Bug Out! Part 12: RV Alliance

by Robert Boren

  “Where?” asked the scratchy voice.

  Scott looked over and saw a sign. “Right by the driveway at Breckinridge Farm. Gretchen is going to kill me.”

  “Why?” the scratchy voice asked.

  “There’s brains on my pants.”

  The scratchy voice erupted in laughter. “Hope it was that bitch Cindy.”

  “Talk to you later. You can take down the roadblock.”

  “Roger that.”

  Scott dropped the microphone and shot the radio. Then he shot two of the tires, and ran back to the motor home.

  “It work?” Cindy asked.

  “Yeah,” Scott said, laughing. “The radio officer is hoping that the brains on my pants are yours.”

  “Those bastards,” she said. “See what I mean?”

  “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.” He drove off. “How quickly can I cut back to the highway?”

  “You think they’ll take down the roadblock?” Cindy asked.

  “I asked them nicely.”

  “Well, there’s a road that climbs up the hill, about two miles away. It curves around and dumps you at the road where the on-ramp is. We’ll be able to see if the roadblock is gone from up there.”

  “Perfect,” Scott said. He drove along for a while silently, Cindy watching him.

  “There’s the road,” Cindy said. “Take a left.”

  “Got it,” Scott said, turning the rig onto the road.

  “It’s a little skinny in spots, so don’t go too fast.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  “Who are you, anyway?” Cindy asked.

  “You don’t want to know,” Scott said.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “You’ll get scared.”

  “I’ve got a .357 in my hand,” she said, laughing. “And it’s not like you’re going to rape me or something. I’d let you have me now if we didn’t need to split. That action got me going. So spill.”

  “You hear about that incident in Columbus last night?”

  Her eyes got wide. “The two girls on the jogging path?”

  “Yeah. One of those girls was my partner,” he said. “Bailey.”

  “What about the other one?” Cindy asked, eyes wider.

  “I shot her,” Scott said.

  “You tried to kidnap her, didn’t you?”

  “Yep,” he said. “Still want to go with me?”

  She sat silently for a moment. “What are you gonna do?”

  “Continue the game, and take back my home base in Kansas from some interlopers.”

  “I’m in danger, aren’t I?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Scott said. “The police are after you now.”

  “And you’ll probably murder me if I try to leave you,” she said.

  “I got to protect myself,” Scott said, looking at her and grinning.

  “What if I join you?” she asked.

  “Well, I am down two people,” Scott said. “And you have the right attitude, plus other benefits.”

  “Other benefits?” she asked. “Oh. Those benefits. Yeah, you do get those with me. Especially after the good time you showed me tonight.”

  “I think we understand each other,” Scott said.

  “Who was the other partner you lost?”

  “An old dear friend named Howie,” Scott said.

  “What happened to him?”

  “He was shot by an FBI agent after the incident at the jogging path,” Scott said.

  “Shoot, the FBI is after us?”

  “Not that agent,” Scott said, laughing. “He’s in the freezer in my basement.”

  “Why were they after you? The kidnapping?”

  “Well, partly that, and partly the biker massacre.”

  “Oh, my God, that was you too?”

  “Yeah.”

  They climbed the road up the hills, slowing as the switchbacks became tighter and thinner.

  “You should be able to see the roadblock now,” Cindy said. She got up. “I’ll go look out the side window.”

  “Good, thanks,” Scott said. “This road is two hands on the wheel, eyes ahead.” He chuckled.

  “Told you,” she said, pulling the blinds open. “They’re gone. We’re clear.”

  “We’re clear if we can get past it before the meat wagon shows up and sees our handiwork,” Scott said.

  “Our handiwork,” she said, grinning as she climbed back into the seat. “I think I’m going to enjoy this.”

  “Careful what you wish for,” Scott said. “The roads descending.”

  “Yeah, it’s only about three more miles before we hit the freeway,” Cindy said. “I hope we can beat them there.”

  “We need to beat them there and then some,” Scott said. “We’ll need to ditch this thing in a hurry, too. They’ll put out an APB. They know the make, model, and license because of your hubby.”

