The task of keeping Chris and Seth awake was into the second hour, with six more to go. Hunter and Roman were just about to leave to bring back food for the others.
Everyone started when there was a loud knock on the door. Roman stood, arms over his chest, between the bed and door. Hunter's hand was ready to draw his weapon, as he cracked the door open just enough to see who had knocked. He immediately relaxed.
"Come in, please." Hunter stood aside to let Mr. and Mrs. Cimarelli, the owners of the hotel, into the room. Mrs. Cimarelli carried a huge pot and Mr. Cimarelli carried a medium sized box.
"We thought you boys might be hungry. I made a pot of chicken stew. It will cure what ails you. Old family secret." Mrs. Cimarelli laughed as she put the pot on the round table in the corner.
"Bowls, spoons and my specialty, Tiramisu. You boys eat up now, while it's hot. Just leave everything for Housekeeping in the morning. Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?" Mr. Cimarelli looked at the boys with great concern. He appreciated what the storm chasers did.
Shawn grinned as he lifted the lid of the stew pot with a deep sniff. "Thank you, so much. This be so much better than fast food. You're so sweet to do this. We have plenty of everything, thank you." He gave the older woman a hug and shook hands with her husband.
The hotel owners left their guests to eat. Mrs. Cimarelli had enjoyed cooking the stew, it was if she were feeding her own five boys again. She had also, unnoticed by anyone, picked up the bag of clothes that had been by the door. She would surprise them by doing the storm chasers laundry.
Shawn dished up the rich, thick chicken stew. It looked wonderful, loaded with chicken, fresh tomatoes and tons of other right from farm to table vegetables.
Seth and Chris were propped up in the bed. Shawn handed each of his patients a bowl of stew and a chunk of fresh, homemade Italian bread. Chris and Seth clinked their spoons together and dug in.
Shawn watched carefully. "Eat all you want, but go slow. Your systems have been shocked, so slow and easy." Shawn really didn't want to clean up tomato laced vomit after all that blood. He had a strong stomach, but even Shawn had his limits.
The others found places to sit and eat the delicious meal. It perked everyone up and gave them the refueling they all desperately needed.
Roman downed five bowls and three hunks of bread. Hunter had four bowls, Dean and Adam ate three, Shawn, Chris and Seth managed a bowl and a part each. Nearly nineteen bowls had been consumed, and there were still several servings left in the pot. Shawn put the leftovers in a container and Hunter put it in the mini fridge out in the ROW. It was too good to waste.
Adam made another pot of coffee. They were too full at the moment, the dessert would wait a while. Roman stretched out on the floor with a groan.
"I shouldn't have had that last bowl. Oh, God." Roman sounded miserable. He rubbed his belly, it was stretched tight, full of food.
Dean frowned. "Can I do anything?" He sat on the floor. Roman put his head in Dean's lap.
Seth gave a chuckle. "D, you'd better sleep on the couch. You know what happens when Ro over eats." He winked at Roman.
Dean pretended to gag. "I forgot! He just let one!" Dean made a huge, over dramatic issue of fanning his hand in front of his nose.
Everyone chuckled at the college students antics. Adam brought Chris a cup of coffee. "Guess Roman has the same digestive process you do." He teased Chris with a laugh.
"Hey! I don't fart! My ass just likes you so much, it blows you kisses! So there!" Chris emphasized his point by letting out a "piffle" of a fart. Adam rolled his eyes as Roman gave Chris a thumbs up and a laugh. Seth scooted a little closer to the edge of the bed, but he laughed.
Shawn shook his head. "I thought we were all college graduates here. Instead, we are back in Kindergarten." He gave a "yelp" when Hunter pulled him into his lap. Hunter lifted Shawn's shirt and blew a raspberry on his belly.
It was a great way to release a lot of tension, as the seven men continued to laugh and joke. They even went so far as to get into a bit of a food fight with the Tiramisu. There was a lot of cream on noses as they laughed even more.
By the time everyone settled down, there were still three and half hours left before Chris and Seth could safely sleep. Shawn took some time and checked his patients. Hunter brought Shawn's medical bag from their hotel room.
Shawn took Seth and Chris' blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. He also changed Seth's bandages. The surgeon had told Shawn to keep the stitches clean and dry, especially in the first twenty-four hours.
