Welcome to my blog

My name is Carol Stagg, I am a creative writer living in La Paz, Baja California. This blog is a short fantasy novel, one of my many stories. I have decided to publish this for the first time, in hopes that you may enjoy it, but that you may also provide me with your thoughts and input.

Thank you for taking the time to read my writing.

Carol Stagg

To begin your exercise, select chapter one to the right.

Chapter 26 - The End

Chapter XXVI

When Kurtis and Spacer reached the interrogation room, Mike, the young officer who was their chauffeur, handed them an envelope.

“Crime lab sent this up for you,” Mike said.  “Thought you might want it before the interrogation.”

“Always do the homework,” Kurtis said.  “Saves looking like a klutz.”

Spacer read one of the pages that were in the envelope; Kurtis read the other then they traded pages.

“You seen these guys?” Spacer asked Mike.

“If they’re the guys I saw them bring down from the cells.”

“Bullies?” Spacer asked.  “Big and bad?”

“More like smart-ass kids,” Mike replied.  “The oldest is probably under thirty.”

“Do we have rap sheets?” Kurtis asked.

“I’ll see if I can get one.”  Mike jumped up eager to be helpful.

Mike was quick to return.  They had just time to read the rap sheets when the first man was ushered in.

Spacer looked him over with a cold stare, “You Miller?”

The question was met with a sneer and nod.

“I don’t even want to look at this piece of trash.  Joins up to serve with proud men.  Claims to be one of the finest, then discredits everyone by raping Iraqi women – three before they caught him.”  Spacer read, then threw the paper to the table.

“That’s a real dishonorable discharge,” Kurtis said, shaking his head.  “Why didn’t they leave him to Iraqi justice?”

Miller laughed – alone. 

“YOU want me to shake him by the front of the shirt and slap him up both sides of the head for you?” Mike asked.

“Nah, we save that for men,” Spacer replied.  He was pleased with the question.  Kid might work out, Spacer thought, and the glint in Kurtis’ eye told he was in agreement.

Mike noticed the unspoken camaraderie and was pleased.

“Yeah, don’t dirty your hands on this piece of shit,” Kurtis said.  “Says here he owned the land the pot field was on.  Hard to believe he owned ‘a pot to piss in.’”

“First time that land made money was last year when I took it over,” Miller said.

“Now you got nothing again.  Nothing but trouble,” Kurtis said.  “Feds take land used to grow illegal substanceS.”

“You’re sitting here looking at murder one,” Spacer said.

“I didn’t kill anyone.  … The Feds take the land?”

“Truck has the girl’s blood.  The rifle matches ballistics,” Kurtis nodded and kept it moving.

“So?” Miller said, “I didn’t kill her.”

“What do you bet your friend Draper says the same thing?” Spacer went on, “Could really piss him off, you trying to pin murder on him.”

“I ain’t saying any more.  I want a lawyer,” Miller yelled.

“I wish you’d thought of that earlier, when they asked you,”  Kurtis said.   “We wasted all this time.”

“Mike, would you see if Draper’s lawyer is here?” Spacer asked.  “He got one.  We can talk to them while you wait for yours.  He gets the first plea.”

Mike went to the door and received a nod from a guard.

Miller didn’t take the bait.  He was waiting for a lawyer.  When the guards took Miller out, Kurtis shook his head and said, “I think that flew right past him.  Does it seem to you we’re getting a dumber bunch of killers lately?”

“Stoker’s smart,” Spacer said.

“Who says?” Kurtis asked.

“Tate!”

“Oh, right, his good buddy.”  Kurtis told Mike, “Tate makes Miller look like a genius.”

Mike laughed.

The guards brought Draper and his lawyer into the room.  Draper looked Spacer and Kurtis over with a sneer. 

“What happened to you guys?” Draper asked.  His lawyer gave him a cursory glance, for speaking without his permission.

“I think you already know that,” Spacer said.

Kurtis had read the lab report on the van that hit him and Spacer, so he took a flyer question, “Yeah, says in your record you’re a body man.  Did a good job on the van.  That is a new paint job?” Kurtis waited for the smile at the praise, then went on.  “Put all that work into it.  Mounted the iron grill nice and smooth, just to run us off the road?”

