155 (15)

[a quick non-story note-the summary isn't quite done, and neither is the character profile.  I hope to have them done before the end of part six.  The story will continue after part six, but there might be some changes.  I haven't decided yet, but I'll decide before part 168]

“You don’t think the feds are looking for Bob and Phil?”  Julio took a long drink of his coffee after letting Mabel’s comment sink in.

“The men…who came to their apartment…were not feds.  I can’t believe that.”

“Why not?”  Old man B asked, in a very agitated tone.

“They pulled guns and told me they’d come back if I told the police.  Does that sound like how our government behaves?”  Mabel was getting more stressed and her voice carried a lot more than Julio or B would have cared it to.  Julio took a long drink while B got up.

“I’m going to the bathroom…get some coffee…” he muttered as he walked away, his age suddenly asserting itself more than Mabel had seen all night.  Julio watched him and sighed lightly.

“Poor guy.”

“Him?” Mabel said, with a quick, sharp turn of her head.  “I’m the one who was held at gunpoint.”

“I’ve seen it before with railroad men I’ve known.  I’ve worked railroad security long enough with enough vets to spot it.  I thought I saw it before when I caught him in the rail yard, and now you talking about the government seems to have set him off.”

“Seen what, exactly?”

“I’d say he did something he’d just as soon forget, that he can’t.  Some kind of post-traumatic stress.  Some can move on and live their lives.  Some can’t.  Some exist in between…almost like they’re haunted.  They push the memories back far enough, but certain things set them off.”

“I set him off?”

“You said yourself, ‘does that sound like how our government behaves?’  I’d say he knows how our government has behaved, and he was a part of it.  His face turned white and he shuffled away like he was 90.”  Julio got up and chugged the last of his coffee.  “Keep an eye on him tonight.  Here’s my card.  If you two want to talk more about those two guys from your apartment, and not to the police, just give me a call.  I”m not going to turn either of you in, but I need to turn myself in to some sleep or else I’m going to pass out right here.”

Mabel looked at the card, then back up at Julio as he walked away.  “Thanks” she said, just loud enough for Julio to hear it, and nod his head in return as he walked out the door.

***

And they put you in the ground
when the angels hung around.
And the angels hung around
as they carried me away.

Jenny Lewis’ voice kept going as one ear bud fell to the table.  A Nokia rushed up to take the place of the bud, while another hand sat a glass down.  “Yeah.  Are you there?  Good.  I’ll try to meet you there soon.  I know.  You’re right.  Look, all this time I know what I should have done, but…we had to…there wasn’t enough…yes, yes.  I know.  I realize the problem.  I know.  I know.  You’re right of course, but I’d point out that you being right doesn’t change anything.  I still need to do this.  You have the backup, but we might need the other one, and even if we don’t , we can’t take the chance the weatherman will get it.  Don’t worry.  I’ll find it.”  The phone closed, and soon it was swapped inside a jacket pocket for car keys.  The other hand removed the other ear bud and tucked them both in the other jacket pocket.  The hand pulled out two twenty dollar bills and sat them at the table.  A waitress came by a minute later, and as she watched a car leave Shenanigan’s, she had to assume the $13.33 was her change.

147 (7)

“Why are you doing this?”

Julio Perez took a long, slow sip from his Styrofoam coffee cup.  He closed his eyes, choosing to enjoy the gas station coffee’s bitter flavor rather than the bitter barbs of a crazy old man.  He sipped for a good ten seconds, then lowered the cup.  The old man’s face was still a portrait of anger, while his female friend was a look of concern and confusion.  “Because” Julio said, as he rested his elbows on the table of the small booth, “I’m looking for answers as much as you are, and I know the S.F.P.D. is looking for your friend, if she’s the one who screamed at the station.”

“You don’t have to answer that Mabel.  He’s railroad security…a rent-a-cop of the rails.”  B’s hand was in front of her face, but she reached up to lower it slowly. 

“Calm down.  I think he just wants answers, and yes, I am the woman who screamed” Mabel said quickly, before she could change her mind.

“Your friends are in Aberdeen” Julio said, before taking another long drink of coffee.

“They aren’t…how did you know that?”

“I was at the station helping with their investigation.”

“So why come here, if you knew where they wound up?”

Julio took another drink of coffee, and his cup was almost empty.  “I just need to know how much BNSF is going to get in the news because of your crazy idea of shoving two people into a boxcar.  Two people that have the police station buzzing like a nest of angry hornets.”

“There are men looking for them” Mabel said with a blank stare on her face.

“I know, the feds” Julio said as he started to get up for more coffee.

