Rick Carter's First Big Adventure (Pete's Barbecue Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

eased back into the back seat. 
           Rick was instantly intrigued.  The mention of that state twice in one night wasn’t a usual thing to have happened.  “That’s remarkable.  I just had another guy earlier who was from Mississippi.”  He told him.
           “Why is that remarkable?”  The man looked puzzled.
       “Because that’s where I’m from,” Rick admitted.
         “Really?”  The man seemed intrigued as well.  “That is remarkable.  What part?”
          “A little farming town in the Delta called William’s Landing,” Rick added.  He was pleased the conversation had taken a sensible tone instead of declining further into insanity. 
          “William’s Landing?  That is, even more, remarkable!”  The man looked agitated again. “That’s where I grew up.”
            Rick narrowed his eyes and looked in the mirror again.  The man’s face was animated with excitement.  “Maybe we went to the same school or something?”
          “Maybe.  I went to W.W. Wilkens Elementary.  Then William’s High School.”  The man confessed.
          “So did I,” Rick replied, his curiosity growing beyond stopping now.  “What year did you graduate?”
           The man looked a little dejected.  “I didn’t.  I didn’t have a chance.  I started work early.”
          “I see,” Rick replied.  “What’s your name, dude?  I might know your folks?”  Rick asked.
          The man sat back again.  “My name’s Mel, Mel Thibadeaux.”  He quickly looked down at the black box on his arm.  “Blast, what’s wrong with this thing?  Gotta get Milt to have a look at it again.”
           The brakes on the car squealed from the full pressure of both of Rick’s feet, and smoke began to boil out from underneath the wheel wells as the old trusty Crown Victoria tried to go from 35 miles an hour to a dead stop in the middle of the street.   In the end, it gave up trying and got down to 10 miles an hour before it suddenly veered to the right and came to a somewhat gentle rest against the base of a light post. 
     
          Reality returned slowly to Rick.  He was aware that something had happened.  He just wasn’t sure what that was.    There was a gray kind of fog, and noises seemed far away.  Had he hit his head?  Maybe on the steering wheel?  He was still sitting in his car.  What was that noise?  That irritating noise?  Oh, yeah, it was Mel, that dead guy who’s been missing for nearly thirty years.
         When he came to he was leaning back in his seat staring up at the fabric on the roof of his car.  The car was stopped, but still running.  His door was open, and someone was standing there, yelling.
          “Hey!  Guy?  You alright?”  The man shouted at him.  It was his passenger, the one who just claimed to be his long lost friend, Mel Thibadeaux.
         Rick looked up at him blinking and uncertain.  His mind was still shaky.  Did I hit something?  “Did I hit something?”  His voice was unsteady.
         “Yeah, you hit the light post.  Good thing you slowed down first.”  The man replied.
         “Did I hit my head?”  Rick asked, rubbing his forehead.  There was no sign of a bump or a painful area.
         “No, you just sort of passed out.  Right after I told you who I was.”  The man stood erect beside the car.  Presumably, it had been him who put the car in park to avoid any more hitting of unmovable objects that might jump in the way.
       “Yeah, I heard you.  But, that was impossible.”  Rick muttered.
        “What’s impossible?’  The man seemed confused.
                     “I thought you said you were Melvin
               Thibadeaux.”  Rick quickly responded. 
         “I did, ‘cause I am,” He answered quickly.
         “That’s what’s impossible.  Mel Thibadeaux disappeared from William’s