Gus

Gus

He was a country boy at heart, usually avoiding the city like the plague but Gus was there, unwilling, but there, to meet Matt, a dog breeder who had sent him a rough Collie to train for sheepdog trials. It had turned out rough indeed, because the dog was found dead at the airport, his cage door left open and his microchip had been dug out from his shoulder. The vet couldn’t identify the poison without sending a sample to a lab in Australia, but Gus wasn’t prepared to wait for any result, he was on the blower to Matt for an explanation. Matt blustered a load of waffle, and in the end it was resolved that they meet at the Pelican Hotel, which wasn’t where all the brightest lights were.

Gus wasn’t interested in a replacement dog, not from him anyway, all he wanted was his money back! He booked a room for the night, but was determined to be on the road at first light in the morning. The desk clerk wanted to know his life’s history and swipe his credit card, but Gus told him he didn’t have any cards and wrote him out a cheque there and then! He didn’t much like modernity, it was all too invasive, and the clerk seemed to be a nosey bugger!

Gus rang Matt’s cellphone to set up a time to meet, but there was no answer, he tried three more times with the same result. He didn’t like being out of his comfort zone, sitting on his bum, so he went down to the lobby to ask the clerk what room Matt was in. The desk clerk quoted privacy, rubbing his fingers, indicating money was needed but Gus was slow on the uptake and just thought he was being contrary. He picked up a pen from the desk and offered to poke him in his eye!

Instead of going to Matt’s room, Gus went back to his own room. Well he know this Matt joker and he might be in the shower or on the dunny and for sure Gus didn’t want to catch him in the act! He dialled Matt’s room number. No reply. After four or five tries, he sat on his bed for all of five minutes twiddling his thumbs.  Impatiently he set off for Matt’s room which was two floors up. He took the lift.

As he exited the lift he nearly bumped into a blonde-haired bloke dressed in a fancy blue suit. Gus thought he would like to see him dressed like that in a shearing shed, and unconsciously sniggered at the thought! Matt’s door was ajar, so without stopping to think he pushed it open and there was Matt was sitting in a chair. He was strapped in, tied up with duct tape and he was dead! Well, you would be with half a dozen strands of thin wire wrapped tightly around your throat! The room had been ransacked, but the phone was intact, sitting on the table beside the bed, Gus reached for it, but didn’t pick it up. He realised it would be easy to pin the murder on him!

He left the room and headed towards the lift, but noticed a shape of blue, the same blue as that fancy suit. It was the man’s elbow poking around the corner. Gus didn’t actually hear the conversation but he heard a foreign accent. He reckoned the man wouldn’t want to be recognised, so guessed it probably meant he was going to be a next on the list! He decided to take the stairs. The door that lead to the stairwell creaked as it closed and Gus knew the man would have heard, so he ran flat out down the stairs not caring about the noise! He knew the man was after him, but more cautiously, which meant danger for Gus.

Down the two flights of stairs, Gus hurried to push his card into the lock, he felt safe in his room, but had second thoughts when he realised he was trapped! His heart was pumping and his breathing was short from his downstairs run! He needed a weapon, but there was nothing. He tried the window but it didn’t open. Anyway it was a long way down! The man was outside the door, could he break in? Gus broke a leg off the wooden bedside table and looked up to see the door handle slowly go down. There was a click, the man must have a master card! Gus had nowhere to go, so he jumped up on the bed, thinking height might give him an edge.

The blonde man came in grinning, sure that he was the professional and up against a rank amateur. Gus bounced up and down on the bed like a boxer waiting for Blondie to make a grab at him. He did and Gus swatted his hand with his table-leg waddy! It hurt and Blondie cursed, but continued moving around the bed looking for another opportunity. Gus was used to dodging renegade rams and bulls and of taking his opportunity when one presented itself! He saw an opening and thrust the waddy, poking Blondie in the face with a force that knocked him backwards. There was blood weeping out a tear in his cheek, but he still had his grin, as if the pain gave him pleasure.

With all his strength, Gus tossed the table leg at the man’s head, aiming at the same side as his damaged hand. The missile struck the side of Blondie’s head, and he reeled back! It was Gus’s opportunity to make a run for it! As he passed the bathroom door, he swished it open and stood firmly behind it. The man crashed into it and slumped to the floor. Gus knew how to hog-tie sheep and pigs, so it he easily trussed the man using the telephone cord, and for good measure his phone-charger cord.

Gus expected whoever Blondie had been phoning to be waiting outside the door, so he broke the glass on the fire alarm and pressed the knob! The sprinkler system started drenching the room and the alarm bell was making a hell of a racket! He retrieved his waddy, and opened the door with a flurry. A woman was standing there, apparently unfazed by the commotion. Both were surprised! She was expecting Blondie, victorious, and Gus was expecting a big, dangerous man! She reacted first, throwing a punch aimed at his head, but Gus just felt the wind of it, as he dodged it. He thrust his waddy into her stomach making her buckle in pain! He deftly slid past her and ran down the stairwell.

He bumped past four hotel staff who were on their way up in response to the alarm! In the lobby, the desk clerk was still nervously at his post, and didn’t object when Gus sat himself cross-legged on top of his desk. He used his cellphone to call the emergency number, and asked for the police to be summoned. They wanted more information and Gus rolled his eyes, he suggested they pull their finger out and just get there! Meantime, he felt safe atop the desk in plain sight! So he waited, impatiently, longing to get back to the peace of the farm! Away from mystery!