Author's note:
You folks seem to partying in the Rio Fanfic Archive, mind if I join in?
Seriously tho… Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back! And now I (that is me), shall now present to you the third official chapter of Rio's Finest. I also humbly apologize for the long and unnecessary hiatus but I'm back! And if you have been patient up till now, this is the point of the story where you'll find a few familiar faces.
This has been The Red Rockstar, and let the reading begin!
CHAPTER 3
"Scratching the Surface"
That afternoon…
Anna stood by the sidewalk on the edge of the street in a casual outfit, waiting patiently. She was waiting for Jewel to pick her up and go look for the any clues to find Sophia's missing brother Sonny. Apparently, it was a quarter past twelve, hence everything was being brightened up and showered by the cheerfully vicious sun rays. And a majority of people seemed to be outside their homes walking around and minding their own businesses.
"It's 1:16, where is she?" Mumbled Anna to herself. Today was the day where she would be able to spend the rest of the day off-duty and help in finding Sonny. But Jewel seemed to be running behind.
Suddenly her phone rang and fortunately for the Scarlett macaw, it was Jewel. She picked it up and pressed it to her ear.
"You love taking your time, don't you?" Joked Anna.
"Oh relax, I'm almost there," said Jewel on the other side of the line. "I got caught in a tough traffic jam."
Anna shook her head with a smile and said, "Alright. Still, I don't like standing around in this heat."
"Don't worry," said Jewel in a casual, yet reassuring tone. "I'm just around the corner, so keep your heads up."
And then Jewel hung up.
Anna put her phone in her pocket and looked around. All she could see were the giant city buildings, pedestrians and the occasional sight of the cars and bikes cruising by, and there was no sign of Jewel.
But Anna didn't have to wait for long. A couple of seconds later, there was the sound of a gurgling engine. It wasn't totally menacing, or obnoxious, but rather it seemed to be cruising at a pace where the driver didn't exactly have to put to put her foot all the way down the throttle.
Suddenly to her left, a flash of blue appeared, and there was a 1969 Chevy Camaro SS rolling into her view and stopped just before her.
The windows had been rolled down and inside was a familiar face of blue feathers, with slightly lighter facial markings and darker blue hair feathers for her hair.
"Hi there," said Jewel.
"Hey," replied Anna. "I see you've brought in your Camaro. It's nice to see it running again."
Anna's compliment made Jewel's smile wider. "Thanks. Now get in, we got a bird to catch."
"Sure." But then Anna's expression turned concerned, and raised a brow. "Wait, how do I know this isn't one of those cars where the air con is thrown out to reduce weight?"
"There will be fresh air blowing when you get in, Anna," laughed Jewel. "Come on, I wouldn't do that to my personal ride."
Eager to prevent herself from being baked in the sun, the scarlet macaw made her way inside to the passenger seat. And without a moment delayed, Jewel drove the car onwards, after she had its windows rolled up.
Anna piped up, "This car never gets old, right Jewel?"
"Oh yeah," answered Jewel, "I had a bit of work done to it to get it up to speed. It seems like this bad boy can put up a fight against most rivals." Jewel then thought back to the current task at hand, which was to find her missing friend.
"Hey Anna," Jewel began. "I think I might have a plan on how to find Sonny."
"You do?"
"Yeah. While I've made a few adjustments to my car, I got into contact with some of the racers who were in Madison Grids. A few familiar contacts I've gotten over the years. One of them said he believed Sonny worked at this garage not far from here. It's kind of a chop-shop or something. I figured now that Carnival 2020 is 'round the corner, you might not have time to do some of the ground work done in time."
"So, you did your homework early… thanks," said Anna. "With more pressure for us cops to be alert now that the tourist season is near, I guess we might not actually be able to get time to do anything else."
"Never hurts to be more active," replied the Spix macaw.
"Well, I guess its an advantage for someone like you leave her role behind," said Anna. However, she realized her mistake as Jewel looked at her with a raised brow. "No offense!"
"None taken," said Jewel as she looked back ahead and shifted into a higher gear for her car. "But still, we better look sharp though, I think the place is just up ahead."
Moments later...
Soon, Jewel drove her car in a subtle fashion up to a rather large garage, which was on their right. And they parked next to its own driveway, so that they wouldn't block it. Once they got out, the pair walked over to the entrance. There were a couple of sports cars in there, while they weren't anything special, they were all waiting to be fixed, modified or have their owners to come pick them up. There didn't seem to be anyone around, and it all seemed strangely quiet.
"That's odd," said Jewel perplexed. "For a big garage, I don't see much of any action. How do we go about this?"
"Perhaps there is a manager here, since the door is open. If we can't get to him, we can always wait around," offered Anna.
Jewel nodded and the two began to walk inside at a steady pace to start their investigation. "If all goes well," began Anna, "We can gain a lead and-"
Jewel put a hand out and blocked her. She was looking at something, something that made her stop dead in her tracks.
Anna looked at Jewel, who looked like as if she was sensing danger. "What's the matter?" Asked Anna cautiously. Jewel pointed out to their left, revealing what it was.
There stood another car, somewhat identical to Jewel's. It seemed a bit longer compared to her Camaro, and a little wider. And most of all, it had been given a royal red paintjob and a carbon fiber bonnet.
"You recognize that car?"
"Oh yeah, that right there is a '70 Dodge Challenger R/T." She then paused before continuing.
"And there's only one guy I know who would drive a red Challenger."
"Who?" Anna quizzed.
But their conversation was short lived, for behind them a voice called out.
"Is there something I can help you two with?"
The pair turned around in surprise, and there standing a few feet away was a crow who was almost tall as Jewel. She wore a pair of dirty overalls and had black charcoal feathers. And she had a pair of brown eyes which seemed to give off a distinct sense of slyness.
"Jewel, is that you? Oh my god, you finally have come back to Rio!" Exclaimed the crow with excitement, as she walked closer. "For a while I thought you were dead." And now she had her and stretched out for a handshake, but on instinct Jewel walked two steps backwards.
"Huh. I guess you ain't that social, eh?"
