“I’ll get myself home,” she said condescendingly as she attempted to start the engine.
A few minutes later, after growing more frantic with each try, she turned to Stewart and accused angrily “You did something under the hood.”
“Right…I’m a magician and I waved my wand and voila…it wouldn’t start,” Stewart’s lips curled derisively. “Just admit you were wrong and get over it already. If I’d wanted to make out with you…which I don’t…I’d have taken you up to the Pointe, not pretended to run out of gas in the emptiest, creepiest part of town. Now as I see it, you have two choices; you can stay here and pout or you can come with me to find a phone and call our parents. At this point, I couldn’t care less what you do.”
“You wouldn’t really leave me here alone?” Valerie asked, suddenly afraid.
“I’m seriously considering it.”
~**~
“Looks like someone robbed the five and dime,” Mick commented.
“Oh, man,” Eddie scrunched down in the back seat.
“What?”
“Officer Jenkins…”
“You know him?”
“That’s her dad.”
“Whose dad…?”
“Lucy…that’s her dad.”
“You misplaced a cop’s daughter?” Hal laughed. “I’d hate to be you right now.”
“Correction: you are the one who misplaced her and I think being you is bad enough right now without adding to it by making your captor angry,” Mick pointed out. “Stay here.”
Mick got out of the car and had a short conversation with Officer Jenkins and then returned to the car.
“Well, it looks like the only witness saw two men leaving the store carrying a bag and taking off in a car that could have been yours. They parked in the alley and it was too dark for them to see clearly.”
“My poor car,” Eddie moaned.
“You’re a moron,” Felix pronounced in disgust.
~**~
“Piece of cake,” Vinnie crowed as he and Spence exited through the broken glass window.
“Um…Vinnie…where did you park the car?”
“Right there, Dumbbell…Hey! Where’s the car?”
“I asked you first.”
Vinnie slapped him on the back of the head “Shut up and help me find it.”
~**~
“Valerie, this is wrong, we need to take this car back immediately,” Stewart demanded angrily.
“No! We’ve been walking for hours and still no phone…everything around here is closed and my feet ache.”
“We’ve been walking for exactly fifteen minutes and you just committed a felony.”
“You got in the car, too,” she pointed out.
“To try to talk some sense into you, stupid,” he said in disgust. “You stole someone’s car. Stop now!”
“They shouldn’t have left it in a deserted alley with the motor running. It might as well have had a sign on it that read ‘take me’.”
“I can’t believe I ever agreed to go out with you. This is a nightmare.”
“You are such a goody-two-shoes.”
“Valerie…” Stewart began warningly.
“Fine,” Valerie huffed and pulled over as they approached the park “I’ll stop and let you drive and you can take the silly thing back to where we found it.”
They both opened their doors and as Stewart shut his and started around the car Valerie slammed hers shut without getting out and stomped on the accelerator.
“Valerie…” Stewart yelled futilely after the receding taillights.
~**~
“Hey, I know that guy,” Eddie frowned. “He’s in my homeroom.”
“He looks like he needs help,” Mick slowed down as he approached the solitary figure attempting to wave them down. “Should we stop?”
“His dad’s a minister I think, so yeah…we need all the goodwill we can get.”
Felix rolled down his window as the car pulled up level with the guy.
“Thanks for stopping,” he panted.
“You’re Stewart Simpson, right?” Eddie asked from the back seat.
“Yeah, do I know you?”
“Eddie Finch, we’re in the same homeroom.”
“Oh yeah, you’re the football player who sleeps most of the time.”
“That’s me,” Eddie replied with a grin. “And you’re the smart dude that makes the rest of us look bad.”
“Guilty as charged,” Stewart smiled back. “Look, I know this is a lot to ask but the girl I was on a date with has…well…borrowed someone’s car without asking…long story…and I was hoping you could take me to her house so I could return the car to the alley where we found it.”
