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Authors: Corey Mitchell

BOOK: Dead And Buried
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FORTY-ONE
August 1, 1998
Outlaws Bar & Grill, Atascadero, California
Late Evening
 
Dan Thompson held court behind the maroon mahogany wooden bar inside Outlaws. As he wiped out dusty glasses, he oversaw the patrons of the fine establishment. It was a unique bunch, but they all seemed to have their good qualities.He knew that bikers were unfairly stereotyped. He believed people’s ignorance led them to judge the road warriorsbased solely on their appearance. Once someone took the time to look beyond their rough exteriors, they realized bikers were simply adventurers with a thirst for life.
Others had a thirst for something else. And it came from a robust two-liter glass container that he grabbed from behind his domain. Bikers liked their booze—and plenty of it. Thompson believed another ingredient was necessary for a surefire powder keg in Outlaws. That other ingredient usually consisted of the female persuasion. The combination of flowingliquor and agitated girlfriends was sure to start something.
On this particular night a lethal cocktail brewed. It involvedRex Krebs and Thompson’s friend Melissa Copelan.
Melissa and her boyfriend Robert “Gordon” Vesser stopped in for a bite to eat and to say hello to their good friend Thompson. Melissa also happened to be best friends with Dan’s girlfriend, Jamie Beth Prisco. Copelan and Vesser walked in, spotted Thompson and exchanged pleasantries with the burly bouncer with a teddy bear’s disposition. They informed him that Jamie would meet them there. Thompson rolled his eyes, harrumphed a bit, and muttered something under his breath.
“I’m sorry, Dan, what did you say?” Melissa inquired.
“I said, ‘She’s right over there.’ ” Thompson bitterly motionedover his shoulder to the corner of the dimly lit bar. Melissa looked around Dan and noticed Jamie sitting by herself,hunched over a drink. She looked depressed, so Copelan hurried over.
“What’s the matter?” she worriedly asked.
“Dan’s being an asshole,” Prisco replied bitterly.
“About what?”
“You know what.”
“No, tell me.”
“That stupid bitch. I busted his ass again cuz I know he’s screwing around with her, that son of a bitch. She’s just a littlewhore.”
Melissa did not know what to say, so she listened to her friend.
“And to make matters worse, the cunt is here.”
“Where?” Melissa wanted to know.
“Right over there by the ...” as she pointed toward the front door, her hand hit Thompson in the stomach. He had stopped by to see what the two young ladies were discussing.
“Watch it asshole,” Prisco grumbled.
Thompson hovered over the tiny single mother who had been his live-in lover for the past six months. He could not stand it when she flew into one of her irrational jealous fits. What did she expect? He worked in a bar, ferchrissakes. He was a big guy and all sorts of women would hit on him. Came with the territory. He explained that to her when they first hooked up and told her he did not want any dramatic scenariosto play out because of it. She told him that it was not a problem.
She had lied.
“Why don’t you just calm down.” Thompson attempted to reason with her.
“Why don’t you kiss my ass!” Prisco shouted back. She took a huge swig of her drink and continued her tirade.
“I am so sick of your shit. You’re always fucking around behind my back. Always checking out all of the bitches in here. I’m sick of it!” she exploded, slamming her empty glass down on the scratched table, pouncing from her chair, and pushing past Dan. Jamie bolted past the front door and gave her nemesis the evil eye.
Afraid of a catfight inside the bar, Melissa took off after her friend. Jamie, however, did not accost the other woman, but simply strutted past her and out the exit. Copelan continuedafter her friend and stopped as she came face-to-face with the other woman.
“Lousy slut!” she tossed at her like a rotten potato from a jerry-rigged potato gun.
The accused “slut” stepped back two steps. She backed up into her extremely large boyfriend, known by the patrons of Outlaws simply as “Big Dave.” With the alleged home wrecker’s jaws agape, Big Dave leaned forward only slightly. The massive man then jerked his head to the left and raised his shoulder. Melissa could see that attached to that beefy shoulder and arm was an incredibly massive hand. Not just a hand—but a fist.