"You bet," said Jewel as her eyes turned to slits. "I don't run alongside dirty rats like you."
"Aww, come on," said the crow. "You did say you were an adrenaline junkie, I was just doing you a favor."
"A favor that made me walk out of my city," said Jewel, with iciness coming out of her voice.
Anna looked back and forth, and decided to defuse what might become a potentially heated argument.
"Do you two… know each other?" Quizzed Anna.
Jewel looked at her friend and then back at the crow. She sighed, "Anna, meet Jenny. A friend I used to ride with back in the day. I believe I have told you before."
"Oh, I was a good friend," said Jenny in a bit of sarcastic fashion that only Jewel could pick out. "I see you haven't changed your ride much."
"And I see you haven't changed a bit, you little prick," spat Jewel.
"You guys really do seem to hate each other," Anna piped up.
"Oh yes," agreed Jenny. "We are proud frenemies, you know? Enemy friends? You see, Jewel here, is a boring and lazy little school girl who likes playing by the rules."
"And you are greedy moron who likes to break them," Jewel turned to Anna and explained. "Apparently, before I left for my vacay Jenny wanted to partake in some of the illegal street races and wanted to make me come with her, instead of entering some Madison Grids races."
"Meh, they were kind of boring anyway," said Jenny, rolling her eyes.
"For someone who doesn't know how to drive properly," said Jewel in a sarcastic tone. "That might just be the smartest thing I've ever heard."
"Ooh," said Jenny. "And you are nothing worth more than the dirt under my car's wheels. So, you better keep that loud-mouth beak shut and I'll cut ya."
"Oh really," snapped Jewel, with a crazy smile forming on her beak. "I guess I might as well just punch you to the ground, like the rest of them."
"Do it," Jenny snapped back, "So I'll let you take the first hit."
The Spix Macaw scoffed, "You're kidding. Right?"
"Oh no, not at all."
Jewel stood there on the spot, clenching her fists and hardening her jaw. Part of her wanted to throw a punch at Jenny's face, but part of her wanted to walk out of it. It was as if Jewel had been split in half, given that she didn't know what choice she should go ahead with. If she did make a move, it would be likely that Jenny would fight back, but it would probably make Jewel look stupid. Staying still would probably be the more honorable choice.
But something told her that she would later regret for that.
"Come on, Jewel! Don't be shy," smirked Jenny.
"Jewel don't do it," whispered Anna. "It's best if you walk out of it."
Jewel wanted to quickly come to the perfect decision. But really, it felt like having to choose between two identical roads that seemed to have unknown destinations. "Come on think! Just make a choice!" Thought Jewel as she scrambled through her mind to get the best answer.
Luckily for her, she didn't have to think for long, for another unknown figure called out to them, disrupting the argument that was transpiring.
"What's going on over there?" Said the figure.
"It's nothing much," Jenny called out back, as Jewel and Anna turned around to see who it was.
"You better not be arguing with our customers, Jen. The Carnival's coming in a few days and we're all having our faces… turning out sour," said the figure as he noticed Jewel and Anna.
Jewel's eyes widened.
Standing in front of her was a man that Jewel had not seen in a while.
He was a Scarlett macaw, just like Anna. But he was a few centimeters taller than Jewel. He had a firm muscular build, a light greyish beak and had long red feathery hair. Along with that he wore a short-sleeved button up shirt, black jeans and a casual pair of shoes. At first glance, he seemed to have a suave sense within him, but that had faded away when he noticed the pair of investigators.
"Jewel, is that you?" Said Felipe.
"Felipe Junior Barros. Haven't seen you around for a while…" Answered Jewel, who looked rather astonished.
"Well, well, well," said Felipe calmly, as both his eyes and smile grew wider. "If it ain't Old Eddie's young prodigy. I knew you still lived here in this city, but I never thought I'd see you again. Whatever the heck are you doing in my garage?"
"I'm… looking for somebody, actually," said Jewel in the same tone as before.
"Ahh I see," said Felipe as he turned to Anna. "And Anna! Nice to see you! I think we've met before."
Felipe then stuck his hand out for Anna, expecting her to shake it. Anna returned the gesture. But for some reason Felipe bent on his knees and kissed her hand. And Jewel was pretty sure she saw Anna's face turning slightly pink.
"Uh yes! Yes we have," replied Anna. "I'm working alongside with Jewel right now."
"Great!" Felipe replied in an enthusiastic tone. He then turned to Jenny, "And what are you doing here, Jennifer?"
Jennifer crossed her arms and spat out, "Excuse me, smartass, I work here."
Felipe chuckled, "Oh yeah!" He turned to Jewel, and gave out his fist as a gesture for a fist-bump. "Seriously though, it's good to see you again Jewel. How are you?"
Once upon a time when Jewel was a young bird, there was another person who used to walk alongside her back when she lived in Minnesota. And his name was Felipe Jr Barros.
Back in the day, Felipe lived in the same neighborhood as Jewel, and they both used to go to the same middle school. While Jewel back then was someone who had a sense of rationality and believed in the good in society and so on, Felipe was more of the complete opposite. He was quite an undisputed wildcard, was often reckless and was also a bit of an egoist. And sometimes Felipe and Jewel would argue with each other about who is right and wrong.
But that was mostly back in the days where they were all young and were unaware about the lunacy that the world had yet to provide them.
"Not bad," said Jewel, as she casually returned the gesture. "You?"
"Eh, I'm good. It's nice to see an old friend again, and I hear that there was talk about you going for a vacation or something."
"Well… I guess the weather is quite nice at this time of year," joked Jewel.
"Huh, you're not wrong," said Felipe, he then continued. "So… is there anything I can help you with? I assume you don't really show up to someone else's doorstep without a reason," stated the Scarlet macaw innocently.
"Me and Anna might need your help. We're looking for a friend named Sonny Sebastian, who went missing a few days ago, we believe he's worked in your garage before he left."
"Sonny… Yeah, I know him. He's a nice guy, helped out on fixing and modifying my client's cars," said Felipe. "What happened?"