Adam, Roman and Dean looked on with anxious eyes and faces. Shawn put the last piece of tape on Seth's bandage. "They both pass with flying colors. Seth, the stitches look really good. The cleaner and dryer I keep them, the better and faster they will heal." He smiled at Seth and pulled up the covers.
Seth frowned. "Next time you change it, I want to see. How long do I need to wait before I can have plastic surgery?" He looked at Shawn in earnest. He didn't want a scar, especially on his face.
Shawn wasn't sure Seth should see the wound yet. "We'll see. A year would be the best. People don't realize that simply because a wound looks healed, doesn't mean that it is. If you try to cover it up too soon, it could wind up even worse. Take Michael Jackson for example." He gave Seth a look with his brow arched.
Roman chimed in. "Shawn is right, baby. Let's worry about it later. There are far more important things to worry about, like our Doctorates. Speaking of, Chris, maybe I shouldn't ask so soon, but, are we going back to Norman?" He held Seth's hand as he spoke.
Chris sat up a bit more. "Absolutely not. Not with the weather acting so odd, this early. I'll decide tomorrow. I want Seth up and prime. I've come to depend on you, kiddo. We usually get a couple of weeks back home before we head north. Also, we stay at home if we are getting weather there. Oh, I'm so tired. Can we sleep yet?" He let out a huge yawn and look a long stretch.
Shawn looked at his watch, the official time. "You can sleep in one hour and forty-eight minutes. Any new headaches or dizziness? Feeling queasy?" He looked from Chris to Seth.
"I'm fine." Chris and Seth responded at the same time. Chris gave Seth a nod. "I do ache a bit, but I mean muscles, from the fall. By the way, I didn't mean to push you so hard, boss. I just… seeing that gun… I panicked." Seth realized he hadn't told Chris he was sorry yet. It was also hard, as a grown man, to admit to being afraid.
Chris reached across the bed and gave Seth a pat on the arm. "I'm glad you did. Thank you for saving my life. You can push me anytime." He was truly grateful to Seth.
"I second that, Seth. You can push him anytime…." Adam laughed, then turned serious. "Seriously, Seth. You saved my Lion, with no regard for yourself. You are a very brave man. It makes me feel better to know Chris has such a good man working beside him." Adam got up, went around to Seth's side of the bed, and hugged the student.
Seth flushed while Dean and Roman beamed with pride at their youngest. "Well, it wasn't anything. Boss would have done the same. Say… say… I just… the GoPro… the GoPro on the ROW should have caught it! At least I hope so… I'll check in the morning! Sergeant Miller would like that!" Seth forgot his embarrassment as he remembered the GoPro.
Everyone lit up. Hunter nodded. "Bet your sweet bippy he'd liked that, and so would I." He sounded as excited as Seth. Hunter then broached another subject. "Chris, Adam brought up something that we should discuss. It should wake you up a bit. Adam?" Hunter looked at the blond, brow arched.
Adam looked at Hunter. "Well… oh… Hunter you tell them..." He wasn't sure what Chris would think, rather that Hunter said it first. He didn't want everyone blaming him.
Hunter ruffled Adam's long hair. "Okay. Well, what do you think about keeping a firearm handy in the ROW? I know you can't keep the door shut, but you two are isolated on a truck with costly equipment, and priceless data." He looked seriously at Chris.
Chris didn't quite know what to say. "Well, I honestly don't know. I don't know much about firearms. Is there something else we could do? I am not opposed to having some protection. Too bad we can't have a guard dog." Chris was thoughtful as he spoke. It wasn't a bad idea, but it wasn't good either.
Shawn added his thoughts. "Why don't we ask Sergeant Miller what to do? Maybe a taser or bean bag gun. Just enough for you to at least close and lock the door?" He was just as thoughtful of the idea as Chris.
"That is an excellent idea, my little Copperhead." Hunter gave his husband a kiss to the top of the head. Shawn leaned against Hunter's strong, muscular body, he was so exhausted. Hunter felt Shawn's tiredness, and began to gently but firmly massage Shawn's shoulders. Shawn nearly came undone, but mewled instead.
Everyone was quiet as the Weather Channel played in the background out of habit. The storm that had started in the southwest had gone around Guymon. It hadn't reached severe levels, but it dumped some much needed rains on the dry grasslands.
The time finally came for Chris and Seth to be able to sleep. At Chris' insistence that Adam get a good sleep, he sent Adam to the Helmsley's room. Adam and Hunter felt funny about sharing a bed, but it was king sized. They would also leave the door open that joined the Helmsley's room to the college boys room.
