I do not own Cars, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. I do, however, own all the Original Characters.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
The Rack and Pinion was a lavish club just south of the Virginia border, a place that sold top shelf liquor only and staffed models that were upheld to nearly flawless standards. The pale yellow recess lighting cast a romantic glow over the room adorned in dark red carpet and cherry wood tables. With martini in tire and her cab turned to the white marble bar, Tina Marie judged the routine of the girls on the stage, quietly reflecting on the years when she was once in their treads.
Any other night she would aim to recruit such fine girls for her own club, but tonight she was a patron... and the bar not chosen at random.
The lavender car watched the showgirls with idle interest while every so often passing casual glances towards the entrance for a particular sheriff she was told frequented the joint. In quiet hopes this evening would be her lucky night, she declined the advances of the surrounding males until the very car she sought arrived with two deputies flanking his quarter panels. The group was instantly escorted to a table in the shadows on the opposite side of the room that held a clear view of the stage. Moments later a waitress who had their order memorized delivered a tray of drinks before they finished parking.
Tina Marie pursed her lips in thought - the black and white cruiser was not at all what she expected, surprised by the sight of a decently handsome male with quiet yet strong masculinity about his mannerisms. For a moment she regretted her reason for attending this club, finding it hard to believe he was capable of the atrocities he took part of, but she of all cars appreciated the art of deception and quickly resumed a perfected facade.
Knowing just how to expertly convey vague attraction, Tina Marie fixed the sheriff with her naturally charming hazel eyes while she waited for the instance his gaze would meet hers across the darkened room. The moment in which he spotted her stare was all too telling and the one she needed - the kind of recognition one normally held for a particular fascination, and this was the only time she was glad her career was well-known by law enforcement. She noted his coy smirk of intrigue before turning her fender up at him and pivoting to face the bar.
Making sure that his exchange went unnoticed by his deputies who were discussing their quotas, the sheriff swallowed what remained of his first drink and idled across the room to join her at the bar. The cruiser came to a ghostly quiet stop at the edge of the brass railing, turning his frame away from her to appear disinterested but close enough for conversation. "So," he muttered, placing his empty glass on the marble with a soft clink. He motioned to the barkeep for another. "are you here for business, or for pleasure?"
Tina Marie slowly stirred her martini. "Sweetie," she purred, her smile flickering. "it's always for pleasure…"
The sheriff failed to contain his chuckle that soon faded into a conflicted sigh. He fiddled nervously with the wet napkin that clung to his empty glass, fighting to keep his gaze fixated on the tall shelf of liquor behind the bar instead of the mesmerizing way her pearlized lavender paint glimmered in the pale yellow light. Only momentarily apprehensive of why she of all women sought him out, his lustful curiosity overrode his uncertainty and he succumbed to the anticipation of a rare opportunity. "Want some company tonight?"
Sold. "I rather like a man who doesn't waste time," she replied with a grin. "although for your sake, we should not be seen together long. But before you go, answer me this," she whispered, leaning his direction ever so slightly; he angled a mirror towards her to meet her gaze. "have you ever had sex off your wheels?" He gave a single, sputtering cough that revealed all. "I'm at the Riverside," she said as she straightened upright on her frame. "meet me there at eleven o'clock… should leave you enough time to ditch your current company, no?"
The sheriff cleared his pipes. "Plenty," he assured, and reversed with new drink in tow to rejoin his deputies at their table.
September, 1949
His initial apprehensions about Cassie faded weeks ago, but that didn't stop Brian from teasing her when the opportunities arose - especially once she realized she had worn him down and obtained his silent approval. It was the way in which she mirrored his smirks with an enthusiastic defiance and good natured spite that betrayed her, and over time he became quite fond of her spunk that was just short of an unfitting level of moxie. His approval of the woman who continually made Colton the happiest, however, would forever go unspoken at the thought of how much satisfaction she would derive from the admittance.
