Cliffhanger Theater!

Will handed the coffee to Tina. “So, how is your night going?” Tina rolled her eyes.

“Oh, nothing I like more than spending Friday night dusting for fingerprints and looking for a missing apartment manager. Great fun.”

Will took a long sip from his coffee. “At least you missed out on the Mulder and Scully wannabees I ran into. I just hope you can get them off my back. I’m sure Hale sung my virtues after I left. I didn’t exactly give them a lot of confidence.”

Tina looked back to apartment five. “Well, so far we’ve only found prints in the usual places. There’s the kick in the doorway, and the forensics guys haven’t had much luck, other than shoe prints in the shower.”

“Excuse me?”

“This Dinkley guy didn’t keep a very clean shower, and they spotted two distinct sets of shoe prints in the shower. They’re checking the curtain for prints now.”

“So, our big lead is a set of shoe prints in a shower. The National Geo-Space whatever agency will be thrilled.”

“Didn’t you say they also claimed CIA cred?” Tina asked. Will stared at his coffee, then looked at Tina with an icy stare.

“Let’s not bring up the Central Intelligence Agency again please.”

“Will, I wasn’t tr-“

“Just forget it” Will said as he stormed off towards the apartment.

What the hell is that about Tina thought to herself.

***

“I’m missing out on my big plans tonight Pancho Villa. You’d better let me go. I’ve got rights!” Old man B yelled.

“Pancho Villa, that’s a good one. That was almost as good as calling me Taco John. What part of your brain tells you that yelling at me and calling me names is going to get you out of here?”

“My car is unlocked! I have valuables in it!”

“So again, why were you in the rail yard. Maybe if you give me any reason to let you walk I might take it” Julio said, rubbing his temples. The crazy old man was slowly driving him to either madness or a headache.

“Typical railroad bull. Keepin’ the man down. Why, sometimes a guy just wants to get out of town. This is why I don’t help anyone…starting now.”

“Wait wait wait, did you say ‘help get out of town’?”

“Maybe.”

“You helped somebody hitch a ride on one of our trains?”

“Pfft. Our trains. My taxes help give your company tax breaks mister. In a way they’re my trains too.”

Julio leaned on the door and started dialing the police again. This is going to be one of those nights.

***

Gene hung up the phone. “Well Agent Iron-Horse, Chapel Hill claims they received no body from us today for cremation. Now what?”

Clayton uncrossed his arms and paced for a moment. He leaned against the wall and put his hands in his pockets. “Why don’t you get me the names and addresses of all the funeral homes in town? I should check them in person, but I have a feeling there is no body, and your old boss took a healthy bribe to fake a death.”

“But why?” Darlene asked, as Gene walked out of the room.

“Sorry Darlene. All I can say is that he had his reasons, but he won’t stay off the grid for long.”

Gene went to the box on the door that had the photocopies of the list of funeral homes. As he walked away from the door, it opened behind him. “Agent Iron-Horse, here’s a list.”

“Agent?”

Gene didn’t know that voice. He turned around, only to see Ruth being shoved to the ground with a lot of force, and two men with guns. They didn’t speak in words, but their muffled gunshots bid Gene and Ruth a quick farewell.