Dean and Roman kissed Seth and went to their room. They also left the doors open that led to both of the other rooms. Adam kissed Chris and went to join Hunter. Shawn was going to sleep on the sofa bed which was why Adam had to go to the other room. Adam was content with it, Shawn would call out if anything changed with either Chris or Seth. He would rather Shawn be there.
Shawn tucked his patients in. Before Shawn could even get to the couch, snores came from the bed. He gave a light chuckle, it would be a couple of days, but Chris and Seth should soon be back to normal. Perhaps a little slower for a week or so, but the fact that they were alive was all that really mattered. He gave a prayer of deep thanks, then fell into a deep but guarded sleep.
Hunter was the first to stir in the mid-morning, around ten o'clock. Adam was on his side, turned away from him, but Hunter could tell Adam was still in a deep sleep. He smiled at the blond and quietly got out of the bed. At least Adam hadn't put cold feet on him, or try to steal all the covers like a certain Copperhead he knew.
Hunter went and took a quick shower. When he finished, he towel dried his hair and pulled the shoulder length dirty blond locks into a ponytail. He groomed and dressed in a Jericho logo tee shirt, jeans and sneakers. Hunter grabbed some clean clothes for Shawn and left the sleeping Adam.
Dean and Roman were also still asleep as Hunter quietly passed through. Hunter would give an eleven o'clock wake up call. That would leave time for everyone to shower and eat before Sergeant Miller arrived.
When he go to the patients room, Chris and Seth were still asleep, but Hunter heard Shawn in the shower. Hunter smiled, he opened the bathroom door just enough to put Shawn's clean clothes on the vanity. As hard as it was, he resisted taking a peek at his naked, wet, husband. Now was not sexy time.
Hunter quietly opened the door to the hotel room, and left it open a crack as he stepped out for a breath of fresh air. The morning paper was there. He grinned, it was the paper he read every morning at home from Oklahoma City. There was also a copy of the Guymon morning paper. He'd save the crosswords for Adam.
Hunter took a few deep breaths, the rain had freshened the air, but later, the humidity would return. He smiled again when a pair of arms snaked around his waist. The comforting scent of Shawn's cologne filled his nose as a chin rested on his shoulder.
"Thanks for the clean clothes, darlin'. I was just gonna put the scrubs back on." Shawn kissed Hunter's cheek.
Hunter grinned. "You're welcome, babe. You do look good in those scrubs." He pulled Shawn into his arms and kissed his husband properly. It was nice to have a few quiet moments together.
"I know you have encouraged me to nurse full time, but the church needs me and it is where my heart is. Besides, as odd as this may sound for a Preacher, I can't stand the death. I helped with that heart attack victim, but he didn't make it. I couldn't be around it all the time. My place with dealing with death is the church. I like the search and rescue and helping those people. Yeah, I know it is death too at times, but, not as much as a hospital. Are you disappointed in me?" Shawn looked deeply into Hunter's eyes.
Hunter lifted Shawn's chin with his fingers. "Never, my love. I respect your decision. I just wanted you to know, if you ever change your mind, I will support you. Well, we'd better go wake everyone. Just enough time for showers and food before the Sergeant gets here." He pulled Shawn in for another kiss.
With a bit of reluctance, the couple went back inside. They both smiled. Chris' side of the bed was empty and Seth sat up, wide awake. Shawn got things ready to change Seth's bandage.
When Hunter poked his head into the college students room, a still sleepy Adam limped toward him. Also, Dean and Roman were not in bed, they were in the bathroom.
"Hey sleepy head. How's the foot?" Hunter asked as Adam flopped down on Chris' side of the bed.
Adam spoke, his eyes closed. "My foot is stiff, but it always is in the morning. Hunter, I love you but how does Shawn get any sleep? You snore like a buzz saw." Adam whined, he felt like he hadn't slept all night.
Both Shawn and Hunter laughed. Shawn answered. "You get used to it. I didn't sleep as well because I missed it. Seth, it looks really good." Shawn smiled at the younger man as he cut and trimmed a new bandage. He didn't wrap the gauze head band around Seth this time. The new bandage was smaller and would stay in place without it.
Seth didn't comment on the wound, but it still bothered him. "Thanks, Shawn. It's so much better without the headband. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm hungry." Seth laughed.
Hunter chuckled. "We can have the rest of the stew and bread. I'll go get it." He started for the door.