Soon after Colton and Cassie settled into their cozy home of a rental, Brian found himself invited back to their place on the nights after practicing at the tracks throughout the week. In the midst of a blooming relationship and demanding career that kept him traveling most days, Colton spent as many evenings as he could at home with Cassie in attempts to replace lost time between themselves.
This was not a surprise to Brian, who knew very well how relationships shaped values, and although he sometimes found it overwhelming to sit in a house that was sickeningly wholesome it did not stop him from clinging to his best friend turned homebody. As he sat in the living room of their apartment with Colton, tearing through can after can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, it occurred to the green and black car that his perpetual journey as both a crew chief and friend had completed a full circle since he met the young racer.
At the small round coffee table next to Colton, Brian quietly appreciated the moment which paralleled their beginnings and absently retrieved a cigarette from the case tucked in his fender.
Cassie, who was in the kitchen wiping the counters down, heard the strike of the match and proceeded to scold Brian. "Ah!" she yelled. "not in here you don't!"
Brian grumbled with a smile even though she could not see his expression from the other room. "Yeah, that's right, I forgot…"
The powder blue coupe returned from the kitchen with two new beers and set them both on the coffee table before the men. They eagerly accepted the latest round with quick appreciation and Cassie happily watched them take simultaneous sips. "You know, Brian, smoking is bad for you," she quipped while she snuggled into the other side of Colton; he was more than content to let them bicker while he read through the latest racing magazine.
Brian set his can down with an exasperated sigh, surmising the comment came from the place of a caring nurse rather than another dig; he didn't know which was worse. "Do you know how many times I've heard that?" he asked. "Never."
Cassie scoffed at his retort. "They're doing studies, honest. I'll bring home some pamphlets from the hospital so you can read about it…"
Brian gave an airy laugh as he settled his amused eyes upon her. "Cassie, no offense, but that wouldn't even make it into my bathroom reading collection - I have way better magazines to flip through than nonsense issued by the government." Understanding his insinuation, she reached for a book on the coffee table which she held up threateningly as if to smack him on the fender for his comment. Brian feigned fear, dramatically shying away from her before they shared a laugh. "All I'm saying is, good luck getting cigarettes banned - the government had a hell of a fight the last time they tried to take something away from the public…"
At the mention of a fight, Cassie inspected the flawless repairs of his front end and fenders which Brian had taken care of at Roper Hospital two days after their arrests. With money and time to spend, it did not take long for his handsome appearance to once again compliment his seductive demeanor. "The doctors sure did a nice job fixing you up," she began, dipping her hood down coyly. "but it's too bad they couldn't help your attitude…"
Brian laughed. "I swear," he said, still chuckling. "none of my good deeds go unpunished..."
Colton, barely focusing on their conversation, nearly spit out his beer. "I think I hear James laughing on the other side of the city, Bri."
The green and black car grumbled at the reminder of the pit crew member. "What a thankless job it is, being the friend willing to get his tires dirty. It's a shame not everyone appreciates the best way to solve issues…"
Cassie sympathized with Brian, but only for a moment before a greater question piqued in her mind. "I understand the first strike, but, not the second… it seems senseless, to me."
"Hardly senseless," Brian replied immediately, careful not to interrupt Cassie. "he started to talk trash about Joanna."
Both Cassie and Colton fell sullen at their place around the living room coffee table. The powder blue coupe glanced sideways at Colton who shrugged in a way that suggested he was also unaware there had been an exchange between Brian and Glenn. Disheartened by the thought of what could of been uttered by her previous lover, Cassie quietly reflected on every detail of the downfall that Joanna shared with her. She leaned forward and peered into Brian's eyes which reflected heat from the reminder of the incident. "Did you tell Dave?"
