Cliffhanger Theater!

Highway Patrolman Dale Roberts blinked rapidly as he snapped back to reality.  Water was dripping down his face, and he was still trying to blink his way back to consciousness.  The last thing he remembered was looking at Laura Dell’s driver’s licence and noticing two wires.  He remembered a sensation akin to being tasered, but stronger and…different.

“Wake up…Dale.”

Dale sputtered water out of his mouth and looked up.  Laura was now out of her car, and she was in a catcher’s crouch in front of him.  She was holding an empty water bottle, and strands of her black hair had broken free of her pony tail holder.  Her stray hair blew in the South Dakota breeze, as she stared at Dale with a look Dale couldn’t even describe.  She slowly stood up, and Dale tried to do the same.  His attempt didn’t even get off the ground, as he realized his legs had been zip stripped, and his hands were cuffed behind him.  He looked up and over his shoulder, realizing his hands were cuffed behind a mile marker he couldn’t quite read.  When he looked forward again, Laura had disappeared.  He saw his squad car about 150 feed away, with all of the lights still on.  Laura walked in front of him again, and walked slowly towards his car.

“Ma’am…you’re in a lot of tr-”

BLAM

Dale’s head lurched back as the shotgun blast rang out across the empty stretch of interestate.  Laura fired several more times at his car, and then hammered at the windshield with the gun’s stock until the bulletproof glass gave-way in one spot, leaving a hole no bigger than a bowling ball.  Laura slowly walked back with a slight smirk, and one finger across her lips.  Dale frantically looked around his body.  His gun and belt were gone, his badge was gone, and so were his keys.  Dale bent his knees and tried to stand, using the mile marker sign as leverage.  His body moved up a few inches and stopped, once he felt the handcuffs snug up.  He sank back down as he heard footsteps.

“I zip stripped the cuffs to the marker.  Those holes in sign posts come in handy.”  Dale took a deep breath as he heard her voice, and approaching footsteps.  She suddenly crouched down right in front of him, and her smile had only grown.  “Now Dale, I need to ask you something, and be honest.  When help comes, and they find you here, are you going to tell them about me?”

“Of course!  You are in big troub-”

Laura placed one finger on his lips.  She used the other hand to pull out a revolver.  Slowly and deliberately, she loaded one bullet.  She looked him in the eye again.  “Are you going to tell them about me?”

“Yes.”

Laura loaded a second bullet into the gun.  “Are you going to tell them about me?”

Dale hesitated for a second.  “No.”

“You’re lying” Laura said.  She loaded a third bullet.  “Are you going to tell them about me?”

Dale looked at the gun, and looked up to Laura’s eyes.  “Maybe.”

Laura slowly loaded a fourth bullet.  She shook her head, then asked again, “Are you going to tell them about me?”  Dale’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.  “That’s a yes.  Oh Dale, I’m running out of chambers here.”  Laura pulled out a fifth bullet, and slowly slid it into the chamber.  She held the gun up and locked her eyes with Dale’s.  “Last time I’m going to ask Dale.  When they find you out here, and they ask you who did this, what are you going to tell them?”

Dale looked at the gun, then at Laura.  She had the gun in one hand, and a single bullet in the other.  Her smile was gone.  “I don’t remember who did this.  It’s all fuzzy” Dale said, almost not believing he was saying it.  He noticed his breathing had accelerated, and he had an overwhelming feeling of doom.  Laura slowly placed the bullet in her pocket.  She stood up and smiled.

“I believe you, but I wish you’d said that earlier.”  She spun the cylinder of the revolver, then with a flick of the wrist she locked one of the chambers in place.  She cocked the hammer and pointed the gun at Dale’s head.

Part five ends with characters either on the move or about to go down some dark paths. I’m not currently planning a big special post for part 150, but we’ll see. I also haven’t decided which character will get the Cliff(hanger) Note this time around. The part five summary should be up in a day or so.

By my math, I’ve already got a novel’s worth of story written. If this was a novel, I wouldn’t worry so much about having a “what next” moment after every 500 or so words. My wife thinks I should condense it down to a book when I’m done, and I’m starting to warm to that idea.

The only think I’ve not liked about doing this story is that a lot of other stories I’d like to work on are getting neglected, since I barely have time for this one of late. It will be a challenge to keep updating once our child arrives, but I think I can do it.

Part six begins tomorrow with a look at what Laura’s been up to. Thanks for stopping by.

