137 (25)

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…

135 (23)

“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.

130 (18)

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.

127 (15)

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.

122 (10)

“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.

119 (7)

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.

115 (3)

*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?”

113 (1)

“Good evening, I’m Don Jorgensen for KELO Land news at six.”

“Authorities are still not commenting any further on an explosion that occurred earlier today near the Sioux Falls police station. There have been unconfirmed reports that a car exploded near the station, but so far we have not been able to confirm this. There have also been unconfirmed reports that at least one officer is in critical condition at Avera-McKennan. Sioux Falls’ Police Chief would not address the situation, other than saying no one was killed, and it was not an act of terrorism.”

“The explosion comes on the heels of another tragedy, the death of police officer Jeff Stevens sometime yesterday. While his death has not been listed as a homicide, Sioux Falls police are still looking for two men for questioning. Those men are Phillip Anderton and Robert Fulton, both of Sioux Falls. Anderton is a native of Mitchell, and Fulton is originally from Spearfish. Authorities are expanding their search to those areas, and to areas North and South of Sioux Falls. It is still unclear whether those men are being sought for information about the death of officer Stevens, or the multi-car pile-up on interstate 229 Friday evening. Amazingly, no one was killed in the accident, but two people remain in critical condition, including one unnamed member of the South Dakota Highway Patrol. “

“As if Sioux Falls police weren’t busy enough, they are also seeking this woman. Authorities do no know her name, but she is known by the alias Laura Black. She was being held by police earlier today, but escaped during the confusion after the explosion near the police station. Sioux Falls police have an officer named Laura Black on staff, but it is not known at this time if the two Lauras are one in the same.”

“Let’s turn things over to Jay Trobec in the KELO-land storm center, where he’s tracking a storm front moving into South Dakota at this hour.”

“Well, this one is an unstable front that’s moving in, and we could see a lot of atmospheric turb-”

CLICK

Phil’s face was frozen in shock. Bob hung his head after turning off the television. Bob’s mind was all over the place, and now he knew his family would be calling his cell phone non-stop until he got ahold of them. Phil swallowed a mouthful of Pepsi, then spoke. “So…I’m thinking we should turn ourselves in now.”

“Phil, I have no doubt that explosion near the police station has something to do with all this. If they can get a bomb right outside the police station, I don’t feel safe there, and especially at a station in a town like Aberdeen.”

“So…what do we do? Do we keep running? We can’t afford to just run from town to town like this.”

“I don’t know. I really should call my family somehow. My parents are going to worry all night.”

“Well, my mom might get worried” Phil said as he stood up, “but my dad won’t notice for a few days. I think he’s in Vegas for some kind of business seminar. He tends to forget his cell phone.”

“Let’s go get a bite to eat…we’ll decide what we do next after some food.”

110 (26)

agent3945 has signed in

agent3945: Are you there?

**********: I am. What is going on?

agent3945: There’s no sign of Anderton or Fulton anywhere.

**********: We’ve had little success in finding them as well. There have been a few hits on some cell towers, but it has been erratic. We’re finding it is hard to trace their phones.

agent3945: Any idea at all?

**********: We believe they are still in the state.

agent3945: Are we getting any more backup?

**********: Not yet. You don’t think you can handle this?

agent3945: I didn’t say that. I just thought we could blanket the state more.

**********: That will be taken care of in due time.

agent3945: What should we do about the F.B.I. agent?

**********: He needs to remain in the dark for now. We can use him later if need be.

agent3945: He’s interrogating Laura Black right now.

**********: Interesting.

agent3945: Should we step in?

**********: No, we’ll see how this plays out. No matter the outcome, we can use it to our advantage.

agent3945: Very well.

**********: There is something you may need to address. Felix Moore.

agent3945: Felix Moore?

**********: He’s the S.F.P.D.’s computer whiz. He’s learning a bit too much about the players at play. He thinks he’s been sneaky and good at covering his tracks, but that isn’t really the case.

agent3945: What should we do?

**********: For now try to infect his off the record PC with a virus. If that doesn’t do the trick, we might have to arrange an unfortunate accident.

agent3945: We’ll really have to make it look like one. The whole place is on a mission after the Stevens shooting.

**********: Relax. That will be taken care of shortly. Then things should calm down. Continue doing whatever you might be doing.

agent3945: Very well.

agent3945 has signed off

***

Agent Garrett and agent Lewis walked out of the Captain’s office. They looked straight ahead as they passed a number of desks. Some of the officers looked their way, but most ignored them, as they had been doing for the last day or so. “Let’s take the elevator to the next floor” Lewis said.