Draper laughed and spoke before his attorney could stop him, “That’s a cattle sweep, I was gonna take it to Mexico.”

His attorney grunted and glared.  He wasn’t sure of this client, but he felt the quick responses and pride were not working against him. 

“But I didn’t – wouldn’t treat my baby like that.  And it wasn’t stolen like they said; I got it from a junk yard.” Draper couldn’t be silenced.  He was talking about his car.

His attorney tried again, but Spacer put up a ‘wait’ hand gesture and said, “I believe him.  You don’t work on a car like that to trash it.”

Draper nodded and smiled.  His attorney was suspicious.

“Why did you just leave it?” Kurtis asked.

“I didn’t Miller did.  I didn’t even know he took it.”

“You had to pick him up…” Spacer started, but Draper came out with it.

“I didn’t know anything about it.  If someone picked him up it must have been Lance.  More likely Lance did it and Miller picked him up,” Draper said.   “Lance has more guts than Miller.”

“I guess it’s only fair you put this on Miller.  He put the murder on you,” Kurtis said.

“Now, I know he didn’t say that.  I didn’t kill anyone.”

Draper’s attorney was young and not really certain how to contain his client, or if he should, since he wasn’t committing himself to all the evidence they had.

“Blood all over the pick-up,” Spacer said.

“I cleaned that good,” Draper said.

Draper’s attorney raised his eyebrows, but wasn’t fast enough with a response.

“Lab finds blood water can’t,” Kurtis filled in.

“I didn’t kill anyone.”

“Putting that on Miller too?” Spacer asked.

“No, that was Lance.”

“Who the hell is Lance?” Spacer asked.

“Must be the smart one,” Kurtis quipped.

Mike laughed.

“Sorry, inside joke,” Kurtis said too the dumbfounded attorney.

“Who is Lance?” the attorney asked his client.

“He’s a guy Miller hired to guard the field.  He had this neat rifle.” Draper said, “I couldn’t believe he left it behind.  I didn’t know it was there until the Narcs got it.”

They all sat silently waiting for Draper to go on.

Draper for the first time looked to his attorney for advice.  The Attorney nodded.  Draper went on, “It was just getting dark and we heard a couple of shots – Miller and me.  We ran out shouting to Lance, scared he was hurt. …We found him.  He was really shook.  Said, ‘she was stealing our pot.’  He said he shot over her head.  She started running.  He took another shot to scare her good and she ran right into his bullet.”

There was a long pause.  Draper took several breaths.  “I never saw a dead body like that – out in a field … She was young.  Why would she steal our Pot?”

“She just wanted a leaf; so the guys would stop teasing her, about not knowing Marijuana from tomatoes,” Kurtis said.

“Shit!”  Draper had lost all of his cocky-attitude, in a slump.

“So, what did you do?” Spacer asked.

“We carried her back to the truck and left her there in the garage until the middle of the night, then we took her to Heg Park.  We couldn’t leave her in the area, that was Miller’s idea, but you found the garden anyway.  Lance said he’d kill us if we talked.”

“Where’s Lance?” Spacer asked.

Draper shrugged.  “Day after the body was found, he disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Kurtis asked.

“Like, we got up in the mornin’ and he was gone.  Only took half his clothes.  Never thought he’d part with that rifle,” Draper said.

“Rifle points to you and Miller,” Spacer said.  “Mike would you call the Lab and see if they came up with odd prints on the gun or shells?”

Mike jumped up to respond, but he looked back to Draper.  His assignment was to protect Kurtis and Spacer.

“I think he’s cool,” Kurtis supplied.  “He’d be a fool to blow it now.”

The attorney nodded.  “I can’t shut him up but I think I can restrain him.”

Spacer paused thinking of what he had been told.  “Wait a minute.  If Lance was gone who picked up Miller and brought him home after he rammed us?”

Draper pushed out his lower lip and stared.  He could only shrug.  “Maybe he hitched a ride.”

The attorney looked distressed.

“He didn’t really hurt himself, if he’s telling the truth,” Spacer said, “Sure help if there’s a third set of prints on the gun.”

Later in the afternoon Spacer reread the crime lab report on the rifle.  Then he read the cross-files from the morgue and a twenty-four-hour store robbery attempt.  Kurtis entered Spacer’s office.

