Chapter twenty four: A German made out of Tin

Where was Natasha? Where? Lori ran through the neighborhood. But Natasha was gone. Lori stopped and paused.

"I should go back. She has to come back soon."

Lori ran back. Lori entered the house. Mike, Cynthia, Claire and Marie were in the living room.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" Mike asked.

"Run away. It's nowhere."

"Shit."

"We need help... But you won't like it."

"Why shouldn't I like it?"

"Yes, why?" Cynthia asked.

"There's a gang... with a pretty right-wing extremist mindset."

"Yes, they both told me about it," Cynthia said.

"Excuse me please?! Neo-Nazis?!" Claire said angrily.

"Calm down, Ginger," Cynthia said.

"No I'm not! My mother is Jewish! And you're working with people who want to kill anyone like me or my family!"

"Try." Lori said.

"Are you fucking stupid?! No!"

"We're doing it whether you like it or not. Me neither, as you know. But we have to find Natasha."

"I'll stay here with Claire," Mike said.

Marie patted Cynthia on the shoulder.

"I want to go home, Mom." Marie said quietly.

"We can't go home, Marie."

Marie got bitchy when she heard that. "I want to go home!"

"There is no home for us to go to!"

Marie looked very stressed and was breathing quite loudly.

"Chill out. Nothing will happen. Get used to it," Mike said.

Marie yelled at Mike.

"I want to go home! This is not my home! I won't get used to it!"

"What do we do with her?" asked Lori.

"Well, I quote Trump, we say goodbye. Come on, Lori. Let's find help." Cynthia said, pulling Lori into her arms.

"And we just leave Marie with Mike and Claire?"

"Yes, because Marie is also Mike's daughter."

As Cynthia closed the door behind her, Marie scurried across the living room and looked out the window. Lori and Cynthia got into Lori's car and drove to the warehouse where Jack was based. When she reached the building, Lori stopped in front of it. Both got out.

"Yes. This building screams extremism," Cynthia said.

"What do you mean?" Lori asked.

"That this could be a neo-Nazi fortress in a movie, or a story, or a fan fiction. My daughter loves writing fan fiction. That's how I imagine a place like that." Lori gave Cynthia a confused look.

"Do I really have to explain to you how strange Marie is? You saw them yourself," Cynthia said.

They both went to the door and knocked. Two minutes later, two gang members opened the door. Cynthia immediately noticed the swastika tattoos and other Nazi symbols.

"Bismarck's friend is back."

Cynthia felt annoyed. Lori understood that Cynthia understood what they meant.

"We just need your help." Lori said.

"Then you need to talk to the boss." The gang member said. Lori and Cynthia followed them. Cynthia whispered to Lori.

"They have swastika tattoos. They show their thinking very openly."

Jack was in the middle of the warehouse, surrounded by gang members. And a table full of gold bars and jewelry. Jack noticed Lori and Cynthia.

"Did you take your mother here?"

"She's not my mother. Someone with the same intentions I guess..." Lori said.

"A co-worker?"

"I guess."

"Ah you made your own business. Don't interrupt ours!"

"We need your guys to find my dear friend."

"Bismarck is gone again?"

"Her name is Natasha." Lori said.

Cynthia slapped Lori's neck.

"No real name idiot!" Lori immediately understood her mistake.

"Too late Blondie. Anyway, it doesn't get cheap." Jack said.

"How much?"

"10 grand."

"Ten grand." Lori said, and looked scared at Cynthia. Cynthia thought about it, though. And she had an idea.

"What about a deal?"

"What deal?" Jack asked.

"You start searching. And we two will do the work some of your members had to do."

"Okay. You need to deliver a package. An exchange. You deliver the package, and they give you a bag."

"Where?"

"Kenny gives you a map later."

"Well, I don't mind if we start now."

Jack smiled. It wasn't a friendly one. Kenny loaded three packages into Lori's car and gave them a card. A red dot was marked on it, far away from Royal Woods. And Kenny specifically emphasized that they had to be there at eight in the evening and wait. Lori and Cynthia got in and drove away from Royal Woods. Fifteen minutes later, Lori had to see the card. Lori drove on the side. The broken window of her car bothered her. She looked on the map Cynthia was holding.

"Okay. Do you know where this point is?" Cynthia asked.

"Kinda. Somewhere in The Valley." Lori said.

"You can drive to this point?"

"I guess. But this car is only good on streets. And since we broke the windows in the gunfight, I consider to throw it away." Lori meant it as a joke.

But at one point of their journey, Loris car started to rock and act strange.

"What is going on?" Lori asked.

"This is not good."

Lori noticed smoke coming from the engine.

"Oh no. Please not."

"Stop the car!" Cynthia said.

Lori went to the side and both got out pretty fast. Cynthia opened the engine hood. A lot of smoke went out. Cynthia took a close look.