“We’re kinda in the middle of something…” Eddie began.
“Where exactly did you find the car?” Mick interrupted.
“It was in an alley behind some stores a couple of blocks off of Main Street,” Stewart explained. “Some idiot left it running and Valerie was…well…I’d run out of gas and…”
“Score,” Eddie grinned.
“It wasn’t like that,” Stewart grimaced. “I borrowed my brother’s car and the gage is apparently broken and we ran out of gas in the part of town that totally shuts down after six and I couldn’t find a phone.”
“What did the car look like,” Mitch asked suspiciously.
“It was an unusual shade of blue and it had pin stripes…”
“My car!” Eddie shouted.
“Your car…?” Stewart asked in confusion.
“Hop in the back, no not that side, go around, and we’ll explain on the way,” Mitch ordered. “Give me your girlfriend’s address,” he continued as soon as Stewart shut the door.
“Definitely not my girlfriend,” Stewart muttered before giving Mick directions.
~**~
“Freeze! Hands in the air,” Officer Jenkins barked.
“Oh man,” Spence moaned as he lifted his hands over his head. “My mom’s gonna kill me.”
“Don’t say nothin’,” Vinnie commanded. “They ain’t got nothin’ on us.”
“Right,” Officer Jenkins offered sarcastically from behind “except for the money falling out of that bag your friend is holding.”
“Oh man,” Spence repeated as one of the cops confiscated the bag and a couple of others patted them down, handcuffed them, and read them their rights.
“Oh shut up already,” Vinnie ordered irritably.
~**~
“My car’s not here,” Eddie groaned “my poor car.”
“Shut up about your car, you idiot,” Stewart snorted in disgust. “Your girlfriend is in the back seat and all you can do is moan about the stupid car. Why didn’t I even look back there? I would never have…”
“Not your fault,” Mick broke in impatiently. “I’m guessing Valerie’s already home. Do you know which window is hers?”
“No, I don’t know her that well, as I said our parents set up the date.”
“Come with me,” Mick ordered as he got out.
“Mick, my car…” Eddie whined.
“She probably ditched it somewhere close,” Mick cut him off. “We’ll see if we can find out. Be right back.”
Mick and Stewart circled the house and found a light on in one of the upstairs rooms.
“I’m thinking that’s probably hers,” Mick whispered. “See if you can find something to throw at the window to get her attention.”
They searched the area and found a few small pebbles from the flower bed.
Mick began showering the window until the curtain opened.
“That’s her,” Stewart said excitedly. “Valerie, open the window,” he called as loudly as he dared.
She didn’t appear to hear so Mick tossed a few more pebbles.
The window flew up and an angry voice asked, “Who’s there?”
“Valerie, it’s me, Stewart.”
“Go away,” she commanded as she moved to shut
the window.
“Where’s the car?” Mick asked quickly.
“Who’s that?”
“A friend of mine,” Stewart answered hastily. “I found the owner of the car and…”
“I don’t know what car you’re talking about,” Valerie replied haughtily. “Go away.”
“Listen you witch, I’ll report your theft if you don’t help us.”
“You were there, too.”
“Just tell us where you ditched the car and we’ll leave…I swear that’s all we want.”
“Okay but if you…”
“The car…” Mick interrupted abruptly.
“It’s one block over,” she answered airily as she began to close the window.
“Which direction?” Stewart asked in frustration.
“I don’t know directions, I parked it in front of Old Man Greer’s house,” and with that the window closed decisively and Valerie pulled the curtains.
“I guess that’s better than nothing,” Stewart muttered.
“So where’s my car,” Eddie asked excitedly as soon as Mick and Stewart made it back to the others.
“One block over, but we’re not sure which way so we’ll spread out and look,” Mick instructed.
The three occupants of the car got out and while Mick was assigning directions, Hal took off running.
“Hey, come…” Eddie began only to be halted abruptly by Mick.