“Did they come up with anything?” Kurtis asked motioning toward the reports.

“Oh yes!  Seems Robert Lance served with Miller in Iraq.  He received a medical discharge last year,” Spacer said.  “Night Style’s body turned up, he and someone else tried to rob an all night store.  An off-duty cop walked in and put Lance in the morgue.  The other guy got away with the rifle in hand.  Cop was injured.”

“Sounds to me like Miller’s looking at a line-up,” Kurtis said.  “Good, I didn’t like the thought of putting a simple body drop charge on him.”

“Too late tonight.  I hope it’s Miller.  I have a good feel for Draper.  I really don’t think he knew about Lance.”

Pete and Ruby were anxious to try the treadmills.  They hurried into the house and changed out of their work clothes and headed for the treads.  Nothing looked different, but then, all Al had to do was to change the command disk.

“I guess we can kiss dreams like a tropical path good-bye,” Ruby said.

“What do you mean?” Pete asked.

“The way they were reading our minds.  I thought it would be romantic.”

“Yeah, why not?  Cocos and bananas.”

“And a friendly little monkey to lead the way,” Ruby added.

They mounted the treadmills and started on trail six figuring that was the trail it would have affected first.  Pete stepped alongside of Ruby and took her hand in the usual manner.  Their psychic connection was working They were on a tropical path.

“Well, Rumble, they still read minds.  There’s your monkey.”

A monkey leapt to her side and took Ruby’s other hand.  She and Pete laughed.

“Hard to believe it’s us,” Ruby said.

“Maybe once you open a gateway you have broken the seal,” Pete spoke Ruby’s fear.

“I hope we don’t turn-up any more bodies,” she said.

Six weeks passed.  Ruby and Pete were happy with no further corpses. 

Kurtis’ leg was out of the cast and Spacer mended.  The trial was over and Stoker was indicted for conspiracy to commit murder.

Kurtis and Spacer met at the gym.  They had wanted to wish Lucky Mace luck on his upcoming fight.  While they were there Rocco convinced them they should try his new treadmills.

“That would be great for me,” Rocco said, “I have a couple of ladies going to take a ride and I won’t have to pay a couple of my boys to ride with them.”

“You aren’t bribing us for some future citation are you?” Spacer asked.

“These are real member ladies,” Rocco said.

Kurtis and Spacer thought it would be interesting and Kurtis needed to work his legs – Doctor’s orders.

When they met after riding the treadmills Kurtis said to Spacer, “That is great the way the person comes up on your monitor to talk to you and you see yourselves, in the monitor, on a trail,” Kurtis said. 

“Not quite as thrilling as Pete’s, but safer,” Spacer said.

“Surprised me I was walking with Christina.”

“Jesus, are those things really magic?  I was with Lake Ferris.”

THE END

1930

Chapter 25

Chapter XXV

Kurtis reached his office before Spacer arrived in the morning.  Christina stopped in to check on how he was doing.

“You’re looking good.  Do they really think you can work with your leg in that condition?” She asked.

“We questioned Lake Ferris yesterday.  Got Stoker.”

Christina was delighted that Dieter would have revenge.  “Not bad for a day off.”

“I thought you might have heard.  Ralph supplied the transportation,” Kurtis said.  He was, in a roundabout way, asking how close she and Ralph were.

“That was nice of you.  He was as shook-up over Dieter as I was.”

“How are you doing?”

“Pulling it together.  I put in for day shift.  Afternoons get too long with everyone working.”

“Good idea!” Kurtis agreed.  “Time has a lot to do with grief.  You didn’t see Ralph after we saw Ferris?”

“I don’t see him often.  He calls when I can help with something.”

“I thought…”

“There’s too much Dieter between us.  Ralph is a good friend.  I know when I need help or advice he’s there.  Like a big brother.”

“I don’t usually take to PIs but I like him,” Kurtis admitted.

“He has a master’s in psychology,” Christina said. “He worked part time for a psychologist, who worked for the department.  That’s where I met him.”

Spacer knocked and opened the door to Kurtis’s office at the same time.  He froze in the doorway, “Sorry, am I interrupting?”

“In my dreams,” Kurtis said, winking at Christina.

“I got a new bandage,” Spacer said, “Doc said I could probably have my arm back tomorrow, if I behave.”