Given their unconventional beginnings, Brian surmised Dave already heard all that could of been said about Joanna and had no intention of hurting the car further. He fought the urge to roll his eyes; instead, forcing a chuckle that failed to conceal how he truly felt about the inquiry. "Are you kidding? Over my dead and rusting chassis," he spat, chugging the rest of his beer. "That's not something you share with a man about his girl, especially his wife." He peered past the couple and to the kitchen just beyond them, noting the time. The green and black car drove his empty can to the kitchen trash and when he returned he offered them a kind smile. "It's been lovely, you two…"
The group said their goodbyes for the evening; Cassie gave Brian a farewell peck on the fender as the trainer nodded to Colton who he would see in few short hours for their morning routine practices. From the porch, the young couple watched Brian depart for his own place. A sadness swept over Cassie that she could not explain and she sank heavily onto her shocks. For a car that appeared perfectly equipped to be alone, she felt there was more unsaid from Brian. "Darling," she began, not taking her gaze off the fading tail lights down the street. "Who does Brian have?"
Her moment of perception was not unexpected. Knowing his reply would reveal the burden, Colton sighed softly and gave her a nuzzle to encourage her to lean against him for comfort. "He has us, sweetie, he has us…"
Dave assumed he only had to be concerned when a woman was yelling at him - today, he realized he also had to be worried about a woman who had grown quiet. Normally he could guess what had upset Joanna, as it usually pertained to the company and the unfortunate issues which coincided with his behavior, but this particular Sunday he was at a loss. On weekends that Cassie could not travel with the team, she spent the days with Dave and Joanna at the mansion listening to the race by the radio with the couple.
Having left Dave to fend for himself for most of the day, the purple and black car spoke endlessly with Cassie into the evening long after another successful race and win. In the moments he tried to engage his wife in conversation, he felt it pained her to speak to him and merely answered out of politeness due to their current company. Cassie, with all of her innocence, could not hide in her expressions that she too was troubled and knew the reasons why.
Dave hoped for the majority of the day that he was wrong, but when night fell so did his confidence. For nearly and hour after Cassie left, Joanna avoided him until she had no choice but to see him in the bedroom. By the time he gathered the courage to confront her, he finished putting the pieces together of the pattern. It wasn't just today, no, it had been a week, maybe two when she became distant and it occurred to Dave this was the very reason why he saw the team so very little the entire month of August and into September - they were giving the couple space. Everyone else saw the signs before him, and once again he was late to his own problems.
The maroon and black car parked before the uninviting bed where Joanna lay sullen, unable to meet his stare which contained a tumbling mix of emotions that ranged from impatience to fear. "What ever is going on," he spoke, his voice deep and firm in the presence of an eventual fight. "it's not fair that you've given me the cold fender to the point that the team and Cassie are uncomfortable."
Joanna scoffed lightly but did not take her gaze away from her hood. No longer able to spare his feelings while hers were continually hurt, she decided to take Cassie's advice and confront Dave about her unhappiness. She kept herself busy for the past two months at the hospital, never speaking of the night of the arrests and the emotional turmoil she faced after her not so distant past collided with her new slate. Tonight, however, she would not allow Dave to deflect from a reality that was just as much fault as hers. "Dave… I miss being like Colton and Cassie," she whispered. "they're so in love…"
Dave felt as though the wind had been knocked from his pipes. "And we're not?" he asked, the dejection in his voice apparent.
"I'd like to think that we still are," she replied with a sigh. "but I can't remember the last time we acted like them or looked at each other the same. Everything is so inconsistent and I've become bothered by it ever since the night of…" she trailed off momentarily, curbing her choice of words. She finally shifted on the bed to better face him and look into his eyes. "I'm worried about our marriage - are those times over for us? Are you still in love?"
