Chapter 11: The Car Chase
Several minutes later, the whole Chan Clan were back in the Chan Van, driving northeast. Suzie had briefed everyone on the information her friend had given her.
"She said the Pleasure Hotel?" Henry, while driving, asked.
Suzie nodded as she read a map, "Right. And according to the map, that's only ten minutes from where we are now."
"And, Flip," Henry further questioned, "you said you guys had a run-in with that corrupted cop, Sergeant Barnwell?"
"You got it," his second youngest brother assured.
Henry seemed a little bothered by what was told to him by his four youngest siblings. "Weird. I don't remember Pop mentioning that guy having a mustache, though."
Flip figured, "He probably grew one while he was in the slammer."
"Yeah, in the slammer," Scooter echoed.
Upon turning around and looking through the back window of the Chan Van, a frightened Nancy stammered, "U-U-Uh, and if you don't believe us, ask him yourself. He's r-r-r-right behind us!"
Everyone turned around and saw that their sister was right. Sergeant Barnwell was tailing after them in his car!
Attempting to lose their pursuer, Henry drove faster. He switched from the left lane to the right lane, then from the right lane to the left. Unfortunately, despite how many times he changed lanes and how many different streets he drove down, Barnwell stayed on their trail. Spotting a crowded parking lot straight ahead of them, Henry swiftly drove into it, hiding the van among the other cars. Having lost sight of the children, the persistent sergeant drove past the lot.
"Did we lose him?" asked Suzie.
Stanley looked through a pair of binoculars and gulped, "Not really. He just parked right across the street from the lot. I think he's waiting for us."
"How do we get out without him seeing us?" Mimi fretted.
Henry quickly came up with a solution. "Alan, didn't you say this van can turn into other vehicles?"
"Right on," his inventive brother confirmed. "Just hit one of those Chan Plan buttons on the controls there."
"Alright," Henry instructed Stanley, "let's try Chan Plan 17."
"Chan Plan 17, coming up," Stanley pressed the said button.
Within a flash, the Chan Van converted into a red, eight-wheeled dump truck with Henry and Stanley still in the front seats and their younger siblings now in the open-box bed with Chu-Chu.
"Everyone keep low, until I tell you to come out," Henry commanded. As told, his siblings all lowered themselves to stay out of sight.
"Stanley," Henry requested, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but now's the time for one of your stupid disguises."
"I thought you'd never ask," his brother grinned.
Within seconds, the Chan Clan drove up to the parking lot's exit with their disguised vehicle. Barnwell, upon seeing the red dump truck, did not recognize Henry and Stanley, whom were dressed as construction workers, wearing safety vests, hard hats, and fake mustaches. With Sergeant Barnwell successfully fooled, the Chans were able to drive off and slip away from him.