Chapter 2: Some Insight
2 Months Later


Harley was driving around with Doc, tagging along with him in his daily commute. Doc went to the office at the courthouse first. Harley spotted a big door that was cracked opened and ventured off. Doc paused and quietly followed her. She enjoyed driving around the parking area where a jury would be. Doc smiled then whistled. "Come on Har, we're only supposed to be in here during a courtroom case." he said and Harley sighed in disappoint and followed him out. He went to his office with Harley at his side. They just got a delivery of manila folders that came in a box with a tiny bit of packing peanuts. Harley investigated the box, causing it to tip over and cover her hood in packing peanuts. Doc chuckled and went to his desk with the folders. Spreading the folders out, Doc went to organize some paper work. Harley chased down the packing peanuts around the floor, catching them, blowing them, gathering them and making it "snow." hearing the door creak open, she sped to Doc's side and eyed the door. It was Sheriff.

"G'Morning, Sheriff." Doc said and Harley slowly drove out from her spot behind the desk to see him.

"Morning Doc," he leaned over to see Harley and she scrunched back. "Harley." she peeked around again and was met with a slight shove from Doc. She came out from behind the desk, but didn't move forward towards the black and white car at all.

"G-good morning, Mr. Sheriff." she squeaked out a greeting her eyes locked on a packing peanut. Sheriff chuckled.

"Good morning, Harley." He said and she continued to avoid eye contact. Sheriff drove out of the doorway and headed to Doc causing Harley to go back to her safe spot beside him, which then caused Doc to chuckle with a small smile.

"Doc, I need to talk to you about some, uh… 'County stuff' and whatnot." Doc furrowed his eye rims and then Sheriff glanced at Harley who looked back with her usual wide eyes. Sheriff then cleared his throat. "Uh… Doc, could you…" he gestured a tire at Harley and Doc looked over and nodded in understanding.

"Oh, of course… Hey, Har." Doc said as he lowered his chassis to her.

"Yea-er... Yes, sir?" Harley asked politely, trying to remind herself of her manners.

"Harley, how's about you make your way to Flo's?" Harley looked up at Doc with fear glinting in her eyes. They read "Like, alone?" Doc gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll meet you there, okay?" Harley sighed, her eye rims furrowed in anxious frustration.

"...Okay..." she said at last and slowly made her way to the door. She looked back with her mirrors as she left. She saw Sheriff beginning to talk to Doc but didn't catch a single word he said.

Once outside the courthouse, she found Red doing his daily watering of the court house plants. She stopped and looked at the massive vehicle who had yet to notice her there. She cautiously went around him and got sprinkled with water. Red then saw her and gave her an apologetic look.

"I-it's okay." she muttered to him and was met with a warm smile then Red turned away and continued his routine

Passing by Ramone's, she could smell the scent of a new paint job from earlier, but no Impala was in sight. She assumed he was where he usually was: his wife's cafe. She noted that his paint might still be wet and not to bother him.

She made it to Flo's safe and sound, just as promised by Doc. She looked around and saw a few towns' folk such as Lizzie and Ramone. She then quickly spotted Flo and wasted no time in rushing over to her.

"Hi Mrs. - I mean, Flo." She said in her soft, shy voice. Flo chuckled and looked down at her.

"Why, hello there, Harley! How are you today?" She asked with her usual wide smile.

"I'm, I'm good… you?" She asked and Flo chuckled.

"I'm doing just fine, sugar!" She enthusiastically answered. "Where's Doc?"

"He's, uh, talking with the Sheriff." She said gesturing to the courthouse. Flo looked over and nodded

"Oh, I see. Well in that case, how does a sweet treat sound for coming here all by yourself?" She asked and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Don't worry, I won't tell Doc." Harley giggled the nodded her hood. "How's ice cream sound?"

"Sounds good to me." She sounded slightly more comfortable and Flo giggled with her. "What flavors are there?"

"Well let me think," Flo said and glanced up. "I got vanilla, some mint, rocky road," Flo noticed how Harley's eyes lit up at the last one and she smiled. "Rocky it is!" She said and nudged her fender softly with her tire. "I'll be right back, sugar." She vanished into the café, leaving Harley to look around awkwardly. She saw Ramone and his new paint job of the day: burnt orange with white racing stripes topped off with a pearl finish. She quickly decided that orange was not his color.

"Ey, Harlina!" he called out once he noticed her staring at him. "Like the new look?" Harley chuckled awkwardly and looked around. Seeing no escape from the situation, she cautiously drove towards the Impala.

"Uh, y-yeah. It's great." She lied and looked him over.