Mokoto slowly got out of Michelle’s Toyota.  The motorcycle rider took off his helmet as Mokoto put her gun away.  “You’d better not have scratched that” she said as she walked towards the bike.  She glanced back and forth as Jeremiah sat the helmet on the seat.

“It handles real nice.  To bad it will probably get identified.”

“New license plate and some new detailing and I’ll be fine.”

“So, how in the world did you track them here?”

“Honestly?”

Jeremiah pulled a toothpick out of his coat pocket.  He looked around the alleyway and shrugged.  “Nah, I don’t really want to know.  It ruins your mystique.”

Mokoto laughed.  She saw Michelle inside the car, and she wasn’t talking yet.  “We need to get them in and separate them.  Phil and Michelle are the ones we can work over the best.  Bob might be a lost cause at this point.”

“That’s not so good.  He’s the one who was best friends with Gerrard.”

“I have some ideas for that, but maybe we’ll get lucky with Phil.”

“The girl?”

Mokoto took a deep breath.  “She doesn’t have anything to do with this, but we’ll keep her around for now.  I don’t think we’ll have to eliminate her.”

“We’ll see.”  Jeremiah smiled as he looked over the car’s passengers.

“Say, who’s Jebediah on the phone with?”

“Beats me.”  Jeremiah waved at the silver car, and Jebediah slowly got out of the car.  Once out, he flipped the phone closed.

“Let’s get these three inside.  Who were you on the phone with?”

“Mister Man.”

Jeremiah and Mokoto nodded.  They turned towards the Toyota.

***

A loud buzzing went off as the phone was hung up.  The chair spun around, so that the back was towards the door.  As the office door opened, the man in the chair spoke slowly.

“Shaun, what can you tell me?”

Shaun looked into the room.  A large, oak desk almost stretched all the way across the room.  The walls were covered in bookshelves, and the hardwood floors echoed his footsteps as he walked in.  He knew how far forward he could walk, and he walked in no further.  “We have no idea where Laura is.”

“That is…unfortunate.  Her actions could lead to…storm fronts that were not predicted.”

“We haven’t heard from our contact yet.  It’s possible they’re in a dead zone…”

“No.  That’s a case of two fronts…merging I would guess.  Fear not, for soon they will all be in the same isobar.”

“No word on where the F.B.I. Agent is.”

“He isn’t my concern right now.”  The man in the chair’s hand lifted, and three screens on the wall lit up.  The far left screen was a map of the the Dakotas and Minnesota, with some lights blinking red, and other areas were blinking blue, green and yellow.  The screen on the right was a long list of names, amounts and times.  The middle screen was the largest, and on it was the Weather Channel.  The hand lowered as Cheryl Lemke started going over the nation’s forecast.  “That’s all for now Shaun.  I’d like some time to absorb the new weather data now.”

“As you wish” Shaun said, as he walked out of the room.

Michelle turned the car and proceeded down Aberdeen’s main street.  She kept glancing in the backseat, but didn’t look Mokoto’s way too often.  She glanced at Mokoto’s face again and frowned.  “Weren’t  you in Herberger’s earlier today?”

“I was.”

“Have you been following me all day?”

“Mostly.  It’s hard to lose somebody in a town this size.”  Mokoto adjusted herself in her seat slightly, and the gun was briefly not fixed on Michelle’s location.

“If I agree to cooperate, will you stop pointing that gun at me?”

“I’ve heard that one a few times” Mokoto said, as she kept the gun pointing towards the car radio.  “Sometimes I believe it.”

“Are you going to kill Phil and Bob?”

Mokoto didn’t answer her question instantly.  She looked ahead to a red light and simply stated “Keep going straight, I’ll tell you when to turn right.”  She lifted up the gun and once again pointed it at Michelle, keeping it lower than the windows.  After glancing at Phil and Bob, she again looked forward and spoke.  “I don’t want to kill them.  I don’t plan to kill them.  I shouldn’t have to kill them.”

“You didn’t answer my question” Michelle said as she shifted to the right lane.

***

Dale Roberts slowly opened his car door, but decided to try his on-board computer one more time.  For the third time, his computer read “ERROR” when he typed in the black Jetta’s plate.  He shook his head and got out of his Highway Patrol cruiser.  The sun had mostly set, and he could see a handful of stars in the sky.  The Jetta’s window slowly came down, revealing a smiling brunette, whose hands were still on the wheel.  Dale flashed his light inside the car, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, with the exception that the car was unusually messy for a female driver.  “What seems to be the problem officer?” she said, her smile not breaking for a moment.