Dave stared at her pleadingly, mirroring the concern in her eyes. "Of course," he rushed. "I live and breathe for you…"
Unconvinced by his mere words, the purple and black car grumbled to herself. "The races get me out of the house most weekends but I'm tired of you not being there… or here, with me," she continued. "I wanna give up traveling with the team but, why bother, when you're home you're not the same man I married. I feel second place to the company and you don't seem to care." Joanna paused to steady her voice; the more she spoke the more heated she became. "Last year you said it was gonna be just us…"
Knowing she was referring to the promotion and creation of the team, Dave rolled backwards from the bed that became less and less loving. "What the hell do you want me to say, that I lied? I didn't expect any of this to happen."
Joanna shook her hood feverishly. "No, I don't, but I expect moderation from you. You're either working late at the office or getting into poor situations with the team." She reflected on the night that Dave defended Brian when he admitted he opted to stay at the bar against the warnings he received, and it pained her to know her husband carelessly patronized corrupted bars. "Since when do you like nightclubs? What's going on with you lately?"
"Why?" Dave snapped, his glare causing Joanna to recoil. "Do you suddenly not trust me?"
Joanna stammered. "I would never imply that," she argued, and after a moment her gaze softened and drifted back to her hood in reflective musings. "but to run into Glenn, of all cars…"
Her tone made Dave suspicious of her meaning, and as he watched her slip into deep thought, he surmised it had nothing to do with a poor coincidence. "What's it to you?" he pressed with indignation.
Joanna shrugged timidly. "I'm just shocked that he would be at such a place…"
Dave felt jealousy at the amount of sincerity in her admittance, and nauseous at the realization his encounter with her ex had been on her mind since the fateful night. He reflected on their unstable days in a risky affair and hated that he was being silently compared to Glenn and the neglect, loathing even more that her comparison was valid. "Yeah, well, suppose he was always the type when on trips," he huffed. "so does it really matter at this point?"
"No," she continued, shuffling a tire against the silk sheets. "but I hate the idea of thinking it was all a sham." Immediately regretting her choice of words the moment they left her lips, she glanced back up at Dave with a gasp who pounced before she could correct herself. "Oh, Chrysler, I didn't mean it like-"
"Unbelievable," Dave breathed, rolling backwards with windshields wide in shock. "Talking about him is disturbing enough, but the fact that you care is more than I can tolerate. Newsflash, Jo, you weren't telling the truth for quite awhile either," he retorted, throwing what was his very first insult at her about their affair. The maroon and black car turned to drive out of the bedroom. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen anymore about Glenn…"
Joanna, now furious, bolted off the bed and was upon his bumper before he could slam the door behind himself. She followed him into the nearly blackened living room. "Well what will you listen to, Dave?" she asked, coming to a halt in the threshold of the first hallway. "I can't be the only one who wants to work on this… you can't just shut down!" Carefully contemplating her next choice of words, she found the courage to put her tire down. "You have to change, otherwise I can't do this anymore…"
At the devastating threat, Dave was torn from any remaining shreds of confidence he latched onto and wheeled around with an unexpected speed. "What are you implying?" he asked, trying to hide the quiver in his words.
"Dave," she breathed, nearly crying. "I only have one job which is to be your wife, but I can't even do that properly because you do everything except for pay attention to your marriage…"
Unable to hear for much longer that he was a terrible husband before he snapped, he scoffed mockingly loud at the unceasing hits. Moments away from leaving the house entirely, the maroon and black car inched forward until the whites of his windshield reflected the bedroom light from behind Joanna. "You think I don't worry about the same things?" he asked with fading courage in himself; Joanna sniffled at the sight of his own anguish. "I ask myself the same questions all the time, but I'm trying my best here and it's been a hell of a year. I keep waiting for-"
"Keep waiting for what, for things to slow down?!" Joanna interrupted. "Marriages can't wait!"
Dave groaned. "I don't have an answer for you right now, alright? I know it's a useless thing to say… but I'm sorry. I'll let you know when I can put into words what's wrong…"
Joanna fought the urge to hurl at his admittance that something was wrong. On trembling tires she relented to the urge to cry. In the middle of a house she didn't want, over a life she didn't ask for, in front of a husband she feared she couldn't make happy, she sobbed openly. After a few moments the purple and black car drew a ragged breath, fearing the answer to a question that haunted her every single second of each day since she confided in Cassie. "Am I the problem?" she asked with a broken voice. "Do you regret marrying me?"