"Yeah, you seem like an anaranjado type of girl!" Not knowing any Spanish at all, Harley just nodded and smiled. "Maybe when you're older, I can give you a paintjob just like this one?"

"Uh, I'm not sure Doc would like that." Harley said and Ramone laughed.

"Nah, he'd love it!" He took a sip of his usual quart of oil. "So, how do you like it here so far?" He genuinely asked.

"Um, well. I like it." She said with a shrug. "it's, uh," she searched for a word but was too much in a panic to think of anything, so she just settled for the first word that came to mind, "Cozy, it's cozy."

"That it is, Harley. That it is." He took another sip of his drink and gave a satisfied sigh. "Ah, that's some good oil!" he exclaimed, and Harley gave a soft, awkward chuckle. He looked at the road and was about to ask something when his wife came rolling up.

"Here you go, honey." Flo set a small ice cream in front and Harley then gazed at her husband. "Whoo! Ramone, what a finish you got!" Flo said looking him over.

"Hey, yeah, you know me. That pearl finish beats anything!" Flo laughed then leaned down to Harley.

"Yeah, but that color doesn't." Harley giggled, catching Ramone's attention.

"What you tell her?" Ramone asked with an eyerim raised.

"Oh nothing!" Flo said and they shared a grin and a chuckle. Harley looked at the two of them and couldn't help but smile.

"Oh! Ey, Harley," remembering his question from before, Ramone looked back at the small car. "Where'd you say you were from?" He asked and Flo looked at her as well, curiosity in her eyes,

"Oh, well, I never said." She answered but knew that's not the one they were looking for. She seemed to study the ice cream in front of her and furrowed her eye rims. She muttered something and took a bite of the frozen chocolate.

"Que?" Ramone asked. Harley was barley audible. Harley glanced up quickly then her eyes darted back to her snack. Flo studied those green eyes and saw that they held a glint of sadness.

"Could you say that one more time, honey?" Flo asked Harley and she glanced up again. She spoke up more clearly this time.

"Auburn… it's in California." She said and went back to staring at the ice cream.

"Hijole! And you came here? All by yourself?" Ramone asked stunned at the five-year-old. He couldn't figure any part of it out. But Flo could. She studied her eyes and something began to make sense. But she hoped she was wrong.

"Harley, baby. Could I speak to you inside?" Flo asked and her big eyes darted to her.

"Ma'am?" She asked and Flo chuckled ever so slightly at the term.

"Just follow me. You can take your ice cream too, if you want." Harley looked at Flo, then Ramone, then her ice cream, then back to Flo. "Don't worry, it won't take long." Flo assured her. Harley sighed and drove her ice cream and herself right behind Flo. She followed her inside the café and looked around. It was simple. A few pictures from the 30s to the early 50s, a few tables if cars wanted to dine inside and a front counter with a dusty cash register.

"Flo, wh-why did you bring me in h-here?" Harley began to get nervous again.

"It's okay," Flo comforted, "I just want to ask a few questions alone, if that's okay." Harley paused for a moment then nodded and Flo smiled, lowering her chassis as low as she could to be closer to her level. "So, you're from Cali, right?" Harley nodded. "Right. So what happened two months ago that had you ending up here?" Harley looked around avoiding eye contact. She was confused at the situation that happened two months ago, but most of all, she was frightened with what had happened.

"I… uh…" She stammered and took a shaky deep breath. "Th-there was a st-storm… I-I…" She knew she couldn't tell this story, and she didn't want to at all. Flo put a tire on her fender softly.

"It's okay… You don't have to say it all at once… just take your time." She cooed and Harley nodded and took another deep breath.

"Okay… we were mo-moving… M-Mama said that… that it would be a g-good change." At the bottoms of her eyes, tears began to form. Flo tried her best to soothe and calm her down by rubbing her fender gently. It seemed to help and Harley paused for a few more seconds. "Sh-she would al-always say that Jeremy wa-was just stressed." Flo made a note of the name, but didn't say anything. "He was… he was mean sometimes…" She paused and stared at the floor. "I d-don't r-remember… I-it was l-late… I-I he-heard her ye-yelling a-a-and…" Her hiccups became worse and Flo got closer to her.

"Shh, it's okay, honey, it's okay." Harley instinctively leaned into her. She missed her mother, "You don't have to say the rest," and this was the closest thing she had to one now. "It's okay… You're okay..." Harley sniffed and hiccupped a few more times. After that, her breathing started to return to a normal, steady pace. She blinked away a few tears and sniffed again. Flo continued to soothe her and then looked down carefully at her. She searched and wondered if it was okay to let go and grab a tissue for her. "You okay now, sugar?" Harley nodded and Flo smiled. "Good. I'll be right back to wipe your pretty face, okay?" Harley smiled softly and again nodded. Flo turned around, went to the counter, and came back with a napkin. She wiped her hood, her fender and the sides where a few tears slid down. "There you go. Good as new."