Seth quickly spoke up. "Wait! I'll go with. I need to download the GoPro footage for the police."
Shawn nodded. "Okay, but Hunter wait for him. I don't want any sudden dizziness and another fall. Go get the stew first. I'll microwave it while your getting the footage." He looked at Hunter with a beautiful smile.
While Hunter got the stew, Seth got dressed. Roman and Dean had finished in the shower. They helped Seth with a quick but thorough morning grooming. Dean tied Seth's sneakers. Shawn had warned that deep bending was not good for the stitches.
Chris had also come out of the bathroom. He was dressed in shorts and an over sized tee shirt. He was glad to be up and around. He gave Adam a kiss and sent his husband for a shower.
The Meteorologist went right to his computer on the desk. Shawn frowned. "Chris, you can do that now, for a while, but not all day. You need to rest your eyes, ease back into it. Both you and Seth have put your bodies through a trauma. You might feel fine now, and then maybe, as much as next week, you will suddenly feel sick and dizzy again, that's normal. Seth, this goes for you too. If it happens you must tell me. Even if you think it's nothing and passes quickly. Swear to me, as a Preacher of God's Word, you will tell me. Swear on this." Shawn went to the extreme of pulling the ever present Bible out of the desk drawer. He put it in front of Chris.
Chris put his hand on the cover of the Bible and swore to obey Shawn's request. Seth was next and he too promised to tell Shawn the truth if anything felt wrong or different.
Shawn put the Bible back in the drawer with a satisfied smile. "Now you have to tell me. Lying to God is a very bad thing. Go do your thing, and I'll fix lunch." He gave his patients a wink. He went to microwave the left over stew Hunter had just brought in.
Promptly at one o'clock, Sergeant Miller and Officer Carrie Reynolds arrived. Officer Reynolds was the Sergeant's Aide. When she was introduced, the storm chasers immediately liked her. She was close to Shawn and Hunter's age, and had a comforting motherly air about her.
Detective Sergeant Miller began. "I haven't been able to find Kevin Nash, and I will speak to AJ Styles when we're done here. He's in the last room on the back side."
Adam growled. "He's here? At this hotel? I'll be right back." Adam started to get up. Chris caught his husband by the belt loop and pulled him back down onto the bed where they sat.
"Easy now. AJ has nothing to do with this, I'm sure. He's too much of a chicken shit. Now, let the Sergeant continue." Chris spoke quietly and rubbed Adam's back. His Kitten could be feisty, but now was not the time.
Seth spoke next. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Sergeant. But, I have the GoPro footage from yesterday. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but we may have film of the incident." Seth explained and held up a memory stick.
Sergeant Miller nodded. "Well, let's find out, shall we?" He looked at Seth with a wave of his hand to Chris' laptop.
"Mine is better… I mean… I know how to… Oh Dean, please get my laptop." Seth didn't want to offend Chris, but he'd built his laptop and could search through the footage much faster.
Dean returned with Seth's computer. Seth plugged it in, opened and had it booted up and running within less than a minute. He attached the memory stick and ran his fingers over the keyboard. The footage from the GoPro began to run.
Sergeant Miller and Officer Reynolds looked at each other with wide eyes, they had never seen anyone work a computer so fast. They were highly impressed.
Seth grimaced. "Oh, this will be a minute. I haven't downloaded the GoPro footage for a couple of days. I'll stop if I find anything." He'd turned to look at the police officers.
Detective Miller nodded. "Alright. I'll ask you questions later. I'll question you now, Doctor Jericho." He paused and went over to where Chris sat on the bed with Adam. Officer Reynolds stayed with Seth to watch as well.
"Now first, I do hope you are feeling alright. If this gets too much and you need to stop, say so. You are the victim, not the criminal." He smiled at Chris.
Chris nodded. "I'm Chris. Doctor Jericho is for students. Thank you, I feel much better. I will tell you or Nurse Helmsley will kill me." He laughed with a wink.
Sergeant Miller smiled. "Alright then, Chris. Is there anyone who may dislike you enough to want to kill you?" He started off with a grim question.
"None that I know of. Hunter told you about AJ, but honestly, he wouldn't have the courage. I don't mean this to sound like an egomaniac, but we are fairly respected and liked by other chasers. They appreciate what we do. We hope to make things safer in the future. Our goal is to be able to accurately warn people at least an hour in advance. We are working to remove doubt. One day we hope when a watch or especially a warning is issued, something will happen. No more false flag warnings or watches." Chris explained with utter confidence in his voice.