“Well ma’am, you were speeding just a bit, and by just a bit I mean you were going 113 miles per hour in a 75 mile per hour zone.”

“I’m sorry officer.  I’m meeting some friends up North and I got a bit carried away.  But, I want you to know I’m not trying to talk my way out of a ticket.”

“I need your l-”

“License, registration and insurance?” the woman said, cutting him off in mid sentence.  She slowly lowered her sun visor and handed Dale a license, along with some other folded paper under it.  Dale lowered his flashlight slightly and took the papers.  The name on the license read ‘Laura Dell’ and it indicated she lived in Sioux Falls.  He unfolded what he thought was the registration paperwork, but the paper felt really odd.  He noticed what looked like two threads coming off of it, that almost looked like wires.  His eyes followed the threads and noticed they were really long.  In fact, it looked like they went all the way back to Laura’s front seat.  Laura smiled as Dale heard some kind of click…

“Well?” Michelle was waiting for Phil to say something. She didn’t want Bob to say anything. His voice was liable to send her into a fit of rage. His confession still burned in her ears. She was still trying to clear her mind about Phil, who was the wrong target for her hurt and anger the past few weeks. A strange woman sitting on her Toyota was just a little more than she could take right now. “Well? Who the hell is this Lucy Liu wannabee?”

Bob froze in place. Phil wasn’t moving or speaking, and seemed to be on the verge of screaming. Michelle looked at each of them and then to the woman, who slid her hand out of her jacket. It was holding a handgun with a long silencer. “My name is Mokoto, and I’d appreciate better insults than Lucy Liu wannabee.” Michelle took a step backward. “Michelle, we need to talk, and we need to go, so why don’t you drive us around a bit. Or, I can end all of you right here, right now.” Mokoto’s face was like stone after she spoke. Michelle waited a moment, and finally Phil spoke.

“We…we should do what she says.”

“Good. You two, in the back. Michelle, you drive. Needless to say, I call shotgun.” Phil glared at Bob and walked towards the car. Bob slowly started making his way towards the car as well. Michelle started reaching into her purse. “Call 9-1-1 and I kill you right now” Michelle heard as she held her phone. She let go and pulled her keys out slowly. Her hand was steady, even if her nerves were not. She slowly walked to the car and unlocked the door. She sat in the drivers seat, and considered trying to run while she pressed the unlock button. Mokoto slid into the car once Bob and Phil were inside.

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you when to turn. Get back onto 6th and go West.” Mokoto reached over with her left hand and fastened her seat-belt while keeping the gun on Michelle with her right.

Michelle backed up and pulled the car to edge of the Millstone parking lot. Mokoto finally smiled. “You two are a bigger pain in the neck than I gave you credit for, you know that?  I haven’t slept in a day or so.” Bob looked out the window, while Phil crossed his arms and looked down. Mokoto placed her gun between her knees and locked her legs together. She reached into her jacket and pulled out an envelope. “Phil, I think this is yours.” Bob, Phil and Michelle all looked at what was in her hand, and they all recognized Michelle’s handwriting instantly.

***

The black Jetta roared up Interstate 29. Laura Black kept checking her display. The blip wasn’t moving, but it was still well North, but also now to the West. She didn’t even know what exit she was approaching, but she knew eventually she’d have to pick one. She saw a pair of lights fly by on the left on the Southbound lanes, only to see red brake lights follow. She watched her rear-view mirror as the car took a dirt service road, and started flashing the all-too familiar red and blue lights.

The black Crown Victoria rocketed across the lane.  Will watched the semi-truck fly by like it was going the other way.  He glanced over to the speedometer, but it was pegged at 125 MPH.  He swallowed for a moment, then cleared his throat.  He was about to speak, when Clayton’s phone went off.  Clayton picked it up and looked at the display.  He quickly frowned and pushed a button on the side.  Soon the car was dark again, save the light from the stars and the headlights of oncoming cars.  “Does this car have airbags?”

“Probably, but I doubt they’d help at this point.”

“I don’t know if they have deer in the Twin Cities, but we have a fair amount of them here.”

“I’m aware of the deer.  We’ll just have to hope to get lucky.”

“Is there a reason you’re trying to break the sound barrier?”

“I want to get to Aberdeen before Garrett and Lewis.”

Will turned more towards Clayton.  “So, I take it not all the governmental agencies are playing nice like they’re supposed to?”

