right here?"
Dale nodded.
"That's strange."
The handcuffs were uncomfortable. Dale twisted his wrists, trying to get some circulation back. "What's unusual about it?"
"We had a preacher in town few years back with the same kind of mark on his face." Stillwell traced a small circle on his cheek. "Heard him say once during a sermon it was from an angel's kiss."
Dale stared at the marshal, his flesh suddenly crawling with goosebumps.
"But he was a strange one. Lots of rumors. Guess it goes with the territory."
"What territory?"
"Young, good-looking preacher. Single. Moves into town, starts preaching all hours of the night." He gave Dale a knowing wink, like they were sharing a secret. "Giving special counseling sessions to half the women in town."
Grasping at straws, looking for anything. Dale said, "Is he still here?"
Marshal Stillwell shook his head. "Church burned down."
"What about the preacher?"
"We never found his body."
"He was the only one in the church?"
Stillwell looked down at the form on his desk and pressed his pen to it. "He had six or eight ladies in there with him. Supposed to be some sort of social club. Fire was so hot, we couldn't tell one body from the next. That was when the rumors really started."
Dale flexed his fingers. His hands hurt. "What kind of rumors?"
The marshal laughed. "Just gossip. People 'round here are simple minded, superstitious, that's all."
"What kind of gossip?"
Stillwell looked up. "Not everybody you understand, but some people have been talking about how the preacher isn't really dead, about how he's gonna come back some day."
Dale needed to get out, to find Carol and Jesse. There was something terribly wrong here. "Am I under arrest?"
Stillwell nodded.
In the corner stood a single holding cell, the door gaping open, waiting. "What's the charge?"
The marshal jerked a thumb in the general direction of the restaurant. "Disturbing the peace."
"What about my family?"
The man tapped the pile of forms in front of him. "I'll forward these missing persons reports to the state police in the morning; then I'll call the judge and try to get a bond set for you."
Dale sprung to his feet. "I've got to find my family tonight!"
Marshal Stillwell eased out of his chair and stood up. "Just calm down. Soon as I get this information to them, the state troopers will be on the lookout." He jerked his thumb toward the south. "Their office is just five miles down the road."
Dale nodded at the phone on the desk. "Call them now."
The marshal shook his head. "Can't do that."
"Why not."
"I got procedures to follow."
Dale Thornton squatted and shoved the desk into Stillwell. The marshal's chair rolled back on its casters but snagged on something and tipped over, spilling Marshal Stillwell onto the floor. Dale scrambled over the desk, knocking papers, pens, and a near full cup of coffee on top of the lawman, then dropped a knee into the man's big belly. The marshal curled into a ball and moaned.
Stillwell didn't have a gun on him, at least not one Dale could find. The way he was dressed it looked like he had been called out from home. Maybe he forgot his gun, or maybe he just didn't carry one. Dale grabbed a handful of shirt and dragged the marshal into the open holding cell, then kicked the door shut. It locked automatically.
By the time Stillwell staggered to his feet Dale was searching his desk. The marshal tried to rip the steel bars apart with his bare hands. "Let me out of here, you crazy bastard!"
Dale ignored him. In the bottom right hand drawer he found a gun, a .38 caliber, five-shot Smith and Wesson. Stillwell started shouting for help. Dale leveled the gun at him. "Shut up."
Stillwell quit yelling.
Dale kept searching.
A few seconds later, the marshal said, "You'll never get away with this."
Holding his wrists up, Dale rattled the handcuffs. "Keys?"
The cop pointed to the desk. "Bottom left."
After he got the handcuffs off, Dale finished going through the desk, then did a quick search of a filing cabinet that was set against the wall. There he found keys to the holding cell and a roll of duct tape.
As Dale approached the cell, Marshal Stillwell backed against the far wall. "What are you gonna do?"
Aiming the revolver at Stillwell's belly, Dale ordered him to lie on the floor. A few minutes later he relocked the cell door, leaving the marshal with his hands cuffed behind his back and a strip of silver duct tape wrapped around his head that sealed his mouth shut. On his way out of the marshal's office, Dale tossed the revolver back into the desk drawer and kicked it shut. That was trouble he didn't need.
The state police. "Their office is just five miles down the road," the marshal had said.
Darkness had settled over the Batesville. How long had he been in the marshal's office? Everything in town was closed and locked up tight. There wasn't a light to be seen, and not a soul on the street. He didn't see any payphones.
He had to get out of town. Which way had the marshal pointed when he mentioned the state police? Thinking about it, Dale decided it had to be south. They'd driven in from the north and he was sure they hadn't passed a state police troop.
The night had turned cold. If he was going to walk for five miles he needed a jacket.
It took just a few minutes to make it to the gas station. His Jeep was right where he'd left it, but when he reached into his pocket for the keys they weren't there. An image flashed through his mind. A close up shot just like in a movie. His hand reaching toward Dudley Simpson's, and in his hand, his keys.
Damn!