"He's vanished," replied Anna. "Disappeared into thin air."
Felipe paused for a brief moment, in silence.
"Wh- When did he leave?"
"Around a couple of days ago," said Anna. "We're trying to find a lead here."
Felipe looked around. At this point Jenny had walked a few meters away to take a phone call and luckily there seemed no one around to witness the three birds talking.
"Uhh… I think its best if you both come to my office," said Felipe with a noticeable hint of seriousness in his voice.
Jewel and Anna exchanged glances. "Alright," said Jewel, who shrugged her shoulders.
Soon…
Felipe sat down his office chair and let out a sigh.
"So? Do you know anything that happened that happened to Sonny?" Asked Jewel, sitting next to Anna at the other side of his desk.
Felipe's office seemed rather nice. The walls had been painted in a peachy cream sort of a color, a few framed pictures of hung around the place – mostly about cars – and a couple of them stood behind Felipe along with a large cupboard with books and trophies occupying most of the empty space. On his right were two windows with roller blinds. Everything seemed very organized, which seemed a little strange to Jewel.
"Sonny is… or was quite an energetic sort of a bird," explained Felipe. "Even though he was patient enough to stay around to help out, he couldn't wait to get in a car and floor down the gas pedal. And when he got qualified to run in the Grids that was all he could talk about. It's as if he was powered by energy drinks and candy bars and didn't want to go to bed."
"Did he leave anything behind? A message, phone call?" Queried Jewel.
"No," answered Felipe. "He hasn't contacted much of anyone since he went to modify his car for the past week."
Jewel thought harder and replied, "Was there anyone who didn't like him around here?"
Though he was being attentive to Jewel's questions, Felipe laid back in his chair with his hands on his head, which made him look pretty lazy. His eyes darted upwards for a second as he tried to think, but his answer came as a "No, not all."
"Really?"
"I'm serious, Jewel. Sonny is mostly a social butterfly with literally everyone. Although if I were to be honest, I'm not sure if he's been talking to anyone in particular. But I did hear that he's got a lover living here in the middle of the city."
"I think we can look into that," said Anna. "But what about anyone suspicious? Could he have talked to someone to lend money to buy parts for his car but he couldn't pay it back properly so he sneaked away to get jackpot while no one was looking?"
This time Felipe stood for a while to think about it. Jewel noticed that now he was taking a bit more time than he needed to answer their previous questions.
"Maybe…" Murmured Felipe. "I mean he is a bit of a risk taker."
The three fell silent. "If Sonny took money from a loan-sharker or someone, there might actually be a chance that he might do something a lot more reckless," thought Jewel.
"Are… Are you absolutely sure about that Mr. Barros?" Anna asked, breaking the current silence.
"No," said Felipe in a concerned tone, "but I have seen him take risks before. And if he's desperate to get into Madison Grids something tells me he's going to pull off some kind of stunt that's gonna get him into something serious."
"All we need to do then is to catch Sonny, before anything stupid happens," said Jewel a little apprehensively. Suddenly an idea popped into her head, an idea that just might work.
"Is there any chance you might have sent Sonny to work on someone else's car? Maybe a client perhaps?"
Felipe pondered for another moment, unconsciously taking time as he did so. "Actually, there is," he said as realization hit him.
Somehow, a little smile worked its way onto Jewel's beak when Felipe answered, to which she couldn't help it.
"I think I remember," said Felipe as he stood up straight. He then pulled out his phone and gave a few simple taps on the screen before showing a photo of a bright yellow sportscar. "Yellow RX-7, FD. I heard rumors that this car is sometimes seen driving on the northern highway, usually in the evening."
Jewel beamed as both she and Anna exchanged glances. "Finally, a potential lead," thought Jewel.
"That's pretty good news then," said Anna, who had acknowledged the possible advantage that they had grabbed hold of. "I think it's time we interviewed everyone else. Mr. Barros, if you would be so kind?"
"Oooh certainly," said Felipe as he stood up, with a sneaky smile on his face. "Right this way to my accountant's office."
Felipe walked over to the door and opened it, gesturing the pair to follow his direction. Anna went through the door, but as Jewel walked over, Felipe spoke up.
"Hey."
"Yeah?" Said Jewel.
"You might not have noticed," said Felipe as he spoke in a fashion that resembled to that of a little boy who looked like he was confessing innocently that he stole candy.
"Go on," said Jewel as she crossed her arms and raised her brow, with a smug look on her face.
"The thing is… it's been ten years since we all ran away from Minnesota. I gotta admit, it took me by surprise when I first thought of it."
Realization hit her in a fashion that seemed slow, silent and conspicuous as being struck with a knife.
"I almost forgot about it…" Jewel replied quietly. "Was it-"
"Yes… We all moved over here back in around January…"
The memories flooded from the vaults in the back of their heads like ghosts, especially in Jewel's.
"Do you sometimes think about back then when we all came here?"
"Yeah… Sometimes," said Jewel.
Often. Very often.
"It was pretty fun back then," said Felipe. "Especially when I'm riding off with people like you, ya know?"
Jewel narrowed her eyes, "Really… I kind of doubt that. Because I'm pretty sure you're the one riding around to fulfill your own ideas."
Felipe laughed as Jewel exited his office and then murmured, smiling. "Oh, Jewel… Aren't we all."
Later…
Soon, Jewel hopped back into her car, where Anna sat in the passenger seat.
"Well, everybody there is interviewed today," said Jewel. "Now it's time to find that client's yellow speed machine."
"You seem to have gotten a sharp sense back there," replied Anna. "I'm kinda surprised at how you didn't lose it whilst you've been gone."
"Ah," said Jewel, "the treasures of having a bit of spirit and ambition." And then, she turned her keys in the ignition to life, making her car grumble to life once again. It wasn't long before Jewel drove her car back on the road again.
"Hey, mind I ask you something?" Said Anna.
Jewel turned to her for a second before putting her eyes back on the road again. "Yeah?"
"You once told me that you've met Felipe before I did, how did you actually meet him?"