  “I know,” she said. “What are we gonna do?”

  “Thinking on it,” Scott said. “You bring that money I paid you for this?”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “Good, then we can trade this thing in on something else.”

  Kerry climbed down from the bunk and watched out the front, looking scared.

  “You okay, Kerry?” Scott asked.

  “I’m scared,” he said. “I thought those police men were going to shoot us all. Like Blake.”

  “Blake?” Cindy asked.

  “Yeah, that was Kerry’s twin brother. He got shot by the cops after the biker massacre.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry, Kerry,” she said.

  “Is she like Bailey?” Kerry asked Scott. “I liked Bailey.”

  “Yes, she’s like Bailey,” Scott said, smiling as he shot a glance over to Cindy.

  “I hope that’s a good thing,” she said.

  “It is,” Scott said. “Look, there’s the on-ramp.”

  “I’ll go look out the back window,” Cindy said. “Sit here if you want to, Kerry.”

  “Thanks,” he said, scrambling into the seat. He looked at Scott. “She’s nice.”

  Scott got on the ramp, picking up speed as he merged onto I-74.

  “Nobody back there,” Cindy said. “But I’ll watch for a while.”

  “Good, thanks,” Scott shouted. He looked out at the road in front of him and grinned.

  Chapter 3 – Morning on the Road

  Gabe woke up with a start. It was light outside. He checked his phone. Almost six. He got up and took the coffee pot out of the cupboard under the sink, filling it with water and plugging it in. The coffee was brewing in a few minutes, and he opened the fridge to survey the contents. Not much there. He closed it and got dressed.

  Malcolm woke up. “That coffee I smell?”

  “Yeah,” Gabe said. “Should be ready in five or ten minutes. I thought I’d go down to the store and see what they have for breakfast.”

  “Good idea,” Malcolm said. “Didn’t have time to stock up on food before we left.”

  “No, we didn’t,” Gabe said, chuckling. He slipped out the door. It was overcast and chilly. A few people were up, quietly walking their dogs. The store was open. He walked in and looked around.

  “Good morning, sir,” said the girl behind the counter. “We just got fresh donuts in.”

  “Excellent,” Gabe said. “How about a dozen?”

  “Sure. Assortment?”

  “Yes,” Gabe said. “That’d be fine.”

  The girl assembled the box and slid it to Gabe. He paid and carried it back to the rig. The rest of the group was up, watching the coffee pot sputtering.

  “Donuts, everybody!” Gabe said. “Fresh this morning.”

  “Oh, perfect,” Dobie said, smiling. Gabe put the box on the counter and opened it. The men attacked.

  “Think we can make Columbus today?” Gabe asked.

  Dobie was looking at the GPS on his phone. “I doubt it. That’d be nine hours of solid driving, at least. Remember I can’t go 75 pulling this sucker. More like 55.”

>   “Yeah, we’ll need one more stop,” Ted said. “But we’ll be there early in the morning, day after tomorrow.”

  “You get any more info?” Malcolm asked.

  “No,” Ted said. “Not a peep about Agent Keith, and nothing about Scott or Howard either.”

  “They say who’s taking over the investigation?” Malcolm asked.

  “The agents they’re sending to Columbus are searching for Agent Keith, not taking over the investigation, at least so far.”

  “You still don’t want to tell them about the house?” Malcolm asked.

  “Not really,” Ted said. “Why?”

  “Because if they find it and we show up, they’ll nail us for withholding.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Ted said. “At least not yet. They’re not smart enough to figure out the address.”

  “Maybe not, but things can change fast,” Malcolm said. “They might find out without doing the detailed analysis and investigation. Hell, some neighbor could have tipped off the local PD. The FBI might already be there, for all we know.”

  “I’d have heard something if that’s the case,” Ted said.

  “Okay, everybody had their fill of donuts?” Gabe asked.

  The group all nodded.

  “Good, then let’s get this road on the show!” he said, a goofy expression on his face.

  “I’ll go walk Duchess,” Dobie said. “You want to unhook us?”

