The road stretched out in a straight unbreaking line for as far as Logan
could see. He had been driving aimlessly for a week and there was no end in
sight. It wasn't that Logan couldn't decide on a location. It was that he
was scared to stop. Because if he stopped they would catch up with him.
Logan glanced over at the passenger seat where Sumo was sitting. His arms were crossed and he was glaring grumpily out the window like an angry two- year-old. The duct tape had finally been removed yesterday after Logan had extracted a promise from Sumo that there would be no more assassination attempts. As soon as the duct tape had come off however Sumo had attempted to gouge out his eyes. This prompted Logan to stop in the next town and purchase a restraining device more often known as a car seat. A move that didn't seem to impress Sumo all that much. Sumo had protested loudly at first and had called Logan names from the confines of his seat. For six straight hours Sumo had ranted. Never once repeating himself and never breaking or pausing. Logan had attempted to drown Sumo out by turning the radio up as loud as it would go but he could still make out the chattering. Unfortunately the only radio station Logan seemed to be able to get was some Oldies station. Finally couldn't take any more of the Backstreet Boys and turned the radio down in defeat. Sumo continued his speech with renewed zest. Logan in a desperate attempt to get away from Sumo's incessant chittering had pulled into a fast food restaurant leaving Sumo in the car by himself. He knew that they always said 'never leave your pet in the car on a hot day.' *But, * Logan rationalised. *Sumo wasn't really a pet and he had never heard anyone say 'don't leave your hostage in the car on a hot day'. If he brought Sumo back a lot of food his conscience would be clear. * Logan returned with six hamburgers, fries, milkshakes and doughnuts.
Sumo was immediately distracted by the food and ate, unstopping for an hour. After that his hostage had been exceptionally well behaved. Except that every food place they passed Logan had to stop and a buy Sumo something to eat. Sumo began to collect a mountain of fast food restaurant toys, cups, plates and wrappers on the floor around him. The squirrel had the highest metabolism that Logan had ever seen. He was shocked that Sumo wasn't the size of a house.
Everything had begun to go pretty well. Sumo was even participating in small talk between meals. Then Logan had refused to buy Sumo another ice cream. Sumo had given Logan the dirtiest look and had fallen into an angry silence. Logan supposed this was for the best. At least Sumo had given up trying to kill him for the moment.
Logan stared back at the road and sighed. There was nothing in sight except the thin ribbon of the road and the waving grass.
A police car appeared on the horizon. Logan glanced at the speedometer. He was doing the speed limit perfectly. He had nothing to worry about even if the officer did pull him over. Then he realised that he had an oversized talking squirrel eating fast food strapped into a child seat beside him. Logan made a quick decision. He unclipped Sumo and in one swift motion stuffed him head first into the glove compartment. He could hear Sumo pounding as he looked up to see a tan clad police officer waving him over to the side of the road. Logan pulled onto the shoulder and rolled down his window. The officer strolled over to the car and peered in.
"Afternoon sir!" The officer said chewing on a piece of gum. "May I have your licence and registration please."
"Certainly," Logan replied smoothly as he pulled his licence out of his wallet and handed it to the officer. Then he reached for the glove compartment where he had shoved what he was sure was a now very irate killer squirrel and which was the location of his registration papers. Logan's arm froze.
"Registration please." The officer repeated.
"Um…just a sec…" Logan replied.
"Sir are you concealing an unlawful object in that glove box that you do not wish for me to see?"
"No sir. Not at all." Logan replied, Sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Sir?" The officer asked again.
Logan took a deep breath and quickly opened the glove compartment. Sumo hurtled out and quickly disappeared under the pile of garbage on the floor. Logan glanced at the officer who seemed to have been oblivious to the flying squirrel and then pulled out his registration. The officer walked over to the other car door and examined the glove compartment suspiciously. Finding nothing unusual the officer studied the registration for a moment and then handed it back to him.
"Mr. Cale. I'm going to have to give you a speeding ticket."
"What?" Logan said shocked "I was going exactly the speed limit!"
"The radar says you were going 73 in a 70 zone sir. If you would like to dispute the ticket you may take it to court in the nearest town within in the next 24 hours."
"No that's fine I'll just pay it." Logan said annoyed.
"The ticket comes to $275.00 sir."
Logan felt the bile rise in his throat. "275?"
"That is correct sir. You may pay it at the nearest courthouse."
"Can't I just pay you?"
"No sir! You must pay at the nearest courthouse." The officer ripped off the ticket he had been writing and handed it to Logan who scowled.
