by Clark Graham
“Drop your weapons,” an officer commanded. Both Anna and the gunman complied.
“Get on the ground, get on the ground.”
Both of them laid down prone. Barry slowly opened the door and crawled out. He laid on the ground too. His heart was racing as the lights and blaring sirens circled him.
Barry felt a knee in his back as his arms were yanked behind him. He was handcuffed. Pulling him off the ground, two officers forced him spread eagle, across the hood of a car. Then his pockets were emptied out.
Soon all three of them were sitting in the back of different police cars. Nobody was talking to him, as the officers were more interested in talking to the two with guns, Anna and Albert. Barry sat there watching the lights from the police cars flash across the night sky. After an hour the lights started to go out as the police cars started to disperse. An officer sat down behind the wheel in Barry’s car and, without a word, drove off to the station.
When they arrived there, Barry was taken out of the back of the car and put into an interview room. He waited at least a half an hour before someone finally came in.
“I’m detective Reynolds. Glad to meet you, Mr. Hibbard.” He put out his hand to shake Barry’s, but then realized that Barry was still handcuffed. “Oh, sorry, let me take those off you.”
Barry instinctively rubbed his red and swollen wrists.
“Mr. Hibbard, you’ve had quite a night.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Let’s start from the beginning. What happened to you?”
“Am I under arrest?”
“No, just have to ask you some questions.”
Barry took a deep breath and said, “We were supposed to meet a guy named Albert to get Anna’s battery back. When we arrived at the meeting place, Albert opened up on us. Anna returned fire and I was just stuck in the middle like a sitting duck. That’s about it.”
“Why were you chasing the other car, when you knew the guy had a gun?”
“Anna insisted.”
“I see.” The detective was writing things down. “The whole thing was witnessed by a man taking out trash at the Chinese restaurant. He pretty well confirms what you just told me. We will need you to testify against Albert if the case goes to trail, but for right now, you’re free to go.”
“Thank you.”
Barry stood up and opened the door. When he walked down the hall he saw Anna talking to a police officer.
“Glock 19. That’s a nice gun.”
“Yes, it’s small enough to not show when I have it in my bra-holster.”
“Well, here’s your gun and your concealed carry permit back. Take care not to get into any more trouble tonight.”
“Thank you, Jim, it was nice meeting you.” She turned when she saw Barry, “Oh, hi, there. You ready to go?”
“Jim? You’re on a first name basis with the Spokane Police?”
“He’s a single guy. Besides, he looks really handsome in that uniform. What’s wrong with that?”
Barry shook his head.
“Wait, you’re jealous aren’t you?”
“No.”
“You are too, you just won’t admit it.”
“I’m not jealous, but I’m ready to go home.”
“Can’t.”
“What do you mean, can’t?”
“I don’t have the battery. I need to talk to Albert in the morning. I need to know what he’s done with it.”
Barry let out a large sigh.
Chapter 16
The first thing that Barry did that morning was to run downstairs to get a newspaper. For the second day in a row there had been an article about him. Shootout in Back Alley Leads to Three Arrests. At least the article stated that two of the participants had been released. They didn’t mention any names, pending further investigation. Barry almost wished they had. At least he would be able to find out what Anna’s last name was.
He walked back up the stairs and knocked on Anna’s door. She opened up and yawned. She was in the pajamas he had bought for her.
“We’re in the newspaper again.”
She looked at the article. “At least they didn’t use the mug shots. I’m starving. When’s breakfast?”
Barry shook his head. He was feeling a lot of stress over the events of the day before, but he pushed that aside. “Get dressed. I’ll bring the car around.”
She talked him into going to a diner this time. They sat at the counter and talked to the waitress while they watched the cook make their food.
“Eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Now this is breakfast. Not that fou fou stuff we had yesterday.” She smiled.
He barely touched his breakfast. “You’re not the least bit upset over all of this, are you?”
“Breakfast?”
“No, the car chases, shootouts, being arrested and all.”
“Of course. It’s going to be quite the story to tell the kids when I get older.”
He turned back to his breakfast and pushed his hash browns around the plate a little more before giving up. He couldn’t brush it aside as easily as she seemed to be doing.
Dropping Anna off at the jail in the morning, Barry drove down to turn in the rental car. The place was busy with cars and trucks being checked in and out. When he pulled up to the attendant, the man took one look at the SUV.
“Are those bullet holes?”
Barry stepped out and looked at the side of the vehicle. “Yes, I believe they are.” He hadn’t realized what a close call the shootout had been until that moment.
“Sir, are you okay?” Concern was written on the attendant’s face.
“No, I’m not,” Barry replied. All the stress of the day before came flooding back. The shootout, being arrested, the jail. He started shaking. It was all too much.
The next thing he knew, the attendant was leading him to a chair. “Sit here for a moment until you get some color back. You look terrible.”
