Cliffhanger Theater!

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.

Felix swung open the Captain’s door. Hale was sitting behind his desk, filling out a form. Eli Elson was sitting off to the side. He had a soda that was mostly empty, but he was sucking on the straw anyway, in hopes of catching a few stray drops of soda. The sound was annoying, but Felix paid it little mind. “Sir, we just got word from Aberdeen police. They got their warrant and are going into the hotel room soon.” The chief looked up and sighed.

“I suppose I should call up the feds and let them know.” Hale reached for the phone, as Eli kept trying to suck every last bit of soda out of his Z’kota glass. Felix was having a harder time tuning him out the longer Hale waited on the phone. “Voice mail. I’ll try Lewis.” Eli shook his glass a bit, then started on the straw again. Felix looked down, hoping to tune him out entirely. “Voice mail again. They must be in a dead spot. Felix, get on the phone and tell them to wait for the feds, or for the word. If they need to talk to me, patch me through.”

“Can do.” Felix walked out and slammed the door just a bit harder than he normally would. Eli sat his glass on the armrest.

“How soon are you going to let me go? I’ve told you everything about Bob that I know.”

“Not quite.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I did.”

“What about the summer between freshman and sophomore year?”

Eli smiled and shook his head. “That’s an interesting question itself. If I knew I’d tell you, but most of us that he hung out with freshman year would love to know the answer. He came back from Spearfish…different.”

“Does the name…Holly Kearns mean anything to you?”

Eli stood up and walked over. Hale was looking at some printouts from the Rapid City Journal’s archives. “Holly was a girl Bob mentioned once in a while. They were never serious, more like friends with benefits. He talked about her freshman year, and I think he went to see her once or twice. Now that you mention it, I don’t remember her name coming up much after he got back.”

“There’s a pretty good reason” Hale said, as he flipped to another page. The story was about a young woman being mauled by a mountain lion.

“Damn” Eli said as he read the story. “She was killed by a mountain lion?”

“Not quite” Hale said.

***

“Here is an abandoned pawn shop. It closed about a year ago, but the building sits empty, and we happen to have a set of keys.”

Michelle stared at her gun, which was currently pointed between Phil and Bob. Bob was looking around, and Phil’s eyes were a vacant, dead stare into nothing. Michelle was thinking over her self defense classes in her head, and was trying to remember where her pepper spray was in her purse. Bob, Michelle and Mokoto looked to the left, as a motorcycle pulled in behind them. Their heads craned the other way as another car pulled in and parked in front of Michelle’s car. Michelle cleared her throat and asked “Friends of yours?”

“Wait here” Mokoto said.

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.

15 hours ago

Chet unlocked the doors to Pike’s BP.  The station didn’t open until five, but he liked to get in early and start getting things in order.  Saturdays were usually a busy day, even in Webster.  He started brewing the coffee, and waiting for the newspapers to come in.  He was going through his checklist of things to do before five when he heard a knock on a glass door.  He wandered out and saw a Asian woman in glasses standing outside of the station.  He walked over to the door and opened it a crack.

“We’re closed until five.  The pumps take credit cards.”

“I’m gassed up.  I just need some coffee.”

“Sorry we’re…”

“I’m willing to pay above market value” the woman said, as she held a fifty dollar bill up.

Chet knew he’d get in trouble, but his shift would barely clear fifty after taxes.  He opened the door and gestured the woman to come in.  “It’s a bit odd to see someone out this late on a motorcycle, especially when you’re not one of our regulars.”

“I’m just passing through” Mokoto said as she unzipped her jacket slightly.  “I don’t suppose you have any doughnuts yet.”

“Nope, but I can get you a good deal on one of our breakfast pizzas in a bit.”

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Coffee’s over there.  I’ll even let you have the first cup.”  Chet kept his eye on her, mainly because he’d be fired if she stole or destroyed anything.  He also kept his eye on the way she filled her jeans.

“You’re too kind” Mokoto said, filling the largest coffee cup the store had.

“If you’ll pardon me for asking, it’s awfully late to be just passing through.”

“Well Chet, I’m on my way to Aberdeen.”

Chet was taken aback for a moment, until he realized he was wearing a nametag.  “I didn’t catch your name Miss…”

“Mokoto.”