Someone else in the bar noticed that fist also. Rex Krebs.
Big Dave did not rear back and coldcock Melissa Copelan. If he had, she would have been in the hospital. He did begin, however, to scream at her.
“What the hell is your problem, you little cunt!” he screamed.
Melissa, truly scared at this point, ignored Big Dave and took off for the front door.
Rex Krebs, sporting his fancy black cowboy hat, glanced over at Dan Thompson. He made eye contact with his much larger bouncer buddy, which let him know he was about to do some scrapping. He watched as Big Dave stepped through the front door, seemingly to go after both Melissa and Jamie. Krebs strode across the beat-up floor of Outlaws and purposelyheaded after Big Dave.
Krebs threw open the exit door. He peered around but only saw one person, Melissa Copelan. He walked up to his friend.
“What happened, Melissa?”
“Jamie and Dan had a fight and I need to go get her.”
“What about the other guy?” Krebs wanted to know.
“That’s the other girl’s boyfriend.”
“It looked like he was gonna hit you.”
“Yeah, I got scared and that’s why I ran out here.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know, Rex.”
“Here, hold this,” Krebs said to Copelan as he handed her his black felt cowboy hat.
This is a chivalrous man,
Melissa thought.
He is here to defend my honor.
Just then, the front door to Outlaws slammed open. A man ran out of the establishment toward Krebs and Copelan. Thankfully, it was Melissa’s boyfriend, Gordon Vesser. Now she had two men to stand up for her.
“Hey guys, what the hell is g—” Vesser interjected, but was interrupted by the sound of bone being crushed. He turned to his left, only to see Krebs grabbing his face and falling to the parking lot. As he slithered downward, the ominous figure of Big Dave loomed overhead. In his hand was a thick steel truck-license-plate holder.
The piercing wails of Rex Krebs cut through the eerie silence.It was his blood on the end of the license plate holder. Krebs clutched his nose as a geyser of blood squirted far enough to make a four-foot-long speckled trail.
Hearing the screams, Dan Thompson bolted out the front door. As he opened it, he witnessed a severe beating taking place. Big Dave and two of his buddies were kicking the hell out of little, scrawny Gordon. He also spotted Krebs flailing on the ground in obvious pain. He also saw rivulets of blood drip off Gordon’s face.
Normally, Krebs would be there to back Thompson up when a fight broke out. This time, Krebs lay on the receivingend of a beating. It was apparent that he could not get up. Thompson cleared off the handicap-accessibility ramp of a few stray onlookers. He then realized his friend had gotten his ass kicked. Krebs lay in a heap and started flopping up and down. He went into convulsions and spasmodically bounced on the glass-littered gravel. Dan saw one of Big Dave’s boys standing over the hapless ex-convict.
“Yeah, now what are you gonna do?” the thug screamed at Krebs. “Huh, you don’t seem all right now, do you, motherfucker?”he stated with glee in his voice.
Krebs turned a different color. His flesh seemed to take on an unhealthy bluish tint. Thompson thought his friend might have started to choke on his own tongue. He got scared.
Oh, my god. Oh, my God,
Dan thought as he witnessed the brutality.
Somehow Vesser got up and turned Big Dave around. He cocked back his much smaller fist and knocked Big Dave square in the eye with a full-bodied roundhouse. It was a hell of a punch—so good that it left Big Dave with a permanent scar.
Big Dave was not pleased.
According to Dan Thompson, Big Dave “squared off on him.
Wham!
Busted his nose. It looked just like a cantaloupe. It just exploded.”
That’s when Thomspon ran toward the melee. Big Dave and his cohorts took off. They knew the law would be there any second. Thompson hightailed it to the scene. He took one look at Krebs.
It wasn’t pretty.
Within minutes an ambulance arrived. The paramedics also took one look at Krebs and rushed him to the hospital right away. As they hauled him into the ambulance, one of the emergency medical technicians repeatedly asked him his name. Krebs groggily replied, “Rex Allan Krebs, Rex Allan Krebs.” Thompson drove Vesser to the Twin Cities Hospital. He dropped him off at the main entrance, parked his truck, and scurried over to the emergency room to find Rex.
