Not my characters. I am just borrowing them for a spell and I do promise that I will put them back, unscathed.
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Chapter 9
Reconnaissance
The dim light above the sign "Lindell's Auto Plex" made the business even less inviting to break into than it did while they sat in the car waiting for the sun to set. "I don't know how I let you talk me into these things!" A. J. growled as he pushed his big brother closer to the chain link fence that they just cut.
"Come on, quit complaining. You know you want to get to the bottom of this!" Rick peered around. "Shhhhh."
"Don't shush me!" Andrew snapped.
Rick took a big breath trying his best not to react . "If you don't mind, I am listening, just in case they have any dogs on the property."
"Dogs? Do they have dogs?" A.J. could feel his chest tightening.
"I don't know. That's what I am listening for." Satisfied, Rick stepped through the chain link fence and made his way towards the building weaving in and around the parked cars. Andrew was following closely. They stopped at the last row of vehicles.
"How do we know this is even the same place where it was back in 1948? How do we know that the books from that far back are even here?" A.J.'s whisper was barely audible.
"Well for one thing, Mom is a wealth of information." Rick whispered back.
"You got Mom involved?" A.J. was stunned.
Rick chuckled. "She was happy to help. She even was able to give me a little more information on who owned the building before Binder and Lindell!"
A.J. was stunned. "How does she know?" He never thought his mother would be a part of a unsolved case. "How was she involved?"
Rick had moved towards the building. "Who?"
Andrew creeped up behind him. "Mom?" Not realizing how close he was to his brother, even the whisper sounded like a shout and Rick jumped out of the shadows. This ever so slight movement triggered the motion detector lights and sirens. Rick stood up with his head hung low and his hands on his hips, mumbling. "A.J.!"
"Get your feet off of my desk!" A very unhappy Lt. Brown had just walked into his office with the paperwork. He sat down in his chair glaring at Rick and A.J. Simon until Rick removed his feet from the Lieutenant's desk. "Rick, I expect this of you, but A.J.?"
"Come on Brown, you know we're working a case!" A.J. took the defensive before his brother.
"Yeah, on a possible..." Brown began
"Probable murder." Rick interrupted Brown.
"You don't know that. At best, a mystery of a desk." Brown countered.
"Yeah, well come on over and check out my desk any time Lieutenant." A.J. growled at Brown.
Lt. Brown felt a cold child run up his spine. Before he could respond, a very tired looking Cecilia Simon walked into his office. "Boys, Lieutenant Brown. What's this about?" She tightened the belt on her over coat, waiting for a response.
A.J. spoke first. "We're working on a case."
Cecilia grimaced. "I gathered that. But why am I here?"
Lieutenant Brown cleared his throat. "It seems these two were caught in the process of a 'B&E'.
Mrs. Simon raised a brow. "B&E? That's breaking and entering, right?" Her boys saw the look of concern come over her face.
Lt. Brown nodded, quickly adding. "The owner, Mr. Lindell is not going to press charges, this time. But he made it very clear that if they do this again." Brown stopped.
She pursed her lips looking at her sons. "They could lose their license and or go to jail?" Brown nodded. "I see."
Downtown Brown continued. "I thought it would be best to turn them over to an adult rather than to just turn them loose." It was Cecilia's turn to nod. She sighed. "Come on boys, let's go home."
Rick and A.J. jumped to their feet as if their chairs had springs in their cushions. Rick was quick to contend. "Mom, my truck is impounded and if I get it out tonight".
"It's not going anywhere, Rick. You can't get it tomorrow morning." Cecilia Simon was tired and her boys have hit her last nerve.
"But Mom..." Rick stopped quickly when she held up her hand. "No buts Rick. You can get it tomorrow morning and if there is a fee, then that is part of the consequences."
The two brothers followed her out of the Lieutenant's office with Rick still arguing with his mother. "Yeah, well about that, it is technically tomorrow morning!"
Mrs. Simon rolled her eyes while stepping onto the elevator.
Cecilia poured herself another cup of coffee before gathering up a do-nut from the box that she found on the counter. She suspected her youngest son, Andrew, had bought them. She smiled. Both were her sons, but both were so different from each other. She quietly mused how the same parents could have two totally polar opposites.
Rick appeared in a light striped robe tied at the waist. He stretched his arms way above his head. :Good morning Mom." He bent nearly in half as he give his mom a light kiss on her forehead.
"Morning." She looked at her son. "I think A.J. bought some donuts." Rick grabbed three as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Setting his coffee on the table, he stepped over the back of the kitchen chair to sit down. He quickly devoured one of the donuts.
"Can you explain what you were doing last night?" Mrs. Simon asked.
Rick took a quick gulp of coffee. "Yeah, well, we were checking on some things about an old murder case." He took a bite of his second do-nut.
"How old?" She sipped her coffee while waited.
The older Simon brother took a sip of coffee. "1948. We think the murder occurred in 1948."
"Hmm-mm. The Binder and Lindell Auto Lot." She furrowed her brow. "That involved a fairly young man. Dressen, Drendon?"
"Dresdan". It was Andrew's voice. He had quietly come into the room leaning against the door jam he watched the interaction between Cecilia and Rick. How could two people be so much alike and yet so different?
"That's it. Thanks for the donuts, A.J." She smiled as the younger Simon gave her a peck on her forehead.
"Good Morning." He smiled at both his mother and his brother. "So Mom, what do you remember about the case?"
Rick polished off his last do-nut licking the sugar off of his fingers. Cecilia sighed. She did try to instill good manners in her sons, but it seems at times it is a 'hit or miss'. "Well there was suspicion that the mob was involved with the auto lot. Possibly washing money."
"Laundering, Mom." Rick winced at her attempt at the police lingo.
"Laundering, washing, they cleaned the money, right?" She looked from Rick to A.J.
A.J. smiled. "Close enough mom. Please go on, Rick promises to not interrupt again." Andrew shot Rick a warning.
"Well, this young Dresdan fellow died under mysterious circumstances while on a trip. Some suspected the mob was involved with that as well." She tapped her forefinger against her chin, deep in thought. "After he died, I think the newspapers indicated that Dresdan was solely involved in in the theft. The case was probably closed, but you know what the funny thing is?" She looked at her sons. "They were never able to locate the books from the company. It's like they were destroyed or hidden or something. Now that's a real mystery! Where are the books?"
Rick slouched down in his chair, extending his long legs underneath the table. Resting his head on his hand, his fingers tapped his lips. "Yeah, where are the books?"
A/N: Well surprisingly that chapter almost wrote itself! Remember, these are not my characters. Please leave a review!