“Something weird is going on.  The N.G.A. and N.R.O. don’t go throwing their weight around like this, or like ever.  I know both of those agents have C.I.A. ties.  Yet they don’ t want me pursuing a lead on two men who might be the key to my investigation into Gerrard Dinkley.”

“Who also might be the key to our murdered officer.”

“You haven’t heard then, ballistics came back with the shell casings found at the scene.”

“So, they know who’s gun?”

“The bullet casings matched a gun owned by one Officer Laura Black.”

“Say what?”

“Exactly.  Isn’t that tidy?  The rogue officer who was impersonating a dead officer is also on the hook for a murder?  An officer who happened to be off the day it happened, and is now missing?”

“So, why aren’t we on I-29?”

“That’s the road Garrett and Lewis are taking.  We need to get there without them knowing we’re going.  We’ll have to hope that we don’t hit any deer once we exit I-90 and go up US-281.”

***

“Sit?  Give me one good reason I should sit right now!”

“Just…please Michelle.  You need to hear this.”  Bob took one last bite of his burger, which he had eaten rather quickly, considering he’d almost choked on it a few minutes ago.  Michelle sat down, but she looked out to the parking lot.  Her arms were folded, and she wasn’t looking at either of them.  Phil’s eyes were bloodshot and on the verge of watering up.  Bob looked over at him, swallowed the rest of his burger, and sighed heavily.  “Phil, you’ve been a friend for almost ten years, right?”

“More or less.”

“Michelle, you and Phil had a good thing once.  Do you know how much it hurt him when you left?”  Michelle didn’t answer.  “I’m sure you thought you had a good reason.”

“I had my reasons.”

Bob had a few options to him, but he decided to take a blind leap.  “Reasons you’ve since rethought, right?”

Michelle looked at Bob, with a mix of confusion and anger.  Phil just looked confused for the moment.

The rattling of the garage door echoed throughout the storage area. The door rocked gently back and forth for a moment, then the distant sound of traffic was the dominant noise. Laura black walked forward and reached in to her left. A lone fluorescent bulb flickered on, and it buzzed loudly in the Saturday evening air. Laura looked at her phone’s screen, and watched a blinking light travel northward. She walked further into the storage garage, until she came to the back wall. She flipped open a foot locker and started grabbing the contents, which contained bags of various electronics and several firearms. She opened the back door of the black Jetta and started throwing it all in the back seat. She then flipped open a thin, rectangular box and proceeded to remove more firearms, all of which she found homes for in the car. Finally, she came to one last chest. She flipped it open, started throwing handfuls of clothing into the trunk as well. When she got to the bottom, she stopped. Slowly, she removed the sweatshirt and Capri pants she had hastily put on. She then removed her sandals and proceeded to pull on a black pair of cargo pants, followed by a black tank-top. Next she put on socks and a pair of black, sturdy boots. She closed all the chests and started putting her hair into a pony tail as she got in the car and turned the key. The Jetta rolled out of the garage, and she put it in park. She then reached into a bag in the front seat, and pulled out a box with a slim plastic wand hanging off the side. She slid the box inside, and then closed the door on the wand. She heard an audible click, and soon Laura was back in the Jetta, She plugged her phone into the car charger, then left it open. She started driving north towards the flashing dot on the display. “Soon Jebediah…soon” she muttered as she weaved into traffic.

***

Michelle slowly walked to the booth. Phil had sat back down, and Bob was just getting up. Michelle used the opportunity to sit across from Phil, leaving Bob with a decision of where to sit. The look on Michelle’s face was enough to make his mind up for him, as he squeezed in next to Phil. Their waitress, Abbie, soon came over.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes…we’re fine, thanks. Just had a breathing mishap.” Bob forced a smile as Abbie smiled back. Abbie turned to Michelle with a quizzical look.

“Are you sitting here now ma’am?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure if I’ll be getting anything.”

“Okay…well…I’ll come back.” Abbie could feel the tension, and decided to vacate quickly. Bob envied her for that.

“So…you’re looking good.” Phil’s posture was rigid and stiff, like a teen on his first date.

“You’re looking pretty well yourself.”

“I mean, I just can’t believe I’d run into you here.”

“Yes…well…really? Like you didn’t know where I was living.”

Bob gritted his teeth and braced himself.

“Okay, okay. You’re right. I did know.”

“But you didn’t even reply or acknowledge it.”