He looked into the rear window, saw their luggage lying in the back. Dale thought about breaking the window and getting a jacket, maybe his gun, too. Not the gun. He was in enough trouble all ready for what he'd done to the town marshal. Assault, kidnapping--maybe not kidnapping, he hadn't taken him anywhere, just locked him in his own cell--but something like kidnapping. Desperation had driven him to it. That's the only reason he had done it. Because he had to find Carol and Jesse.
He could make it without a jacket.
Old Highway 167 south. Dale Thornton started walking. Ten minutes later he saw headlights behind him, coming from town. He crouched in the bushes beside the highway, but the beat-up pickup glided to a stop next to him. An old man sat behind the wheel, alone in the truck. "You need a ride?"
Feeling like a complete fool, Dale stood. "Yeah, I guess."
"Where you headed?"
"You know where the state police office is?"
The old man nodded, then jerked his head toward the passenger side. "Hop in."
As he climbed into the pickup truck, Dale shot a glance at the old man. Probably at least seventy, with long ghost white hair and a bushy mustache, wearing a stained undershirt and a pair of denim overalls. Dale scanned the dashboard for a clock but didn't see one. "What time is it?"
The old man shrugged. "Haven't worn a watch in thirty years. Do things as quick as I can. A timepiece strapped to my wrist ain't gonna make me move any faster."
The drive was torture. Never did the old man go over thirty-five miles an hour. Only good thing was that he didn't ask any questions. Just dropped Dale off in the parking lot of the state police troop. As he walked through the door into the police station, Dale glanced over his shoulder and saw the old man's pickup rumbling down the highway.
Inside, sitting behind a chest high counter, was a uniformed trooper, sergeant stripes on his sleeves. Mid-40's, with an iron gray crew cut. "Can I help you, sir?" the sergeant said.
Dale spat out the story as fast as he could, leaving out the part about how he'd handcuffed the town marshal and left him gagged in his own jail cell.
The sergeant's face had remained inscrutable while Dale talked. "What was the name of that town again, sir?"
"Batesville."
The sergeant wheeled his chair over to a map hanging on the wall. "And where'd you say it was?"
The state cop demonstrated the same bureaucrat mentality as the town marshal. Any minute now he'd break out a sheaf of forms and start filling them out. Dale pointed north. "Five miles that way."
"What'd you say your name was again?" The sergeant glided the chair back over to his work area and pulled a pen from his shirt pocket.
"Thornton. Dale Thornton."
As soon as the sergeant finished jotting Dale's name on a pad, he looked up. "There's no town named Batesville."
"I was just there!"
The sergeant stood up. "Take it easy, sir. I'm sure you just got the name mixed up."
Just like in the restaurant.
"...get to the bottom of it." The desk sergeant was still talking, but Dale hadn't heard everything. He felt dizzy. Was everyone around here crazy? "We ate dinner there," he mumbled. "I left my car at the gas station. Dudley Simpson's gas station."
The sergeant nodded as he walked around the counter. A big man, at least six feet, with the beefy build of a weightlifter. "I know Simpson's place. Old 167 and Highway 90. But there's no town there, just the gas station."
"The gas station's smack in the middle of the town. There's a restaurant, a general store, and a hotel, too."
The sergeant closed on him, his body bladed, his gun side away from Dale. "I need you to put your hands on the counter, sir."
"What?"
With his right hand resting on his holstered pistol, the state trooper took hold of Dale's wrist with his left hand and pushed it to the top of the counter. Dale's other hand followed. The sergeant said, "Pull you feet back."
"What are you doing?"
"You have any weapons on you?"
"No! Of course not." Glad he'd left the marshal's gun, glad he hadn't gotten his own out of the Jeep.
"I'm just gonna pat you down."
"Why?" Dale said. "I haven't done anything. My family's missing?"
The sergeant slid his hands over Dale's waist and the outside of his pockets. "It's for safety, sir."
"Whose?"
"Yours and mine," the trooper sergeant said as he stepped backward a few feet.
"Something's happened to my wife and son. I came here for help."
"What happened to them?"
"I don't know," Dale said. "That's why I need your help."
"Mr. Thornton, I've worked this area for nineteen years. There is no town called Batesville."
"I don't care what you call it, but there's a town five miles away and we need to go there right now."
"Closest town is twelve miles from here and it's south."
The gas station. At least the sergeant knew about the gas station. Dale looked over his shoulder at the big cop. "Can I stand up?" After getting a nod, Dale pushed away from the counter and stood straight. Arguing wasn't getting him anywhere. "Look sergeant, maybe I seem a bit confused, but I know my wife and 6-year-old son are missing. Our car broke down at Simpson's gas station. Can you drive me there and help me look for them?"
The sergeant took his hand off his pistol and relaxed a little. "How'd you get here?"
"An old man in a pickup gave me a ride."
"You get his name?"
Dale's mouth opened but nothing came out as he realized he couldn't remember a thing about the old man or his truck. No details at all.
"What's the matter?"