Officer Reynolds had heard. "We appreciate what you do as well. All the good chasers that is. Some of them are just… greedy. By the way, Mister Jericho, I love your photography. Every year my husband gives me your weather calendar for Christmas. I also subscribe to Nature's Wonders, just for your pictures." She gave Adam a smile, then went back to rapidly moving on Seth's computer screen.
"It's just Adam, but thank you. You keep watching, you will like Dean's pictures just as well. I'm mentoring him, but he hardly needs it. He has a very artistic eye." Adam responded with a nod to a flustered but proud Dean.
Detective Miller continued. "We went to the GPS you gave us, but we found nothing. No odd tracks or anything. If there were, last nights rain washed them away. But you say he didn't get out?" He looked Chris, pen and notebook in hand.
Seth stopped the computer. "Chris never saw anything. I only happened to look out the door just in time. All I saw was an older blue truck, and what looked like a man aim a gun right at us. Now that I… but it wasn't was it? It… looked kind of like a paintball gun. I used to have one, and the one the guy had… well you could see the ball chamber. Why didn't I remember that before?" He looked from the Sergeant to Shawn.
Shawn gave Seth a smile. "That's normal, Seth. Your mind will recover more and more. You're doing fine. Don't push to remember, it won't work. Let it happen naturally. I'm sure Detective Miller knows how concussion victim's memories work. Nobody blames you when you can't remember." His voice was reassuring.
Detective Kyle Miller nodded. "Absolutely. Don't push. When you remember something, just say it. That's a good clue though. Sounds like a familiar weapon disguise."
Officer Reynolds nodded. "Yes. That attempted bank robbery. The guns were disguised as paintball guns. I would say the gun was purchased right here in town. Our friend Mister Flair is back in shady business. Should I send Sergeant Wilkins?" She looked at her boss, brow arched.
"Absolutely, ASAP. If Mister Flair is at it again, he will be in a new residence by nightfall. And I will warn Amarillo to check his friend, Mister Anderson. They were both warned." Sergeant Miller gave his aide a nod. He had a bit of a smirk on his lips.
Officer Reynolds unhooked the radio mic from her shoulder strap and radioed the station. Seth waited for her, before he rolled the footage again. A second pair of eyes was handy when scrubbing footage.
"I'd better explain. Ric Flair is a gunsmith. We eventually found out he supplied the wrong types of guns to the wrong type of people. He is known for making real guns look like toys or paintball guns. He spent three years in jail and lost all his gunsmith credentials. We've been hearing a rumor that another gunsmith, new in town from Amarillo, Arn Anderson has Flair working for him. Any time we've gone to look, we don't find anything. Flair must do his handy work elsewhere. He lives over Anderson's store. Bad thing is, you can't get a search warrant based on a rumor. Anderson is legit, by paperwork, but he and Flair… well, one helps the one they love. You may have just given us the suspicion we need to finally get that warrant. If Flair is back in business, he will go to jail for a very long time, and he is not a young man by any means." The Sergeant finished with a smile as Shawn handed him a cup of coffee.
Officer Reynolds finished her call. "He's on the way, sir." She too smiled and took a cup of offered coffee. She gave Seth a nod and they continued to run the GoPro footage. They still had a way to go.
"Well, until they find the footage, there is nothing more I need right now. I'm sure I will have more questions later. After we speak to Mister Styles or if we are led to anything by Flair. Do you have any questions for me?" Detective Miller looked at the group of storm chasers.
Adam spoke up. He explained about his idea to have a gun in the ROW, in case something else happened. "… as you can probably see, Chris and Seth are isolated with high priced equipment and data. We can be as far a fifty miles away. No way could we there in time if they called for help. A guard dog is out of the question, it's not feasible, nor would it be fair to the dog, the travel, the heat and storms. A gun seems extreme but, they need to be protected without having to be locked in like criminals." Adam had look of worry in his hazel eyes. He also held tighter to Chris' hand.
Sergeant Miller adjusted in his seat. He swallowed a sip of coffee. "You have a legitimate concern. A dog would be ideal, but you're right, it is too much, a dog would lose its edge in those conditions. You could put a bullet proof glass door in the ROW, but you'd still be cut off. Of course, I suppose you need to see and feel the weather?" He looked directly at Chris.