"Well… back at Minnesota, in 2010, me and Felipe used to go to the same middle school," explained Jewel. "His father used to be a garage owner and mine was a cop. And we both figured out that we had Brazilian roots. We hung out often from time to time with some of our other friends. Although one day, me and Felipe, uhh… Decided to move… to Rio back in 2011. And we did our thing with a few other friends,and settled here. It was how you met him when he first came to your high school."
Anna paused for a while, staring into open space after she listened. "Huh, alright," she replied. "Although, why did you move to Rio, anyway?"
Jewel was about to answer when she, sort of stopped herself. A few of the excitingly wild and strange memories flooded back into her head. And Jewel gave out a quiet sigh. "Well uh, it's a bit of a long story," answered Jewel carefully. "But don't worry. I'll… figure it out and explain it to you someday."
"Okay," said Anna, with as sense of reassurance. "So how are we going to find that client's car? Do we have a plan?"
"Well Felipe did say the car is often seen at the local highway up north of Rio at evening. Something tells me if we give that client a call he'll back out before we can find him. So, I know that there's gas station outside the city there, it could be possible that he could stop there and fill up for gas."
"And while we wait, I could check the computer at the police station to see if we have a car matching the one Felipe showed us," said Anna thoughtfully. "Maybe that can help us give a clue."
"Then hopefully we can catch up to him and figure out what might've happened to our friend," said Jewel as she accelerated her Camaro reassuringly.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Rio…
As evening came around, orange, red and yellow hues had begun to slowly make their way into Rio. Everything seemed to carry on as normal in the city as the number of people who wanted to get out and experience the fresh air and see pretty sights seemed to be getting more.
Somewhere in the city, where the bright lights, the finer and prettier sights and the fanciness resided, was a rather decent looking building. To the average eye, it was around five stories tall, and it was neatly wide, with a parking lot of a few lovely looking cars and a gate at the entrance preventing any unwanted faces inside the area. And at the entrance, there was a sign that read, "Altitude Studios & Co."
Inside the building however, it was a different story.
Inside there, one of the rooms was a large studio which had everything it needed to record music. The many buttons, microphones and computers were present there to get the job done, with royal red walls and the floor had been covered in a red velvet carpet.
However, one thing that was certainly not meant to be there, was the bright yellow police tape that seemed to wrap the walls, the DJ booth and any cupboard or shelf that stood there. And a police team of trained crime-scene investigators hung around the place, conversating through their professional terms and expressions.
Apparently, the door that led to the studio was guarded by two tech boys. And outside there were two birds being gently interrogated by a grey tomcat in a suit with large whiskers. Both birds were the only ones who wore casual outfits and both seemed to be in a relaxed state. But one was slightly a little more irritated than the other.
"So, when the heck are you boys gon' open up the place?" Questioned the first bird with his arms crossed.
"When we get your director to talk, then you can have at it with the place all you like," said the tomcat.
"Good luck with that," said the second bird in a sigh, rolling his eyes as he did so at the mention of him. "Apparently, he likes to be pretty tight lipped, usually leavin' a lot of us in the dark whenever he comes up with one of his 'plans'." At that point, he used air quotes. "Kinda makes him look stupid to be honest."
"Hmm, so he likes to keep his mouth shut," murmured the tomcat as he wrote down short-notes on his little notepad.
"Hold up," said the first bird. "So, when's that gonna happen?"
"Probably in a couple of weeks in my opinion," stated the cat flatly.
The first bird's eyebrows hardened a little more as he looked away from his friend's direction. "Damn! We were just about to finish a new album 'till this little weasel decided to ruin our party," he muttered in reply.
"So how long did you know him?" Asked the Tomcat.
"About three years," said the second bird. "We always knew he was gonna be an ambitious and a bit of an uptight kind of a dude. But never knew he was gonna stoop that low."
"Did he ever share you any of his cash?"
"No," said the first bird. "Even though we may be chill hip-hop sorta dudes we really ain't actually the criminal types." He then chuckled as he thought about it. "No matter how much we wanted to be."
Suddenly, another investigator came over and called the Tomcat over.
"Don't leave town," he said as he left the two birds to their own devices.
The second bird shook his head in slight annoyance. "Come on bro. Maybe its best we go do somethin' else."
The first bird looked the door from where he stood one last time at studio that was once theirs, before finally replying, "Yeah, let's get outta here."
They walked through the hallways and down an elevator, passing by various luxury looking furniture and décor, along with a few wealthy looking people, before going past the main entrance desk and out of the premises. And it wasn't long before until they started talking again, as they walked toward their car.
"Whoa," piped up the first bird as he took out his phone, opening up the camera and putting it casually into selfie mode. "This evening light somehow brings out that sparkle-sparkle in my red feathers."
"Oh, so you've finally stopped grumblin' about not getting to pull of another song?"
"Selfie," said the red bird smiled as he took one of themselves, and before showing it to the second bird.
"Hmmm, pretty nice. My yellow feathers look so bright that I look golden," said the second bird.
"'Course I'm a little mad… I mean, a lot of them singers and rappers are going crazy in their songs now that Carnival 2020 is coming. And meanwhile, two random unexciting dudes – that's us by the way – have only come with nothin' but a few lyrics on our last song, and our favorite studio had just closed."
"Temporarily," said the yellow bird. "In case if you ain't noticed brother, even I'm upset 'bout this whole fiasco. Just how the heck did we not see our own director being a dealer?"
"I dunno," said the red bird in a glum fashion. But then, he began to think as he put his hands in his pockets. "Know that I think about it, why didn't he come to us to sell his goods? I mean we got the cash-"
"And we're famous as well, which ironically puts us on a list of his possible buyers," replied the yellow bird. But then he shook his head again, "Nah, he must think we'd be stupid enough to blow his cover."
The red bird scoffed, "Bruh, I mean we done stupid stuff before, but I ain't so sure we're lunatic."
"Search me," said the yellow bird. "All this thinkin' makes me tired… You wanna go for a ride and a drink?"
The red bird said nothing for a while as they continued on walking slowly across the parking lot. "A drink might suit me just fine. Going for a ride? I dunno."
