6/6/66

by JN Lenz

  Pushing the seat belt release Clyde grabbed the portable GPS from the dash of the Motor Home before clutching the Roots back pack before flying out one of the passenger side doors of the Motor Home. There were no doors on the driver side of the Motor Home for the Police to immediately follow after Clyde who turned after running a dozen feet from the door of the Motor Home stopped and pulled the pistol from the duffle bag and emptied the clip into the bottom at the back of the Motor Home in an attempt to blow up the gas tanks.

  The shots went into the steel of the Motor Home but there was no immediate explosion Clyde had hoped for, the gun fire would slow down the progress of the pair of cops that had been in the cruiser. With the adrenaline surging through Clyde, he was running faster than he believed his fifty nine year old body could carry him, by the time he made it to the train tracks above running for his life following the tracks to the west.

  Suddenly the sound of the Motor Home bursting into flames into one massive fire ball filled the air. One of the bullets must have ignited a fuel or propane line, it had taken time to ignite what was left in the gas tanks, the sudden sound of the blast threw Clyde onto the tracks, it was the sound more so than the force of the blast that caused him to stumble.

  Pulling himself back up Clyde raced along the tracks past fourth and Fifth Avenue before racing south down sixth Street West. He would find a garage behind one of the streets older homes with an unlocked side door, Clyde would spend the night until daybreak waiting for the light of day to walk back out to the street’s sidewalk.

  Making his way over to the shops of Fourteenth Avenue Clyde would find a Second Cup where he purchased himself a large coffee and make his way back towards the center of the city and the Memorial Park city Library, the doors of the Library had just opened as Clyde walked the two and a half blocks up Second Street Southwest having turned left off the Fifteenth Avenue sidewalk. Using one of the several terminals Clyde began to search for the closest mini storage business, he had been unable to find any listed in the profiles of the GPS. Within minutes he secured the address of two Mini Storage locations, using his Blackberry Clyde called for a taxi to meet him at the front doors of the Library. He would have the taxi driver drive him to the closest of the two Mini Storage locations he had written down, asking the driver to wait for him at the Mini Storage.

  Entering the small office for the rental of the storage units Clyde was greeted by an East Asian man with poor English skills, the man knew enough English to verify that he did in fact have a unit to lease to Clyde. The trouble came with Clyde pulling out enough cash to rent the unit for the next two years that led to fifteen minutes of confusion with the clerk, he was having a hard time comprehending why Clyde wanted to give him so much cash not understanding the original request for a full two years worth of rent payments. After a lengthily conversation ciphering through the broken English of the East Indian clerk and a demonstration using a wall calendar Clyde was able to relay to the man that he wished to pay in advance for the next two years.

  After paying for the full two years along with a lock for the locker and one empty box Clyde walked to the back of the yard to the last locker of the fourth building, opening the locker Clyde would remove all the weapons from his back pack into the empty box and place the box in the back corner of the locker. Locking the pull down garage door of his storage locker Clyde would return to the Taxi and have the driver take him to the Husky Fuel Depot by the Calgary Airport, he had told the driver he was meeting a friend with the truck which had the furniture going into the Storage Unit.

  The Taxi would drop Clyde off at the front doors of the truck stops restaurant, waiting for the Taxi to drive off Clyde would head off to the rows of transport trucks parked neatly in the large lot next to the pumps and restaurant. He would walk between the rows of tractors looking for Edmonton based brokers, the company drivers would not be allowed to take passengers so it would be of little use even approaching them. The second driver Clyde would ask if he could pay him two hundred dollars to hitch a ride to Edmonton gladly accepted the offer, he was driving straight through the city anyway.