Dale shook his head. "He...he just gave me a ride. I didn't get his name."
The trooper sergeant held up his hand. "Stay right here. Soon as I get someone to cover the desk, I'll give you a ride back to Simpson's."
Ten minutes later Dale climbed into the passenger seat of the state police car. The sergeant looked over at him. "Put your seatbelt on." Dale strapped himself in but noticed the sergeant didn't.
On the highway the trooper asked him to go over the story again. As Dale repeated what had happened, the sergeant asked several questions about Simpson's: what time of day, what was wrong with the car, who had the keys; but he asked nothing about what happened in the restaurant. The restaurant that wasn't there, according to the sergeant.
A few minutes later the police cruiser's headlights lit up the darkened gas station and Dale's Jeep parked at the pumps.
There was nothing else--absolutely nothing else.
The sergeant slowed down as he turned into the parking lot. "That your Cherokee?"
Stunned, Dale couldn't answer. Staring out the window, struck dumb by what he saw, or didn't see. No restaurant, no hotel, no Batesville General Store--no town. Just empty farmland and a few trees surrounding the gas station.
The trooper pulled his car up behind the Jeep, leaving a car-length gap between the two of them. "Stay here," he said as he pulled a flashlight from a charger mounted to the dash.
Dale leaned his head against the window and watched the sergeant creep up to the driver's door of his Jeep Cherokee, flashlight held out in front of him, his other hand on the butt of his pistol. The state cop opened the door--the locked door--and poked his head inside the passenger compartment of Dale's Jeep. The trooper backed out and held up his hand, Dale's keys dangling from his fingers. "Keys were inside," he shouted.
With legs quivering, Dale stepped out of the police car. He couldn't understand this. The Jeep had been locked, Dudley Simpson had the keys. He stumbled toward the trooper.
The sergeant shined his flashlight into the back, into the cargo compartment. Suddenly, his face turned to stone. He dropped the keys, drew his gun, aimed both it and his flashlight at Dale. "Don't move!"
Dale stopped dead. What the hell was...
"Get on the ground!"
Not comprehending, Dale just stood there.
The trooper screamed at him, "Get on the fucking ground--now."
Dale Thornton dropped face down onto the pavement. From the corner of his eye, he saw the sergeant side-stepping around him until he was behind Dale and to his left.
The trooper said, "Turn your head to the right."
Dale did as he was told. Then the sergeant closed in and cuffed his hands behind his back. Just the second time in his life Dale had been handcuffed, both on the same night.
After backing up a few steps, the sergeant keyed the radio clipped to his belt and called the state police troop. When the dispatcher answered, the sergeant said, "I need back up units," Dale heard him take a deep breath, "and notify the corner."
The tinny voice from the radio said, "What you got, sergeant?"
"Homicide," the trooper answered. "Suspect is in custody."
Homicide?
The sergeant hooked Dale's elbows and jerked him to his feet, then picked up the keys and opened the tailgate of the Jeep.
Lying in the back, in the cargo space, arms and legs twisted into a torturous configuration, was the naked body of his wife, Carol. At the back of her head, her golden hair was tangled and caked with dried blood. Her face chalk white, her forehead blown out where the bullet had exited. On the carpet next to her was a .357 revolver--Dale's .357 revolver.
She was alone.
"Jesse!" Dale screamed at the dark and empty fields.
***
In 1885 the town of Batesville, Louisiana burned to the ground. Scores of people were killed in the predawn fire that swept through the town. Among those reported killed in the blaze was the town's only minister, but many bodies were so badly burned that positive identification was impossible.
The fire started in the Batesville church and was allegedly set by a preacher from a nearby town. The preacher, a God-fearing and righteous man, was said to have been outraged at the evil deeds going on in Batesville, which he had called a modern-day Sodom.
The town of Batesville was never rebuilt.
THE END
2023.05.31 15:18 Kaaku07 Need advice... on legal rights...please help.
Hi All..
Hi folks! Looking for advice. Sorry for long post.
I along with my family (my wife and 2 year old) had to travel to Barrie on Sunday, May 28th, for which I rented a vehicle from Turo rentals with Minimum Protection Plan ($2000 Deductible). While coming back to toronto via DVP all of a sudden front driver side tire blew up and the car hit the divider on the highway, after which the car got tilted on one side, I somehow got control back of the car and put it to stop with minimum damage (just a few scratches, images attached). Thankfully, I was driving on the extreme left lane, and no one got injured except for my wife, her shoulder got bruised and swollen. I immediately called Turo to report the issue and seek out help. Within 5 - 10 mins Toronto Fire and Toronto Police services came in and blocked the lane. After a long discussion with turo customer service, they agreed to arrange a tow service to pick up the car. However, even after 45 min, there was no tow truck arrived so Toronto police suggested to use the tow service provided by third party as they needed to clear highway. All this while I was on call with Turo but they were unable to provide ETA for tow service. Finally, I had to use third party tow service to have vehicle removed from highway and park it to closest parking lot. Which costed me $406. 30. After contacting turo again, we were suprised to know that the tow service has not yet started and 20 mins later turo updated that the ETA would be 60 mins for tow service to arrive and the drop off location for the car was the mechanic shop and we had to do uber to reach back home. After a lot of discussion with Turo, they said to submit the receipts (tow service and uber) which they MIGHT reimburse.
