Cliffhanger Theater!

Will yawned for a moment, then looked around.  The stars were starting to come out in full force, and the night air was helping him get his mind in better focus.  He yawned again, then rubbed his eyes and started to walk around the car again.  He heard the jingling of the kind of door bell that only rang when a door was being opened.  He opened the car door and plopped down as Clayton ran towards the driver’s side of the Crown Victoria.  Soon, the car was roaring away from the convenience store and was heading North on US-281.  Will took a sip of his water and glanced at Clayton.  “I wanted a soda.”

“That stuff is bad for you.”

“Driving 120 miles per hour on US-281 isn’t exactly good for me either.  This isn’t exactly a road built for this sort of thing.”

“Relax.  We’ll be fine.  So, what else can you tell me about Sioux Falls?”

“Look, I appreciate you trying to learn more about the state, my city and my time in school, but how come you keep asking all those questions?”

“Just making conversation.  And, to be totally honest, I’m trying to see how with it you are after your concussion.”

Will fought back a small laugh.  “How am I doing?”

Clayton bobbed his head to the right, and then straightened it out.  “Well, you’re don’t strike me as a recent concussion victim.”

“Thanks.  I’ll take it.”  Will took a long drink from his water, then screwed the cap back on.  “Now, what about you?  How did you end up in the F.B.I. and then out here?”

“Oh no, we’re not talking about me.”

“Why not?”

Clayton turned his head and stared Will right in the eyes.  Will looked away, and Clayton looked forward.  “Because” Clayton said, as he reached to flip on the radio.

***

Phil slowly folded the letter back up, and placed in back in the envelope.  Bob still had his head in his hands, and he had not looked up since he had started looking down.  Phil took a deep breath and asked “Why?  Why would you do that?”  Bob didn’t answer.  “Dammit Bob, answer me!”  Phil grabbed his shoulder and started shaking Bob, but Bob wouldn’t look at him, nor would he answer.  Phil threw the letter to the floor of the car and reached for Bob’s throat.  Bob’s neck was slowly compressing in Phil’s hands, and Bob was fighting back, albeit with halfhearted punches at Phil’s forearms.  He weakly punched Phil’s fists as Phil shouted “WHY?” over and over.  Michelle was hesitating to stop Phil, but she was still trying to pull Phil away from Bob before Bob died.  Phil’s grip only tightened.  Another voice was just at the edge of Phil’s mind.

“Turn right, then park behind this building.”

Phil kept squeezing as Bob’s weak punches stopped coming.  Bob was becoming a rag doll in Phil’s grip, but he couldn’t stop squeezing.

“We’re here.  Phil.  Phil?  PHIL!”

Phil snapped his head up and snapped back to reality.  He looked down and saw his fists clenched so tightly a few fingernails had actually dug into his hands.  Bob was looking around, and Michelle was sitting behind the wheel, her face a mask of concern, anger, and confusion.

“Where’s here?” Bob asked.

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…

Bob closed his eyes as Phil started reading the letter.  He was full of questions, but even with his would be assassin in the front seat, all he could think about was whether Phil could find a way to forgive him.  He knew throwing out the letter was wrong, but now he wishes he’d hat the guts to throw it rather than leave it to be found by Phil, or by someone who would give it to Phil.  Bob had lost one of his best friends on Friday, and now Saturday was looking more and more like a repeat.  He pulled his lucky sunglasses from his shirt collar and put them on.  He bent forward, resting his forehead on his hands, hoping no one would see him on the verge of breaking down again.

Michelle pulled onto 6th street, but she was adjusting and checking her rear view mirror more often than usual.  Her stomach was a knot before she came to the Millstone restaurant, and now it was not only tightening, but new ropes were coming in while old ropes were fighting to free themselves from the tangle she was becoming a part of.  Her heart rose when she saw Phil, then sank when he revealed he wasn’t in town for her.  Her anger was on the verge of violence when Bob made his confession, and she was ready to take it out on both Bob and Phil.  All of that rage was still there, but it was now backing down from the sudden surge of fear from the mysterious woman now sharing her front seat.  She glanced over, and saw a gun aimed squarely at her head from the woman’s lap.