Chris gave a slight nod. "Yes, we do. Plus, both Seth and I are slightly claustrophobic. I don't even like it when we're moving down the road and can't have the ROW door open, but we have to do it." He answered honestly.
Kyle Miller finished his coffee with a thought filled look. "A stun gun would be an option. They have the type that fire the electrodes like bullets. You can set it to a light or heavy stun. It would give you time to shut the door and drive away. A pepper spray gun would work as well. You'd have to get a permit, but that shouldn't pose a problem. You could also wear Kevlar vests, but honestly in our heat and humidity they are miserable. I'm burning up, and the humidity isn't even up yet. And to be brutal and frank, a vest wouldn't prevent a head shot. My best advice is the stun gun, pepper gas gun combo. One for each of you. They are also small enough to keep in easy reach. The object is to get enough time to get away. If you have motion detector alarms, set them. Of course, blowing debris could be a pain. Well, as I said, that's my best advice."
Hunter agreed. "I'll see to it. Not everyone can safely be around a gun..." He was interrupted when Seth spoke.
"We've got it! We actually got it! Look!" Seth pointed to the computer screen. Detective Miller and the Jericho storm team gathered around Seth at the desk.
Seth had backed up the footage a bit. He pushed a button and the footage played. They all watched the screen as an older blue pickup truck came into the frame.
"I know that truck. I know it as well as my own." Miller muttered under his breath.
The person in the truck raised a gun, hesitated a moment, then fired. The person lowered the gun. He then turned in his seat and drove away. Seth went to stop the footage, but the Sargent stopped him.
"Let it play on. Never know, he could have passed by again, to see what happened. I know that truck, as I said. It came from Delta Rentals. Nearly every farmer around here has rented it at one time or another. They rent it when they need an extra truck to take crops to the farmer's market. The church has used it to pull their Christmas float and for the youth group hayride. Drove it myself once to help my brother move to Dodge City. I'm surprised the old girl still runs. That's a huge break. If we're lucky the suspect got careless and used his real name. However, I'm sure that won't be the case. We'll go there… hang on..." He looked at the computer.
The time stamp indicated about four minutes had passed from the time of the shooting incident. "That's Kevin Nash isn't it" Sargent Miller looked at Hunter who stood next to him.
"Yes. He was headed north. He had to have passed the truck. Hold on… and that's AJ Styles. He must have dogged Kevin. Makes sense, they both have intercept… well no, only Kevin does, AJ just thinks he does. I hope a tornado sucks him..." He was stopped by Shawn.
"Hunter." Shawn nodded over to Adam.
Adam had inadvertently let out a whimper. Chris pulled him in close. "It's okay baby. I'm safe, I'm right here, and I'm safe."
The two police officers looked on with curiosity. Shawn briefly explained what had happened almost six years ago. "… so, Adam's ex died in the explosion, but he thought, as we all did, that it was Chris. Luckily Chris escaped into a drainage pipe, one of those concrete things. Hunter found him, worse for wear, but alive. Hunter has a very big mouth sometimes." He rolled his eyes at Hunter, the man was so forgetful at times.
Hunter turned to Adam. "I'm sorry, son. I didn't think. Sometimes I just put my foot in my mouth. Blame Styles, the ass..." He stopped before Shaw whacked him.
"Well, leave it to us. We will get to the bottom of it. I know your job is about following the weather, but, I need you to stay in town a day or two, at most. I can't make you, but it would be better for your case. I never asked, I just assumed. You will press attempted murder charges when we arrest the suspect?" Sergeant Miller looked at the storm chasers.
Adam answered with hazel fire in his eyes. "Damn right we will. Nobody threatens my husband. Nobody."
"We feel the same about Seth." Roman growled and looked just as fiercely at Detective Miller as Adam had.
Sargent Miller nodded. "Good. I hate wasting time. You don't realize how many times we Detectives spend hours investigating, people saying they will press charges, then don't. Some cases I understand, especially rape. Those poor victims are put through hell in court, but assaults and other personal crimes, I don't understand. However, in your case, we would prosecute anyway, but it helps when the victims press charges. You will be able to appear in court? I'm sure it will be much later in the year before a trial begins."
The storm chasers all nodded, even Dean. Chris spoke as leader. "We will be there. When ever it is, once in a while, something is more important than the weather. If it's fall, the University will have to understand. Don't worry boys, as Dean I will take care of that part." Chris eyed the three students.