“Quiet,” Mick hissed. “Let him go. I know where he lives. We’ll each take a street and then meet back here. One of us is bound to find it. All of us have seen the car, so it shouldn’t be hard to recognize. Okay, go.”
Mick found the car right away and jerked the back door open expectantly, but it was empty.
Perplexed he searched the front and back seats and popped the trunk, but there was absolutely nothing there; not even the keys.
He returned to his mom’s car and rejoined the others.
“Well…?” Eddie was chomping at the bit.
“I found the car…”
“Yippee,” Eddie yelled and started in the direction he’d seen Mick take.
“Wait,” Mick called.
“What?” Eddie stopped and turned fearfully. “Is it…wrecked?”
“No, but…”
“Alright…I’m outta here.”
“Lucy isn’t in the car and I couldn’t find the keys, either.”
“No keys?” he repeated in disappointment
“Why should I expect anything better from him?” Mick asked himself rhetorically.
“Where’s the keys?”
“I don’t care,” Mick growled “I’m more concerned with what happened to your girlfriend.”
“Yeah, that too,” he returned impatiently “but where’s the keys?”
“I think it’s time we called the police,” Mick sighed in resignation.
“No…no way…” Eddie panicked. “Lucy’s dad’ll shoot me.”
“That would be no more than you deserve,” Stewart put in.
“Mick, you don’t want Felix in trouble either do you?” Eddie pleaded.
“No, but I think he should pay for what he’s done.”
“Mick…I promise I won’t ever do anything like this again,” Felix swore. “Please, can’t we just try to find her on our own?”
“She may be hurt…or worse…and I can’t believe I’ve been this irresponsible. I should have told Officer Jenkins when I talked to him at the five and dime. I was trying to protect you, but I was wrong. There are consequences when you break the law and you should have to face them. Besides the fact that we are all out of clues.”
“You’re right,” Felix admitted head bowed. “I’m sorry.”
“Officer Jenkins is probably home or on the way home by now,” Eddie said in resignation. “His shift ended fifteen minutes ago. We should probably head there first.”
“Let’s go,” Mick sighed.
~**~
“I think I have something that belongs to you,” the middle-aged man greeted the wide-eyed boy amiably.
“Lucy…is she okay…what’s wrong with her?”
“So she lives here?” the man persisted.
“Yeah, she’s my sister. What’s wrong with her?”
“She is simply asleep, although I am fairly certain that it is an unnatural sleep. And what is your name, young man?”
“Timothy…Tim for short.”
“Well, Tim for Short, if you would be so kind as to take your sister’s purse and lead me to her room…she is a bit heavy.”
“Oh, yeah, sure thing,” the boy moved towards the stairs. “Follow me.”
“Of course there would be stairs,” the man muttered as he trailed after the boy, the sleeping girl slung over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift.
~**~
“Hey, Squirt,” Eddie absently rubbed Tim’s head as he stood in the doorway. “Is your dad home yet?”
“No, there were some robberies and he’s still processing the suspects,” Tim answered importantly. “Who’re they?” he asked curiously pointing to the three standing behind Eddie.
“What about your mom?” Eddie asked ignoring Tim’s curiosity.
“She’s still asleep on the couch. I can check and see if Lucy’s awake yet.”
“Lucy…Lucy’s here?”
“Yeah, some old guy brought her home. It was weird. She never woke up. He said to let her sleep it off and she would be fine.”
“Can we look in on her?” Mick asked quietly from behind Eddie “Just to make sure she’s okay?”
“I guess,” Tim answered doubtfully. “I wasn’t even supposed to answer the door with Mom asleep and Dad not here, but the guy was carrying Lucy and since I recognized Eddie…” he trailed off.
“Don’t worry,” Mick smiled reassuringly. “We won’t tell anyone. You’re secret is safe with us.”
~**~
The large Victorian house was dark as the man pulled up into the driveway. He stuffed the keys into the glove box along with the registration papers he had perused earlier and closed it decisively.