After around 50 min stranded at a parking lot with a 2 year old, who was not well and getting cranky, the car owner came and started giving all the bullshit reasons to save his side of expenses. One was that I might have hit the car in the pothole, because of which the tire busted. I told him to check the DVP if he finds any pothole, to which he replies that I might have hit the pothole in or around Barrie (some 50 km away) because of which this happened. Next he tells me that all the tire are were new, to which I said the grooves on the tire doesn't resonate with his this statement and he is free to go and check the grooves on any of the cars that are parked there, to which he couldn't answer. He even had an audacity to ask me to replace the tire instead of using the tow service. Finally, he asked me to not report damaged on TURO and that he would give mechanic $100 and get the car repaired.
The next day I got a message from the owner that the mechanic said that the tire were way beyond safety limits and today I got a call from Turo stating that the renter has to pay all the damages charges if anything happens to the vehicle during the rental dperiod.
So now my questions are:
1) Tire blew up without any fault of mine, I literally saved the car and my family from a major accident and both the parties (turo and the owner) are putting the bills on me. So, will I have to pay for the damages. What can I do in this case?
2) My family suffered from trauma, being in the accident anything could have happened. We were stranded on highway and parking lot for 2 and half hours and my little one was all cranky and exhausted. I was continously on call with Turo and my wife was handling the kiddo with her bruised shoulder. I want to know what are my legal rights in this situation, I am so frustrated with the Turo service and owner's way of handling the situation.
Thankfully no other vehicle was involved, no collision happened. Everyone in the family is fine and even the car was not damaged. But a lot worse could have happened, because of the owner's fault of providing the car with proper tire.
Please advise what can be done ? Or any options that I can sue turo or turo host for providing us faulty car in first place.
Unable to find option to attach photos so will put it in comments section.
Appreciate your support.
submitted by Kaaku07 to TorontoDriving [link] [comments]
Hi folks! Looking for advice. Sorry for long post.
I along with my family (my wife and 2 year old) had to travel to Barrie on Sunday, May 28th, for which I rented a vehicle from Turo rentals with Minimum Protection Plan ($2000 Deductible). While coming back to toronto via DVP all of a sudden front driver side tire blew up and the car hit the divider on the highway, after which the car got tilted on one side, I somehow got control back of the car and put it to stop with minimum damage (just a few scratches, images attached). Thankfully, I was driving on the extreme left lane, and no one got injured except for my wife, her shoulder got bruised and swollen. I immediately called Turo to report the issue and seek out help. Within 5 - 10 mins Toronto Fire and Toronto Police services came in and blocked the lane. After a long discussion with turo customer service, they agreed to arrange a tow service to pick up the car. However, even after 45 min, there was no tow truck arrived so Toronto police suggested to use the tow service provided by third party as they needed to clear highway. All this while I was on call with Turo but they were unable to provide ETA for tow service. Finally, I had to use third party tow service to have vehicle removed from highway and park it to closest parking lot. Which costed me $406. 30. After contacting turo again, we were suprised to know that the tow service has not yet started and 20 mins later turo updated that the ETA would be 60 mins for tow service to arrive and the drop off location for the car was the mechanic shop and we had to do uber to reach back home. After a lot of discussion with Turo, they said to submit the receipts (tow service and uber) which they MIGHT reimburse.
After around 50 min stranded at a parking lot with a 2 year old, who was not well and getting cranky, the car owner came and started giving all the bullshit reasons to save his side of expenses. One was that I might have hit the car in the pothole, because of which the tire busted. I told him to check the DVP if he finds any pothole, to which he replies that I might have hit the pothole in or around Barrie (some 50 km away) because of which this happened. Next he tells me that all the tire are were new, to which I said the grooves on the tire doesn't resonate with his this statement and he is free to go and check the grooves on any of the cars that are parked there, to which he couldn't answer. He even had an audacity to ask me to replace the tire instead of using the tow service. Finally, he asked me to not report damaged on TURO and that he would give mechanic $100 and get the car repaired.
The next day I got a message from the owner that the mechanic said that the tire were way beyond safety limits and today I got a call from Turo stating that the renter has to pay all the damages charges if anything happens to the vehicle during the rental dperiod.
So now my questions are:
1) Tire blew up without any fault of mine, I literally saved the car and my family from a major accident and both the parties (turo and the owner) are putting the bills on me. So, will I have to pay for the damages. What can I do in this case?
2) My family suffered from trauma, being in the accident anything could have happened. We were stranded on highway and parking lot for 2 and half hours and my little one was all cranky and exhausted. I was continously on call with Turo and my wife was handling the kiddo with her bruised shoulder. I want to know what are my legal rights in this situation, I am so frustrated with the Turo service and owner's way of handling the situation.