Miller smiled. "Good. We'll be going. I have your numbers. I will be in touch, soon. While we're here, we'll speak to Mister Styles. Then we'll head to Delta. Luckily they stay open late on Saturdays. I hope you two feel better. Relax and rest. Oh and if you do go out and chase, just let me know. Thank you for being so cooperative. Good day." The Detective Sergeant shook hands with each man as did Officer Reynolds. Before they left, Seth gave the Sergeant a disc with a copy of the GoPro footage. Hunter saw the officers out and closed the door behind them.
In a room in the same hotel, Detective Sergeant Miller and Officer Reynolds sat and spoke to AJ Styles. John Morrison had seen them arrive and suddenly decided to take a shower. Luckily, AJ hadn't seen the two officers, if he had, JoMo's sudden shower might have aroused suspicions.
JoMo turned the water on, but listened at the door. He had uncanny hearing, and his ears often hurt at the slightest of loud noises. Over the years, he'd learned to live with it. Many times it had come in handy for eaves dropping. He had a lot of black mail material on people.
Officer Reynolds used AJ's lap top and put the disc Seth had made into it. Kyle Miller spoke. "I want to know. Do you remember seeing this truck yesterday?" He pointed to the picture of the blue truck, frozen on the screen.
Styles scratched his head. "Yesterday is a bit of a blur. Seems like I did, sometime after three. I'd decided not to chase, then that tornado developed, so I went back out. I looked for my friend, Kevin Nash, I found him, but I was too late. He said to follow him and he'd get me back to town quicker. At some point, I think I passed that truck. We were going north, it was going south. Looked like some underage farm kid drove it." AJ honestly answered the man's question.
Detective Miller noticed that AJ answered without any hesitation and had looked him directly in the eye. He did have a couple more questions. "You said yesterday was a bit of a blur. Why was that?" He arched his brow, ever present pen and notebook in hand.
AJ sighed. "Well, kinda had a misunderstanding with my fella. I thought he'd left me, he thought I'd left him, but it's okay now." He glanced towards the bathroom.
Sergeant Miller nodded. "Misunderstandings happen. That him, in the shower?" He again arched his brow at AJ.
JoMo listened. He debated if he should appear or not. After all, he looked nothing like the "suspect". He made up his mind. JoMo pulled off his tee shirt and stuck his head under the water, just enough to wet it. He wrapped his long brunette hair in a towel and put his shirt back on.
AJ nodded. He heard the shower turn off. "Yeah, that's him." He again looked at the Sergeant.
In the bathroom, JoMo had a moment of panic. One way or another the police would soon know his name. That meant eventually Adam would too. JoMo realized he'd made a terrible mistake, he should have never come back to AJ. What could he do now?
AJ spoke again. "He wouldn't know anything anyway. He was shopping yesterday. He was here when I got back from the chase." AJ didn't want his little pet to think he was some kind of criminal. He hoped JoMo would just stay in the bathroom.
Sergeant Miller wrote down a few notes. "Well, we don't need to speak to him. Just give me his name, and we will be done here." He hovered his pen over his notebook.
JoMo then heard a miracle, as AJ spoke. AJ looked at the officer. "His name is John Moore." Styles had gotten his name wrong! JoMo relaxed a bit. Now, he would have some time to think things through.
Miller wrote down the name, then stood. "Well Mister Styles, thank you. Appreciate your help." He shook hands with AJ.
Officer Carrie Reynolds had removed the disc. She'd listened to the conversation between her boss and the storm chaser. While she didn't think Styles had lied there was something off. She just couldn't place her finger on it. She also shook hands with AJ. The two officers left the hotel room. AJ closed the door behind them.
Detective Sergeant Miller looked over his notes as Officer Reynolds drove. "Let's get to Delta. What do you think?" He looked over at the slightly older woman. She had good instincts.
Officer Reynolds gave a light shrug. "Styles wasn't lying, but something wasn't totally right. I guess I find it odd that the partner never came out of the bathroom, but I had a feeling he was listening, or something. I don't know though, that's why you're the Detective, Sarge." Reynolds gave her books a glancing smile.
"You could be too, Miss Carrie. I have a feeling you're right though. I'll run the name through CID, but I can imagine there are many John Moore's out there. We need a reason to go back. I've got one, but let's get to Delta first. Jolene should still be there." Sargent Miller still had his notebook in hand.