  “Yeah,” Gabe said, “and then I’ll go chat with Sue for a few minutes.”

  Dobie glanced at him, smiling. “Too bad we couldn’t stay a little longer.”

  “Ah, she’s outta my league, but I like her,” Gabe said.

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” Dobie said as he went out the door with Duchess. He walked by Ted and Malcolm, who were getting their vehicles ready to go.

  Gabe got the trailer un-hooked, and then trotted over to the office. Sue was at the counter.

  “You guys taking off?” she asked, smiling.

  “Yeah,” Gabe said. “Maybe we’ll be back here on the return trip. Thanks for giving us such a good spot.”

  “Don’t mention it,” she said, twinkle in her eye. “When this is over, why don’t you give me a call? I’d love to hear all about it. Kansas isn’t that far, after all.”

  “True, and I have a trailer,” he said, grinning. “Maybe I’ll pull it over here for a few days.”

  “Good, I’ll look forward to it. You be careful, now.”

  “Will do,” Gabe said, smiling as he left the office. The warm feeling washed over him as he made his way back to the rig.

  “Ready to go?” Dobie asked.

  “Yep,” Gabe said.

  “How’d it go with Sue?”

  “She wants me to call her when this trip over,” Gabe said, an embarrassed smile on his face. “I’m thinking I might drag my trailer here.”

  “Good,” Dobie said, getting into the driver’s seat. Gabe got in the passenger seat, and they pulled away.

  ***

  “You sure we have to dump this rig?” Cindy asked, watching Scott as he drove. “Seems like such a waste.”

  “We could just swap the plates,” Scott said.

  “So we find another Class C that looks like this one, and swap?”

  “That’s the idea. We’ll have to swap the plates for the CRV too.”

  “That should be easy,” Cindy said. “We ought to do that now. It’s still early in the morning. There’s a town coming up quick.”

  “Okay,” he said. “I could use a cup of coffee anyway.”

  “How long until we get to the Mississippi?” she asked.

  “Several hours yet,” Scott said. “There’s the off-ramp.”

  He drove off the highway into the small town. The streets were deserted, but it was only 5:30 am.

  “Hey, look at that!” Cindy said, pointing ahead at a used RV dealership. “I’ll bet we could swap with one of those.”

  “Excellent!” Scott said. He drove past the lot and made a right turn, parking far enough back to be out of sight.

  “There’s tools in the back compartment,” Cindy said.

  “Yeah, saw them,” Scott said as he headed for the door.

  “Scotty, what’s going on?” Kerry asked, sleepy look on his face.

  “I’ve got a job to do,” he said. “Do me a favor. Open your bunk window curtains and keep watch. If anybody comes near the coach, tell Cindy. Okay?”

  “Sure, Scotty,” he said.

  Scott went got a screwdriver and small crescent wrench from the tool box. He took the plates off of the motor home and the CRV, and scurried over to the RV Dealership. It wasn’t open yet, and there was no fence. Perfect. He looked around, finding a Class C from the same manufacturer, parked where he could swap plates without being seen. It was a year or two newer than his coach, but the style hadn’t changed much. He got to work, and was trotting away with his new plates in a matter of minutes. On his way back, he saw a small SUV. He swapped the plates on that, then hurried back to their rig.

  “Got them,” Scott said to Cindy, who was standing next to the rig having a smoke. He changed the plates on both vehicles. “This won’t protect us against your ex’s friends if they followed us, but it will keep us from getting pulled over by the cops.”

  “All of those losers have jobs, and it’s Monday morning,” Cindy said. “I doubt they’re gonna get fired over this.”

  “Hope you’re right,” Scott said. “We killed two cops and one ex-cop back there. We aren’t out of the woods yet.”

  “The other rig look like this?”

  “Yep, same make and model. A couple years newer, but they look a lot alike. We’re good.”

  They got back into the rig, and Scott drove to the highway.

  “Everything okay, Scotty?” Kerry asked.

  “Perfect,” Scott said. “There’s food back there if you’re hungry.”

  “Oh, yeah, I even put the pop-tarts in here, remember?”