“No” Mabel said quietly, almost as if she thought the walls had ears.

***

“BOB!”  Bob looked up as something hit him in the face.  It surprised him more than anything, and he watched it fall to the floor.  Bob recognized the item as a matchbook that was in his pocket.  The matchbook had several phone numbers written on it.  “Is that your little black book?”

“Just a couple go to numbers for luck.”  Bob watched as Jeremiah started removing all the cards and things from his wallet.  Once he was done, Jeremiah held up Bob’s sunglasses.

“These aren’t bad.  Where’d you get them?”

“They were a gift.  They bring me luck.”

“I’d recommend a new pair” Jeremiah said, as he sat the glasses on a small table.  “Now, again, tell me where you met Gerrard, or Jer as you called him.”

“It was a poker tournament at Nutty’s.”

“Was he good?”

“Not good enough.  We tied for second.”

“How is that even possible?”

“We both had the same two pair with the same kicker.  The other guy had three of a kind.”

“You know, we were four of a kind at one point.”

“Excuse me?”

“Gerrard, Mokoto, Jebediah and I.  We worked together.”

“Get out…”

“No, I’m very serious…” Jeremiah said, as he stood up.  “…but we didn’t part on the best of terms.  Since he’s not here for me to air my grievences…that leaves you.”  Jeremiah started walking towards Bob, who was struggling harder than ever against the ropes holding him in place.

67 (11)

Mabel sat motionless. Old man B sat and looked all around the bare room. Officer Laura Black tapped her pen on the table, just like she had been for the past few minutes. After a long, heavy sigh, she posed the question again. “Mr. McGillcuddy, I don’t know why you’re covering for Anderton and Fulton. Just tell us where they might be and we’ll drop the charges for trespassing. We have a pretty good idea you put them on a train, so just point us in a direction.”

“I’m not telling you anything. I have my reasons.”

Mabel looked at him, then looked at Laura. “Excuse me, but why am I here? You haven’t asked me anything.”

“Ms. Gravley, we would appreciate anything you offer this investigation. Since you manage the building that Mr. McGillcuddy, Mr. Anderton and Mr. Fulton live in, you’re a person of some interest in this case.”

“Person of interest? I was held at gunpoint and you’re treating me like the criminal.”

“Ms. Gravley, we don’t have any evidence at the apartment of anyone being there besides you last evening.”

“What about all the missing discs?” Old man B asked. “That must seem rather peculiar, since I’m guessing you didn’t find any at Mabel’s.”

“Mr. McGillcuddy, we don’t want to keep either of you any longer than we have to, especially you.”

“Then let us go.”

“Mr. McGillcuddy…we know you were in the rail yard. We have a statement from Julio Perez saying you indicated that you helped one, maybe two or more men onto a freight car. Your record indicates a few citations for freight hopping in the sixties and seventies.” Mabel looked at old man B’s face, which remained stoic. Laura saw that Mabel was conflicted, and now was a time to drive a wedge between them. “Your record is a…colorful read. I’ve seen assault, theft, battery, trespassing, speeding, public intoxication, public urination, and most of those in ample supply. You’ve had quite a busy life since you received your dishonorable discharge from the Army.”

“Excuse me” Mabel said. “Are you telling me that B was in the army?”

“You don’t talk about that, do you Bartholomew?” Laura was pushing ahead, sensing she could isolate B in the interrogation.

“After Korea, there wasn’t much to tell. The war was over and the army didn’t want me anymore. The feeling was mutual.”

“You fought in the Korean war?” Mabel’s attention was now only on old man B.

“It was a long time ago. There isn’t much to tell.”

Laura stood up and walked towards the door. “Excuse me” she said, slamming the door as she left. She had been outplayed for now, but she wasn’t ready to give up.

***

Phil had flattened himself on the wall of the boxcar. He looked out the narrow slot as the trees and houses flew by.

“Anything?” Bob was hanging onto the door, ready to close or open it on a moment’s notice.

Phil was scanning everything. The cars, the trees, the houses, but nothing told him where they were. “I don’t see anything. Wait. Wait a second…” Phil moved to the opening and started to push the door open. Bob slid the door all the way open. The big, blue sky was highlighted by a water tower in the distance, a tower with one word on it: Warner.

40 (12)

Darlene looked up from her desk. A Native-American man was standing with his arms folded, staring at her. “Can I help you?”

“I hope so. I need to see someone in the morgue.”

“Are you here to identify a body?” she asked, turning another pager in her magazine. Her head jerked up when a black leather ID wallet plopped onto her magazine. The badge and FBI ID were suddenly a lot more interesting than anything in Soap Opera Digest.