“That’s great,” Kurtis said. “Christina’s telling me Ralph is using psychology on us.”

Christina grunted a laugh and flung her hand in dismissal.

“He worked for the department psychologist,” Kurtis added.

“What changed his profession?” Spacer asked.

“He thought he could make a bigger difference on his own,” Christina said. “His call gave the police ‘The Blade,’ before he could finish off his fifth victim.” She was referring to a serial killer who had evaded capture though police knew who he was.

 “When he isn’t working on a case, he works on what interests him.  Dieter used to call him Sherlock because he was always analyzing things.” She paused, wondering if she should confess, then went on, “When we’re stuck, trying to find someone, or choosing a guilty someone, I sometimes let Ralph profile it.  He has good insight.”

“All the checking you do for him comes with some reward?” Spacer asked.

She smiled.  “I think he’d like to be called in on a case by case basis.”

“I’ll be in my office,” Spacer said, figuring, if that was a hint, he and Kurtis weren’t in the loop to make it happen.

 “Oh, has the prosecutor taken Lake Ferris’s statement?” Spacer asked as an afterthought.

“I think so, but Dee hasn’t come back to me with it,” Kurtis said.

“What’s Lake Ferris like?” Christina asked.

“She’s beautiful,” Spacer said on his way out.

Christina looked after him with a questioning glance.

Kurtis nodded, “She is attractive and intelligent.  Not your basic concept of woman in a man’s body.”

“And Spacer definitely noticed?” Christina asked.

“I’m afraid so.  He’s in a weakened state and she’s a nurse.”

“She is?”

While Pete and Ruby were at work, Al Johnson was alone computer room.  Al approached the three treadmills gingerly.

“Okay, guys,” he said to the machines.  “Remember I was a part of you for a long time.  I love you like a brother.  Be nice to me.”

He replaced the programmed disk with a new disk that eliminated the sixth level with a simple go-to-seven command.  No smoke rose around him.  There were no roaring blasts.

He mounted one treadmill and took trail one.  He talked to himself on the monitor.  At the end of the trail he laughed at himself for the fear he had let build. 

They’re just treadmills, he thought, then turned out the lights and locked the door when he left.

Kurtis hobbled into Spacer’s office.  Spacer looked up in acknowledgement.  “Christina leave?”

“Yeah!  You don’t think I was out of line with that remark, in my dreams?” Kurtis asked.

“She goes to your office, or finds you in mine almost every morning before she leaves.”

“She wants to know if it’s all right with our case if she gives Ralph some info,” Kurtis said.

“What did Ralph want today?” Spacer knew there was nothing.  “And she took break-time to visit in the hospital.”

“She came to see both of us.”

“With one box of candy?”

“I’d sure like to think you’re right.”

“It’s too soon anyway.  Give her time, but be there.”

“Yeah!” Kurtis said slowly, then looked to Spacer and laughed.  “I’m taking love advice from you?”

The officer who had driven them home from the hospital the day before poked his head into Spacer’s office and said, “The raid gave you a truck, with blood and a rifle, at the crime lab.  If you’re up to it I’m supposed to take you to the narc office so you can talk to a couple of punks.”

Spacer and Kurtis both tried to rise too swiftly.  They had to laugh at each other. 

The officer shook his head; “I’d better sit in on the questioning in case one of those punks is rowdy.”

“You might learn something,” Kurtis said.

“That’s what I’m counting on,” The young officer admitted.  “I hear you guys are the best, when you can get around.”

“I’m getting to like this having a chauffeur,” Kurtis said, “I can stretch out in the back seat.”

Al and Jeanne met Ruby and Pete for lunch at the little café that was fast becoming their favorite lunchroom.

“It’s done,” Al told Pete as soon as they were seated.  “I eliminated six-six-six and took a ride talking to myself on the monitor.  Any more field trips are on your psyche, and I’m not sure it wasn’t you.  The competition to win those thing matched you up as close as two people can think and react.  I think you started to imagine things and made them happen.”

“You were brave to go in there alone,” Ruby said.

Pete did some smiling and nodding to keep from saying, “It always works right when no one is on the other treadmill.”

“Okay!” Ruby said, “We’ll take a boring, but safe, ride when we get home.”

Pete didn’t say anything, but he was only hoping it was safe.

