Chapter Two
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"Maybe the wildest dreams are but the needful preludes of the truth." Alfred Lord Tennyson (1802-92), English poet.
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Hawkgirl had no problem locating the Speed Hawk Motor Lodge just outside of the small town of Red River, New Mexico. Unlike the other bed & breakfast establishments in this small tourist town of five hundred people, the motor lodge, which was two miles away from the cluster of other ski-lodge motif bed and breakfast inns, did not resemble a ski lodge. It was older and appeared run-down.
The harsh weather of this town located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains had been particularly cruel to the outside of this little motor inn. The gray exterior paint had blistered and peeled away from the sides of the building and the fake wood shutters outside of each room window.
Cautiously, Hawkgirl circled the property from above. She noted the building was laid out in a "U" shape with ten rooms on each side and the main office in front.
Room air conditioners jut out from each room and into the path of the walkway. Each room air conditioner is supported by wooden timbers outside each room. The condensation from the air conditioners had formed pools of water on the walkway which cause the wooden timbers to swell at the bottom and discolor. There was a swimming pool in the center of the courtyard. The pool was empty with construction equipment and a small cement mixer nearby. The sign in front of the building said:
Speed Hawk Motor Inn
Since 1939
Vacancy
Pool / Cable TV
The word "No" was in neon tubing in front the word "Vacancy." The neon sign was unlit. After circling the property, she landed near the only two cars in the parking lot. One of the cars was a pickup truck with New Mexico license plates parked in a spot marked "manager parking." The other car was a Mercedes Benz SL600 convertible with California plates. Hawkgirl knew enough about cars to know that this was a very expensive car and appeared out of place in a place like this.
She walked to the manager's office and opened the door. A bell attached to the door rang as she walked in. Behind the counter sat a man in his early forties reading a newspaper. He looked up from his paper at the winged, helmeted woman standing on the other side of the counter. He put his paper down, not sure what to make of this spectacle in front of him.
"May I help you, Missy," he offered as he stood up.
Hawkgirl bristled at being called "missy." Taking a deep breath, she smiled at the man and in her calmest voice said, "I'd like a room for two nights. Two people."
The manager handed her a pen and the registration book as he looked her over.
"Please fill this out. Sorry, the pool is cracked so it's not available. Ought to be fixed any day now – say, are those wings real?"
Hawkgirl took the pen and started filling out the registration book. She looked up at the manager and said, "They were this morning when I woke up."
She put the pen down and looked at the name plate on the counter. The plate read,
Paul Birks
Owner/ Manager
She asked, "Is room four available, Mr. Birks?"
Birks turned the book around so he could read it, then looked at the woman suspiciously.
"Your name is Hawkgirl? Is that a last name or a first name? Is that like Madonna or something? You got some ID?"
"ID? I am Hawkgirl! Have you ever heard of the Justice League? I'm a member of the Justice League."
"Sorry, missy. I have to have positive ID for anyone who stays here. Look, you got a credit card or something?"
"Credit card? Hell, I don't -"
"Well, peel me a pineapple. If it isn't my best girl friend, Gertie Drake. What are you doing in costume so early, Gertie? The costume party is not until this evening."
Hawkgirl looked behind her, in the direction of the voice, to see a square-jawed woman in her late fifties with short gray hair dressed in a gray pants suit. The woman stood 5'7" and weighed about 200 pounds.
Hawkgirl had never seen this woman before.
The woman rapidly walked up to the startled Hawkgirl, placed her hand on Hawkgirl's shoulder and said, "Gertie, honey, let me take care of this for you."
The large woman then pounded on the counter surprising the manager. "This here is Gertie Drake. She's part of my party so charge her room to me." Then turning to Hawkgirl said, "Which boy friend is showing up tonight, honey? Superman? Batman? – Well, it don't matter. A room for two – put it on my bill."
"Yes, Mrs. Waters. I'll put them in room ten next to you," replied Birks. Birks turned around and took a key from one of the open box slot behind him and gave Hawkgirl a room key and said, "Shame on you for funnin' me about them wings."
Hawkgirl looked at the room key, and eyed Mrs. Waters suspiciously and said sharply, "Is room four available? I would like to get room four!"
Birks tried to smile but his eyes betrayed his anxiety and he stammered, "Uh...room four is being cleaned up. I can give you room ten?"
"I can wait for you to clean room four."
Birks looked at Mrs. Waters and then at Hawkgirl, "Uhhh...room four is not going to be available tonight. The air conditioner doesn't work and the room has a mold problem, so it will not be available for at least a month. Has to be cleaned and inspected by the state, you know. Room ten is a good room. You'll be more comfortable in there anyway. Lots of privacy. Last room on right hand side."
Mrs. Waters squinted her dark brown eyes and pounded the counter again. "Room ten will be just fine." Then turning to Hawkgirl said, "Come on, Gertie, we have so much to talk about and to catch up on."
Hawkgirl put her hand on her mace and walked to the front door pulling the large woman with her.
"Yes – DEAR - Do come along - we have so much to talk about!" She growled pulling the large woman through the door.
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The home of Peter Hill was in a quiet suburban neighborhood located outside of Taos, New Mexico. The modest three story house came complete with all of the trappings of Americana to include the white picket fence, two rocking chairs on the porch and the American flag flying at the front door.
The Flash opened the screen door, knocked on the oak front door and closed the screen door again. He wondered to himself how was he going to explain showing up at the house to the parents?
A woman answered the door and upon seeing the Flash exclaimed, "Omigosh – you're here. Come in – come in."
"Had she been expecting me?" he thought to himself. She opened the screen door and stepped back allowing him to enter.