Feeling like a failure unworthy of holding her close, and wanting to scream at the sight of the turmoil he caused her, the maroon and black car reversed into the shadows to keep her from seeing his own tears gathered at the bottom of his windshield. Trapped at a dead end in his mind he knew no way to comfort her, and in silent agony he watched her silhouette tremble from the sobs that shook her frame. He listened to how helpless she became over a breaking marriage. "No, darling," he said with a voice that cracked; he cleared his pipes. "you've done nothing wrong but give me more slack than I deserve…"
The tone in his voice warned Joanna not to follow as Dave retreated to the library to weep alone. Refusing to ever appear weak in front of her, even if she were not the cause of his tears, she had never seen him cry nor would tonight be the first and she felt sick at the thought of yet another barrier between their union. Against all her desire to follow and comfort her husband, quietly choking on the lingering sobs, she remained in the threshold and stared at the red glow of his tail lights disappearing down the second hallway.
At the edge of the county line, the Riverside Hotel was the right touch of elegance for Tina Marie and secluded enough for her needs. In a suite not reserved under her name, she lay sprawled upon a plush bed adorned with silver rayon fabric sheets and pillows that complimented her polished chrome. With a tire that trembled ever so slightly, she browsed a courtesy magazine while she waited for the sheriff who was unnervingly late for a client of his risk. She wondered anxiously if the cruiser flipped on her and informed the department, but her fear that they would arrive any minute to arrest her was not enough for her to flee - no, she had a job to complete.
Just as the lavender car reached the last page, she heard a timid knock against the hotel door. The lack of confidence in the action solidified what she always knew: the art of seduction would forever defeat deception. Her fears dissolved into a cunning grin and she gathered her tires beneath her frame, and with grace she rolled off the cushions and glided out of the bedroom to fetch the sheriff. After only a small moment of hesitation, she breathed in deep and opened the front door to revel in the sight of another weak man like the many she conquered before him. "How dare you keep me waiting," she quipped with a smirk, flashing her eyes at him.
Paranoid of being seen in the hotel, the sheriff nervously checked his side view mirror one last time. "It wasn't by choice," he breathed, swooping inside the suite the second Tina Marie reversed from the threshold. He quickly closed the door behind himself before turning to face the pornstar. Now completely alone with her, his suspicions faded and his smile returned alongside his desires. The black and white cruiser idled towards Tina Marie with a devious grin which she mirrored with intrigue, unaware that behind her confident stance she was panicking.
After a moment of peering into her golden hazel eyes he suavely slipped his right tire underneath her grille to pull her lips to his. At no sign of protest from the contact, the sheriff closed his eyes and shoved his eager tongue between them for a kiss that dripped with lust. Tina Marie returned the gesture with vigor to encourage him for more and he released a muffled moan into her mouth, and as his tongue glided with hers, he eased her backwards towards the bedroom directly behind her where a single lamp illuminated a perfectly tussled bed.
When her bumper touched the edge of the bed, however, the lavender car applied her brakes and pressed a tire against his fender to end the kiss. She met his dumbfounded expression with a coy smile. "Not so fast, handsome," she purred with her sultry voice. "Unless you've got somewhere else you'd rather be, I was thinking we could start off with a drink." Having noted which brand the bartender used for his usual cocktail, Tina Marie motioned a tire towards the nightstand which held his preferred whiskey.