Before going in to question the two young men the DEA picked up in the raid on the pot field, Spacer took a phone call, then made one.

“Hello, Ms Ferris?  This is Inspector Spacer.  Dee Prentis gave me a call to tell me you had been very concerned about Kurtis and me.”

“Yes!  I’m afraid she thought it was a bit more.  Are you dating?”

“No Dee’s quite happily married,” Spacer said.  “Her concern was that I may have led you on in some way and that could blow her case, as prosecuting attorney.  If Stoker’s lawyers thought you and I were socializing they could convince the jury I put words in your head.” He gave her a moment to digest that then added, “I had thought to call you last night to thank you, but decided I had better not.  I’m sure you would have heard me say, ‘I’m available.’ In voice tone.”

“I’m afraid that sounded in my voice too.”

“A few weeks after this case is finished, if we ran into each other, if you would be interested, maybe we could have a drink and talk about it.” 

“You do sound much stronger today.  I’ll certainly think on that – too much, now that I realize the problems.  I have to get ready for work and I’m sure you have things to do.”

Kurtis walked down the corridor to where Spacer had gone to talk on the phone.

“We ought to get set up in the interrogation room,” Kurtis said. “Don’t want to be limping around when they come in.”

“Is the kid who’s driving us, what’s his name, set up?”

“Yeah, he’s waiting.  I think it’s Mike.  He’s sure cautious.”

“He doesn’t want to hurt your leg any more than it is,” Spacer said, “and he thinks I’m dead and he doesn’t want me falling on him.”

“That must have been some phone call it brought the dead back in full color.”

“Dee, short for demon, Prentis called to tell me not to mess with her witness,” Spacer said.  “So I had to call Ms. Ferris.”

“You really got the hots for her.”

“We’re cool – for now.”                            1391

Chapter 24

Chapter XXIV

Later in the evening, Ruby had called detectives Spacer and Kurtis at the hospital to be sure they were all right.  They got Jeanne’s name from her; so it was no surprise to Ruby when a morning office delivery was made.  Spacer and Kurtis sent Jeanne a living American Beauty Rose plant, to symbolize the fact they were living partly due to her efforts.  The whole office shared a cheer for her, then laughed at the story of how she happened to be there.

An officer picked up Spacer and Kurtis to take them home from the hospital.  They were on the way, when Ralph called Spacer on his cellphone. 

“Hi, I tried your office and they said you wouldn’t be in today,” Ralph said.

“They were only half right,” Spacer replied. “We’ll be in late this afternoon.  Whatcha got?”

“Lake Ferris is in town.  Moved back here about a year ago.  She still visits Stoker in Kansas, but only about once a month.”

“You’ve seen her?” Spacer was annoyed.

“No,” Ralph said, knowing he was to report to Spacer first, “I left that for you.  This is the first I could reach you.”

“We had a little accident.  We’re off officially, but could you pick us up and we can go question Ms Ferris?”

“Sure, but…”

“I’ll explain when I see you, at my place,” Spacer said, then gave an address.  He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket, turned to Kurtis, “You up to questioning Ferris?”

“Whoa, my orders are to take you home,” the officer said, pulling up in front of the apartment building that housed Spacer.

“I’m going to stay with Spacer and be sure he’s okay,” Kurtis replied, as he struggled to get out of the car.   The officer came to him and offered an arm to pull him to his feet.  He laughed, watching Kurtis get the crutches in control.

 “You’re taking care of Spacer?”

“I have a housekeeper, who will mother both of us to death,” Spacer said.

Ralph was telling Linda where he was going.  Porter came in on the conversation.  He made a face and said, “You’re doing what?”

“Spacer and Kurtis are letting me sit in on the questioning of Lake Ferris,” Ralph said.

“Didn’t you read the paper?” Porter asked.  “They have no other way to get there.  Where’re you picking them up?”

“Spacer’s apartment.  What?  Have they been suspended?” Ralph was concerned.

Porter saw a newspaper on the desk he took it and pointed to a picture of the car wreck, “They’ve been in the hospital.  Maybe I better go with you to help carry them.”

Ralph left shaking his head and laughing at the twisted truth Spacer had told.

The officer made sure Spacer and Kurtis were settled in comfortably and left.  Spacer’s maid was fussing about trying to get them something to eat or drink.