When the police officers arrived at the rental office, they saw the old blue truck. Miller hoped to be able to take prints, photos and do a cursory search.
Kyle Miller, ever the gentleman, opened the office door for Officer Reynolds. She gave him a nod and a smile. The lady that had rented the truck to JoMo sat at a desk behind the counter. She was typing on her computer keyboard. She looked up when the bell over the door rang.
The woman stood. "Well, hello Kyle, Carrie. What brings you here? Let me guess, the blue bomber?" She laughed as the two officers approached the counter.
The officers looked at each other. "Hello, Jolene. Well, yes as a matter of fact. How odd you should say that. We need to see..." Sergeant Miller stopped. Jolene put a file on the counter. It was the rental papers for the blue truck.
"I don't know, Kyle. I've just had a funny feeling about it. It did at the time too, but there was nothing I could do to stop it, all his stuff checked out." Jolene opened the file for the two officers as she spoke.
Carrie looked at Jolene. "I understand. Can I go take fingerprints and pictures? Search it?" She laid a consent form on the counter for Jolene to sign.
Jolene nodded. She took the Bic pen from behind her ear. "I had a feeling you'd show up. I told the boys not to touch it. Even left the keys in the box." She signed the form with a flourish.
Officer Reynolds went out side to gather the information she wanted from the blue truck. She stopped at the police car and took a small box and a camera out of the trunk and went to work.
Miller looked at the file of paper work with wide eyes. "Um… Jolene can you describe the person?" His brow arched higher than usual.
Jolene smiled. "Like he was standin' here. He was about six foot three maybe four. Fair complexion, and dirty blond hair. He wore a baseball cap, so I am not sure if he had short hair, or long tucked under the cap. He wore a black polo shirt, that was a size too big, the cap was black too. Both had a design of a tornado made of letters. I couldn't really read it. Both were small, on the pocket of the shirt, and the cap. He wore old dirty blue jeans and sneakers. Oh his pants were a size too big as well. He had a bit of stubble on his face, you know like those city boys wear, not enough to be a beard." Jolene finished with a shrug.
The Sergeant had written down Jolene's description in his notebook. "Was he nervous? How did he act? What did he say?" He had his pen at the ready.
"He didn't say much. Just that he wanted to rent an older pickup truck. Old blue was perfect for him. Anyway, he was confident, maybe too confident. He never stuttered and he looked me in the eye. He signed the papers like liquid. I mean, not like a forger who tried to be overly careful. I think those are as fake as anything, but it all went through and checked out. I know how to spot forgeries. There was nothing wrong, but, it was it was all wrong, you know?" She looked at Detective Kyle Miller, her brow arched.
Sergeant Miller nodded. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I'm gonna need a copy…" He chuckled as a duplicate folder appeared on the counter top.
"Told you I was expecting you. It's all there. I'm just sorry we don't have any pictures. The only security camera is on the lot. I looked at the footage, there was nothing on it. We need to get a camera in here." Jolene gave a sigh. As she finished, Carrie Reynolds came back in.
"Managed to lift some prints off the truck and the keys. We have yours and the others on file at the station. Thanks, Jolene." Officer Reynolds smiled at the clerk.
"Can I know? What happened?" Jolene finally had to ask. It was just too intriguing.
Miller looked at her directly. "Attempted murder of two storm chasers. Pretty serious business." He spoke frankly. He also knew it would never leave Jolene's lips. She was not a gossip.
"I hope… wait… wait… that's what the logo said! Jericho! All the letters going up in a tornado!" Jolene nearly squealed as she remembered what she saw.
Miller grinned. "Good job, Jolene. That helps a bit, and explains a lot more. Someone is trying to set someone up to take the fall for the crime. Thank you, Jolene. Good work, as always." Both officers shook Jolene's hand. They left the office satisfied.
In the police car, Officer Reynolds turned to her boss. "Okay, the logo explained what, exactly?" Her brow arched again.
Sargent Miller gave her the file. "Look for yourself." He had a bit of a smirk on his face.
Officer Carrie Reynolds opened the file. She looked at the copy of the rental agreement. "Oh.. you've got to be kidding? So, it's back to the hotel, to talk to our victims?" She looked at her boss.
The Detective Sergeant nodded. "Quick smart, Officer Reynolds." He took the folder from his aide. He looked at the paper again.
The name on the papers said the tuck had been rented by one…. Adam J. Copeland-Jericho.