Mokoto kept looking around.  She was aware that any vehicle higher than the small car they were in would see the firearm.  She also was trying to keep an eye on all of the variables in the car.  She had a pretty good feeling that if Bob and Phil didn’t have a wedge between them already, they would now.  Phil was mesmerized by the letter, and he now had something to lose…Michelle.  Michelle was the one Mokoto didn’t know how to read quite yet.  She’d been tailing her most of the day, but she still didn’t have a firm grasp on what to expect or how to handle her.  She was guessing she also had something to lose, but little to offer.  Right now Mokoto was happy to use her as a driver, even if it meant Jebediah would have to bring her motorcycle.

Phil read the letter’s ending, and he went back and started reading it again.  It was everything he’d hoped and feared it would be.  It pulled no punches in specifying where Phil had gone wrong in their relationship, but it also shouldered Michelle with some of the blame.  It touched on everything she realized she missed about him, and about them.  Most importantly, the end revealed she wanted to give Phil options.  Those options ranged from Michelle never writing again, to flying out to Las Vegas and getting married once he had decided.  If he’d gotten this three months ago, he wasn’t sure what he would have picked.  If he’d read this after last night, they’d be in Vegas already.  Now he was hoping that once this was all over he’d be able to choose, and that Michelle not only still wanted him to, she was still able to.

The car hung in silence until they approached main street.  “Turn right” Mokoto said.

“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.

Jebediah looked down at his phone.  The number XXX-YYY-ZZZZ was calling.  He flipped open the phone and pressed the button.  “Yes sir” he said as he positioned the phone to his face.

“Jebediah, where is Jeremiah?”

“He’s on his phone already.”

“Well,  you’re the best one to ask.  Our friend Laura seems a bit…how should I say…under the weather and off the radar.  Why might that be?”

“She compromised the mission.”

“Really, she did?”

“Close enough.  Because of her, the two of us are still working.”

“She may be harboring a grudge against you two.  I’m afraid she took a fall in Sioux Falls.”

“Isn’t she being taken care of?”

“No…I’m having trouble finding her.  It appears she doesn’t want to be found.”

“Do you think she’ll be looking us up?”

“Well, I hope not.  She knows her role and her job.  I just found her a new one in Houston, but she seems…offended by something.”

“Mokoto.”

The usual instant comeback from the Weatherman was slow in returning.  “Yes, that might be a reason.  She seems to have a grudge.”

“We know you cut Mokoto more slack than anyone else.”

“Don’t you think that’s justified?  Her work speaks for itself.”

“She does good work, but Laura has worked for you a long time.  I don’t think she’ll be easy to forecast from now on.”

“Very good Jebediah.  You’d be the last I’d expect to speak my language.”

“Just let me know if this is a storm watch or a storm warning.”

“I’d call it a…hazardous weather outlook.  We’ll know more later.  By the way, have you heard from Mokoto?”

“Funny you should ask…”

***

“You…you’re the reason I’ve been an emotional wreck the last few months?  You, the one of Phil’s friends I was always a bit skeptical of?  I knew you were devious, but you actually interfered?”

“You heard what I said ab-”

“You hid her letter from me?  ARE YOU INSANE?  Do you know how much I’d give to get another chance?  To show her how much I care?”

“Look, I hid the letter yes.  I admit it.  I was wrong.  Michelle didn’t call to see if you got it.  And Phil, I know you looked up her info on the web.  Heck, you paid that people search site to get her number and address, but did you ever call?”

“DON’T TURN THIS BACK ON ME!” Phil was on the verge of screaming, and Michelle’s fists were on the table.

“Excuse me, but could you keep it down?” Abbie gritted her teeth as she started to hand Bob his change.  Bob took a ten and looked at Abbie.

“Keep the rest, and we’re just going.”  Bob stood up.  “We should really take this outside.  No use ruining everyone else’s supper.”

Michelle and Phil looked at each other and started to slide out of the booth, while Bob walked towards the door.  He heard them behind him the whole way.

“You’re just trying to keep your best pal to yourself!  You always were jealous of how much time we spent together.”

“You kept a letter from a woman I never got over, a woman who wants me back.  Well, wanted me back.  How much more can you fuck up my life right now?”