"Th-thank you, Fl-Flo." She stuttered and Flo sighed with a small smile.

"Of course, sugar." She said then began to leave, gesturing with a tire to follow. She opened up the door and the two drove out. "Whenever you need to talk to someone, you know where to find me." She said as she continued to look at her. Harley nodded gratefully then the two looked up to see that Sheriff and Doc had both arrived. Harley sped over to Doc and nuzzled his side. He seemed surprised then looked up at Flo for answered who only shrugged and went over to Ramone.

"Hey, Doc." Harley said, her voice hushed.

"Uh, hey, kid." He said then looked at Sheriff as if here had an answer, but he only shrugged. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" She glanced at Flo and closed her eyes and continued to nuzzle Doc. "Yeah, I'm okay." Doc cleared his throat and Harley backed away slightly, looking at him as if waiting for an announcement, but instead he gave a half smile. "Hey Harley, how's about you stay here and hang out with the Sheriff, okay?" Harley's usual frightened gleam returned to her eyes as she looked at Sheriff then back t Doc.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I need to go talk to someone, alone." He nudged her over to Sheriff who seemed to have the same reaction as her.

"Again?" She wined and Doc sighed.

"Yes, again. I'll be back, don't worry." With that, Doc drove off, leaving the two awkwardly sitting with each other. Doc headed towards Flo and was greeted by her and Ramone.

"Ey, Doc!" Ramone said with his usual smile.

"Good morning, Ramone. I see you have a new coat on. Looks good." Doc said and Ramone gave a prideful smile.

"Yeah! Thanks, man!" Flo scoffed at her husband then Doc turned to her.

"Flo, if I could have a word in private." He asked and Ramone slightly eyed him. "It won't take long."

"Of course, Doc." She said and they both drove off to the other side of the café. "What is it, Doc?"

"It's about Harley." He said and looked over at her. "She's been here for two months now."

"Mhm." Flo said and saw that Harley and Sheriff were somewhat talking to each other, though the words were out of earshot. "She's seemed to like it here."

"I know… but that's just it." He said and tuned back to Flo. "Sheriff and I were talking and… he says she can't stay here. She loves it here, but she can't stay." Flo looked at the pavement and sighed.

"Yeah… I thought of that too." She said in a disheartened tone as she furrowed her eye rims.

"Her parents –wherever they are– must be looking for her. I can't imagine how they must feel." He paused and looked at the ground as well. "Searching aimlessly for such a long time…" He looked sad, disappointed even. Flo looked up at him.

"Doc… I think we both know what happened that night." She said and he looked up and met her worried gaze.

"I've thought about it more than once…" a beat passed, then two. "Flo… besides myself, you're the only car she trusts… If you could get anything from her about that night, please tell me. I've been trying for weeks and—"

"Oh, I got something from her just now." Flo butted in. A new shocked expression filled Doc's face. "I want to know what happened just as much as you do."

"Really?" He said amazed. "She… talked to you? About that night?" Flo nodded and Doc raised his eye rims. "Well... what did she say?"

"Not much, really, but I did get a name: Jeremy." Doc nodded and made a mental note to look him up somehow.

"She's never mentioned a 'Jeremy' to me… I'll need a last name. Maybe Sheriff can contact him and we can—"

"No." Flo again interrupted him and he again furrowed his eye rims.

"No what?" Doc asked confused and slightly irritated.

"He…" Flo paused and thought about what to say. Her eyes searched the ground as if the words would just appear. She then sighed and looked back up to Doc. "She's… I think she's safer here." Doc drove inched closer to her, concern in his face.

"What do you mean?" He feared his assumptions about the Cadillac's past were right.

"I don't know who Jeremy is or how he's… connected to her... But he did something. I'm not sure what exactly, but it certainly wasn't anything… anything that was okay." Doc looked over at Harley understanding now that his fears had been realized. "She could stay here… right?" Flo asked with concern in her voice and her eyes.

"I… don't know…" Doc said. Sheriff had now been laughing and Harley was laughing with him, a bright smiled on her face. And it wasn't forced or faked at all. A real, genuine smile. Real, genuine laughter. A real, genuinely happy young girl. "Sheriff and I will have to talk about… about the legal side of this. Until then…" Doc couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from softly raising into a smile. "Until then, she's stuck with us."