The sheriff followed the gesture and his confusion formed into a smile that held gratitude. "So it's true," he began with a nod, allowing her to move past him to the nightstand. "you're a full service girl." While Tina Marie gave a heavy pour into an expensive crystal glass, his hungry gaze admired every centimeter of her delicious curves and gleaming chrome. "I've seen all your films," he continued. "and, damn, you look even more stunning in the metal…"
"Is that so?" she asked, feigning interest as she rejoined him with glass in tow. Her lips curled upwards into a sadistic grin that he mistook for desire. "Then you'll be glad to know that I taste even sweeter…"
He accepted the glass. "Where's your drink, babe?"
Tina Marie shrugged and pursed her lips. "I'm more of a… celebratory champagne kind of girl," she replied with a wink. Her tank churning uneasily, she moved forward to give him one more kiss that would be the last enjoyable moment of his life. He breathed in deep to savor the contact and she stifled a cringe from the pangs of guilt. "Wait here while I get freshened up. In the meantime, I have something else for you…"
The sheriff trailed his tire along her rocker panel and fender as she slowly passed by him on her way out of the bedroom. The longer he waited for his date to return the more his tires twitched with impatience. Remembering the drink, he glanced down to the full glass still cradled in his tire. With a sigh, and in hopes the alcohol would steady his nerves, the cruiser swallowed the contents with ease.
Just as he rolled forward to pour himself a second drink, he was seized by a pain in the pit of his engine so searing he could not draw a breath to gasp. The crystal glass dropped from his tire to the carpet with a thud. Overwhelmed by an unprecedented fear, he reeled backwards and crashed into the bedroom wall with an impact that shook the paintings from their nails. His eyes darted around the bedroom in desperation.
In horror, his mouth fell agape at the feeling of his pistons melting to the bottom of their cylinders. Realizing a corrosive had been added to the whiskey he squirmed helplessly on his tires from the pain that spread down his engine block and to the rest of his innards, groaning from a torture he could not escape. He heard the front door of the suite open and he glanced sideways towards the bedroom threshold expecting Tina Marie; instead, he was met with the cold glare from Miranda.
Only momentarily baffled, his confusion turned into fury when the sheriff recognized her solely by the amount of contention in her piercing green eyes. Amidst the pain his mind flashed back to memories of tragedy along the mountain pass years ago. He heard the echoes of metal scraping against metal as Jackie's battered frame collided again and again with the railing while he fought the deputies who struggled to apprehend him. The same deputies who tumbled down the ravine. The same Jackie who he himself condemned to die in a hospital room after forbidding the doctors and nursing staff to touch him.
And now, seeing the reaper in her glare, he knew he was to receive the same fate. "You!" he boomed, and with the last of his strength he lunged forward to ram her into the adjacent wall. She groaned from the attack but her hatred prevailed. Her sideways glance met his enraged eyes and he slammed into her again to further crumple her frame; something within her engine bay snapped and she cried out. "You stupid…. f-f-f-fucking bitch!" he sputtered, spitting flecks of oil all over his lips and coating her side. Slipping on his own oil that oozed from his disintegrating engine block, he struggled for purchase and could no longer keep her pinned to the wall.
He gave a violent cough that shook his chassis and he knew he was fading. Accepting the losing battle that was his demise, the sheriff rolled away from Miranda on sagging axles to reveal a trail of oil and liquid metal that pooled beneath his frame. He wheezed heavily and saw her hobble over to the nightstand on bent frame, and as he sit dying on numb tires, feeling the acid spread to the bottom of his engine, he fought to keep his eyes open.
"You watched my husband die," Miranda breathed, pouring the rest of the whiskey bottle into the second crystal glass. "and now I'm gonna watch you do the same." With a glimmer of delight in her eyes she turned to observe in fascination the sight of the grimacing sheriff whose remaining innards dripped between two front tires caved inward. Succumbing to the pain, his frame collapsed to the carpet with a devastated thud and she lifted her glass into the air - now, she could rest in peace. "Cheers," she whispered, her upper lip twitching into a twisted smile.
Knowing the biggest monster he fought was the only one he ever created, his final vision before oblivion was the sight of her swallowing the entirety of the glass.