Bob spun around and put his hands up, hoping to stop Phil and Michelle from gang tackling him.  “Look, I’m sorry.  I was wrong.  I was very wrong.  I’ll understand if neither of you forgive me, but try to understand why I did it.  I promise I’m done screwing up your life.”

“Not quite.”

Bob’s heart sank further than before, as he spun around and saw Mokoto sitting on the hood of Michelle’s car.  Phil’s eyes opened wider than he ever thought possible.

“Who the hell is that?” Michelle asked loudly.

“Excuse me sir.”

Jon turned around and saw a woman in her fifties, along with a man who looked to be in his sixties or so.  He wasn’t used to visitors at the rail yard.  “You’re not supposed to be this close you know.”

“Well…yes…we know.  We’re just hoping you can help us.”

“Help you?”

“Our grandson.  He’s a troubled kid.  We’re supposed to be watching over him while his parents are away.”  The old man was talking loudly, but just loud enough to be heard over the occasional loud clanging of train cars.  “He’s been in jail for freight hopping before, and we had an argument and were hoping if you could tell us if you’ve turned anybody in.”

“Turned anybody in?  No way.  We barely find any freight hoppers anymore.”

“Maybe you saw something suspicous, like a car with a door open oddly or something?”  The woman spoke the words, but she didn’t seem as sold on them as the man.

“Ma’am, if I find a door that’s open and shouldn’t be, I close it and latch it.  If your grandson was in one of those cars, he’s having a hard time getting out until he gets to where that car is going.”

“Latch the doors?  Don’t you worry about the chance there’s somebody in there?”

“Sir, if they hop onto railroad property, they need to learn the consequences.  Besides, it’s company policy to make sure all doors are securly closed and latched.”

“Let’s go Mabel, we’re wasting our time here.”  B grabbed her arm and turned around.

“Fancy meeting you here” Julio said as B almost ran into him.

***

Michelle’s jaw dropped.  Phil was now twisted towards Bob, but his body was backing away.  Bob started taking a drink of his water.

“Wait, wait.  You’re just covering for his ass, aren’t you?”  Michelle’s eyes shifted from Bob to Phil and back again.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about Michelle, you have to believe me.”

“I don’t know if I do.”

“You should” Bob said as his water glass came down onto the table.  “The letter came to Phil’s apartment, but he never knew it arrived.  I made sure of that.”

“You…you threw away a letter from Michelle?”  Phil was starting to get angry, but he also carried a burden of sadness that was making his voice creaky and breathy.

“I didn’t throw it away.  I hid it from you.  I didn’t want you to read it.”

“You hid it.”  Michelle seemed very skeptical, but she was also starting to get an angry tone in her voice.

“I put it someplace so only I knew where it was, so I could give it to Phil later.  I didn’t open it, in case you’re wondering.  I could tell what it said by the way you were acting.”

“Why?” Phil’s voice was an angry, hurt whisper.

“I thought she was writing to just be friends.  Phil, don’t you remember how depressed you were?  You lost your job, you almost got evicted.  I thought this would open up a new can of worms, and I didn’t want to see you go through the whole thing again.”

Michelle’s face was bright red.  Bob braced himself for the verbal barrage he had invited.

Agent Lewis kept hitting the seek button on the car’s radio.  “My gosh, are there even radio stations out here that aren’t country or oldies or crap?”

Garrett had relaxed enough to let a small smile slip out.  “I doubt you’ll find a smooth jazz station out here.”

“That’s a damn shame Raymond.”  Garrett looked over for a moment, as Lewis started fiddling with some hair pins.  “Relax a bit, we’re in the car, with no one around.  I think we can use first names.”

“If you say so Allison.  We’ve been in agent mode so long lately, it almost feels odd to call you Allison again.”

Lewis’s hair tumbled down to her shoulders.  She took off her glasses and started rubbing her eyes.  “Why did we decide to get to Aberdeen so quickly again?”

“I want to be there and interrogate Anderton and Fulton as quickly as possible.”  Garrett’s eyes were ducking from the road to Lewis, who put her glasses back on.  She went back to playing with the radio.

“Interrogate?  Is that something they train you for at N.G.A. headquarters, after you make your first map?”

“Like you know.  Do you have a satellite that can find all the info we need?”

Lewis pressed the power button on the radio.  She stared at Garrett as she unbuttoned the first few buttons on her pantsuit.  “No, but thanks to satellite imagery I know there are a lot of seldom travelled roads in this state.”

