"You did what!?" Tex Dinoco exclaimed before staring down at his phone.
"It was really just a misunderstanding…" Strip sounded like a guilty child.
"Strip, where on earth are you!? I was about to send out the search parties!" Worry coated Tex's voice.
"Sorry about that. We're all fine."
"What happened?"
"Nothing much…"
"He's doing time in the slammer!" Cal yelled from behind Strip.
"Cal. Don't make me gag you." Lynda frowned at her nephew.
"You're in prison?" More worry filled the tycoon's voice.
"Technically he's not IN prison," Cal piped up helpfully. "He's doing community service."
"That's it. Outside Cal." Lynda caught her nephew by the arm and dragged him out of the sheriff's office.
Strip ran a hand over his face in exasperation. After he'd paved the road he wondered if Cal would let the story slip to the paparazzi. The kid had recently let his tongue run away with him. Sighing the racer turned his full attention back on the phone conversation.
"What happened?"
"It's a long story."
"Well, tell me where I need to send the lawyer?"
"Town called Radiator Springs."
"Alright. Y'all sit tight."
"Don't have a choice. I'm paving a road." Strip grumbled. He was beginning to hate pavement.
"I better get all the details later."
"You will, probably from Lynda or Cal."
"How do you end up in these situations? I knew you were rough on the track, but tearing up an entire road?" Tex seemed to be enjoying the banter.
"Funny. Real funny Tex."
"Glad you agree." Tex grinned at the phone. He was looking forward to that story.
"Time's up Hotrod." Sheriff's gruff voice brought the conversation to an effective end.
"We won't need the lawyer."
"I'll send one anyway. Never know what might pop up. Take care of yourself."
"Will do and same to you." Strip hung the phone up with a sigh.
"Back to work." Sheriff escorted his prisoner back to the ever-pleasant Bessie.
Strip glowered up at the tar bubbling from Bessie's buckets. He was beginning to resent the machine, as if it was a sentient being. He paused…Wouldn't it be something if everyone on earth was a car. And there were no humans? The racer shook his head at the thought. Cal must be rubbing off on me. Crazy thoughts and all. With a slight smile at the thought he clambered back into his mobile prison and began slaving over the broken road.
Lightning hid behind a filing cabinet in the court house. Sally was stationed beside him unmoving. He couldn't believe he'd been roped into the scheme. Quietly he glanced at the fourteen-year-old girl. The responsible persona she'd put on when he'd first met her had melted away when she helped instigate the cow tipping incident.
"What are we doing?" He whispered at her.
"If you'd just shut up you'll see." She narrowed her eyes at him pointedly before flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.
"Well excuse me for worrying that I'll get run over by another angry bull."
"Shh! Someone's coming!" She jerked the redhead down and into the shadows.
Footsteps echoed through the hall, Lightning tensed up at the sound. He didn't like hiding in a courthouse. There was some illegal feeling about it. Biting his lips, he shifted even further in the shadows. Sally shot him another look to keep him from making a sound. Silently the pair watched as Doc Hudson ambled into the room.
His face was set in its constant scowl and Lightning wondered if his face hadn't just frozen that way. Narrowing his eyes at Sally he mouthed to her What are we doing here again?
She elbowed him sharply and motioned for him to watch the doctor. With a roll of the eyes the redhead decided he might as well watch. He couldn't possibly get into any more trouble than he already was.
Doc collected a stack of papers and moved to settle into his chair. With a grin Sally grabbed Lightning's wrist and began mouthing a countdown.
3…2…1…
Sally tugged on something and a bucket hanging high above the adult's head tipped. Feathers and water coated the unsuspecting judge.
"SALLY!" Doc dropped the papers onto his desk. He surged to his feet and looked around.
"Quick." Sally hissed under her breath. The trouble making blonde dragged Lightning from behind the filing cabinet at just the right time. Doc's back was turned, and he was scowling at the opposite side of the room.
Lighting's heart beat in his throat, he ran hand in hand with Sally until they were safely hiding behind Lizzie's store. The pair collapsed in a heap under a rather tall bush. He glanced at the crazy girl that had been dragging him to trouble lately. Silence settled between the pair. All at once a laugh crept past Sally's lips.
"You're insane." Lightning accused before he began laughing as well. He grimaced a little as laughing tugged at his sensitive middle.
"His expression though!" Sally giggled.
"How did he know it was you?"
"Doc is my grandfather." Sally shrugged.
"How'd you end up here?"
"My parents died in a plane crash. Doc is my only living relative."
"Oh…sorry." Lightning stared up at the clouds.
"It's ok. I was five when it happened. Radiator Springs is home." She beamed. "We don't get a lot of visitors."
"You and Mater seem pretty close."
"Yeah, I watch out for him. We're the only kids in town." She pointed to a cloud. "That looks like a cow." She snickered. "Maybe Frank."
"Ha, very funny." The redhead glanced at her. "How'd Mater end up here?"
"Sheriff actually brought him home." She sighed. "It's pretty sad. Someone just abandoned him in the back of the cruiser."
"How!?" Lightning played up his apparent confusion.
"He went to some law conference. There was rumors of some missing kids. And Sheriff was heading down the interstate to come home…Heard something in his back seat. There was Tomm…I mean Mater."
"I thought his name was Mater."
"His name is Tommy... He's just started asking us to call him Mater." She smiled. "Anyway. Sheriff brought him back here. Mater's been here for two years."
"He seems happy."
"I think he is. He's part of our family."
"That's good." Lightning swallowed the lump in his throat. So they didn't know that he'd slipped his little brother into the Sheriff's car when he wasn't looking. He released a long-held breath. They didn't have a clue. His hands shook subtly as he pointed out another cloud.
He was riding a fine line of deception. He'd been covering his tail for years, ever since… The teen shook his head, no, he couldn't think about what had happened all those years ago. Carefully he shoved any thought of the past to the back of his mind and leaned back. He wanted to enjoy his time in Radiator Springs. No one was going to find out his secrets, he'd make sure of it.