“We were just fed before we left the hospital.  Thank you, Emma, we’re fine.”  Spacer told her.

She went off shaking her head.  The next she was seen was to lead Ralph to her patients.

“My God did you lose your arm?” Ralph asked.

“No they tucked it inside the shirt and taped it to my chest so I can’t stretch it and pull stitches,” Spacer replied.

“Were you shot?”

“No!  Would you believe, I had my wallet in my inside breast pocket.”  Spacer was shaking his head as he relayed the story.  “In the crash it somehow turned catty corner and when we hit it stabbed me.  I guess my badge held it ridged.”

Ralph laughed.

“If I were a rich man it would have been too fat.”

“Been better off if you were stabbed, less tearing,” Ralph said.  “You must have landed with some force.”  He looked to Kurtis and asked, “How’s the leg?”

“It’s there.  That’s the important thing,” Kurtis said.  “We were set up and deliberately rammed off the road.”

“The van that hit us had been stolen and a grill was rigged on the front so it could get us with little problem to the driver,” Spacer said.  “He must have had someone waiting to pick him up.  He wasn’t to be found.”

“You been to Lake Ferris’s house?” Kurtis asked.

“Look, we can’t bring her here.   If she’s part of it we don’t want her knowing where you live.  We don’t know what to expect at her place,” Ralph said.  “I can’t carry you up three flights of stairs.  Suppose we call her.  There is a conference room on the ground floor of the building my office is in; I could take you there then pick Ferris up, or have her meet us there.”

“Let’s do a drive by on the house,” Kurtis said.  “I’m pretty good on the crutches.  It may be an easy access place and I hate to warn a witness I’m going to question him.”

Spacer nodded agreement with his partner.

Lake Ferris’s home was an easy access ranch style home.  Kurtis had no problem negotiating the two-step entry.  Spacer was breathing heavily with the short walk from the car.  Ralph took his arm to help steady him.

“Hard breathing,” Spacer said.  “Must be the stitches.”

“You’re a few quarts low on blood,” Kurtis exaggerated.  “It’ll take time.”

“That will do it to you,” Ralph agreed ringing the bell. 

The door was answered quickly.

“Hello, I’m Ralph Lesserman, escorting Inspectors Spacer and Kurtis.  They’re a couple of cops who take their work very seriously.”

“My word!”  She took Spacer’s arm and led him to a straight back chair.  “What could you possibly want from me that would bring you out in this condition?”  Her next act was to seat Kurtis where he could put his leg up.  Then she and Ralph sat facing them.

Lake Ferris was just under six feet tall.  She wore loose fitted silk lounging pajamas that clung to her whole body.  There was no way any of the men would make a mistake and call her “he” again.

“Since there are two of you messed up, I assume it was an accident,” Lake said.  “You got home from the hospital and felt okay so you decided to macho it out – I don’t know what you want to talk to me about, but when we’re through here, you go home and to bed.”  She directed that remark to Spacer with a pointing finger for emphasis.

“You sound like the nurse,” Spacer said.

“I am a nurse,” She shook her finger in warning.  “Don’t say it.  It reeks of prejudice.  You obviously know some of my background and think I should be in show biz.”

“Obviously not enough on the background,” Kurtis said.

“I’m an RN at St. Mary’s,” she said.  “I was lucky they had an opening when I returned.  I had worked there as a male nurse.  They knew I knew my job.  My parents died.  I came back to settle the estate and stayed.”

“What does Stoker think of that?” Kurtis asked.

“Stoker?  I might have known…What’s he done now?”

“Maybe nothing,” Spacer said.

Lake laughed, “Nothing short of murder.”

“We had expected you to be protective,” Ralph ventured.

“Stoker and I had a great boyfriends relationship.  He would come to visit his mama and see me.  Then he decided to stay.  He moved in with me for a while.  A couple of black eyes over a year should have told me.  Working where I do I’ve seen enough to know they don’t change.”  Lake thought back.  “I even had some friends warn me.  Stoker knew I planned a sex change, right from the beginning.  When I had a doctor willing to do the preliminaries, Stoker went off on me.  ‘If I wanted a woman I’d have found one.’  He beat the shit out of me.  For that beating, he didn’t want to go to jail, so I made him loan me the money for the operation.”