"Can't I mail a check or something?" Logan asked.
"You can only pay it in person at the nearest courthouse sir. Now, have a nice day!" The officer said and walked back to his car.
Logan drove into the town of Westmont and parked in front of the courthouse. He glanced at his watch. It was 5p.m. He walked up to the desk and produced his speeding ticket.
"I'd like to pay this." He said to the matronly woman who was sitting behind the solid oak desk.
"Sorry we're closed." She said disinterestedly. "You can come back on Monday at 9 a.m. and pay it then."
"It's Saturday I don't want to wait two days. It will only take a minute and I would greatly appreciate if you could process this now."
"I'm sorry that's just not possible. There is a nice bed and breakfast around the corner. Now please come back on Monday." The lady placed a closed sign on her desk and left the room. Logan exited the building and bought an ice cream before returning to the car. He coaxed sumo out from under the garbage with the ice cream and the promise that they would have pizza for dinner. Then he turned on the car and drove to the Bed and breakfast.
"564 bottles of beer on the wall. 564 bottles of beer. Take one down pass it around 563 bottles of beer on the wall. 563 bottles of beer on the wall…" Max glanced over at Alec who was driving the red convertible. They had been driving for almost a week as they tracked Logan across the country. It was fun she admitted to herself. Just her and Alec on the open road singing repetitive songs. The road trip was more about them spending time together than actually trying to find Logan. Max was beginning to hope that they never found Logan so their roadtrip could go on indefinitely. Sumo would be fine she knew and the beeper had just been Alec dealing with his boredom. He had something to keep him occupied now Max thought to herself smugly. In the distance she could make out a police car.
The police officer waved Alec onto the shoulder and leaned into the car.
"License and registration please." He said between chews of his gum…
It was 4 in the morning before Alec and Max were finally settled in the little bed and breakfast in Westmont. Apparently that was the only place that they could pay the stupid ticket. Alec lay in bed and cradled Max to his chest.
"You know I almost hope we never find him." He whispered into her hair.
In the next room Logan slept soundly the beeper clasped tightly in his hand.
A/n Sorry I took so long to update I had so much other stuff going on this week I didn't have time to write it down. This chapter just wrote itself. I hope you enjoyed it. Any info on the process of getting a speeding ticket I really don't know anything about so if details are off I'm sorry.
Logan glanced over at the passenger seat where Sumo was sitting. His arms were crossed and he was glaring grumpily out the window like an angry two- year-old. The duct tape had finally been removed yesterday after Logan had extracted a promise from Sumo that there would be no more assassination attempts. As soon as the duct tape had come off however Sumo had attempted to gouge out his eyes. This prompted Logan to stop in the next town and purchase a restraining device more often known as a car seat. A move that didn't seem to impress Sumo all that much. Sumo had protested loudly at first and had called Logan names from the confines of his seat. For six straight hours Sumo had ranted. Never once repeating himself and never breaking or pausing. Logan had attempted to drown Sumo out by turning the radio up as loud as it would go but he could still make out the chattering. Unfortunately the only radio station Logan seemed to be able to get was some Oldies station. Finally couldn't take any more of the Backstreet Boys and turned the radio down in defeat. Sumo continued his speech with renewed zest. Logan in a desperate attempt to get away from Sumo's incessant chittering had pulled into a fast food restaurant leaving Sumo in the car by himself. He knew that they always said 'never leave your pet in the car on a hot day.' *But, * Logan rationalised. *Sumo wasn't really a pet and he had never heard anyone say 'don't leave your hostage in the car on a hot day'. If he brought Sumo back a lot of food his conscience would be clear. * Logan returned with six hamburgers, fries, milkshakes and doughnuts.
Sumo was immediately distracted by the food and ate, unstopping for an hour. After that his hostage had been exceptionally well behaved. Except that every food place they passed Logan had to stop and a buy Sumo something to eat. Sumo began to collect a mountain of fast food restaurant toys, cups, plates and wrappers on the floor around him. The squirrel had the highest metabolism that Logan had ever seen. He was shocked that Sumo wasn't the size of a house.
Everything had begun to go pretty well. Sumo was even participating in small talk between meals. Then Logan had refused to buy Sumo another ice cream. Sumo had given Logan the dirtiest look and had fallen into an angry silence. Logan supposed this was for the best. At least Sumo had given up trying to kill him for the moment.
Logan stared back at the road and sighed. There was nothing in sight except the thin ribbon of the road and the waving grass.