"Okay," said his friend as he strolled casually. "You know? I might now a good place up north where we can breathe easy. What do you think?"
"Up north?" He pondered, "A'ight. Let's hope it's gonna be pretty when we get there."
Suddenly, the bird in yellow's eyes widened a little as he looked ahead at the machine that had its rear facing towards them.
"Oh, it will be."
Just a few feet ahead of them, stood a machine of bright yellow. It was a car with a rather long bonnet and a tall rear wing, which were both made of carbon fiber. It had more gentle curves than sharp edges and corners, and it also stood on a pair of pearl white six spoked wheels.
And best part about its looks was probably fact that it had pop-up headlights.
The yellow bird straightened his green baseball cap, and let his right hand touch the driver's side of the car, starting from the rear fenders to the door handles. "Hang on, we're taking the highway aren't we? Won't we have to stop for fuel sometime?" Said his friend.
"Oh yeah," he replied, as he opened the door and hopped into his car. "And we'll come around back for the party in Ipanema… So hop on in!"
Meanwhile…
After her encounter with Felipe, Jewel found it a bit hard at trying to concentrate at the task. It was because her mind seemed to dart back and forth from present to the past once in a while.
She didn't know what seemed wrong. But something tells her that, maybe working to find her missing friend can solve her internal dilemma.
Speaking of working…
"Jewel? Have you been listening to me?" Anna perked up.
"Huh?" Said jewel as she snapped back into reality.
She had been sitting on the hood of her '69 Camaro under the evening breeze, as Anna had been walking back and forth in front of her, whilst reviewing her thoughts about what had happened and the situation currently at hand. Apparently, they had been parked in a lonely gas station outside the city, and a to their left stood a highway that led various vehicles into and out of the city.
"I think you've spaced out back there," said Anna.
"I guess," said Jewel.
"Okay," sighed Anna, having to review her opinions all over again.
"So, after we interview Felipe, I went back to my office at the police station to take see if I can ID that car he showed us in the picture. Turns out that it belonged two singers who sometimes come around here." Anna chuckled. "To say that they're a dynamic duo is a certain understatement. Their names are… Jewel?"
Jewel had her arms crossed and her eyes had darted elsewhere.
"Yeah? I'm listening."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm… I'm fine, really," stated Jewel reassuringly.
Anna stood for a while in silence with a worried expression on her face, then she sat on the Camaro's bonnet next to her friend. Jewel on the other hand seemed curious as to what her friend would say next.
"Look Jewel. Me, Sophia and some the others back at work have been talking about you. And we are… a little concerned. After you left from Rio, whilst you've quit your job, you seem different. You seem really quiet at times, you've barely picked up any calls, and now you're living alone in an empty house."
Jewel nodded at that. "I was… simply thinking about the good old times. You know, when I first came here."
"Okay," said Anna as a slightly startling thought came into her head.
"You know, you never told us about your past that much."
"Oh. W-what's so important about it?"
"I mean, you never told us about why you and your family ran away from your own home town. What you did before you worked alongside us. How strange it is for someone like you to naturally have a small number of friends. Now that I think about it, I don't think anyone has ever seen you in a relationship."
"Yeah…" Replied Jewel, who wasn't sure how to answer to that. "It's all a very long story."
"Am I supposed to guess it was sad, lonely and crazy?"
"I'd say it's more downright crazy than anything else," smiled Jewel. "In fact, it's crazy enough to the point where you won't believe it."
All of a sudden, the sound of an incredibly high-pitched noise filled the atmosphere. And Jewel took a second to contemplate it.
"Look, I might need more time to figure this out but I will tell it to you someday, and that's a promise. Right now, it's our cue." Answered Jewel reassuringly once again as she stood up and walked forward.
That high-pitched noise came from a car's engine, that's for sure. Jewel had admired these machines called cars for years, and she was good at figuring out which car made which sound. This one seemed familiar, but she could tell that it sounded different than any other motor that she could come up with.
"Unless it doesn't use pistons," thought Jewel in realization.
Then there it was, arriving smoothly at the gas station, was a bright lemon yellow 1995 Mazda RX-7. It drove on white six-spoke wheels, had classic pop-up headlights and had a carbon-fiber hood and a rear wing bolted onto its trunk.
It was a gorgeous little sports car.
Jewel turned her head around to Anna and nodded at the car ahead as a gesture to come with her, to which she replied.
Then two short and comical birds got out of the car. One was a red cardinal who wore a black aerosmith T-shirt, grey jeans and a pair of white sneakers. The other was a yellow canary who wore a white shirt, a pair of green shorts and a pair of sandals, along with a green baseball cap on his head.
The Cardinal stretched out as his friend, the Canary took a gas pump outlet to fuel the RX-7. "Man, I feel squished when sitting in this thing, now that you got the roll-cage in there. Next time we are bringing my Defender 110."
"The Defender?" Replied the Canary with wide eyes. "Oh no! I'm not riding with you behind the wheel bro. Let alone riding in a half-a-ton giant hunk of metal going offroad, at over a hundred and thirty miles per hour!"
"What's wrong with driving a half-a-ton giant hunk of metal going offroad at around dangerous speeds? Besides, dirt roads don't have speed limits, do they?" Said the Cardinal. "It's just as safe as crossing the street."
"Man, I'm starting to wonder if you got hit on the head. I mean is your freakin' brain working properly?"
"Nah bro, you's a scaredy cat," laughed the Cardinal.
"Nuh-uh, you's a crazy dude, bro."
"Oh no, you's a-"
A whistle sounded off in the distance.
"Hello boys," said Jewel.
The pair turned to Jewel's direction, to realize that they were not the only ones present there. Because standing a few feet away from them were a pair of tall, yet unsuspecting macaws. One was a Spix Macaw of sky-blue feathers, she had her feathery hair in a bob cut and wore a black long-sleeved shirt, ice blue jeans and white training sneakers.
Her friend on the other hand, a Scarlet macaw, had long red hair feathers and wore a pearl white blouse, and a pair of formal trousers and simple black flats. Not to mention, she also had a rectangular pair of rimless glasses, which simply added up to her formal attire.