“It wasn’t as a loving partner?” Kurtis asked.

She laughed.  “Then it went from ‘of course I didn’t kill dad,’ to ‘I did it for you he was going to tell everyone you were a man.’ But I didn’t care who knew.  I told Mac Pearson I didn’t care.  He said Stoker hit his mother and was making treats if he didn’t get the money.  I’ve never been one to hide things.”  She took a deep breath.  “When he started calling this beautiful bod his, I backed away.  The opportunity to move back here was what I needed.  I’ve been paying an account in his name so he can’t say he bought me.”

“You still see him?” Spacer asked.

“I show him receipts and tell him how rich he is.”

“You found Dieter for him?” Kurtis asked.

“Dieter? … Oh the detective?  That was a long time ago.  He said he was a friend of a buddy, who was up for parole.  That was one of the little favors for interest on the money he loaned me.”

“Why did you have a gun?” Spacer asked.

“Stoker thought, if someone found out I was a changed person, I’d be in danger.  He told me to get a gun and put it in the nightstand by my bed.”

“You didn’t think that was odd?” Kurtis asked.

“Where else you going to keep a gun?” She asked. “I did think it was funny, after so long, when I moved, he made sure I still had it.”

“Did he ever ask you to take care of friends?” Spacer asked.

She shook her head, then gasp, “He sent that weird man to me – Tate.  Real creep.  He spent two days here.  Kept wanting to look up my skirt to see if I still had a penis.  I suggested he would be more comfortable closer to town.”

“When did you notice your gun missing?” Kurtis asked.

“When I called.  I got a note from Stoker asking if I still had the gun.  I checked.  When I said no, Stoker said report it stolen quick.”

“You know Warren Tate was arrested with your gun.  He used it to kill Dieter,” Spacer said.

Her mouth opened, but no words came out.  Finally a tear rolled down her cheek.  She shook her head.  “He planned all that for two years.  Why?”  She paused again then asked, “Are you here to arrest me?”

Ralph laughed.  “I’m sorry, but capable as I am, there is no way I’d try to arrest someone with this motley crew.”

She tried a smile, but just shook her head again.

“Why would we arrest you?” Kurtis asked.

“There is no denying my actions were directly involved in that man’s death.”

“That you can see that is reason enough to let you go,” Spacer said, “but we may want you for a witness, if we can prove Stoker helped plan the murder.”

“If?  We’re talking about Stoker Campbell.  I’m surprised he let someone else do it, but why would he want him dead?”  She asked rhetorically then looked at each man.  “I will do whatever it takes to get him.  He set me up knowing I would have no part of it had I known.  He’s become an evil man.”

1764

Chapter 23

Chapter XXIII

“Hey!” Jeanne marveled.  “Is the whole trip like this?”

Ruby was looking around with concern.   “We in dudu!  This is not trail one.  Do you recognize anyplace?”

“What’s wrong?  Can we get back?”

“Long as we stay on the treadmill we’re fine; we have to ride it to the end and we’ll be back.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Jeanne thought Ruby was trying to scare her.

“Trail one is a simple path in Heg Park.”

“This isn’t our simple little city park; this is up the old highway by Outlook.”

There was a bang and thundery roaring. 

They screamed.  Then watched the car fly from forty feet above them land on its front bumper and slowly settlle to four wheels.  They went toward the car.

The driver was moving slowly.  The impact had left no glass in the windows.  The driver’s side of the car was so bashed in there was no way the door would open. 

“Inspector Spacer?  Oh, my God!  We’re on the treads.  We can’t get help until…Walk!”  Ruby ended with a desperate plea to Jeanne.

“Oh,” Jeanne obeyed startled by the disappearing Ruby.

“Ms. Vick…” Spacer’s thinking was not yet clear enough to come out with the full word, Vickers.  He tried opening the door.

“That door is not going to open, Sir,” Jeanne said. “It must have hit first.”

Spacer gathered his memory, “That SOB drove right at me.  Pushed us off the ro … Kurtis.” He suddenly realized he had a partner with him.

Kurtis moaned, focusing his eyes. 

They realized at the same time they were being held by air bags.

“Maybe your cell phone will work again.” Ruby remembered he had called Kurtis, when he found Dieter’s body.