Garrett looked over towards her.  He could see her unbuttoning her pantsuit down to the pants portion.  She arched her back forward and quickly slipped her arms out.  “What if I don’t want to slow down?” he asked.

“Then you’ll have to explain why your partner is naked, because I’m going to keep going until you exit the interstate.”

Garrett knew Lewis wasn’t bluffing.  He flipped his blinker on and exited Interstate 29.

***

“Well, I had rethought the reasons, yes, but not anymore.”

Bob’s leap of logic was spot on, but his triumph would only make what he had to say even harder.  “Did you try to tell Phil this in any way?”

“He knows.”

“Michelle…” Bob stopped for a moment as Abbie popped back up by their table.  She looked as if she was going to ask them to keep it down, while at the same time unsure whether or not it was safe to even approach.  “…hang on.  Abbie, I’ll be paying tonight.  I’ll need some change.”  He handed her two twenty dollar bills, which she cautiously took.  She then turned around, forcing a nervous smile all the way.  Bob turned back to Michelle, who was still staring outside.  “Humor me.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I poured my heard out to Phil in a letter.  A long letter.  It needed two stamps and everything.”

Bob’s heart sank even further.  The true scope of his error in judgment was now becoming apparent.  Phil’s mood suddenly swung upward upon hearing this.  “Wait wait wait” Phil stammered.  “I never got the letter.”

Michelle looked at Phil with a healthy heap of disbelief.  “Really?”

“Really” Bob said.  “I’m the reason Phil didn’t get the letter.”

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.

Felix drummed his pen nervously on his desk.  He had only been on hold for a minute, but every second that ticked by felt like another icy stare from the Captain Hale.  Finally, he heard the telltale click that relieved some of his stress.  He didn’t even notice Officer Bucholz walk up behind him.

“Officer Moore, this is Derrick Warren.”

“Yes, yes…this is Felix Moore…is this the chief?”

“It’s as close as you’re getting right now.  Our chief is on vacation.  Dispatch was telling me you think those two men I saw on KELO are in our city?”

“Yes, we have reason to believe they’re staying at the Super 8.”

“Well, that’s great.  Which one?”

“Excuse me?”

“We have several Super 8’s in this town Officer Moore.”

Felix started shuffling papers around on his desk.  “Just a moment, I have that here somewhere…”  Paper began flying off his desk, and he held the phone tightly against his chest to keep his disorganization a secret from Warren.  While Felix shuffled papers, Bucholz crossed his arms and cleared his throat.  Felix paid him no mind.

“FELIX!”

Felix jumped in his chair for a moment.  He spun around, winding the phone cord around his chest.  “Bucholz, I’m a little high strung today.  Jeez.  I’m trying to find that Super 8 info about the Elson check in.”

Bucholz walked over to the back of Felix’s desk.  “You mean this stuff you sat on your monitor?”  Felix took the paper and closed his eyes for a moment.

“Thanks.”

Bucholz smiled as Felix put the phone back up to his ear.

***

“Thick?  I honestly didn’t think there was a way for you to know.”

“Listen to yourself.  I can’t believe I’ve been thinking about you lately.”

Bob glanced at her.  She had a fiery look in her eyes and he could almost see a vein starting to pop out of her head.  It was becoming clear that the longer he stood by and did nothing, the closer Phil was to finally closing this chapter of his life.

The problem was, Bob was no good at standing by and doing nothing.  He remembered taking the blame on more than one occasion for a brother or sister when he was a kid.  He thought back to the times in High School he was a shoulder to cry on (and to a lesser extent, how he sometimes used that to his advantage).  He kept friends safe and jail free during college, and even kept a few of them from failing.  He had only stood by and done nothing once that he could remember, but the memories were not ones he cared to revisit.  Besides, this time was different.  Wasn’t it?

Bob snapped his focus back to the conversation, which was getting hard to ignore due to the volume.

“YOU are MAKING no SENSE Michelle.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t think you’d know.”

“STOP SAYING THAT.  YOU’RE the one not making any sense.  This little chat is reminding me why I left in the first place.  You’re just too damn DENSE sometimes.”  Michelle slid out of the booth and started to stand up.

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.