"Yes, there is a Raymond Bronson here. He rented a white Saab." The girl
behind the counter smiled at Barry and Helen. The two exchanged glances.
Then where were he and Julie?
Barry opened his mouth for further questions but an older woman appeared
behind the smiling one, she looked at them over her glasses with only a
line for lips.
"Lindsey, you're not supposed to give them that information...it's classfied." She put her nose in the air at Barry and Helen who raised their eyebrows. Both getting a few things in their minds they wanted to tell the old bat but bit their tongues.
The girl frowned. "But these two are his friends." She gestured at the two who nodded eagerly. The bat rolled her eyes. "Yes, and for all we know they could also be his cousin or spouse." She looked from Barry to Helen and then back to Lindsey. Her look told the girl not to say anymore.
"But we really are his friends." Helen insisted.
"They were supposed to rent a car and pick us up you see, which brings us to our next question. Not related in anyway to anything classified." He added in the older ones direction but then focused on Lindsey. She wasn't smiling anymore but she was carefully listening to every word leaving Barry's mouth.
"Did you see a girl with him? Brown hair, sort of pale, name Julie."
Lindsey took a few seconds looking really thoughtful staring up at the ceiling. Helen briefly thought that it looked like it was a pose she'd practiced on.
"Oh yes, she went to the bathroom..." Helen winced. "...while Mr Bronson rented the car. He'd already gone down to the garage when she came back. She went down a couple of seconds after him. Nice girl."
"So they went down to the garage and didn't come up again?"
The old woman stared at Barry. "Well most of our customers drive out Mr." She said snappily. "Now if you're not going to rent a car..."
"We are." Helen quickly leaned towards the counter smiling widely at Lindsey who immediatley responded with an equally pleasant smile. Helen put her purse next to her to pull out her drivers license.
"I mean if our friends stranded us here we must get ourselfs somewhere right?" she laughed ingratiating which seemed to melt Lindsey completly and the two started chatting friendly about such things as the colour of the car.
Barry watched them midly confused. Then just as the old woman moved away, he recieved a glance from Helen, nodding at the computer in front of Lindsey. He frowned but then saw Helen fling her eyes and mouth open.
"Oh my god." She squeaked grabbing Lindsey's hand staring at a glittering engagement ring. She started ohing and ahing and the friendly chat turned into female blabber. Barry took the chances to slightly leaned over the counter, tilting his head, looking bored. He could see, the file that was opened, perfectly on the screen. He could see what car Ray had rented, exactly.
He stood straight again and Helen started wrapping up the deal with Lindsey, promising something about 'next time in New York'. She kept smiling so much Barry started to think that it must be hurting the corners of her mouth.
"Thank you." Helen replaced her wallet in her purse, flinging it over her shoulder. Lindsey got the keys for their car but hesitated just as she was about to put them in Helen's hand.
"You know...you look awfully familiar."
Helen shrugged easy going. "I get that a lot. Guess I just have one of those faces." She took the keys saying her farewells at the same time as linking her arm with Barrys allowing him to lead her to the garage.
When the heavy door closed behind them, separating them from Lindsey and the dripping noise of the dusky garage, she exhaled deeply.
"So, did you see what car Ray rented?"
Barry nodded. "Yep, license plate and everything. It's supposed to stand in slot 34 down here. Should we go check if it's still here?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's pretty big. Maybe we should split up." Helen felt the looked Barry gave her and she sighed a little putting her hand on his arm. "We'll be fine. We'll stay in earshot."
Reluctant Barry forced himself to nod. "Okay. But within earshot." He kissed her cheek and they parted. He kept an eye on her over the tops of the cars.
"By the way, where did that come from?"
"What from what?" Helen called back.
"The talk up there. You seemed to be very chummy after just a few seconds." Barry looked at the numbers he passed. They all seemed to be mixed, no particular order of any sort. "What genius planned this damned place?" He muttered to himself.