“It’s only one floor.”

“I need to talk to you, in private.”

Garrett walked forward and then turned towards the elevator. He pressed the button, and the doors opened almost instantly. Garrett walked in, and Lewis followed. “How is your supervisor wanting us to play this?”

“I don’t follow.”

“There’s more we should be telling the police. They could be very helpful.”

“Ordinarily I’d say yes, but the loss of one of their own has them a bit too aggressive for my tastes right now.”

“Oh, I have a feeling they’ll figure that out soon.”

“So do I, but for now they aren’t a resource I’m willing to tap into.”

Lewis sat her briefcase down. “We should at least tell them about the threat, and that they need to get some men to th-”

“Listen, they have security there. I’m not worried about it.”

“Aren’t you confident?”

“Are you going to press that button or not?”

Lewis pressed the down button without taking her eyes off Garrett. Her hand left the control panel and swung to Garrett’s chest. She clutched his tie and pulled. Garrett bent forward, as Lewis moved in. Their lips locked in an embrace that made up for their limited time between floors. Garrett dropped his briefcase and wrapped his arms around Lewis’ back, causing her arms to fold into her chest as she pushed him against the wall. Almost as soon as it had begun, Lewis pushed herself away and picked up her briefcase. “I can’t wait to get back to places with higher buildings.”

Garrett smiled for the first time all day.

109 (25)

The door to interrogation room three opened very slowly.  Clayton Iron-Horse walked in, carrying only a notepad.  He kicked the door closed and took a look at Laura Black.  She was handcuffed, but she still had a killer’s look in her eyes.  Her black hair was tussled, messy and falling around her eyes.  She jutted her lower lip out, pursed her top lip on the center of the lower, and tried to blow some of her hair out of her eyes.  Clayton walked over to the seat across from her, and threw the notepad on the table.  He sat slowly, and didn’t take his eyes off of her.  She again tried to blow her hair out of her eyes.  She was still wearing her police uniform, badge and all.  A few buttons had popped off, and part of her undershirt was showing very clearly.  Clayton leaned back in his seat, and started staring at her.  Laura stared right back at him, taking breaks only to try to blow her hair up out of her face with an audible PFFFT.

“So, is Laura Black your real name?  At least Laura?”

PFFFT

“Why did that woman scream?”

PFFFT

“Who was in the elevator with you?”

PFFFT

“Do you have anything to say?”

“I could really use a hair tie.”

Clayton frowned.

***

Eli took a deep breath and walked into the police station.  Agent Garrett and agent Lewis were right behind him.  Captain Hale met them near the entrance.  “Who’s this?”

“Eli Elson.  We think he might know where Fulton might be.”  Eli rolled his eyes when he heard Garrett speak.

“Is he under arrest?”

“No” Lewis said.  “He…agreed to come here and answer some questions willingly.”

“We need an interrogation room.”

“Listen Garrett, if he’s here of his own free will, I don’t think an interrogation room is a good idea.  We can process him anywhere.”

“I have to insist.  We need to question him in private.”

Hale looked over to one of the nearby officers.  Take our guest to room four.  Get him something to drink.”

“Thank you.  We’ll be with him shortly.  We both need to check in with our people.”

“You can use my office.”  Garrett and Lewis started walking towards the stairs.  “By the way, F.B.I. agent Clayton Iron-Horse is interrogating our fake officer right now.  He’s in room three.”

“Thank you captain” Lewis said, offering a slight smile before turning and heading up the stairs again.  Hale shook his head and walked towards the elevator.

“Captain Hale?  I think you want to take line three.”

Hale stopped and walked to a nearby desk.  “This is captain Hale.”

“Captain, my name is Julio Perez, I work security for the rail yard here in Sioux Falls.”

“Yes Mr. Perez.  I’m sorry that you had to wait this morning.  I’ve spoken with my detective about that.”

“I’m not calling because I had to wait, I’m calling because I think I found your boxcar.”

“Come again?”

“One of our trains stopped in Ortonville, Minnesota because a boxcar had a wide open door.  There’s a lot of evidence to suggest it was occupied by at least two men, and the train left Sioux Falls last night.”

“Julio, I realize you’ve had a long night, but could you come down to the station?  This could be the break we’ve been looking for.”