Feeling dizzy, Barry sat there. It seemed like the parking lot was spinning around. When he finally got his wits, he looked up and saw another man standing in front of him. It was a tall man with a employee badge from the rental agency.
“Sir, I’m going to have to report the bullet holes to the police. Also, you are liable for the damages to the car.”
“The police know, so don’t waste your time. I just didn’t think the bullets hit so close. Sorry.”
“What happened?”
“A man tried to kill us. It’s all in the paper.” Barry looked back at the car. “My head was right there. He only missed me by an inch.”
“I see. What about the damages?”
“You have my contact information. Tell me how much and I’ll send you a check.”
“Yes, sir, I need you to sign here.”
Barry didn’t bother to look at the piece of paper. He was sure he knew what it was. He scrawled his signature across it.
“Thank you, Sir.”
Getting his nerve back up, he headed to the park and ride to retrieve his car.
Anna was standing in front of the police station when he drove up. She hopped in without a word.
“Well,” he asked. “What did our friend Albert have to say?”
“He wasn’t even a college student. He’s an imposter. His job was to steal the battery. How he found out about it, I don’t know. This company, Arizona Interstate Mining, hired him to get it from me.”
“Why did he try to kill us?”
“He thought that you were Donald when you stepped out of the car. He just wanted to scare you away. He wasn’t trying to kill you.”
“An inch is all he missed me by.”
“That’s what he said, anyway.”
“I don’t believe it. So what did he do with the battery?”
“He gave it to his contact at the AIM. It’s some type of shell company. He said they have probably destroyed it already, along with the plans.”
Tears were forming in her eyes. It was time to change the subject. “So, is it time
to go home yet?”
“Yes, let’s get out of here. I don’t like this town.”
Chapter 17
She turned me down. It was his first thought as he climbed out of his over-soft bed. It was nice to be home, but he was still stunned by the happenings of the previous two days. How could she turn me down? She wants to be rich. I’m rich. He studied himself in the mirror. Good looking too, I’m told. His hair was sticking out in all directions after tossing and turning all night. Black hair, blue eyes. Women like that. So why did she turn me down?
He thought back on the ride home. They had stopped at some roadside diner, the type of place that she liked to eat. He hadn’t even complained overly much about the greasy food and lack of atmosphere. At the right moment, he had looked her in the eyes and said. “I’ve never dated anyone this much in a three day period. I’m really falling for you.”
Thousands of women in the world would have loved for me to say that to them.
He shook his head.
“You don’t know anything about me. You don’t even know my last name.”
“No worries. I was planning on changing your last name anyway.” He thought he was both quick-witted and clever.
“Oh, Barry, you’re such a romantic,” she said in a syrupy sweet voice, while batting her eyelashes at him. Then her face darkened. “Not.” It was the last word she said to him the rest of the way home.
He had tried several times to start up a conversation to no avail.
When he dropped her off in the middle of the night where she had left her bike, she rode away. She didn’t leave her phone number. She didn’t thank him for interrupting his life. She just rode away.
Barry brushed his hair and teeth, then went downstairs.
Eva was already there and breakfast was on the stove. “Good morning, Romeo. How was your trip?”
“I got dumped!” Tears dropped from his eyes, he was only able to stop himself before he started bawling
“Oh, no. You are having such a rough year.” She turned off the stove and walked over to hug him.
Rosita heard the commotion and came around the corner. “Problemo?”
“Barry’s girlfriend broke up with him.”
“Oh, dear, oh, dear.” Rosita hugged him too.
“It’s okay, it doesn’t matter.” He reassured them. It did too matter, he thought.
“I’ll fix you a cake roll. That will cheer you up.” Eva went back into the kitchen, dished up his breakfast and then started mixing the cake.
“Thank you so much.”
Rosita patted his shoulder and then went back to work.
As he ate, Barry contemplated what he could do next. He wanted her back, if he even had her in the first place. All she was interested in was his car for fast transportation. Nearly getting killed, and all those dates hadn’t impressed her at all. The battery, he thought. Get the battery, get the girl.
He pulled out his phone and flipped through his contacts until he came to John Adams. He hit ‘call.’
“Yes, Barry, how are you doing today?”
“I’ve got a couple of matters I need to discuss with you. When can you come over?”
“I can swing by after work. What’s this about?”
“I seem to have damaged a rental car and I need to talk to you about a business matter.”
“All right, see you in a few hours.”
John Adams was the corporate lawyer who ran Barry’s father’s business affairs. He was good at what he did, and if anyone could help Barry, it was John.
Barry sat back and smiled. Get the battery, get the girl. Why didn’t I think about that earlier?
When the cake roll was done, Barry was all smiles.
Eva gave him a sideways glance. “See, it’s helping already.”
“Yes, it is,” Barry replied.
He ran upstairs and turned on his computer. He did a lot of searching, but didn’t find any reference to Arizona Interstate Mining except a brief article about them being part of the Vdoom Conglomerate. He then researched Vdoom, but there were few articles on it. One of them claimed it was a shadow organization, very secret and very private.