“I didn’t think you’d know.”

“Didn’t think I’d know? Are you really that thick?”

Bob squirmed uncomfortably, with a secret that was slowly clawing its way out of his chest.

“I have a question Justin.  How is it every call we get to an apartment building involves stairs?”  Mike’s face tried to hide the hint of a grimace as he trudged up the stairs.

“I thought you were just complaining about sitting in the car for the past four hours?”  Justin was already to the top of the steps while Mike made his way up.

“The squad car seats aren’t good for my old coccyx injury.  The stairs aggravate my knee injuries.”

“Well, maybe high school football was a bad choice.  How many injuries did you suffer?”

“Enough to help our team win state.”

“And enough to give me a cranky partner.”

“Say, did you ever work with Laura Black?”

Justin glanced over his shoulder as he spoke.  “Well, one time we were both at a domestic call.  Another time she was helping with a sobriety checkpoint.  You?”

Mike shrugged his shoulders.  “I just saw her around the office a lot.  I don’t think I ever spoke to her.”

“Do you think she went nuts, or what?”

“I have no idea man.  No idea.  I mean, a scream rings out and she falls forward and takes a hostage?”

“I heard she was pushed.”

“Jenkins was telling me the F.B.I. agent shot her gun out of her hand.”

“Pah.  No way.  No way that happened.  Jenkins likes to exaggerate.”

“You’re probably right.  Well, 207 is right here.  Do we knock?”

“Knock?  Are you mental?  We’ve been here watching for the past four hours.  She’s not in there.  They told us the warrant was in, and we’re supposed to check for evidence before the detectives get here. “  Mike pulled out the key the apartment manager had given them, and unlocked the door.  The door swung open, and Mike was greeted by a cool breeze.  Justin saw the shattered patio door, sighed, and reached for his radio.

***

“Hi mom.”  Michelle let go of the phone and did her best to keep it jammed between her shoulder and ear.

“Michelle, you should pull over.  I know you’re driving.”

“Mom, please.  I’ve done this a few times.”

“Well you don’t want to drive off the road like your Aunt Mildred.”

“I’ll be fine.  How are things in Wahpeton?”

“Things are fine.  You father is putting off his retirement again this year.  I swear he spends more and more time managing that Pamida than at home.  Are you liking Aberdeen?”

“Yes.”

“I can get you in to N.D.S.C.S. if you want to come up for culinary studies.”

“Mom, I’m not coming home to become a chef.  Why do you always want me to do that?”

“Honey, I miss you so much.  Can’t a mother want to keep her daughter around a bit, especially with a workaholic husband?”

“Mom…do you think dad takes you for granted?”

“What?”

“Does dad take you for granted?”

“I know it might seem that way, but sometimes I take him for granted too.  He’s not perfect by any means, but he makes me laugh, he’s a good provider, and I’ve loved him for thirty years.  Are you thinking about that Phil fellow?”

“Maybe.”

“He hasn’t called in a long time.  I thought you were done with him?”

“I’m starting to wonder…anyway, I’ve gotta go.  Suppertime.”

“Well don’t be a stranger honey.  We love you.”

“Love you too mom.”  Michelle closed the phone, then turned her blinker on.  The Millstone waited to her right.

Laura crossed her arms. She had washed all of the blood off of her shoulders and legs, and her hair had been conditioned for a good five minutes.  She closed her eyes and imagined herself far away from Sioux Falls. She tried to drift far away from her time with the Weatherman. She yearned for a place in her life before the army. Her mind reached back beyond her tomboyish years in high school, her parent’s divorce, and her always stronger kid brother always getting the best of her. She unfolded her arms and shut the water off. She could never go back far enough.

While she was toweling off, she noticed her answering machine blinking. It wasn’t blinking before she had gotten in the shower. She pressed play, then started pulling on her underwear.

“Laura, we need to talk. I believe you know the number to reach me at. You still have that Nokia, right? If not, I may need your number.”

Laura frowned. She knew the voice on the other end. She walked over to her entertainment center, and pulled out a VHS copy of Twister. The videotape slid out of the cardboard box, and she gripped the sides of the tape. It popped apart, and the Nokia inside popped out and landed on the floor. She put the tape back together, and then she found the battery powered phone charger. The phone charged while she fastened her bra and pulled on a black tank-top. She flipped open the phone and found “weather” in her contacts list. After pressing send, she had to only wait for one ring to hear that familiar voice.