  The first man Clyde had approached as he entered his rig simply told him he was heading in the opposite direction on his way to Vancouver, there was no way in hell Clyde was going back there. The story to the transport driver taking him to Edmonton was that his car had broken down in Calgary but he needed to be in Edmonton for an auction that taking place in a closed out factory, he was searching for some Industrial Tool and Die C& C machines for a shop in Saskatchewan. The drive to Edmonton went by quickly as the driver not used to having someone to talk to rarely came up for breath the entire drive which was fine with Clyde, the driver had managed to take his mind somewhat off the Police that were hunting him down in growing numbers.

  Entering the city from the south on Highway number two Clyde would have the driver drop him off on the corner of 17 streets at the mall which sat at the edge of the highway. From here Clyde would call for a local Taxi to take him to the Via train station on the North end of the city, although there would likely be facial recognition readers inside the train station Clyde felt confident that the authorities did not have the digital face print of John Dirkens which they required to make a positive identification. Identification would not be required to purchase a ticket for a return trip to Union Station in downtown Toronto. The taxi ride from the Mall to the Via station would take a little more than thirty minutes, there would be a pair of Police officers posted inside the Train Stations main doors as Clyde walked through and towards the ticket window. After reaching the short line up of travelers waiting to purchase a ticket at one of the open wickets Clyde would turn to look more closely at the two officers, they looked as if they had little interest in Clyde instead they continued to watch the people as they streamed in and out of the entrance.

  There would be a train leaving in two hours that Clyde could board without further transfers going to Toronto, he would pay the high cost of the last remaining private room in one of the first class coaches. Walking from the ticket booth out closer to the Platforms where the trains are boarded Clyde would notice several of the facial recognition cameras posted throughout the large station, keeping his ball cap pulled low Clyde headed for the gift shop to purchase a magazine to bury his head in for the two hour wait for the train. Sitting in the common room waiting area Clyde would peer up from his magazine on occasion to stare at the large television monitors all of which broadcast the same all news network.

  It was here that Clyde would see for the first time the Media’s broadcasted image of John Dirkens Ontario Driver’s License and picture which filled the entire wide screen of the monitors which hung from the ceiling of the terminal. For what seemed like an eternity his image in long black hair with a thick Grizzly Adams black beard covering his face, Clyde looked down from the screen and searched the eyes of those waiting alongside of him for an incoming train. He could detect no eyes which were locked on him, or sets of eyes shifting nervously as Clyde looked in their direction, there appeared to be no one here that correlated the burly looking suspected assassin and the clean shaven Clyde with short brown hair.

  The train bound for Toronto would arrive ten minutes early, and Clyde would board it at the first opportunity, quickly locking himself behind the door of the cabin. Once inside he closed all the blinds, on both the door to the train’s hall and on the window facing the platform.

  “I almost held my breath until the train finally began to lurch forward on its long voyage towards Toronto, my heart was racing so fast I thought it would leap from my chest.”

  “I had never felt such anxiety, such angst, I thought it was a sure sign I was about to be caught. The end had come; I had never felt a bigger sense of relief in my life as when that train began to pull forward”.

  The comment was one of the few personal revelations Clyde would make in any of his files, there was no why, only the where and the when.

  He added the train calmed his sens
e of anguish, the sense panic like he had never before experienced. Clyde had finally experienced the feeling of being the hunted, that same terror he had inflicted on hundreds of living beings, for once in his life he had a taste of their panic.

  The sight of the Boreal forest and rock of Northern Ontario must have been enough to make a less hardened Clyde well up with tears.

  “I had made it!” Clyde began to start the last page in the file, describing the remainder of the ride through Thunder Bay then on down into Southern Ontario, before ending his long ride home in the heart of Toronto’s Union Station.

  Clyde would step out onto the platform of Union Station more alive than he had felt in a decade, the panic in Edmonton had been replaced with the confidence of making home gave him. He could not wait to see the farm, along the way Clyde had called ahead and arranged to have a chartered helicopter waiting for him at the Billy Bishop Island Airport. By air the flight to the farm in Caledon would take but minutes, the island airport was minutes from Union Station and would save a two hour taxi ride home. A half hour after setting foot on the platform at Union Station, Clyde would be in the air whizzing past the skyline of Toronto heading to the Northwest towards the farm he loved. His return to the farm came just days prior to Sid’s final days in university and the completion of his degree.