When he heard the doorbell, Barry ran downstairs. Rosita was just letting John in.
“Come out on the back patio. I need to talk to you in private,” Barry said.
“Alright.”
When they sat down out there, Barry asked, “Have you ever heard of the Arizona Interstate Mining Company?”
John scratched his head. “No, I can’t say I have. I usually know most of the viable businesses around. Is it small?”
“I don’t know. How about Vdoom Corporation?
John’s eyes opened slightly. “Stay away from them. They don’t play nice.”
“What do they do?”
“Rumor has it, but of course it can’t be proven they were the enforcer of the big three automakers. The strong arm, as it were. Long ago, the automakers cut them loose, but I think they still call on them when they need a favor.”
If there was a product that could get the world independent of oil and they had that technology, what would they do with it? I’m talking about a something called a Rex battery that only needs to be recharged every six months.”
“The world is pumping oil faster than the dinosaurs are decaying and creating it. Sooner or later, it’s all going to come to a screeching halt. They would sit on the technology until they needed it.”
“Thank you. You have been most helpful.” Barry stood up and shook his hand.
“I’m only glad I could help. Do you need me to do anything else?”
“Not at this time.”
Chapter 18
Barry didn’t know how to start the phone conversation, so he just let his tongue run wild and tactless. “Hello, my name is Barry. I called around town to find out who the shadiest private eye around was and your name kept coming up.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Barry wondered if the man had hung up. “Hello?”
“I would never do anything shady, of course. But let’s meet and I could direct you in the right direction. I may be able to recommend someone that doesn’t have the stellar ethics that I do.”
Barry was taken aback by the response. “Oh, okay, sure. The coffee shop by the college?”
“No, that’s a little busy these days. How about that Persian restaurant next door? Nobody eats there anymore.”
“Sure. I thought it closed.”
“No, I’m sure it’ll be open. Just knock.”
“Okay, two o’clock?”
“I’ll be there.”
When Barry arrived, he tried the front door, but it was locked. The place didn’t look like it was still in operation. He started to walk away, but as he did, the side door to the building opened.
“Hey, buddy, over here.” A man in a cheap suit and a Fedora hat motioned to him from the doorway.
“Are you Carney Smith?”
“Shh, come on.” He motioned again.
Barry followed him into the building and the door closed behind him.
“Yeah, I’m Carney. I can’t say anything over the phone, it’s being monitored. I was hired by the wife of the District Attorney, at the time, to track him. I found him in numerous compromising positions with various women. He’s still mad and is trying to make my life miserable, force me to leave town.”
Carney flipped the lights on, revealing worn crushed velvet chairs and dingy red carpeting. The place was old and dated.
“Can I get you something to eat? I have a couple of steaks in the freezer.”
“Sure,” Barry replied as he followed Carney into the kitchen.
The lights came on, revealing several cook stoves, and a couple of freezers. “The old man gave me this place when he retired. It was the town diner and I should have kept it going, but I had to live the glamour life of a private eye, only it wasn’t so glamorous. It’s digging through people’s trash and staking out their houses. Sitting for hours on en
d waiting for them to do something stupid, so you can have it on film. Digital nowadays.” He fired the cook stove up and grabbed two steaks out of the freezer. “I rented the place out to an Iranian couple and things went well for them, until it became not politically correct to have any relations with anyone from Iran. What a stupid thing that was. Now I just need to get the money up to renovate this place.”
“How much will that take?”
“A hundred grand, I figure. I’m halfway there. Several more big jobs, and I’ll have it. Speaking of jobs, what do you got for me?”
“A friend of mine has had something stolen from them. A shell company has it. I’m trying to get it back. Can you help me?”
“Yes, and no. I can find the corporation, find out what and where they’re hiding, but I’m not so good at the breaking and entering part. You need to hire someone to do that separately.”
Barry smiled, “No problem, I know just the guy. He’s already involved, too.”
“Good, give me the info and I’ll get started.”
As Barry wrote it down, Carney put the steaks on the grill. He chopped up onions and squash, adding them to the grill too. Soon he was taking down plates from the cupboard and putting food on them. “Here we go. I hope you’re hungry.”
Barry wasn’t. Eva had fixed him lunch before he left, but he ate anyway. “Wow, this is amazing. Where did you learn to cook?”
“Right here. Dad owned the place outright. I worked here every day while I was going to high school and college. He hung up his apron when I graduated. I guess he figured that I would take it over, but I swore I’d never step inside another kitchen. I’ve lived to regret that decision. Try your vegetables. It’s a secret family recipe.”
“Very tasty. I love them.” Barry cleared his plate. He ate too much, but there was always room for good food.
“Now, down to business. I charge $75 an hour, plus expenses. I will find your company and where the stolen item is, but you’re going to have to get your guy to steal it back.”