Here's chapter 8
"Rusty... Dusty..." Lynda rolled towards the 95 sponsors coming towards her. "Thank you both for comin'."
"We came as soon as we got your message," Rusty said.
"We have our statement prepared and everything," Dusty added. "We spent the whole night memorizing it."
"Well, maybe not the whole night," Rusty admitted. "Two old cars like us need our sleep."
Lynda smiled slightly, happy that the sponsors were acting so... normal, even if they were a nervous bundle of nerves.
The three cars were in front of the Dinoco building. It was 7, and they were going to give an official statement to the press 7:30. Marshall was on the side talking to one of the security forklifts, the angry one who always seemed to have a temper. Lynda had sent Cal to visit with Bobby so that the two race cars could spend the day together. There was no reason for her nephew to be involved in all of this.
While Lynda had talked to the press before, it had usually been with Strip or Tex at her side. She wasn't really nervous, but it was a comfort to have the two chatty Rusteze sponsors to back her up. The Dinoco spokeswoman had offered to make the announcement for her, but Lynda had declined. She needed to do her bit to get her husband back, even if it was just talking to the press.
"Mrs. Weathers," Dinoco's spokeswoman rolled up to her. "They're ready for you."
"Thank you," Lynda said, and with Dusty and Rusty smiling encouragingly in the background, she rolled in front of the cameras.
"As you all know, the racing board announced the disappearance of my husband and a younger race car, Lightning McQueen, last evening."
Strip looked up at the television.
"Dinoco's security team is following every lead they can, as are local law enforcement agencies. I'd like to thank all of them for their bravery and dedication to finding our two lost racers."
McQueen, despite being bored stiff at the thought of another day just waiting for rescue, remained quiet.
"I'd like to encourage everyone to keep looking. If all racing fans, or even non-racing fans could stay a little bit more alert than usual, I'm sure we'll eventually find them."
Deborah, who was on her way to confront Monroe, hesitated at the doorway as she saw the television.
"To whoever's got them, I ask that you release them. No charges will be pressed on our side at least," she nodded back to Rusty and Dusty who nodded eagerly in return.
The Raptors didn't care.
"I know they're famous race cars," Lynda continued. "But you have to consider that they're more than that. They're a husband, a boyfriend, a partner-in-crime, and a friend."
Looking straight into the camera, hoping that Strip could see her, Lynda smiled a soft sad smile.
"We don't want to press charges. We just want them back safely."
Strip smiled back at the camera, and despite the grimness of their situation, felt lighter than he had the previous day.
Lightning edged forward as Rusty and Dusty came onto the screen. After prattling about how they agreed with everything Mrs. Weathers had said and reward money (even though their reward money wasn't nearly as much as Tex Dinoco had offered) Rusty said, "And McQueen, if you're listening... Don't drive like my brother."
The old running joke, although not coming out nearly as strongly as Rusty wanted, still made McQueen chuckle.
"And don't drive like my brother!" Dusty called out as they two left the podium.
"I won't," McQueen said quietly, his smile matching Strip's beside him. Unbeknownst to them, the old car was watching their faces from the doorway. She noticed their expressions were completely unguarded and eager to see how their family were doing without them. At that moment he resolve started breaking and she realized how her vendetta were affecting the two cars. They had been abducted, taken away from their families and the security of their home.
"What have I done?"
"Well, this is interesting," Finn stated, drinking some morning oil.
"What is?" Holley asked, coming next to him and looking at the screen.
"Our suspect," Finn replied. "Turns out her real name is Deborah Hemming."
"Widowed 50 years ago," Holley read. "Only child deceased. Criminal record... Oh." The purple car looked surprised.
"She's been arrested twice for protesting the race track," Finn said out loud. Holley was more than capable of reading the information by herself, but the old spy had come to learn that talking out loud, even about the obvious, helped to encourage ideas and theories.
"So why carnap two racers then?" Holley frowned. "It doesn't look like she has to means to hire somebody to help her. And there's no way she could have carnapped them by herself."
"I think she's being used," Finn mused. "It's just a hunch but she seems like the type of car that could be persuaded to do something illegal with enough convincing."
"And with the right motivation," Holley added. "Maybe Grem convinced her that the season would stop with Lightning gone."
"It's a possibility," Finn agreed. "Siddeley, where are we now?" He called out to the pilot.
"Almost above Georgia, sir," the airplane replied.
Siddeley had been following Gray and Mack throughout the night. Well, mostly making circles above them due to both trucks being much slower than he was. It was pretty easy to predict where they were going as soon as they got on the highway and they stopped only once for a brief rest. Siddeley had taken the opportunity to rest as well in a field further north while Finn had kept an eye on the trucks. They had rested from 1 til 3 in the morning before resuming the long trek. It was now nearly 7 and Siddeley could feel the sun warming up his side as he made another turn above the trucks.
"They just missed the turn off towards the Capitol," the pilot called out. "Wherever they're going, Finn, I can't guarantee that there will be a space big enough for me to land."
"That's alright, Siddeley," Finn said, zooming into the map on the screen. "Let me know when you find a place near the road to land. I think I know where Hudson's going."
"I can't possibly see what destination they have in mind," Siddeley looked down. "All I see is trees."
"He's right," Holley stated, looking at some aerial photographs. "What could possibly be out here that would help them find the lost racers.
Finn smiled secretly before replying
"Thomasville."
This chapter is a little short but that's in order for the next one to be longer. And I think you'll want it to be longer...