  Lilly and I decided to purchase an over the top gift for Sid, reward for receiving his bachelors of Science diploma from the University of Toronto. The certificate represented the first step in what Sid hoped would include a Masters, and a PHD by the completion of his scholastic pursuits. The black Aston Martin DB sixteen we had purchased him was sex on wheels, the envy of all men, regardless of age. We presented him with the keys a day after his graduation, upon his arrival back home in Largo, from Toronto.

  The party had run deep the night of the graduation, Sid and his class mates so following the ceremony Sid went to party the night away and Lilly and I headed back to the Four Seasons where we had reserved a suite for the past two nights, we would enjoy a late evening diner at one of our favorite Café’s along Yorkville Avenue before walking the streets surrounding the ROM and Bay streets before returning to the suite for the night. After a late breakfast we checked out and circled around to the residence building Sid had BBM’d us that he had ended up at.

  Bringing the S Class sedan to a stop at the front door of the residence, Sid appeared at the doorway, his face was pale and his hair and clothes were a mess, he still wore the Armani suit we had purchased a week prior but it now looked wrinkled and very unfabulous. I tabbed the release which opened the rear door of the big sedan as he slowly made his way down the sidewalk towards the opening door, diving head first onto the back seat

  “Tuck your legs in so I can close the door, I will have someone from one of the homes drop into the condo and grab your bags and drive them up to Largo

  “I would tell my severely hung over son as I leaned back facing the back seat, he would grunt a muffled “thanks” into the leather cushion as I turned and activated the “Live drive” on the big Merc’s center console.

  Although the manufacturer issued warnings that the car’s driver needs to use their hands on the steering wheel and feet on the gas and brake, the fact was you could program the Mercedes on the voice activated GPS and the car would do the rest, start, stop, turn avoid cars and pedestrians. It had scared the shit out of Lilly the first few times we used it. I wouldn’t touch the steering wheel, gas pedal or brakes for the whole trip, until she realized it was safe, and then she ended up loving it.

  I had to buy her a new G series that offered the same option because she got so used to getting in the car an just telling it where to go and the car would take her. The Mercedes guided us home in a little over two and a half hours; the sleep had helped Sid gain a little better level of consciousness as he stumbled out of the back of the big Sedan only to be confronted by the sleek smooth lines of the Aston Martin.

  “Sweet ride pops, when did you get this beauty” Sid began to stand a little taller, the beauty of the Aston making him forget about his pounding head for a moment

  “Your mother and I got this little number last we, we got it for you, for diploma number one” I responded to Sid who began to jump and yell interjecting phrases of

  “Thank you guys, I love you. Christ my head hurts” as he continued to jump and race around the car in disbelief.

  “You’re probably still legally drunk right now so no drive today but first thing in the morning it’s all yours. Want me to take you for a spin in it” I offered him as he sat behind the wheel taking in the sights and smells of the gorgeous Aston Martin’s interior cockpit. I would take Sid for an hour drive after driving through the center of Largo I would head for the twisty roads that snaked their way through the many lakes and hills surrounding Largo, it was one of the best days of my life and I am sure it was for Sid as well, for him the day would only get better.

  Clyde would arrive at our home in Largo late in the afternoon that same day, all four of us had planned to have dinner together the night after the graduation. Clyde wanted to present Sid with his gift for his newly acquired diploma, based on some of the amazing things Clyde had done for Sid and his friends over the years I was sure it was going to be a substantial gift.

  The two of them really had an amazing relationship and Clyde gave him that extended family support that only existed with Lilly’s parents, Sid would never know my parents which could only help him in the future. Although Clyde had made it down to the ceremony he had left immediately after, we all knew Sid would want to be with his friends on that night so we planned a Lobster dinner at the old Mansion the following evening. The limo carrying Clyde pulled into the lane around three that afternoon, he had stopped driving on his own a few years before, the four of us would have a few drinks out on the back patio before diner and Clyde kept the details of his present to himself telling us all that he would like to wait until after diner to announce what his present to Sid would be.