He stood on the sidewalk for a moment and then shaking his head, he began the long walk home.
“Kids…” he muttered under his breath.
~**~
“Thanks for the lift…and the gas,” Stewart offered gratefully as he shook hands with Mick over the back of the seat.
“No problem,” Mick replied as he popped the trunk of the car.
Stewart retrieved the gas can and moved towards his brother’s car, thankfully sitting exactly where he’d left it.
“I’ll make sure you can get it started and then we’ll take off.”
Mick waited until Stewart had the car started before pulling away.
“Thanks again,” Stewart called out the window as they drove off.
The trio rode in silence, Eddie morosely staring out the window, wondering how he would retrieve his car with no key…he had no spare…Felix, head bowed, dreading the thought of facing his mother, and Mick, lost in his own thoughts, yearning for the simplicity of army life again and wondering if he should reenlist.
As they pulled up in front of Eddie’s house Mick asked in surprise “Isn’t that your car, Eddie?”
“My car…” Eddie’s head jerked up and he was out and running before Mick had come to a complete halt.
Mick and Felix watched in wonder as Eddie planted kisses on the car and stroked it tenderly, finally laying his head on the roof, hugging it.
“They make a nice couple,” Mick murmured in amusement as he put the car into gear.
~**~
“I didn’t know it was a sleeping draught I drank,” Lucy whined. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not risking it again.”
“Eddie, come on, my mom is fine with me going to the library. We could go straight to the Pointe this time and skip the movie,” she coaxed.
“No way! When you’re not grounded anymore let me know. I’m
not sneaking around like that ever again. It isn’t worth it.”
“You are such a drama queen,” Lucy accused. “So I fell asleep…what’s the big deal?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Eddie hung up abruptly adding to himself “and hopefully you never will.”
~**~
“So did you and Felix have a good time?”
“I wouldn’t go straight to ‘good’ but it was an most enlightening evening,” Mick replied carefully.
“Felix seemed…different this morning…more cooperative and…well…nicer.”
“We reached an understanding last night and I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him anymore.”
“You are such a good boy, Mick,” his mother kissed his cheek and returned to her knitting. “Thank you.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
~**~
“So your cousin didn’t turn you in?” Felix asked in disbelief.
“Nah, Spence said that Vinnie didn’t want to add Grand Theft Auto to their crimes so I’m home free,” he laughed, “unless your brother decides to turn me in and you know, if I go down I’m taking you with me.”
“Don’t worry. My brother and I struck a deal and I’m good with it.”
“What kind of deal?” Hal asked suspiciously.
“I have to get a job.”
“Is that all?”
“Well, that plus I agreed to dump you.”
~**~
“Valerie’s mom called me this morning.”
“Oh…what did she say,” Stewart asked warily.
“Valerie had such a good time last night that she’s agreed to go out with you again.”
“No way, Mom,” Stewart replied vehemently.
“You didn’t have a good time?”
“Valerie is a bit wild for me.”
“Wild?” his mother asked in alarm.
“Yes, so if you don’t mind…I’d like to make my own dates from now on.”
“Of course, Dear, whatever you say…” she replied absently heading towards the phone. “How am I going to explain…?”
Stewart left her, mumbling to herself, relieved that she had taken it so well. He wasn’t sure if he was up for dating anyone anytime soon…but there was that red-head in Calculus…and she was smart…she wouldn’t be so bad…maybe he could…
~**~
“We’re still missing the money from the first robbery,” Officer Jenkins frowned at the report in his hand.
“Someone else could’ve pulled that job,” his partner suggested.
“But it’s the same MO, Sam, and their fingerprints are all over the place…”
“Well, those two aren’t talking.”
“At least we caught them red-handed at the hardware store.”
“What do you think that stupid one meant when he said somebody stole their car? The other guy shut him up real quick.”