“Looks good.” He glanced at the GPS, then back to the road. “Sounds like everybody’s busy. How about Uncle Christian? How’s he?”
“Oh…” Ten snickered. “On his second, second honeymoon, if you can believe it.”
“Ha! I guess you could say he got his second wind after that stroke, didn’t he?”
“Yea, I’d say so.” Tennessee leaned forward to study the vast bank of black clouds before them. “Damn, it looks rough up ahead.”
“It could be.” When they came to the end of the lake road, Clint headed east on Highway 29. “From the map, it looks like we should cut up 183 to Liberty Hill.”
“All right. You’re the boss. I’m just riding shotgun.” Tennessee cleared his throat. “I called Aunt Gillian, but she’s out of town.”
“She traveled with Cassidy to Florida for a cooking contest hosted by a celebrity chef.”
“Yea, that’s what she said. I told her I had something for her, and she wanted me to give it to you.”
“Why me?” Clint asked as he heard the weather alert sound. “We’re under tornado warning.”
“Geez, Louise,” Ten stared at the screen. “Tell me what I’m looking at.”
Pointing to a small blue circle within a larger red area, he said, “This is it. Do you see the reflectivity in the hook echo?” He indicated a fishhook tail on the weather mass. “This is what is known as a debris ball – and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Debris picked up by tornadic winds.”
“That’s crazy.” Tennessee stared at the pulsing formation. “And we’re heading right for it?”
“We are, so hold on. This could get crazy. Now…did Mom say why she wanted me to accept…whatever?”
As Clint turned off the main highway to take a side road, Ten did as suggested. He held onto the dash with one hand and the handle over the window with the other. “She said something about you knowing what to do with it.”
“With what?”
Turning loose of the dash, Ten reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet, then slipped out a folded piece of paper. “A check.” He handed it to Clint. “This is the Highland McCoys’ part of your mother’s inheritance. Joseph will give you the Tebow portion when he sees you at the Search and Rescue orientation.”
As Clint drove, he unfolded the check. When he checked out the amount, his jaw dropped. “This is five million dollars, Ten.”
“Yep. It’s not the full amount we want to give her, but it’s what we could get our hands on without moving funds around. We’ll get the remainder together in a couple of months.”
“This is a hell of a down payment.” Clint glanced at the amount one more time. “But I’m glad you did this. She’s had a damn hard time.”
“We’re happy to do it.” Ten nodded. “She told me about the beautiful home you bought her in Lago Vista.”
“Yea, she’s enjoying it. I’ve been staying with her while I hunt a place of my own nearby.”
“It’s admirable how you’ve taken care of her and your family. But now, she’s got the means to take care of herself. She’s secure. Independent. This money and more is hers by right.”
“Well, thanks.” When they came to a stop sign, he put the check in a safe place in the glove compartment of the truck. “Oh, look. Our storm is on the move!” After pressing a location indicator, Clint set the GPS to give directions. “Looks like we’ll be heading toward Andice and Florence.” He named two small towns northwest of Austin.
“What will we do if we catch up to it?”
“I’ll take some readings and we’ll send up some sensors if we get a chance. Thrills and excitement aren’t the only reasons I do this. I also collect data for the National Weather Service.”
“I guess somebody has to,” Ten muttered under his breath as he stared at the massive black cloud on the horizon. “Damn thing is dark and evil looking. How far away is it?”
Clint looked at the map. “Oh, we’re still twelve to fifteen miles away. The cloud bank is just huge, it’s so tall it looks closer than it is.” About that time a big, jagged lightning bolt slashed across the sky.
“Whoo-wee!” Ten hollered. “That was impressive.”
“Start watching for rotation.”
“I will.” He grinned at his cousin. “Now, this is an adventure.”
“You bet it is,” Clint agreed.
“Speaking of adventure, I’m glad you signed up to join our Wilderness Rescue team. I think you’ll find it worthwhile.”