  We showed Clyde the Aston and I offered the keys for him to take it for a spin but he refused only wanting to hear the engine as it sat on the cobblestone driveway beside the old Mansion “that car is for Sid to drive, it’s a thing of beauty that is for sure. Hope you don’t think I’m planning on topping this thing” Clyde would joke as the three of us talked and joked around the Aston as Lilly helped out our cook in the kitchen, she still enjoyed cooking despite us having our own chef for the past ten years.

  Following the diner of Lobster tails, giant scallops and Red Snapper Clyde was finally ready to announce his gift to Sid; he requested we all retire to the Great Room which resided at the back of the main floor in the large old home. Removing a flash drive from his pocket he inserted it into the side of the wide screen television and after making sure everyone had a fresh drink in their hand Clyde proceeded to explain his full gift to Sid accompanied by the digital images on the TV.

  The centerpiece of the trip would be a climb in the Andes Mountains in an attempt to summit Mount Fidget, but the climb was only a small part of a large adventure with the entire trip taking over two months. They would use several means of travel on their way to and from Peru, taking off from Toronto on a private jet they would land in Victoria British Columbia where Clyde had chartered a Yacht large enough to cross the Pacific Ocean and would take them down the coasts of North, Central and South America.

  The televisions images matched the details of the big adventure from a shot of the jet they would take across Canada then switching to the Yacht which looked like one of those massive ones you would see parked in the Marina at Monaco each year when they run the Formula one race. When that thing popped up on the screen I could not help but say

  “Shit Clyde what the hell did that thing cost you to rent for two months?” which he brushed off by saying the costs of the adventure are irrelevant as he continued to present the remaining details of a once in a life time trip. The yacht would visit a handful of cities including Acapulco, Me
xico Jaco in Costa Rica along the way before traveling over to the Galapagos Islands then they would power all the way down to the city of Punta de Bombon where they would begin their climbing adventure.

  As close as the two of them had become I could not help but feel somewhat envious of Clyde taking off on the adventure of a life time with my only son, disconnecting from the world like that for weeks at a time. The fact was though that it just wasn’t me. I would not have the patience to be out at sea for weeks at a time or any interest in climbing a mountain in the middle of South America, although both Clyde and I had given up running the day to day operations of the business some years back I still liked to stay on top of the business numbers and the world business news, it was just part of my everyday routine that would be hard to part with. As Clyde continued to explain about the pack horses they would take from Punta de Bombon and travel into the mountains meeting a group of local guides from Pocsi who would guide them to the summit of the highest peaks of Pichu that small moment of envy I had was replaced by my feelings of how fortunate Sid was to have someone like Clyde in his life.

  Lilly and I had spoiled Sid his whole life and he has repaid us with his love and by becoming a son anyone could be proud of , a lot of that had to do with the support and friendship Clyde had always provided to him. That support and love was something neither Clyde nor I had as a child, I guess that’s one of the reasons the two of us tried so hard with Sid. You have to give Clyde credit for combining his avoidance of the New World Order in criminal apprehension devices into an Old World Exploration hop scotching across the world on their way to climb one its highest peaks.

  I think Lilly was somewhat tentative of the whole idea after Clyde finished with his presentation, but with Sid jumping across the room and hugging Clyde yelling it was going to be the adventure of a life time there was little she could do to extinguish the flames of excitement in Sid. Clyde sensed her apprehension and turned to her after hugging Sid and explained that the crew of the yacht included a very experienced captain and a crew of six highly trained sailors, in Peru the guides had lived in the mountainous region of Pichu Pichu for centuries and had guided hundreds of successful climbs up Mount Gaiter with no casualties.