"Female instincts, I don't know. I just needed her attention and spotted the ring. Probably would've worked on me." Helen answered Barry's question glancing at the ring on her finger. She'd spent, probably several hours, annoying her co-workers with talking about Barry and how she loved him.
"It would've?"
She could practically hear him gloat and stood on her toes to reward him with a smile. "Of course it would've." A warm fuzzy feeling made the anxiety ease up a little inside of her. Then she remembred they still had no idea about Ray's and Julie's whereabouts and felt guilty for feeling safe for a few seconds. She looked around, only seeing numbers starting with a five or four, and sighed.
"I hate this." She squeezed past a couple of cars and headed towards Barry. He stopped and turned around looking at her. He opened his arms for her and she hugged him tightly. "What if ....what if something...happened to them." She buried her face in his chest, a feeling of security rooting inside her again.
"Nothing's happened to them...they're probably still just looking for the car, this place is huge. Or they're at the hospital wondering where the hell we are." Barry stroke his hand over her hair. "We'll find them."
Helen leaned back her head to look at him, about to say something she opened her mouth but no sound came out as her eyes got fixed on a over Barry's shoulder.
"Barry look, number 34." She got out and let go of him half running towards the sign. They couldn't see it at first but as they got closer they noticed that the slot was empty.
"Damn." Barry groaned irritated. "I bet they're at the hospital. We should really have brought our cellphones."
Helen held her hand on her elbow, glancing around sadly. "Let's go there then. I'll feel better when I see them."
Barry nodded, putting his hand on her lower back to lead her away, just as screeching tires made them pause, both looking surprised. A car came around a corner in top speed. It accelerated and the two head lights came closer, straight at them in fact.
Helen narrowed her eyes to the bright light, not seeing properly. But Barry realised what the aim was and threw himself over Helen with all the force he could upbring, pushing them both out of the way. The landed hard with moans of discomfort.
Helen threw her hair over her shoulder looking after the disappearing car. She panted.
"Did you see what I just saw?"
Barry nodded. "It was Ray's car."
Helen nodded at him too but her eyes were big and wary. "But it wasn't Ray driving."
"Lindsey, you're not supposed to give them that information...it's classfied." She put her nose in the air at Barry and Helen who raised their eyebrows. Both getting a few things in their minds they wanted to tell the old bat but bit their tongues.
The girl frowned. "But these two are his friends." She gestured at the two who nodded eagerly. The bat rolled her eyes. "Yes, and for all we know they could also be his cousin or spouse." She looked from Barry to Helen and then back to Lindsey. Her look told the girl not to say anymore.
"But we really are his friends." Helen insisted.
"They were supposed to rent a car and pick us up you see, which brings us to our next question. Not related in anyway to anything classified." He added in the older ones direction but then focused on Lindsey. She wasn't smiling anymore but she was carefully listening to every word leaving Barry's mouth.
"Did you see a girl with him? Brown hair, sort of pale, name Julie."
Lindsey took a few seconds looking really thoughtful staring up at the ceiling. Helen briefly thought that it looked like it was a pose she'd practiced on.
"Oh yes, she went to the bathroom..." Helen winced. "...while Mr Bronson rented the car. He'd already gone down to the garage when she came back. She went down a couple of seconds after him. Nice girl."
"So they went down to the garage and didn't come up again?"
The old woman stared at Barry. "Well most of our customers drive out Mr." She said snappily. "Now if you're not going to rent a car..."
"We are." Helen quickly leaned towards the counter smiling widely at Lindsey who immediatley responded with an equally pleasant smile. Helen put her purse next to her to pull out her drivers license.
"I mean if our friends stranded us here we must get ourselfs somewhere right?" she laughed ingratiating which seemed to melt Lindsey completly and the two started chatting friendly about such things as the colour of the car.
Barry watched them midly confused. Then just as the old woman moved away, he recieved a glance from Helen, nodding at the computer in front of Lindsey. He frowned but then saw Helen fling her eyes and mouth open.