  “Yeah,” Scott said. He looked over at Cindy and smiled. She was staring at him. It took him aback for a second. There wasn’t fear on her face. There was reverence. Like Bailey. What is it with these women?

  “How far are we going today, honey?” Cindy asked.

  “We should try to get across big muddy,” Scott said.

  “There’s a place to camp right past that. Boondocking place. We can just pull in and sleep for free.”

  “Good,” Scott said. “Rather not have to go into an RV Park if we can help it. They’re probably watching those.”

  Kerry got off the bunk and went into the kitchen, taking the box of pop-tarts out of the cupboard. “You guys want some of these?”

  “Sure, I’ll take a pack,” Scott said.

  “Pop-tarts,” Cindy said laughing. “Haven’t had those in years.”

  “A guilty pleasure,” Scott said, laughing.

  “What the heck, I’ll have some too,” Cindy said. Kerry handed them out. “You want cokes?”

  “Sure,” Scott said.

  “Breakfast of Champions,” Cindy said, laughing.

  They rode silently, eating their breakfast. Kerry sat at the dinette and watched the countryside go by out the window. Scott’s eyes darted from the road ahead to the mirrors, keeping a careful eye out.

  “You’re expecting somebody to show up,” Cindy said.

  “Well, not really,” Scott said. “But you never know.”

  “Why don’t we turn on the radio? Maybe there’s news about what happened back there.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Scott said. “Go ahead.”

  She turned on the radio. They weren’t to the top of the hour yet. Traffic, weather reports, special interest stories. Then they got to the headlines.

  “A man and woman shot their way out of an Indianapolis suburb last night, killing two police officers, an ex-police officer, and two others. They escaped in a small motor home, towing a Honda CRV. Indiana License Plate T638F4. They are armed and dangerous. The
identity of the man is unknown. The woman is Cindy Broderick, who resided in the town. It appears the altercation started when Ms. Broderick’s ex-husband broke his restraining order and attacked her and the man at the house she was renting on Center Street. The ex-husband was killed at the scene. Local law enforcement are calling this a murder, but the FBI investigated and found evidence that the man was killed inside his ex-wife’s house and then dragged outside. There was a small amount of the ex-wife’s blood on the floor, leading the FBI to believe that the killing was self-defense. The local police department is now under investigation for evidence tampering and attempted murder. This does not mean that the other killings are justified. There is an All Points Bulletin issued for the couple’s immediate arrest.”

  Scotty laughed out loud, hitting the steering wheel several times with glee. Cindy looked at him and laughed too.

  “This is rich,” she said. “Serves those jerks right.”

  “Was your ex a wannabe cop or something?” Scott asked. “The local PD was treating him like one of their own.”

  “Yeah, several of them grew up together,” Cindy said. “The department couldn’t hire him because of past assault convictions. Oh, and I found out he beat the crap out of his first wife several times without getting prosecuted. The jerks in the department still let him be a reserve officer. Idiots.”

  “How did you get hooked up with this guy?” Scott asked.

  “Met him in a bar,” she said. “He was charming at first.”

  “We’re all charming at first,” Scott said, smiling. Cindy gave him a look.

  “What are you saying? You’re going to get tough with me?”

  “No, but I’m not exactly a nice guy,” Scott said. He had a wicked grin on his face that made Cindy nervous. He laughed when he saw her reaction. “Don’t worry, you ain’t on the target list.”

  They rode silently for a while.

  “You think this road is the best one to be on?” Cindy asked.

  “For now, it’s fine,” Scott said. “If there’s no roadblocks at the bridge, we’ll be okay. I don’t think there’s much police activity going back and forth across the Mississippi right now.”

  ***

  Frank and Jane walked into the clubhouse. It was early and they were the first there. Frank had had a rough night. He couldn’t get himself to sleep, and stewed about Daan Mertins for most of the time. Who did he bring with him? The possibility that he’d brought operatives like George to hunt them down kept slipping into his mind. Jane knew something was bothering him, and asked what was wrong. He said it was nothing, but she wasn’t tolerating that. She knew better.