"Oh my god. A wonder we came that far."

"Does that mean…"

"Yes. It's dead."

"Oh f*." Lori said with tears.

"Are you sad?"

"Yes…"

"Why?!"

"It's my first car." Lori starts crying.

"Oh my… Just come here."

Cynthia petted Lori's shoulder.

"Everything has an end."

Cynthia tried to think of a solution.

"You said something about throwing it away. Well, we need to sell it to a scrapyard."

"Noooooooo!!!" Lori screamed in despair. Lori laid on the engine hood and hugged her car. She started crying. Cynthia looked confused and surprised at Lori.

"My god. Why do you hang so on this object?"

"I got this just a few months ago."

"Was that your father's car?"

"I got it from my neighbor."

Cynthia pulled out her phone and googled the nearest junkyard. She found one with towing service. She dialed the number.

"Scrapyard Carlson, in business since 1926. How can I help you?"

"Our car is dead. We need to see if it works or not."

"I see. Should I come with the tow truck?"

"Would be good."

"Wich street?"

"The Main Street. Direction Royal Woods."

Cynthia hung up, and sat on the engine hood next to Lori.

"I called the scrapyard. They see if it's dead or not."

"I can't lose this car." Lori said sobbing.

Fifteen minutes later the tow truck arrived. A man in blue overalls and a bald head got out.

"Hello. Should I start preparing or should I now take a look at it?" Lori sobbed on.

"Lori? You have to decide." Cynthia said.

"I don't know." Lori said.

Cynthia rolled her eyes.

"Just prepare."

The man backed up the tow truck, hacked into Lori's car, and lifted it up.

"Get in the truck. I have to take you with me."

Cynthia and Lori got into the tow truck. The man drove off. Fifteen minutes later they reached a small town. Royal Valley. A smaller town than Royal Woods, but sharing a connection with Royal Woods. The man turned into a junkyard and stopped in front of a garage workshop. Lori and Cynthia got out and went into a small room next to the garage. In the room there were two armchairs and a coffee maker on a table. Lori sat down on a chair. Cynthia made two cups of coffee. She sat down and passed a cup to Lori. Lori had a mix of emotions. She had to vent now.

"Cynthia, I don't feel happy. Since all this started with Natasha… I don't feel happy. And that what happened in the forest, with your minions… I just can't do it anymore…"

Cynthia looked at her coffee.

"Hmmm… Just shows me you aren't a complete psychopath. Good that you feel like this."

Lori looked at Cynthia, and noticed that she was pulling a cigarette out. She gave it to Lori.

"Want one?"

"No."

Cynthia started Smoking. After almost an hour, the man entered the room.

"Okay. So, the engine is dead."

"Nooo!" Lori started crying. Cynthia wrapped her arms around her.

"Please repair it." Lori said committed.

"It's not impossible. But… I would need to have a new motor. And that's very expensive. But even then, I would not do it because the lower part is so rusty, it would be safety hazard. It wouldn't get licensed ."

"How..." Lori sobbed.

"Great. We had something important to do." Cynthia said.

"Uh. I see you liked that car, Girl. So here's an offer. There are some good cars next to the Railway that leads to the yard here. These are cars confiscated by the police and destined for the scrap metal mill. But there are some that are very well preserved. Take one."

"I just want my old car back."

"Take the new car god dammit!" Cynthia said.

Lori nodded. Lori went to the location that the junkyard owner had described. There were a few cars next to some EANOS freight wagons that were filled with scrap steel.

"That's a lot of cars." Cynthia said.

"But none of them will be good."

"Stop being so doubtful!"

"I try."

"Choose one."

Lori looked at the cars. She saw a dark gray Mercedes Benz W123 sedan that reminded Lori of her own car.

"Wow. That's a nice one." Lori said.

"Hmm. A German."

"What do you mean?"

"That's a German car."

"I give it a try."

"I don't say it's bad. The Germans make the best cars."

Lori got in, and found the key in the starting lock.

"Okay. Let's see."

Lori started the engine.

Cynthia listened to the sound of the engine.

"That's a diesel."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Depends. You shouldn't drive short distances. Those engines need to get warm."

Lori drove to the garage workshop and stopped. Lori and Cynthia got Lori's gun and the three packages and loaded them into the Mercedes. The junkyard owner unscrewed the license plate.

"It's ending here." Lori said.

"It's good that you let recycle it."

"I wish I don't need to say goodbye." Lori said, and wiped off a tear.

"Let it go." Cynthia said.

Lori went to her car, and put a hand on it.

"Goodbye. You don't know how much I appreciate the hours I drove in you. Thank you." Lori got into the Mercedes. The junkyard owner screwed the license plates onto the Mercedes. When he was finished he stood up.

"So. You can go home. You need to get a new license for this number."

"Sure. We do that."

"Good. But I don't have the documents for this car. So you can imagine what kind of paperwork is coming for you."