Both of whom looked like they had walked out of a random teenage boy's dream.
"Hi," said Jewel with a wave. "You two must be Pedro and Nico, I don't think we've met before but me and my friend here are big really big fans of you two."
"We are?" Queried Anna in a quiet voice.
"Yeah, just follow my lead," replied Jewel.
Pedro and Nico paused as the pair approached them. They had not expected to find company outside the city, let alone to see fans. And the Cardinal, who was recently in a rather ticked-off mood had somehow let a smile work its way onto his beak, indicating that he was certainly dazzled. The Canary, also dazzled by their appearances, moved over to his friend.
"Pedro," he whispered. "Who the heck are they?"
"I dunno, Nico. But whoever they are I like 'em already," said the Cardinal. "They. Are. Cute."
"Cute they are," said Nico. "Though I kinda think I seen that gal in blue from somewhere. Let's ask them."
"A'ight then."
"Wow," said Pedro as he casually leaned on the passenger's side of the RX-7, giving his best shot at being smooth. "And who might you two lovely ladies be?"
"I'm Jewel, and this is my friend Anna. And we were just talking about the work you two have pulled off."
"Ooh, okay," replied Pedro, whilst Nico who found his friend a bit too conspicuous, and raised a brow. "So, you here for an autograph?"
"Oh no, we are just here for a talk." Jewel glanced over at the car. "Nice RX-7, by the way… Did you guys built this? I hear it's got a few parts from Madison Grids."
"Actually, I did. My friend here held my can of soda while I worked on it," said Nico with a rather perplexed look on his face. "Funny… Never knew girls like you recognized cars."
"What?" Said Jewel a little jokingly, turning to the little canary. "Is it wrong, for girls to admire cars?"
"Uhh, no," he replied. But before he could answer, his friend the little Cardinal interrupted.
"Yeah, hello? I did help you out on that car, too!"
"Dude, that was another car," said Nico.
"Really?" Said Pedro. "Then what's this?"
"It's a car we noticed racing at some of the Grid events. One we really want to find out about who helped you built it," interrupted Anna flatly.
At that point, Nico and Pedro exchanged glances with their eyes as wide as dinner plates and the looked at Anna.
"Grids events?" Pedro remarked. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Nico?"
"Yeah, I don't think you're just average fangirls," observed Nico. "Who are you? Are you one-o-them stalkers?"
"We don't mean you no harm," said Anna. "You see, we believe Sonny Sebastian, a friend of ours, helped you with modifying that your RX-7. He went missing a few days ago, and we are trying to find him."
Pedro blinked while his friend Nico replied. "Oh, I see."
"Never heard of him," said Pedro bluntly.
"Sonny? He's a friend I met last year. Helped me out with the suspension and wheel setup on this thing."
"Yeah, him," Jewel piped-up. She then pulled her phone out of her pocked and showed them Sonny's picture. "Recognize him?"
Pedro looked at it carefully, "Looks familiar."
"That's Sonny, genius. We've met him a few couple of times," exclaimed Nico. "Still-"
"Great," said Anna. "Look, me and my friend here are working on a real case that it involves our friend and it could be absolutely serious. So, would you two might have-"
"Hold up!" Exclaimed Pedro, with his hands and arms outstretched. His sudden reply had allowed everyone to freeze on the spot for a few seconds. And then he spoke out, "I think my brother here did not get an answer to his question… Who are you?"
Anna and Jewel blinked. They realized they had not properly introduced themselves and now they probably had given themselves an identity as strangers.
"Oh… sorry about that," answered Anna. "I am Detective Anna Cardoso and this my friend Jewel Edison. And as you may know by now, we are on a search to find our missing friend."
"Jewel Edison?" Quizzed the yellow Canary. His eyes then caught a glimpse of bright blue with white stripes, and when he leaned over to his right, there stood a '69 Camaro sitting still, luxuriating the evening light.
"Of course!" Exclaimed Nico. "You're the gal who races muscle cars as easy as driving on a Sunday cruise."
As if on cue Pedro's eyes had also caught the view of the American classic, to which he responded. "Hey! I know you too. You're one of the original drivers who came to Rio back in 2011, when Madsion Grids expanded! I knew I recognized you!"
"You recognized her? I did!" retorted Nico.
"I never knew you were famous Jewel," said Anna.
"Believe me, neither did I," replied a rather stunned Jewel. Being famous among celebrities? That was something she had never thought she would witness.
Suddenly an idea appeared inside Pedro's conscious mind, one that seemed to give his veins the adrenaline he needs. Without giving a second thought, the Cardinal crossed his arms and turned to Jewel.
"That's a nice ride you got there," spoke Pedro in a smug fashion. "But I bet you wouldn't be able to take on our car, the RX-7."
"That machine?" Responded Jewel in a confused expression. "Pfft. I mean… it's a good car but no. I've been building and rebuilding my car for almost a decade. You've barely got a chance at keeping with this thing let alone overtake it."
"Oh no, I'm serious," said Pedro, continuing whilst pointing at the highway. "Drag race on this highway. There is a tunnel that comes up just before Rio de Janeiro. Winner is the one that pops out the other side."
"Wait, what?" Blurted Nico, who looked like he saw a ghost.
"You heard me. You want in? Unless you wanna prove that tuners are better than muscle like how they do it on the internet."
That got her attention.
"Really?" Said Jewel, who rose to the bait with a determined look on her face. "What's in it for the winner?"
"You win, we tell you all about Sonny. If we win, you're paying for our dinner," replied Pedro.
Jewel stood for a second. She needed to turn down Pedro's challenge and demand him more questions, if that means saving a few seconds of finding Sonny. Knowing fully well that she was a responsible figure and couldn't care more for some pointless race, really it was the better option.
But her next action would prove otherwise.
"It. Is. On," said Jewel, with determination dripping out of her voice. "But just in case, you boys are getting a 6 second head start."
"A'ight then," said Pedro has he fist bumped Jewel's hand.
