Thanks for the reviews! Any feedback is helpful, and I enjoy the constructive criticism. Now that TV Land/Sleuth Channel are bringing back the show, I hope others will post as well! Enjoy...
All disclaimers apply, as usual. sigh
"Sorry guys. The departments stretched thin on the heroin and cocaine deals we've been investigatin'. I don't have anyone to put on a possible moonshine case for months. And as for the girl, you are going to have to file a missing person's report."
"Come on Town." Rick started angrily.
"Town, you know there is more to this than meets the eye!" AJ responded at the same time.
Town was testy and more than frustrated when he responded. "There might be more, AJ, but I don't have the time or the manpower to find out what it is right now! You two come waltzing in here with possibilities and maybes but nothing solid to go on…"
"AJ and I were shot at! Polly Linsky was kidnapped for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and helping us! You can't tell us that is not solid Town!" Rick yelled back at the solid but lanky black man.
"How do you know she was kidnapped and did not decide to go visit her family for the weekend? Huh? Or go out with her friends? And why wasn't the shooting reported?"
"It wasn't?" AJ shot back in all innocence, playing it up to the fullest.
"Don't you play innocent with me! You know the procedures!" Their wise friend retorted.
"I don't know why it wasn't reported Town," AJ replied, dropping the act, "but Rick is right, this girl did not go out visiting. There are signs of a struggle in her apartment, and she did not follow up with us, or the police, on her car. We can't figure out why anybody would have taken her, or how all this works together and that is why we came to you. We need your help. Please Town!" AJ refused to drop eye contact, knowing the power of communication that was held in the eyes.
Rick stood and looked at his overworked friend on the police force, adding his nonverbal communication. They knew what they were asking. Downtown Brown gave more than his fair share to his job and his community. He was already maxed out, and they were adding to the burden. If it weren't so important, if they did not feel Polly's life was on the line, they would have dropped it. But they had to find the girl. She had helped them, and now they owed her.
Town glared at AJ for a full minute, the silence deafening. His eyes moved from eye to eye to the set of mouth. Rick was visible in Town's peripheral vision. Not one of them moved during this crucial moment while all mulled the importance of what was being decided. He made the first move.
"Ok, but you owe me. Big. I still don't have anyone to put on this case, but I can give you some time. Hold on a minute." Tension fell as the three let go of their animosity. Rick relaxed back down in his chair. Town picked up the phone and made a few calls to arrange his men on stakeouts. Finally, almost half an hour later he said, "Alright, now tell me again why were you at The Beach Side Bar?"
"Carlos had asked Rick to help him with a friend…"
"Lucky," Rick interrupted and then tried to put his legs up on Town's desk. Town shot a hand out and effectively blocked Rick's attempt. AJ smothered a smile and went on.
"Lucky he wasn't. These two men, John and Ray, alias's I assume, were harassing him. Carlos asked us to help put an end to the harassment."
"Carlos is paying you to help Lucky or is Lucky paying?"
"No. Lucky is getting a favor. He paid earlier." Rick replied cryptically. He continued.
"Anyways, we set up a meeting with these two thugs to tell them to back off. We had just gotten to the point of telling them that it would be a good idea to keep to their own…"
"A fight broke out." Town added knowingly.
Rick smiled and continued, "When they pulled a gun. We hadn't planned for that turn of events so we implemented evasive measures."
"You ran?"
"We ran." Rick smiled at Town's insight into his attempt to talk up his actions. "John threw AJ over the waitress's car and Ray shot out her window. That's when I thought it would be a good idea to hitch a ride and get her outta there. I went in the back window and AJ the passenger window. Boy she could drive couldn't she AJ? She backed right into those guys and then sprayed them with gravel before taking off.
"She didn't have any idea who we were, but she helped us get away. Then she dropped me off to get my car, we drove her to her apartment and AJ put the moves on her…"
"Hey!"