"Oh my god." She squeaked grabbing Lindsey's hand staring at a glittering engagement ring. She started ohing and ahing and the friendly chat turned into female blabber. Barry took the chances to slightly leaned over the counter, tilting his head, looking bored. He could see, the file that was opened, perfectly on the screen. He could see what car Ray had rented, exactly.
He stood straight again and Helen started wrapping up the deal with Lindsey, promising something about 'next time in New York'. She kept smiling so much Barry started to think that it must be hurting the corners of her mouth.
"Thank you." Helen replaced her wallet in her purse, flinging it over her shoulder. Lindsey got the keys for their car but hesitated just as she was about to put them in Helen's hand.
"You know...you look awfully familiar."
Helen shrugged easy going. "I get that a lot. Guess I just have one of those faces." She took the keys saying her farewells at the same time as linking her arm with Barrys allowing him to lead her to the garage.
When the heavy door closed behind them, separating them from Lindsey and the dripping noise of the dusky garage, she exhaled deeply.
"So, did you see what car Ray rented?"
Barry nodded. "Yep, license plate and everything. It's supposed to stand in slot 34 down here. Should we go check if it's still here?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's pretty big. Maybe we should split up." Helen felt the looked Barry gave her and she sighed a little putting her hand on his arm. "We'll be fine. We'll stay in earshot."
Reluctant Barry forced himself to nod. "Okay. But within earshot." He kissed her cheek and they parted. He kept an eye on her over the tops of the cars.
"By the way, where did that come from?"
"What from what?" Helen called back.
"The talk up there. You seemed to be very chummy after just a few seconds." Barry looked at the numbers he passed. They all seemed to be mixed, no particular order of any sort. "What genius planned this damned place?" He muttered to himself.
"Female instincts, I don't know. I just needed her attention and spotted the ring. Probably would've worked on me." Helen answered Barry's question glancing at the ring on her finger. She'd spent, probably several hours, annoying her co-workers with talking about Barry and how she loved him.
"It would've?"
She could practically hear him gloat and stood on her toes to reward him with a smile. "Of course it would've." A warm fuzzy feeling made the anxiety ease up a little inside of her. Then she remembred they still had no idea about Ray's and Julie's whereabouts and felt guilty for feeling safe for a few seconds. She looked around, only seeing numbers starting with a five or four, and sighed.
"I hate this." She squeezed past a couple of cars and headed towards Barry. He stopped and turned around looking at her. He opened his arms for her and she hugged him tightly. "What if ....what if something...happened to them." She buried her face in his chest, a feeling of security rooting inside her again.
"Nothing's happened to them...they're probably still just looking for the car, this place is huge. Or they're at the hospital wondering where the hell we are." Barry stroke his hand over her hair. "We'll find them."
Helen leaned back her head to look at him, about to say something she opened her mouth but no sound came out as her eyes got fixed on a over Barry's shoulder.
"Barry look, number 34." She got out and let go of him half running towards the sign. They couldn't see it at first but as they got closer they noticed that the slot was empty.
"Damn." Barry groaned irritated. "I bet they're at the hospital. We should really have brought our cellphones."
Helen held her hand on her elbow, glancing around sadly. "Let's go there then. I'll feel better when I see them."
Barry nodded, putting his hand on her lower back to lead her away, just as screeching tires made them pause, both looking surprised. A car came around a corner in top speed. It accelerated and the two head lights came closer, straight at them in fact.
Helen narrowed her eyes to the bright light, not seeing properly. But Barry realised what the aim was and threw himself over Helen with all the force he could upbring, pushing them both out of the way. The landed hard with moans of discomfort.
Helen threw her hair over her shoulder looking after the disappearing car. She panted.
"Did you see what I just saw?"
Barry nodded. "It was Ray's car."
Helen nodded at him too but her eyes were big and wary. "But it wasn't Ray driving."