Krebs had already received an examination. He also had his own room. Thompson explained to the nurses that he and Krebs were coworkers and best friends. The nurses, however, would not let him in the room. They said Krebs lay unconsciousin his bed and could not be disturbed.
The next morning, Dan returned to pick up Gordon, who seemed no worse for the wear. He also checked in on Krebs, whom he had still not seen since seeing him in the ambulance.One of the nurses informed Dan that Rex Krebs had not stabilized and that he would not be able to see him yet. They also told Dan that Krebs was out cold. He told the nurse that he wanted her to keep him abreast of Krebs’s condition. Dan Thompson went home and got some sleep.
The following morning, August 3, Thompson returned to Twin Cities Hospital. Rex Krebs finally woke up.
He did not look good.
His face had swollen to the size of an overripe honeydew melon; his eyes were almost swollen shut and blackened. Krebs felt nauseous. Dan arrived with Jamie’s tiny Celica and attempted to place his poor, battered friend into it. Apparently, Jamie’s son had finagled with the car so that the driver-side door would not open properly. To get it to shut, Dan had to use the passenger-side headrest to jimmy the door closed. To accomplish this task, he had to get in from the passenger side. Rather dim-wittedly, Thompson let Krebs get in on the passengerside first, where he planted his abused body. Dan crawled over Krebs and unhooked the headrest from the driver’s door. At the same moment that 6’5”, 290-pound Dan Thompson crawled on top of Rex Krebs, his buddy began to make loud retching noises. Krebs began to convulse as he started to dry heave.
Thompson stared in horror at his pal. “Dude, if you lose it, I’m gone,” he warned.
Krebs barely recognized his good friend. He continued to make a sound that reminded Thompson of a dying sheep bleating its last breath.
“I’m serious, dude,” he continued, “I’m going right alongsideyou.”
Luckily for Thompson, Krebs controlled his gag reflex and did not throw up in Jamie’s car. Thompson fired up the tiny automobile and headed for his and Jamie’s small studio apartment.
Krebs moaned as the car lurched forward.
Dan Thompson never realized how small their living quarterswere until he brought Rex Krebs home from the hospital. He glanced around the tiny studio apartment and had serious doubts about letting Krebs stay. Not because he did not want to help his friend, but because they were going to be seriously cramped. The apartment belonged to Jamie Prisco and consistedof a master bedroom, which she relinquished to her son. She slept in the living room. When she asked Dan to move in, they shared the living room. Now he needed to find a place for Krebs to stay while they tended to his injuries. There was no doubt in Thompson’s mind that he would help his friend, he just wanted to make sure Krebs had everything he needed.
Thompson let Krebs sleep in his and Jamie’s bed. He dressed the bed and tucked Krebs in. He noticed bruises all over Krebs’s face and a huge cut over his left eye. He could not help but think that Krebs looked like an abused banana.
Thompson also noticed that Krebs continued to dry heave. It almost made him sick, so he insisted that Krebs take something.Krebs finally muttered that the doctor had given him a pain reliever, Compazine, but there was one problem. The pill came in a suppository form. Krebs had no desire to insert the pill into his rectum, not the way he was feeling. Thompson,however, did not care. He was tired of hearing Krebs’s dry heaving. Krebs relented and inserted the painkiller. It did the trick. Krebs fell asleep on Thompson’s bed.
Krebs spent the next two days recuperating at Dan and Jamie’s apartment. At first he seemed somewhat distant to Prisco. He appeared disoriented. He could not shake the cobwebsout of his head. She was not surprised. Getting smacked in the head with a metal license plate holder could do that to a person. Dan also noticed a change in Krebs after the attack. Krebs did not maintain his sunny disposition that he had while working at 84 Lumber. He seemed to withdraw further inside his own shell. He did not appear to be as “flamboyant, fun-loving” or “easygoing,” Thompson recalled.

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