A police car appeared on the horizon. Logan glanced at the speedometer. He was doing the speed limit perfectly. He had nothing to worry about even if the officer did pull him over. Then he realised that he had an oversized talking squirrel eating fast food strapped into a child seat beside him. Logan made a quick decision. He unclipped Sumo and in one swift motion stuffed him head first into the glove compartment. He could hear Sumo pounding as he looked up to see a tan clad police officer waving him over to the side of the road. Logan pulled onto the shoulder and rolled down his window. The officer strolled over to the car and peered in.
"Afternoon sir!" The officer said chewing on a piece of gum. "May I have your licence and registration please."
"Certainly," Logan replied smoothly as he pulled his licence out of his wallet and handed it to the officer. Then he reached for the glove compartment where he had shoved what he was sure was a now very irate killer squirrel and which was the location of his registration papers. Logan's arm froze.
"Registration please." The officer repeated.
"Um…just a sec…" Logan replied.
"Sir are you concealing an unlawful object in that glove box that you do not wish for me to see?"
"No sir. Not at all." Logan replied, Sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Sir?" The officer asked again.
Logan took a deep breath and quickly opened the glove compartment. Sumo hurtled out and quickly disappeared under the pile of garbage on the floor. Logan glanced at the officer who seemed to have been oblivious to the flying squirrel and then pulled out his registration. The officer walked over to the other car door and examined the glove compartment suspiciously. Finding nothing unusual the officer studied the registration for a moment and then handed it back to him.
"Mr. Cale. I'm going to have to give you a speeding ticket."
"What?" Logan said shocked "I was going exactly the speed limit!"
"The radar says you were going 73 in a 70 zone sir. If you would like to dispute the ticket you may take it to court in the nearest town within in the next 24 hours."
"No that's fine I'll just pay it." Logan said annoyed.
"The ticket comes to $275.00 sir."
Logan felt the bile rise in his throat. "275?"
"That is correct sir. You may pay it at the nearest courthouse."
"Can't I just pay you?"
"No sir! You must pay at the nearest courthouse." The officer ripped off the ticket he had been writing and handed it to Logan who scowled.
"Can't I mail a check or something?" Logan asked.
"You can only pay it in person at the nearest courthouse sir. Now, have a nice day!" The officer said and walked back to his car.
Logan drove into the town of Westmont and parked in front of the courthouse. He glanced at his watch. It was 5p.m. He walked up to the desk and produced his speeding ticket.
"I'd like to pay this." He said to the matronly woman who was sitting behind the solid oak desk.
"Sorry we're closed." She said disinterestedly. "You can come back on Monday at 9 a.m. and pay it then."
"It's Saturday I don't want to wait two days. It will only take a minute and I would greatly appreciate if you could process this now."
"I'm sorry that's just not possible. There is a nice bed and breakfast around the corner. Now please come back on Monday." The lady placed a closed sign on her desk and left the room. Logan exited the building and bought an ice cream before returning to the car. He coaxed sumo out from under the garbage with the ice cream and the promise that they would have pizza for dinner. Then he turned on the car and drove to the Bed and breakfast.
"564 bottles of beer on the wall. 564 bottles of beer. Take one down pass it around 563 bottles of beer on the wall. 563 bottles of beer on the wall…" Max glanced over at Alec who was driving the red convertible. They had been driving for almost a week as they tracked Logan across the country. It was fun she admitted to herself. Just her and Alec on the open road singing repetitive songs. The road trip was more about them spending time together than actually trying to find Logan. Max was beginning to hope that they never found Logan so their roadtrip could go on indefinitely. Sumo would be fine she knew and the beeper had just been Alec dealing with his boredom. He had something to keep him occupied now Max thought to herself smugly. In the distance she could make out a police car.
The police officer waved Alec onto the shoulder and leaned into the car.
"License and registration please." He said between chews of his gum…
It was 4 in the morning before Alec and Max were finally settled in the little bed and breakfast in Westmont. Apparently that was the only place that they could pay the stupid ticket. Alec lay in bed and cradled Max to his chest.
"You know I almost hope we never find him." He whispered into her hair.
In the next room Logan slept soundly the beeper clasped tightly in his hand.
A/n Sorry I took so long to update I had so much other stuff going on this week I didn't have time to write it down. This chapter just wrote itself. I hope you enjoyed it. Any info on the process of getting a speeding ticket I really don't know anything about so if details are off I'm sorry.