“Actually, I’m here to verify that there’s one here. So, if you’re not too busy, I’d like to check now.” Clayton reached up and picked up his ID as Darlene picked up the phone. She punched in a code, and waited. After a few seconds, she hung up the phone.

“Ruth, watch my desk.” Darlene yelled as she walked out from behind her desk. “Sorry, there was no answer. It must be break time. I’ll take you down.”

***

Mokoto closed the door behind her. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a mini flashlight. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but she was looking anyway. J & J can be sloppy. It won’t hurt to double check Bob’s place. She saw a blinking red light from the kitchen counter top. She walked over to it, and saw an answering machine. The “new messages” light was blinking rapidly. She pressed the button, hoping for a clue.

“Hey Bob, this is Jeff. Are you coming to poker or what? Call me if you can’t make it bro.”

BEEP

“Phillip Anderton, I’m calling in regards to your high interest credit cards. Would you like a way to lower your paym-”

Mokoto pressed the next button.

“Robert Fulton, this is Captain Larry Hale of the Sioux Falls Police Department. We have some questions for you regarding your friend Gerrard. Could you please call us back as soon as possible? The number is 367-7000, extension 333.”

BEEP

“Sorry, wrong number.”

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Mokoto paused for a moment, and pressed play, then fast forward three times.

“Sorry, wrong number.”

She flashed the light around the apartment and found the cordless phone. She scrolled to the last call on the caller ID, but it simply said “unknown”. She looked back at the answering machine. I know that voice, don’t I? As she walked towards the answering machine again, she heard a crinkling. Her flashlight revealed two envelopes. She picked up one that looked like a card of some kind from Mitchell, and one was a letter to Bob from someone in Spearfish. She pulled out a notepad and jotted down the addresses. She tossed the mail onto the table. The envelopes slid across the table and fell off the other side. Mokoto sighed, wondering if she should pick them back up. She flashed her light over and saw a box of empty beer bottles, but there was something under it. She walked over and lifted the box. It was an envelope addressed to Phillip from Aberdeen. The postmark indicated it had arrived earlier in the week, but it was unopened. Call it serendipity, but I’ll call it a potential lead Mokoto thought to herself as she tucked it into her jacket. She didn’t have much time to pat herself on the back, as she heard two sets of feet coming up the stairs in a slight hurry.

1

“Calling it a day Phil?”

Phil looked up at the clock. Five always came too late and too soon all at once. It always seemed too late to do all the things he wanted to do, but it was always too early, in that he never seemed to have everything done. With a heavy sigh, Phil dropped the folder he was holding. The papers slipped out, like he’d dropped a deck of cards without closing the box they came in.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Phil locked his desk, like any other Friday, and grabbed his jacket. He wasn’t sure why he wore it today. The radio guy said it would be around 70, but how often has he been right lately? He strolled out the front door to his car. A simple turn of the key and his Oldsmobile had awoken, and it greeted him with…well, what was it? Phil looked at his radio, very perplexed. Static? As he reached to adjust the dial, some rap song started blaring in mid-chorus. Oh great, there goes the stereo he thought, frowning as he slipped the car into reverse. Luckily, the engine made no noise, and the music he was totally out of touch with kept him company until he got back to the apartment.

When Phil reached his apartment complex, he noticed that his roommate had taken the spot, as he’d gotten home first. Phil was never sure how Bob managed to beat him home most days of the week, especially since Bob worked farther away from the apartment than he did. As Phil pulled onto the street, he couldn’t believe his own eyes. The spot right in front was open. Phil wasted no time sliding into the primo street spot. He knew old man B would be angry, but B could find a new spot to park his rusted out Pacer. Phil thought it was odd to see old man B out at this time of night, since it was a tournament of champions week on Wheel of Fortune. Oh man, I know the Wheel of Fortune schedule Phil thought in a bit of mid-life crisis horror.

Phil knew the next part of the day all too well. He grabbed the mail, which was a skill Bob was lacking entirely. Phil started thumbing through the junk mail, bills, a card from his mom, and a letter to Bob. Phil thought about opening it and claiming he didn’t look at the address, but he decided against it. Phil opened the door, and opened his mouth to tell Bob to keep it down, since Bob and Jer always played video games on Friday, before going out the bars. Phil stopped, as he didn’t hear anything. Phil walked through the kitchen, and after those two steps he saw Bob sitting on the floor in front of the couch. The 360 was off, and Bob had some old cartoon on. “Bob, where’s Jer? Don’t tell me you’re changing up the…”

“Jer’s dead Phil.” Bob said.