Chapter Four

The two hour drive up to Bakersfield was uneventful, with light conversation filling up the time. Ralph was pleased to hear how well it was going with Harlan and Ira, proving that his experiment of doing good with the suit had not been a complete disaster half a year ago, Tanner aside. He wrangled Bill into following up on those sorts of do-gooder actions now and then, if only to aggravate his partner, whom he knew overall enjoyed the work if it was kept to a bare minimum, though he usually refused to admit it.

Bill drove directly to the burnt down warehouse with the idea that if Ralph could holograph anything it would be from the most recent arson. They arrived at the crime scene, a shell of a metal skeleton left standing, black with soot and smoke, windows only with points of glass remaining around the edges.

"Geez, something out of Dresden," Ralph said.

Bill nodded in disapproval.

Seeing no one around, Ralph got out of the car and took off his outer clothing and shoes, dumping it all on the car seat.

"Let's go inside and see what we find," Bill directed. "Be careful. It's pretty windy today. The structure may not be that stable."

"You be careful. I've got the suit on."

"Well, watch out for me, kid. You don't need a partner with a metal rod protruding from his head."

They slipped in through a door space where the metal door was lying awkwardly on the floor, held in place only by the lower hinge. Stepping over it they entered the warehouse giving it a quick look around, left and right, up and down; it seemed at the moment to be safe.

Maxwell bent over and picked up a piece of burnt metal and handed it to Ralph. "See if you can get anything."

Ralph held the metal object but didn't get that tingly feeling that meant he was picking up on holograph energy. He walked around the open area, treading lightly over the detriment of the fire. "I don't know, Bill, nothing is really---wait a second—". Ralph felt drawn to something by a wall, behind a heavy piece of scuffed and charred metal. Using his super strength, Ralph pushed the metal object aside and bent over to pick up a piece of glass on the floor, studying it.

"Bill, I think there's a fingerprint on this glass. And, I'm getting something from it…."

Bill raced over to his partner, watching him studiously as Ralph's eyes focused on nothing, seeing everything.

With a grimace of anticipation Bill gingerly put his arm on Ralph's shoulder and saw what his partner was holographing: a man sneaking around the Bakersfield freight train depot with a metal briefcase in hand. He came to a specific train and dodged inside an open car, scurrying around the opening to hide. The holograph took them inside the train control room to see that train was leaving at 3:21 p.m. Suddenly the holograph switched to a woman closing up the back door of a smallish delivery vehicle. Climbing into the driver's seat she drove out a hotel parking lot: the Vagabond Inn, 6100 Knudsen Drive, by Highway 99.

The vision faded away.

"Alright, we've got two creeps out there associated with the fires but we don't know why. I suppose we have probable cause to go after them…" Bill hesitated, a bit unsure of the legality of his pulling them in. It wasn't proper to yank citizens off the street for interrogation based on an alien holograph and no other real proof.

"There're involved, Bill. Deeply. Seriously. They've got some big fire planned. I can feel it."

Bill looked at the glass, and then took out his handkerchief to grab hold of it. "I wonder if those fingerprints might be a valid clue." He grew excited. "Ralph, you go after the gal driving the truck and catch her." He tightly flexed his left wrist as he always did when checking his watch. "I'll drop this glass off at the Bakersfield police and request a STAT fingerprint search through the computers, then head out to the freight yards. I'll meet up with you on the train, after you've tied up the driver and stuffed her on hold in the truck."

Ralph nodded.

They left the building and Ralph glanced around for his bearings.

"Highway 99 and Knudsen Drive is that way," Bill pointed to the left.

It was uncanny how much of California Bill Maxwell seemed to have memorized. Ralph realized that the maps all over his studio apartment actually served a good purpose and weren't simply a representation of his awful sense of home decor.

Ralph took a deep breath and then took three short steps and leapt upwards, the suit's power elevating him quickly above any building in Bakersfield.

Bill watched his partner soar off. On a whim, he went back into the building to check for any more glass the criminals might have touched. In the area by where the first one had been found, Bill squeezed behind the heavy object, pushed aside more debris and uncovered a second piece of sharp, fractured glass, which had a little dried blood smeared across it. Holding it next to the first piece, Bill saw they matched; they had come from the same window. Bill smiled. Bad guy body fluid. That might produce extra vibes if needed. Satisfied, Bill dove into his car and stored the second piece of glass in the glove box,. He drove to the nearest police station, his excitement nearly as palpable as the gun resting solidly against the side of his chest.