Thankfully no other vehicle was involved, no collision happened. Everyone in the family is fine and even the car was not damaged. But a lot worse could have happened, because of the owner's fault of providing the car with proper tire.
Please advise what can be done ? Or any options that I can sue turo or turo host for providing us faulty car in first place.
Unable to find option to attach photos so will put it in comments section.
Appreciate your support.
2023.05.31 15:03 Dammit_Blizzard Let’s talk travel time.
Seeing where everybody is at with travel time for the day.
We eat the first hour to site and an hour leaving the last site.
Ex:
I leave the house at 7:00 get to site at 8:00 leave the site at 4:00 and home by 5:00. I’m payed for 8 hours on the day.
Anything over an hour travel we get payed for. Typically I have 1-2 hours of windshield time one way.
We are a 100% service company. Every tech takes a truck home. We do installs, but it’s done by service guys who have a background in installs. Approx 20 guys.
submitted by Dammit_Blizzard to HVAC [link] [comments]
We eat the first hour to site and an hour leaving the last site.
Ex:
I leave the house at 7:00 get to site at 8:00 leave the site at 4:00 and home by 5:00. I’m payed for 8 hours on the day.
Anything over an hour travel we get payed for. Typically I have 1-2 hours of windshield time one way.
We are a 100% service company. Every tech takes a truck home. We do installs, but it’s done by service guys who have a background in installs. Approx 20 guys.
2023.05.31 14:32 Historical_Ad4384 Need suggestions on buying a used car
I am planning to buy a used car and would like to know your views or suggestions on which one to buy based on the combination of my requirements.
Below are my requirements in order of priority:
My filter criteria for the car is as follows: (Though is more for the actual used car dealer but I would like to point it out anyways)
My preference of brands are in the order of Japanese, European, American.
Below are the candidates that I shortlisted but feel free to suggest otherwise as well:
submitted by Historical_Ad4384 to CarsIndia [link] [comments]
Below are my requirements in order of priority:
- Reliability is main priority
- Manual transmission is a must
- Diesel engine (preferable) or Petrol engine (last resort)
- Good service network
- Easy availability of parts
My filter criteria for the car is as follows: (Though is more for the actual used car dealer but I would like to point it out anyways)
- 10-12 years old at maximum
- 30000 KM on odometer with 5000 KM +-
- Budget of INR 3 lac
- Use it for 5 years at maximum
My preference of brands are in the order of Japanese, European, American.
Below are the candidates that I shortlisted but feel free to suggest otherwise as well:
- Toyota Corolla Altis
- Honda City
- ISUZU D-Max
- Nissan Sunny
- Volkswagen Jetta
- Skoda Octavia
- Fiat Linea
- Ford Fiesta
2023.05.31 14:11 Then_Marionberry_259 MAY 31, 2023 GGO.V GALLEON GOLD ACQUIRES ERIC SPROTT'S REMAINING INTEREST IN THE NEAL IDAHO GOLD PROJECT
 | https://preview.redd.it/qx1bbno4973b1.png?width=3500&format=png&auto=webp&s=1648bedf5fefb742b167f5ab1276f3f3cfab9fe3 submitted by Then_Marionberry_259 to Treaty_Creek [link] [comments] Eric Sprott's Ownership of Galleon Gold Increases to 21.45% Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 31, 2023) - Galleon Gold Corp. (TSXV: GGO) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") with 2176423 Ontario Ltd., (the "Vendor"), a corporation that is beneficially owned and controlled by Eric Sprott ("Eric Sprott"), to acquire the Vendor's 100% interest in a stockpile of mineralized material (the "Stockpile") located on the Neal Idaho Project, 27 km southeast of Boise, Idaho (the "Project") together with its 20% interest in the Project in consideration of the issuance by the Company to the Vendor of 2,000,000 common shares of Galleon Gold (the "Shares"). Upon closing of the transaction, the Company will hold a 100% leasehold interest in the Project and Eric Sprott's ownership of Galleon Gold will increase to 21.45%. The Stockpile, a 13,900-ton bulk sample, was derived from an open cut area in 2016-2017. As the material was trucked from the open cut to the Stockpile, approximately 741 samples were collected and assayed at an independent laboratory. Results of the sampling indicate the Stockpile graded at 0.132 opt (4.54 gpt Au), equivalent to approximately 1,835 ounces of gold in-situ. The Company is investigating various transport and processing options to determine the best means of handling the Stockpile material. This transaction paves the way for a simpler operating structure for the Project, while enabling Eric Sprott to participate in the Project's advancement through his equity ownership in Galleon Gold. The transaction is subject to final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange and the Shares are subject to a hold period of four months and a day under applicable Canadian securities laws. Comment from CEO David Russell, President and CEO of Galleon Gold commented, "We are very pleased that Eric continues to demonstrate his confidence in Galleon Gold. He has consistently supported the Company since 2019 through significant investments. We look forward to driving value for him and all our shareholders as we advance both the Neal and our West Cache Gold Projects." The transaction constitutes a "related party transaction" for the Company for the purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") as Mr. Sprott owns more than 10% of the Company's issued and outstanding Shares. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the requirement to obtain a formal evaluation and minority shareholder approval in connection with the transaction contained in sections 5.5 (a) and 5.7 (1) (a) of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the securities issued, nor the fair market value of the consideration for the securities issued exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization as calculated in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report containing all the disclosure required by MI 61-101 more than 21 days before the expected closing of the transaction as the Company wishes to close the transaction as expeditiously as possible. Technical Content and Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by by Thomas H. Chadwick, BSc., CPG, a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure Standards for Mineral Projects. About the Neal Project