"Mrs. Hill, I'm sorry to disturb you during what is obviously a trying time, but I was hoping you might tell me a little bit about your son, Peter," the Flash said as she escorted him to her living room.
Seated on a couch in the living room was a small man about forty-five, balding with dark hair and glasses. He was approximately 5'5" and weighed about 125 pounds. He stood when the Flash entered the room and offered his right hand.
"Oh, dear, where are my manners," Mrs. Parker said, "Mister Flash, this is Mr. Ronald Lion. He's a private investigator. Mr. Lion, this is the Flash."
Both men exchanged greetings as they shook hands. The men both sat down on the couch. Mrs. Hill sat in a chair opposite the couch.
Lion turned to Mrs. Hill. "No offense, ma'am, but how do you know he is really the Flash and not some joker in a red Halloween costume."
The Flash grinned at Mrs. Hill. "Mrs. Hill, he's right. You are entitled to proof of my identity. I don't usually do parlor tricks but let's this time."
The Flash stood up and turned to Lion and said, "Sir, would you take out your wallet and show Mrs. Hill how much cash you have?"
Lion stood up, took his wallet out of his coat pocket and opened it to show it contents to Mrs. Hill.
"Sixty-four dollars," he announced. He closed the wallet and turned toward the Flash who was now fanning dollar bills.
The Flash smiled and said, "I count sixty-three dollars, better check your wallet again." Lion looked astonished and looked again into his now empty wallet.
As the Flash gave him back his money, Lion grinned broadly, "Sir, it really is an honor to meet you."
The Flash turned to Mrs. Hill. "Mrs. Hill, you didn't seem surprised to see me. Why?"
"Follow me," she said, leading the Flash and Mr. Lion to a bedroom on the second floor. As she opened the door, Mrs. Hill said, "This is Peter's room."
Inside the room, the Flash saw a single bed, a computer setup and desk and several tables with toy action figures of various heights of the Flash and Hawkgirl. The walls of the young man's room were filled with posters and pictures of the two Leaguers in action. On one of the tables lay several scrap books with newspaper clippings of sightings and stories of the Flash or Hawkgirl.
The Flash stood in the middle of the room, whistled and said under his breath, "Hawkgirl, I am way beyond creeped."
Mrs. Hill looked at the Flash and said tearfully, "He was...is your biggest fan and I knew when you found the time you would help find him. Now, with you and Mr. Lion on the case, I'm sure he will be found safe.
Lion smiled at Mrs. Hill. "Ma'am, would you leave us alone for a few minutes while I fill the Flash in on what I know?"
Mrs. Hill nodded and left the two men alone in the boy's room.
"It's Ronald – not Ron – not Ronnie, but Ronald," Lion said looking the Flash squarely in the eyes.
The Flash grinned at the shorter man. "Got it, Ronald. Now what can you tell me?"
Lion tossed his notebook on the boy's bed and walked to the window. He stared out the window for a few seconds, then turned to the Flash.
"First, don't worry about touching anything, the police dusted for prints earlier. They have already checked his computer and it didn't show any unusual activity. The story is last week Hill and his friend, Gary Parker, were going to go on a two day overnight biking trip around Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, which is near Red River for Parker's nineteenth birthday. Parker was driving. Mom here made reservations for the boys at the Skyline Inn at the Springs. Gave them cash to pay for the room. The boys apparently never made it to the Springs. They found Parker's car and body three days ago outside of Taos. No blood, no prints in the car. His body was in a plastic bag and his stuff and Hill's stuff was in another plastic bag. Each bag was doubled bagged. You get the picture, double bagged. The autopsy ought to be back today, but I already don't like the look of this."
The Flash walked over to one of the tables housing the action figure display. He picked up one of the Flash display figures and looking over his shoulders said, "Ronald, I don't get what bothers you about the double bagging."
Lion walked over to the Flash and picked up one of the Hawkgirl figures. He ran his fingers slowly along the figure's wings, legs and breast caressing them gently. The Flash turned his head toward the shorter man, his eyes narrowed and he cleared his throat. Without looking at the Flash, Lion put the figure back on the table and spoke.
"This is bear country. People are occasionally attacked by bears near Red River. The conscious act of bagging would indicate a homicide – it is unlikely that a bear in the woods killed young Parker and bagged him and his possessions. Now if you killed someone, why not leave the body in the woods and let the bears or nature take its course. I mean they get almost 200 inches of snow here each year. You might even dig a shallow grave and it may be years before anyone finds the body.
As for the double bagging - you would double bag when you want to make sure what was inside the bag couldn't get out or attract animals. So why double bag the boys stuff? And why both boy's stuff? Here, let me show you something else."
Lion walked over to one of the other display tables. "Tell me what you see here."
"Uh,oh. Payback for the parlor trick."
Flash spoke slowly, "I see various sized figures of Hawkgirl and myself, arranged by size. There seem to be two each of Hawkgirl and me in each size except for the littlest set at the end. There's only one each."
Lion smiled, "Exactly – where's the other set?"
"What makes you think there is another set?"
"This room is a shrine to you and Hawkgirl. Do you think he would have two of each figure in each different size and only one of the little set."
Lion paused and then answered his own question. "No. This shrine is not complete without the other set. I think he took them with him, but it wasn't in the bag they recovered or in the car. I think he still has them."
Flash picked up both of the little action figures. The faces had painted masks but the costumes were removable and the wings on the Hawkgirl figure were detachable and came off in his hands. "Hawkgirl without her wings just like in the dream."
The Flash put the figures back on the table, and agreed. "I think you're right. There is another set missing."