Cynthia got in and started the engine. Then she drove off.

After half an hour, Cynthia drove onto a side street. The road led through a smaller gorge that was lightly forested. it started to get dark.

"Looks spooky." Lori said.

"Hmm… kinda. How many kilometers until we are there?" Cynthia asked.

"Around two."

"So almost there."

Cynthia drove on and when they reached their destination they both got out. And even though this was supposed to be a meeting place, no one was there.

"Why is nobody here?" Lori asked.

"Because we have to wait here."

"How long?"

"I don't know."

Cynthia sat on the hood of the Mercedes. Lori did the same. The two waited. After what felt like two hours, a large black Maserati approached. He stopped twenty meters away from Cynthia and Lori. Three young Mexicans got out. A 67-year-old Mexican man got out of the car, smoking a cigar and wearing a gray suit. Lori and Cynthia looked at him.

"Where are the goods?" the man said.

"I'll get them." Cynthia said.

Cynthia went to the trunk and took out the packages.

"Here." Cynthia said.

"Lay it on the ground between us."

Cynthia went forward and laid them on the ground. As she walked back to Lori, the man walked to the packages and took out a folding knife. He shoved the knife into one package, and pulled it out with a little powder on it. One of his minions went to him, took the knife and sniffed the powder in his nose. Then he kinda exploded.

"Whoooaaahh! Yeah baby!!!"

"Good quality?" The man in the suit asked.

"Good quality!"

His minion yelled like a maniac. The man snapped his finger, and his other minion took the packages, and another one came with a gym bag.

"Like the deal, fifty thousand dollars." He got in his.

The minion gave Cynthia the bag, and went back into the MaseratiMaserati. And they went away.

"Well… that was easier then I thought." Lori said.

"This druglord made it efficient." Cynthia said.

"What do you mean?"

"This guy, if you didn't notice, was a druglord. A druglord like from a movie. And he didn't waste any time."

"We just delivered drugs?" Lori said shocked.

"Yeah. Cocaine. Or what do you think what this white powder was?"

"What are we doing now?"

"We go home."

"Shouldn't we go back to Royal woods to look for Natasha?"

"We have a neo-Nazi gang looking where she is. We can rest for a while.

"So we do nothing?"

"For now yes. Do you want to drive your new car?"

"I drive."

Lori got on the driver seat and Cynthia sat on the passenger seat. Then they went home.

When the two arrived at the Stevensons' home two hours later, both were a little exhausted. Lori parked in the driveway and got out with Cynthia. Cynthia knocked on the door and half a minute later Mike opened the door. Lori heard a quiet rumble. And when Mike locked the door, Marie jumped up at Cynthia and hugged her.

"Oh my god!" Cynthia said started.

"Where have you been? When do we go home?" Marie asked.

"We don't." Cynthia said.

"But I want."

"End of topic Marie."

Marie looked around stressed. Marie went to the couch in the living room, and let herself fall on it. Lori, Mike, and Cynthia looked confused at Marie.

"That's unusual for her." Cynthia said.

"Really?" Lori asked.

"Yeah. She isn't the complete weirdo you think she is. If you know her, she's actually really lovable."

"Lovable?"

Cynthia turned to Lori.

"Like I said, she's autistic. So she has trouble with everything that doesn't follow her routine."

"Tell me more."

"Well, imagine, that you have much more sensitive ears and eyes. Everything is just more intense. Then you add problems with reading and telling emotions. Asperger autism. So, when she was in school, she really had trouble with other kids, because she didn't understand them. It's difficult to explain. But everything is harder for her to do her day then for you."

"Wow. I know you mentioned this Asperger thing, but I didn't know it that bad."

"It's not a disability!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like this."

Marie was quite strange. But now she understood why. Lori thought. Maybe she could relieve Marie's stress. Lori went to the couch and sat down next to the lying Marie.

"Hey Marie."

Marie looked up at Lori.

"What do you want?"

"Don't ask like this." Lori said.

"I... asked normally. Did I do something wrong?" "No. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why did you come here?"

"You know, I just learned what's going on with you. And you know, maybe you can benefit from my help."

"Like friends?"

Lori nodded.

"Great! Friend number five." Marie said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Literally what I said. You are friend number five."

"You only have five friends?"

Marie nodded.

"Wow..."

"What?"

"I thought you had more."

"I could show you my friend one time."

"I would like to do that."

"Thanks Lori."

"No problem Marie."

"Wanna play chess?"

"Im really bad at this." Lori said.

"I can teach you."

"Okay. Bring the chess board… here…"

Before Lori finished her sentence, Marie already went into Natasha's room. Marie came back with a MacBook Pro.

"Here. Wanna play white or black?"

"You wanna play chess on your notebook?"

"Yes. Where else?"

"Nevermind. Let's just start."

End of chapter