For further information: Galleon Gold R. David Russell Chairman and CEO T. (416) 644-0066 [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) www.galleongold.com Investor Relations Harbor Access Graham Farrell T. (416) 842-9003 [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Forward-Looking Statements This document contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of Galleon Gold with respect to its long-term strategy, proposed work, plans and other reports including the PEA for its projects. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the markets in which Galleon Gold operates. Some of the statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, expectations, plans, and objectives of Galleon Gold are forward-looking statements that involve various risks. The following are important factors that could cause Galleon Gold's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of mineral commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated with development, construction and mining operations, risks related to infectious diseases, including Covid-19 and the uncertainty of future exploration activities and cash flows, and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events may differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Galleon Gold undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/168026 https://preview.redd.it/qsqptvs4973b1.png?width=4000&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c997230b290342a8f7d108168f04584757fcf08
|
2023.05.31 13:53 bigbear0083 (5/31) Wednesday's Pre-Market Stock Movers & News
Good morning traders and investors of the StockMarketChat sub! Welcome to the final trading day of May and a fresh start! Here are your pre-market stock movers & news on this Wednesday, May the 31st, 2023-
(CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SOURCE!)
Stock futures fall as traders await debt ceiling progress in Washington: Live updates
Stock futures were lower Wednesday as investors kept an eye on the federal debt ceiling debate in Washington ahead of the final trading day of May.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 33 points, or about 0.1%. S&P 500 futures slid 0.15%, and Nasdaq-100 futures were down 0.17%.
The move in futures comes after a muted day of trading on Tuesday that saw the Dow shed about 50 points while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3%.
Heading into the final trading day of May, the Nasdaq Composite is up nearly 6.5% for the month. The S&P 500, however, is up only about 0.9%, while the Dow has fallen 3.1%.
The outperformance of the tech-heavy Nasdaq is due in large part to the excitement around artificial intelligence, which briefly pushed Nvidia’s market cap above $1 trillion on Tuesday. However, many on Wall Street are worried that the market’s strength has been too narrow.
“We’re not seeing any signs of broad participation. We’re not seeing signs of early cyclicals on top of A.I.,” said Andrew Smith, chief investment strategist at Delos Capital Advisors in Dallas.
One factor that has weighed on the market in recent weeks is the fight over the debt ceiling. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a deal over the weekend to cap federal baseline spending for two years and raise the debt ceiling, but the agreement has not yet been ratified.
The deal cleared a major test Tuesday night after advancing to the House floor following a 7-6 vote in the House Rules Committee. The floor vote is expected to take place around 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.
“I think we have the votes to pass this today,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, a GOP negotiator on the debt deal, on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday morning.
STOCK FUTURES CURRENTLY:
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YESTERDAY'S MARKET MAP:
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TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR:
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THIS WEEK'S UPCOMING IPO'S:
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THIS WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR:
($CRWD $CRM $AI $ZS $DG $AVGO $LULU $OKTA $AAP $M $BNR $MDB $CHPT $UHAL $SKY $TNP $HPE $CHWY $HPQ $ESLT $S $CPRI $ALAR $MDWD $TRMR $CD $CAE $BOX $JWN $ASAN $BLI $DELL $VEEV $AMBA $PSTG $DOOO $GLNG $FIVE $DCI $NTAP $IOT $HRL $RSVR $SPWH $COO $NOAH $YY $ESTC $PD)(CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)
THIS MORNING'S PRE-MARKET EARNINGS CALENDAR:
($AAP $CPRI $CD $CASE $DCI $RSVR $FRO)(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)
EARNINGS RELEASES BEFORE THE OPEN TODAY:
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THIS AFTERNOON'S AFTER-HOURS EARNINGS CALENDAR:
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EARNINGS RELEASES AFTER THE CLOSE TODAY:
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YESTERDAY'S ANALYST UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES:
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YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS:
(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS!)
TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR:
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #1!)
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #2!)
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THIS MORNING'S MOST ACTIVE TRENDING TICKERS ON STOCKTWITS:
- AI
- BUD
- CXAI
- SOFI
- AAP
- HPQ
- CPRI
- EH
- PEP
- USO
THIS MORNING'S STOCK NEWS MOVERS:
(source: cnbc.com)
SoFi — The financial services platform added nearly 7%. A deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling on track for a vote on Wednesday would resume student loan payments.