“Miss Mokoto.  Why are you off to Aberdeen at four in the morning?”

“I left Sioux Falls rather late last night.  I don’t even know if I should be on the way to Aberdeen.”

“Are you lost?”

“No, not lost.  Just directionless.  I’m trying to find someone.  I’m not sure if Aberdeen is the right place to go.”

“You must have a reason for going.”

“Call it a hunch or women’s intuition or whatever you like.  I just have a gut feeling.”

“Fair enough.  I’ve heard than one plenty of times.”

Mokoto slowly sipped the coffee.  Her eyes closed in sheer delight.  “Chet, this is some damn fine coffee.  Can I ask you something?”

“Sure?”

“Is this what you want to do?”

“Excuse me?”

“This job…is it what you want to do?”

“Well, it’s not what I had in mind, no.”

“Why do you do it?”

“Well, I need a job.  I lost my farm about ten years ago, and I have to make child support payments somehow.  I work at the metal yard most days of the week.  I only work here on weekends.”

Mokoto sipped more coffee.  “Do you ever wonder if it’s time to do something different, even though you’re good at it?”

“I…I don’t follow.”

“You make damn fine coffee, for example.  Yet, you’re just not sure if you want to make coffee anymore.  But it’s what you’re good at.  What do you do?”

“Well…I don’t know.  I just do what I do to get by.  Are you having some trouble with your job?”

“Just making conversation Chet.  Thanks for the coffee.  I should be going.”  Chet watched her walk out, rev her motorcycle and ride off into the morning.  He shook his head and got back to getting the BP ready to open at five.

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.

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.

Laura looked back and forth nervously.  Jebediah was underneath Bob’s Pontiac, and Jeremiah was checking the trunk.  The garage was empty for the moment, but Laura knew someone could show up at anytime.  “Would you two speed it up?”

“Relax Laura, our stories will check out.”  Jeremiah kept talking as he tugged on various parts of the trunk’s interior.

“I have no doubt your visitor passes can easily be confirmed.  People will still ask questions.  It isn’t like we get a ton of visiting officers from San Diego.  That and they’ll want to know why you’re checking this car out.”

“We can deal with anyone who asks too many questions” came Jebediah’s voice from under the car.

“That’s another thing.”  Laura walked quickly by the car and lowered her voice.  “Which of you two thought it was a good idea to shoot an officer?  The cops here are practically foaming at the mouth looking for someone who shot one of their own.”

“Funny you should ask us that” said Jeremiah, as he closed the trunk.  “I regret to inform you that you’re asking the wrong guys.  Maybe you can call Mokoto and ask her.”

“She’s the shooter?”

“That’s right” Jeremiah kept his eyes on Laura as he opened the rear driver’s side door.  “We were on our way out of town when that happened.”

“What were you doing in town?”

“We came looking for Gerrard, but we couldn’t find him, and then we got word that he was dead, so there was a…a change in the ‘weather’, so to speak.”

Jebediah popped up behind Laura.  “Doesn’t that weather mumbo-jumbo bother you?  I can’t stand it.”

“Why Jebediah, you have an opinion on something.”  Jeremiah smiled as he started checking the backseat.

Laura spun around.  “Anything?’

“Nope.  I don’t think Gerrard hid the information on this car.  We’re wasting our time.”

“Well, just let me check back here, then we can waste our time elsewhere.”

Laura walked back to where she was standing before, and started keeping watch again.

***

Phil ran up to Bob, just before he opened the dumpster.  “Are you out of your mind?”

“Don’t you think it will be suspicious if they find something?  There could be security footage of the pay phone, then they’ll have us on the run, tied to a dead cop and a dead kid.”

“It already isn’t suspicious that two guys who look like they slept in a boxcar are rooting in some dumpster behind Kmart?  The longer we stay back here the more attention we draw to ourselves.”

“Then shut up and let me look and we can get out of here.”  Bob reached for the dumpster lid.

“Wait!  At least use your sleeved arm.  We don’t want fingerprints.”

“Oh for the love of…”  Bob grabbed the lid and flipped it up.  He saw and smelled a lot of garbage, but nothing else.  “One down, three to go.”

“You’re going to check all three?  Why not find us some lunch and we can really live the wandering hobo stereotype?”

“Can you can it for a second?”

“What are you two doing?” came a voice from behind them.