Rick smiled knowingly. "You didn't get very far…"
AJ stammered, "I did not. I mean, she got my number." With that statement Rick snorted and AJ turned red. AJ's jaw tensed and a muscle ticked.
"He's just upset he couldn't get very far. She was a looker."
Town smiled at the boy's antics.
AJ got serious. "She was abducted. Possibly because of us. We've got to find her Rick."
That wiped the smile off of Rick's face. AJ looked to Town for assistance.
"Here's what I can do. We can get ballistics from the car and I'm going to send a man over to sweep the apartment for prints. I take it we will be finding yours?"
"Ah, yes…" Rick adjusted himself in his seat.
"Why?"
"Ask AJ." Rick deferred.
AJ shot Rick a dirty look of panic. "Uh, that doesn't matter. What I want to know..."
"No, AJ," Town said, sensing a good story, "Tell me why."
"I didn't" the rest was lost in muttering.
"What was that?"
"He didn't get her name!" Rick helpfully supplied.
"You didn't get her name! I thought you told me her name was Polly Linsky? Oh, I see…had to do a little investigation on the side since your brother's shy? Humm?" Laughing brown eyes looked at Rick slyly. Detective Brown was enjoying this one now.
"I am not shy!" AJ shot out in defense.
"Found it on the phone bill." Rick supplied.
"Oh really?"
"It was sitting nice and neat on the bar in the kitchen. Her checkbook was there as well. Confirmed her name. My prints will be in that area."
"Mummm."
Rick stood up and AJ glared at him. "You'll let us know if anything comes of the sweep?"
"Oh yeah. I'm here at your beck and call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Never a day goes by…"
"Well Town, that's one we owe you…"
"One?" Town's eyebrows rose.
AJ joined his brother at the door. In a last ditch effort to get the focus off of himself he added professionally, "In the meantime, we will see what, if anything we can get on John and Ray."
"Maybe you could start with their real names." Town tossed out. Rick started laughing.
AJ pushed him out and slammed the door behind him.
When I came to my senses and actually realized what I was doing, I was walking. It seemed like a pretty good idea, so I kept at it. Somehow, I had gotten away, but I didn't remember much of anything – except garlic. For some reason I felt like I had been chased by giant cloves of garlic through my dreams. I could still smell it. Good God, if one was going to hallucinate you would think I could do better than garlic!
I think I had rinsed my mouth with some of the creek water, which would explain the residual nasty taste. My left arm and side hurt something awful. I tried not to think of it. I knew if I looked at it I would pass out from the fear and the pain, so I didn't. It was hot and I was thirsty. The air was dry but very active. The wind never let up. Clouds passed quickly over the sun alternating the suns blinding heat and the temporary relief of the clouds shade. Never had I felt so alone and so afraid. They say there are no atheists in foxholes and I guess I know why now. There was nothing left for me to do but pray and walk and hope to God somebody would find me that was not one of the bad guys.
The wind blew the trees around me as I struggled up a small embankment. I held my left arm close to my aching ribs and used my right arm to grab onto a handy vine to pull myself up. I gritted my teeth as a stabbing pain shot through my chest and as I came to the top of the knoll I gave up and sat down in exhaustion and defeat.
Funny when I finally sat down, I got so cold. I tried to stand back up but I just couldn't. I stared at my feet as an ant struggled with a dead bug twice his size. First he would carry it, but it would get caught on the broken needles that had been crushed by tires passing on the dirt path. Then the ant would try to drag it over the needles, only for the legs of the dead bug to get caught on something, making the poor ants burden ten times heavier. I tried to help him once, but the little thing panicked so badly he didn't know what to do, so I finally just left him alone and watched.
I was too tired to be afraid of the awful racket that was coming down the path. I looked up when the car stopped by me and someone got out. A toothless grin was hastily replaced with a spattering of excited chatter in Spanish. A canteen of warm water was placed in my hands and I drank! I couldn't understand a word he spoke, but when a warm blanket was placed around me and gentle hands helped me into a rickety old car, I knew I had just met an angel.