"Wait we're racing?" Said Nico who didn't want that to happen. "But I haven't even prepared my car yet!"
"Hang on a minute," interrupted Anna as she turned to Jewel and Pedro, trying not to sound unprofesional. "Can't we just settle this like regular civilized people? I mean, are we really going to have a race just for the sake of information?"
A few seconds later…
"This is not how I wanted to spend my evening!" Exclaimed Anna in worry.
The Scarlet Macaw now found herself in Jewel's Camaro, with Jewel driving it. And right next to them on their left, was Nico's RX-7 which somehow had Pedro as its driver. The two cars were now running side by side at third gear on a three lane highway heading to Rio.
"Uhh, Pedro?" Said Nico in the passenger seat, who was rather tense. "If you switch into the wrong gear or something, you're gonna have to fix it!"
"Relax, bro!" Pedro replied as he put a firm grip on the steering wheel. "We are gonna win this."
"So, you can get a free dinner?"
"No, that's just a joke. Besides, you built this car to have good acceleration, right?"
"No dummy," retorted Nico. "I built this car to take on mountain passes. Not to go up against 10 second cars on the highway!"
"That's why she gave us a six second head start," said Pedro. "There's nothing to worry about bro. All we really got to do is enjoy the fun."
And then, when Pedro thought everything was clear, he pressed the horn on the steering wheel loudly, three times – not too long or not too short. Once that was done, he floored the gas pedal, the pair lurched back into their seats. And as the car's rotary engine screamed a high note and shot off into the distance ahead.
"There they go," said Jewel as she then checked the watch on her right wrist. "Now it's our turn."
"Was that their way of saying 'Ready-set-go' on their horn?" Piped up Anna. "I guess you petrolheads really do live in a nice wor- OH MY GOD!"
At a sudden notice, Jewel floored her accelerator, making her car lurch forward and accelerate furiously. "And now we are unleashed! Whoo!" Hollered Jewel as her Camaro thundered down the highway.
To be able to apply full throttle was a feeling she missed dearly. And as Jewel watched the red needle on her speedometer rise up to over eighty miles per hour, she knew her car would be almost nothing more than a flash of blue.
She then gently swerved her Camaro to the left as a much slower car passed by.
"This is not safe. This is not safe!" Cried Anna, who was certainly not used to high speeds.
"Calm down," replied Jewel, as her voice was nearly drowned by the sound of her roaring V8 motor. "Just relax for a bit."
"How are you so sure they are not gonna run from us. Does it even matter whether if we win or lose?"
"Honestly, I'm not," replied Jewel with her expression unchanged. "You know how to race?"
"Um, no?!"
"Good… all we need to do is keep them in our reach." Jewel then got her foot of the gas, floored the clutch pedal momentarily, and shifted into forth gear before switching back to the gas pedal. "We really don't have to do much of anything," she said. "All we gotta do is keep them on our radar."
"Wait, do you actually know what you're doing?"
"Yeah," replied Jewel. She knew Anna had a right to be concerned about driving at dangerous speeds, as getting into an accident was no joke.
But she decided to put those thoughts at the back burner. Because she knew back in the day, she had done this many times. She then surveyed her front view – Nico and Pedro weren't far but to quickly close the gap would be necessary, and since there weren't many other pedestrian cars to deal with at this time of hour, overtaking should not be a bother.
"If we need to overtake them, first we need to catch their slipstream. It should catapult us right to them," said Jewel.
"Slipstream?"
"I'll explain later, for now watch this."
Anytime the yellow RX-7 had to dodge a car, the Camaro followed right behind it. And under a few seconds Jewel was right behind Pedro's tail.
"Well, their coming right behind us," said Nico.
"Then I'll block her, if I have to bro," answered Pedro, to which his passenger replied.
"Oh no you don't! Just concentrate on shifting those gears."
"About that," said Pedro. "I might've shifted into fifth gear a bit too early, back there."
Nico gave him a flat look.
"Just sit tight there lookin' pretty," hollered Pedro. "Imma get this win."
Soon, the highway led into the mouth of a tunnel with lime yellow lights brightening it up. And as they entire it, the air inside was filled with the scream of a rotary motor and a roaring V8.
Jewel swerved her car to the left as she was only a few inches away from Pedro, slowly Camaro creeped up to them. And once they were level, Jewel waved at them before she then switched to fifth gear allowing her to pull away.
"We're doing it," said Anna as she looked to her right to see their opponent getting left behind.
"Dang, I thought for sure we could take the win," said Pedro who looked over to them.
"Look out!" Cried Nico.
Right ahead of them, they were about to drive into a slower car. Pedro swerved the RX-7 to the right as it passed by, allowing them to evade a sudden accident. Unfortunately, the Cardinal's sudden action had cost them their speed which decreased a little, and it was too late to catch up to Jewel.
A light was at the end of the tunnel, Jewel gripped her steering wheel as she saw it and gave her car full throttle. And as her '69 Camaro thundered out the other side, Jewel let of the gas, greeting the city with the bursting sound of her cars' backfire.
And after a while then the Spix macaw turned on her turning signal to go right, indicating Pedro and Nico to follow her.
A little later…
"Mmm… Now that's what I call refreshing," said Pedro slurping on a straw.
The four birds were now on the top floor of a local car park building. They had somehow parked next to a few vending machines and Jewel had bought everyone something to drink, despite the fact that she won.
"Consider it my way of thanking you for the race," said Jewel as she finished a can of soda. "And for not running off from our deal."
"Yeah, making you pay for our next dinner was actually Pedro's joke," replied Nico.
"I just thought of the first thing that came to my mind," added Pedro gleefully.
"So, I guess we owe you a little explanation on Sonny," said Nico. To which Jewel replied in an alleviating tone;
"Anytime you're ready…"
"About Sonny… We first met in a grids event where I thought it'd be nice to teach newbies how to drift. And then I met this young guy who seemed to poke his nose – or should I say 'beak' - a lot on the things that I've done to my car. He seemed real interested in it. The next day Sonny came over to me and asked if I'd like to check out his car, a GT86, wondering if he built the car wrong. And when I hopped in with him, he seemed to be a pretty good driver. I guess he saw me and Pedro as good guys than just some high-class singer dudes."