STOCK SYMBOL: SOFI
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Carvana — Shares fell nearly 4% in premarket trading. Carvana stock has been on fire so far this year with a 189% gain from the start of 2023.
STOCK SYMBOL: CVNA
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Anheuser-Busch — The beer giant declined 1.7%. Lower sales volume across the company’s portfolio of products underpinned the decline, with Bud Light leading the charge with a 25.7% fall for the week ending May 20, according to Evercore.
STOCK SYMBOL: BUD
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Hewlett Packard Enterprise — Hewlett Packard Enterprise fell nearly 8% on the back of mixed quarterly numbers. The company earned an adjusted 52 cents per share, beating a Refinitiv forecast of 48 cents per share. However, revenue of $6.97 billion was below a consensus estimate of $7.31 billion.
STOCK SYMBOL: HPE
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Twilio — Shares gained 3.6% after a report that Legion Partners is looking to make changes to the automated communications company’s board, as well as divestitures.
STOCK SYMBOL: TWLO
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Ambarella — The chip stock shed 18% after Ambarella shared disappointing guidance for the second quarter. Ambarella expects second-quarter revenue between $60 million and $64 million. Analysts expected guidance around $66.9 million, according to StreetAccount.
STOCK SYMBOL: AMBA
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Advance Auto Parts — The car parts retailer plummeted more than 25% after a wide earnings miss. The company reported an adjusted 72 cents per share against a Refinitiv consensus forecast of $2.57 per share. Advance Auto Parts also slashed its quarterly dividend.
STOCK SYMBOL: AAP
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
C3.AI — The artificial intelligence stock declined 5.8% ahead of of quarterly results on Wednesday. Analysts polled by FactSet forecast an adjusted quarterly profit of 3 cents per share.
STOCK SYMBOL: AI
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
American Airlines – Shares of the air carrier rose about 2% premarket after the company raised expectations for the second quarter. American increased its earnings per share expectation from between $1.20 and $1.40 to between $1.45 and $1.65. It also increased its margin expectations, to between 12.5% and 14.5% from between 11% and 13%.
STOCK SYMBOL: AAL
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
FULL DISCLOSURE:
bigbear0083 has no positions in any stocks mentioned. Reddit, moderators, and the author do not advise making investment decisions based on discussion in these posts. Analysis is not subject to validation and users take action at their own risk. bigbear0083 is an admin at the financial forums StonkForums.com where this content was originally posted.
DISCUSS!
What's on everyone's radar for today's trading day ahead here at StockMarketChat?Join the Official Reddit Stock Market Chat Discord Server HERE!
I hope you all have an excellent trading day ahead today on this Wednesday, May 31st, 2023! :)
2023.05.31 13:52 bigbear0083 (5/31) Wednesday's Pre-Market Stock Movers & News
Good morning traders and investors of the WallStreetStockMarket sub! Welcome to the final trading day of May and a fresh start! Here are your pre-market stock movers & news on this Wednesday, May the 31st, 2023-
(CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SOURCE!)
Stock futures fall as traders await debt ceiling progress in Washington: Live updates
Stock futures were lower Wednesday as investors kept an eye on the federal debt ceiling debate in Washington ahead of the final trading day of May.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 33 points, or about 0.1%. S&P 500 futures slid 0.15%, and Nasdaq-100 futures were down 0.17%.
The move in futures comes after a muted day of trading on Tuesday that saw the Dow shed about 50 points while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3%.
Heading into the final trading day of May, the Nasdaq Composite is up nearly 6.5% for the month. The S&P 500, however, is up only about 0.9%, while the Dow has fallen 3.1%.
The outperformance of the tech-heavy Nasdaq is due in large part to the excitement around artificial intelligence, which briefly pushed Nvidia’s market cap above $1 trillion on Tuesday. However, many on Wall Street are worried that the market’s strength has been too narrow.
“We’re not seeing any signs of broad participation. We’re not seeing signs of early cyclicals on top of A.I.,” said Andrew Smith, chief investment strategist at Delos Capital Advisors in Dallas.
One factor that has weighed on the market in recent weeks is the fight over the debt ceiling. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a deal over the weekend to cap federal baseline spending for two years and raise the debt ceiling, but the agreement has not yet been ratified.
The deal cleared a major test Tuesday night after advancing to the House floor following a 7-6 vote in the House Rules Committee. The floor vote is expected to take place around 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.
“I think we have the votes to pass this today,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, a GOP negotiator on the debt deal, on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday morning.
STOCK FUTURES CURRENTLY:
(CLICK HERE FOR STOCK FUTURES CHARTS!)
YESTERDAY'S MARKET MAP:
(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S MARKET MAP!)
TODAY'S MARKET MAP:
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S MARKET MAP!)