“Laura, I’m so glad you beat the storm.”

“It wasn’t easy. I’ll tell you that.”

“I’m afraid more bad weather is heading your way. It’s really a shame. No one in Sioux Falls expected cop on cop violence.”

“Wait…what?” Laura’s tone was much less calm, and the Weatherman took notice.

“Easy, easy. Laura Black is the problem. Laura Blake, on the other hand, has a good opportunity in Houston.”

“Houston?”

“It is a bit near tornado alley, but I think the skies are much calmer there.”

“Listen here, I’ve done everything for you and your group. You’re hanging me out to dry, and you expect me to get out of this town with the F.B.I. and the locals on my tail? I have to take a fall now too? How is that fair? And where is Mokoto right now anyway?”

“She…is off the grid. She’ll turn up when we need her.”

“You…I was with you long before she came aboard. I’ve given over a decade to you. Now you’re letting this rouge make her own hours?”

“She is hard to control. Much like the weather, she is not often easy to predict, but she always has a good extended forecast.”

“Let me guess, I’m more day to day?” Laura’s voice was getting louder every time she spoke.

“Your skills are not in question, but your judgements are like correctly picking the path of a hurricane.”

“Let me guess, I should be glad Jeremiah and Jebediah left me to rot then blew up their damn car?!?”

“Those two are like the thunder and lightning that-”

“AHHH!!!! SCREW YOU AND YOUR DAMN WEATHER METAPHORS!!! TRY AND PREDICT THIS!!!” Laura closed the phone and threw it into the living room. She was huffing and puffing, and she had the urge to take a baseball bat to everything in her apartment. She took a deep breath, then walked to the living room, where the breeze from her broken patio window was quite pleasant. She picked up the phone and played with a few commands. She soon had a map, and a blip that was flashing.

“Well weatherman, your ‘thunder and lighting’ are on my doppler. After them, we’ll see about shortening your extended forecast.”

Laura smiled for the first time in hours.

*KREESH*

Glass tumbled to the floor from the shattered patio door. Laura Black walked into the apartment and collapsed onto the couch. She was finally back in her apartment, but the journey was not one she’d duplicate willingly. She had a bump on her head from falling backwards when the police station shook from an explosion that she was assuming was courtesy of Jeremiah and Jebediah. Her left shoulder ached from ramming into Clayton’s midsection when he opened the door to see what had happened. There were blood streaks from her upper arms where she had cut her skin while hooking her shirt sleeves on broken glass and a chain link fence. Knees and ankles were sore from her jump out of a second floor window. Her shirt was ripped across the front where she had ripped her badge off with her teeth. Slowly, she slouched forward and slowly stood up. She walked to her bedroom door which was closed. She opened it with a kick, and proceeded to walk to her nightstand. Her face winced as she dropped to her knees and turned herself around. She bent forward as her handcuffed arms dug in the drawer for her spare handcuff keys. After what seemed like thirty minutes as opposed to thirty seconds, she had found the key and was soon finally able to free her wrists, which were now bruised and bloodied from her four hour trek back here, and her difficult journey to her second floor balcony. At least it will be easier to leave she thought to herself as she tossed the cuffs into the garbage. She tore off what remained of her police uniform and started debating whether or not she should shower before going in search of Jeremiah and Jebediah.

***

“MESSAGE THREE”

“Mabel, this is officer Bucholz from the Sioux Falls police department. We’d like to ask you some questions about earlier this afternoon. We’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a few hours now, so could call us as soon as possible please? Thanks for your time.”

B shook his head, and Mabel closed his phone. “You don’t want me to go back to the station?”

“You heard the news. It’s not safe there. What with cars blowing up and stuff.”

“Seriously, you think that the police station is unsafe?”

“You tell me. You went there to be safe, and saw the two men who had you at gunpoint.”

“What are we going to do?”

B looked down the street. He looked down and saw how tightly he was gripping the wheel of his Pacer. He looked back up as he started the car back up. “We’re going to keep a low profile for now. I have no idea where Bob and Phil got whisked off to. I don’t know how to find them. I…I honestly don’t know what to do Mabel. I don’t know why I’m keeping you out on some damn attempt to be useful again.” B slowed the car as they came to a stoplight, and Mabel put her hand on his shoulder.

“You are a much more complicated man that I gave you credit for Bartholomew, if I may call you that.”

B glanced over at Mabel. “You may, but don’t do it often. Say, would you be up for a short jaunt to Canton?”