"Yeah, boy's a free spirit," said Pedro. "Unlike the most newbies, Sonny's got no enemies. And he loves a fair, good competition. He just loves driving cars, or buildin' them."
"Didn't you say, you didn't know him in his picture?" Asked Jewel.
Pedro stood for a while with an awkward grin before saying, "That was also a joke."
"So do you know where Sonny could have gone?" Said Anna.
"Dunno," answered Nico. "He definitely ain't one of them travellers. And he really isn't the kind of guy to mess around unreasonably."
"Didn't he say he's got a girl somewhere in Rio?" Said the Cardinal.
"Yeah," said Nico. He then turned to Jewel. "Did she say anything?"
"No. We never contacted her, yet," sighed Anna.
The Anna and Jewel stood for a while, racking their brains to find an idea with vexed expressions on their faces. They were almost at the verge of calling it quits for the day, as they had been running around for almost an entire day, only to come across dead ends.
"It must be hard, losin' a friend," said Nico quietly. "I know how I'd feel." He understood their problem, as between him and Pedro, Nico was the more sensitive one.
Then Pedro blurted out, killing the silence
"Did I ever tell you that one time, that we wanted to build a car on a budget but we were on a bit of a rush our so Sonny helped us find some of the parts from his little stash house?"
"Wait a minute!" Interrupted Jewel. "Stash… house?"
"Yeah," said Pedro. "Well, it wasn't really a house. Just some regular apartment Sonny rented out somewhere around Rio for cheap so that he could store some car parts there."
Jewel glanced at Anna and then at the Cardinal, "Can you take us there?"
Pedro seemed confused as to what Jewel was on about. "Sorry, me and Nico never actually been there. But he did sell some of those parts to a few other people around the city, why?"
"Because I think you've just given us a lead," Jewel replied, she then looked away to think. "A small one… but maybe it might be useful somehow."
Pedro blinked as he looked over to Nico, whilst grinning gleefully. "You see that? I knew I was a genius!"
"You know, I think I might have an idea," said Anna as she pushed her glasses up. "Sonny is a member of Madison Grids, right? So, if we can talk to the managers, to pull up a list of members. Maybe we might be able to narrow down some of the people he might have sold parts to."
Suddenly Anna's phone began to ring, and she walked away a few feet to take her call.
Nico then turned to Jewel. "I tell you what, Jewel? That was a good race. I guess you really can't expect who's gonna turn out to be the winner. And by the way… me and Pedro here will keep an eye out for anything funny."
"That's very kind of you," said Jewel.
"Also you seem to be a pro on driving, you should come back to Madison Grids so we can have a rematch!" Blurted Pedro.
"Well," hesitated Jewel. "Alright… Though I gotta ask. Are you guys like brothers or something? 'Cause… well you know…"
"Ahh, we get that a lot," chuckled Nico. "We step-brothers."
"Yeah," said Pedro. "Girl, when you see one of us, the other ain't far behind."
"I'll keep that in mind," agreed Jewel. "Me and my friend might have to call you in. So, just in case, best if you don't leave town."
"You got it girl," said Pedro. And then he produced a small car from his pocket. "This little card has both our numbers. So, feel free to call whenever you like."
"Yeah, and by the way, me and Pedro operate a dance club in this city," said the Canary as he gave Jewel another card. "So, if you wanna get your groove on, check that for directions. You'll know where to find us."
Jewel looked at the card Nico had given him. "Thanks, I'll consider about that as well."
"Yeah, anyways me and Pedro need to get the heck outta here, it's for another party," said Nico as him and Pedro hopped back into his RX-7. Jewel headed over and looked through the open window to see Nico, who was pleased to be back on the driver's seat again. He then turned his head to her.
"We'll see around Jewel!" Hollered the young Canary and popped his key into ignition and turned it.
Unfortunately, it only resulted in the engine to splutter and stop. Nico tried again, and yet the result was all but same.
"Rotary life?" Quizzed Jewel
Hoping for a third time lucky, Nico tried again and luckily the engine rumbled to life.
"Rotary life," he replied as he put the car in first gear.
"Hey, you will call though, right?" Said Pedro, but before he could say anything else Nico started his car, and off they went down the ramp that would lead them to the ground floor.
Jewel waved as they left. It felt great to meet other like-minded car lovers, as well as being able race again. Although, Jewel hoped her next race would happen on legal grounds.
Anna came over to her. "So, they left?"
"Yeah," sighed Jewel in a relaxed tone. "They gave me both their numbers and their residence on these little cards." She then gave Anna the one with the phone numbers and looked at the invitation Nico gave her.
It read, 'The Branch' in silver letters.
"Hey Anna," said Jewel. "Sorry for giving you a fright on the ride back there. I figured you did have a reason to worry."
"Nah, it's fine," said Anna casually with a grin. "To be honest, that was kinda fun actually."
"Yep."
"So, remember when Sophie said she and Jose ran into that rogue last night? Some investigator boys called me, said they found out that he broke into an apartment that night and stole something."
"What?"
"Yeah," said Anna. "I think we found more than one lead."
Jewel thought for a second, it's too early think of anything but wild guesses. But at the end of the day, they were being able to scratch the surface.
Jewel turned to her right. The view of the magnificent sunset had caught her eyes, along with the sight of the city skyline, being colored in various warm rays, and made everything look pleasing to her eyes. Because this was her city. The city that her parents and the rest of her family and friends always adored. She was once told that when she was here, she should live a little.
And maybe after everything that happened today, that was what she really wanted to do.
"So, you wanna go check it out?" Said Anna.
"Alright," said Jewel calmly. "I'm in."
Author's note;
Well, well, well. So you've finally made it to the end. Congratulations! And now from this point, this is the part where it actually gets interesting, starting from the next chapter (yes there is a next chapter coming soon).
Ladies and gentlemen, this has been the Red Rockstar, I'll see you all on the next chapter and have a good day.
Cheers.