YESTERDAY'S S&P SECTORS:
(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S S&P SECTORS CHART!)
TODAY'S S&P SECTORS:
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S S&P SECTORS CHART!)
TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR:
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR!)
THIS WEEK'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR:
(CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S ECONOMIC CALENDAR!)
THIS WEEK'S UPCOMING IPO'S:
(CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S UPCOMING IPO'S!)
THIS WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR:
($CRWD $CRM $AI $ZS $DG $AVGO $LULU $OKTA $AAP $M $BNR $MDB $CHPT $UHAL $SKY $TNP $HPE $CHWY $HPQ $ESLT $S $CPRI $ALAR $MDWD $TRMR $CD $CAE $BOX $JWN $ASAN $BLI $DELL $VEEV $AMBA $PSTG $DOOO $GLNG $FIVE $DCI $NTAP $IOT $HRL $RSVR $SPWH $COO $NOAH $YY $ESTC $PD)(CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)
THIS MORNING'S PRE-MARKET EARNINGS CALENDAR:
($AAP $CPRI $CD $CASE $DCI $RSVR $FRO)(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)
EARNINGS RELEASES BEFORE THE OPEN TODAY:
(CLICK HERE FOR THIS MORNING'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)
THIS AFTERNOON'S AFTER-HOURS EARNINGS CALENDAR:
(CLICK HERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S EARNINGS CALENDAR!)
EARNINGS RELEASES AFTER THE CLOSE TODAY:
(CLICK HERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S EARNINGS RELEASES!)
YESTERDAY'S ANALYST UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES:
(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S ANALYST UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #1!)
(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S ANALYST UPGRADES/DOWNGRADES LINK #2!)
YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS:
(CLICK HERE FOR YESTERDAY'S INSIDER TRADING FILINGS!)
TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR:
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #1!)
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #2!)
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #3!)
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #4!)
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #5!)
(CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S DIVIDEND CALENDAR LINK #6!)
THIS MORNING'S MOST ACTIVE TRENDING TICKERS ON STOCKTWITS:
- AI
- BUD
- CXAI
- SOFI
- AAP
- HPQ
- CPRI
- EH
- PEP
- USO
THIS MORNING'S STOCK NEWS MOVERS:
(source: cnbc.com)
SoFi — The financial services platform added nearly 7%. A deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling on track for a vote on Wednesday would resume student loan payments.
STOCK SYMBOL: SOFI
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Carvana — Shares fell nearly 4% in premarket trading. Carvana stock has been on fire so far this year with a 189% gain from the start of 2023.
STOCK SYMBOL: CVNA
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Anheuser-Busch — The beer giant declined 1.7%. Lower sales volume across the company’s portfolio of products underpinned the decline, with Bud Light leading the charge with a 25.7% fall for the week ending May 20, according to Evercore.
STOCK SYMBOL: BUD
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Hewlett Packard Enterprise — Hewlett Packard Enterprise fell nearly 8% on the back of mixed quarterly numbers. The company earned an adjusted 52 cents per share, beating a Refinitiv forecast of 48 cents per share. However, revenue of $6.97 billion was below a consensus estimate of $7.31 billion.
STOCK SYMBOL: HPE
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Twilio — Shares gained 3.6% after a report that Legion Partners is looking to make changes to the automated communications company’s board, as well as divestitures.
STOCK SYMBOL: TWLO
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Ambarella — The chip stock shed 18% after Ambarella shared disappointing guidance for the second quarter. Ambarella expects second-quarter revenue between $60 million and $64 million. Analysts expected guidance around $66.9 million, according to StreetAccount.
STOCK SYMBOL: AMBA
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
Advance Auto Parts — The car parts retailer plummeted more than 25% after a wide earnings miss. The company reported an adjusted 72 cents per share against a Refinitiv consensus forecast of $2.57 per share. Advance Auto Parts also slashed its quarterly dividend.
STOCK SYMBOL: AAP
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
C3.AI — The artificial intelligence stock declined 5.8% ahead of of quarterly results on Wednesday. Analysts polled by FactSet forecast an adjusted quarterly profit of 3 cents per share.
STOCK SYMBOL: AI
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
American Airlines – Shares of the air carrier rose about 2% premarket after the company raised expectations for the second quarter. American increased its earnings per share expectation from between $1.20 and $1.40 to between $1.45 and $1.65. It also increased its margin expectations, to between 12.5% and 14.5% from between 11% and 13%.
STOCK SYMBOL: AAL
(CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STOCK QUOTE!)
FULL DISCLOSURE:
bigbear0083 has no positions in any stocks mentioned. Reddit, moderators, and the author do not advise making investment decisions based on discussion in these posts. Analysis is not subject to validation and users take action at their own risk. bigbear0083 is an admin at the financial forums StonkForums.com where this content was originally posted.
DISCUSS!
What's on everyone's radar for today's trading day ahead here at WallStreetStockMarket?Join the Official Reddit Stock Market Chat Discord Server HERE!