Jeanne suddenly noticed Spacer had blood all over his jacket.

“He needs the bleeding stopped.”

“You can’t.” Ruby started, but Jeanne was dismounting.

“Sure I can; my Ex was a paramedic,” Jeanne called, not noticing Ruby was disappearing.

Jeanne ran to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. 

“I need a knife or something to pop the air bags, to get you out.”

“Pocket,” Kurtis voice was weak and groggy.

Jeanne reached hurriedly into his pants pocket. While she was feeling for the knife, Kurtis grunted a laugh. “Wish I could feel that.”  It was a thought but he spoke it aloud in his shocked state.

Jeanne laughed. “I wish you could too.  I think your leg is broken and the shock is numbing.” 

“Did – did I say that.  I’m sorry,” Kurtis said.  “I didn’t mean disrespect.”

Jeanne put a firm hand on his shoulder and punctuated his apology with the bang of the popping air bag.  She noticed a rifle across his leg.

There’s the culprit.  That rifle must have cracked your leg.

Jeanne took his hands and said, “squeeze.”  He did and she said, “Good.” Then opened the back door and got to Spacer.  She held him firm and reached to the drivers side to pop his air bag so she could take care of his wound.

“I should have expected a trap,” Spacer muttered.

“You had to watch the road I should have been looking for trouble,” Kurtis’ voice was gaining strength.

Jeanne ripped a piece off Spacer’s torn shirt and folded it to put pressure on the wound above his heart.

“Can you put pressure on this?” she asked.

He tried.

“More.”

Kurtis sucked air so hard it was almost a scream, turning to help his partner, while trying not to jar the injured leg.  He pushed his hand hard on Spacer’s using the steering wheel for leverage.

“Careful, of that leg,” Jeanne said to Kurtis.   “Yeah, that ought to hold him ‘til help comes.  You okay?  I can use that rifle for a splint…”

“No,” Kurtis said. “Could you put that in my lap incase the guy in that van decides to finish the job?”

“Cellphone,” Spacer managed to say, his free hand patting his jacket.

Jeanne got it out and dialed 911, and handed him the phone.

“Officers down in car wreck.  Black van marks the spot on Terrace Blvd.  Approach van as armed and dangerous.  Got that?” Spacer’s voice was weak but controlled.

Jeanne placed the rifle carefully on Kurtis’s lap, then heard her name called from off in the distance.

“Where’s Ruby?” She was frightened for the first time since they stopped, “Where’s the treadmill?”

“It’s there.  Go to where you got off of it and start walking,” Spacer’s speaking was labored but clear.  “Don’t lose Pete’s Rumble.”

Pete had spent the last ten minutes pacing.  Al was trying to calm him down. 

“Something happened.  They shouldn’t take over a half hour on that trail.”

“We would hear something, wouldn’t we?” Al said.

“No they’re not here.  They are in Heg Park – I hope.”

Al stepped back looking in the direction the women had disappeared.  He shook his head. None of it made sense to him, and he had to figure a way to correct it.

Jeanne and Ruby faded back into the computer room the way they had left it.  Pete was there to take Ruby into his arms immediately.

“He thought something happened,” Al told Jeanne.

“Did!” Jeanne said.  “Two police inspectors crashed their car right in front of us.”

Pete released his hold on Ruby and turned toward Jeanne, asking, “In Heg Park?”

“No we were – I think he said Terrace Boulevard,” Jeanne said.

“We have to call and see if help got to them,” Ruby headed for the phone.  She tried not to look too tired, but she had had to walk constantly to maintain her substance and fight the fear that Jeanne would lose both of them.

“You know who it was?” Al asked.

“I don’t, but one said, ‘Don’t lose Pete’s Rumble,’” Jeanne said.  “He told me how to get Ruby back, practically step by step.”

“That would be Spacer.  Spacer and Kurtis.  How bad was it?” Pete asked.

“Would have been deadly without air bags.  The driver had a bad hole above the heart, and I think the other had a broken leg.”

Ruby returned.  “She’s good.  Her first aid might have saved Spacer.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Jeanne protested.

“You got off the treadmill,” Pete said.

“Spacer and Kurtis are grateful.  Can we have a real drink now?” Ruby said.

Christina took a break, from her research into Lake Ferris, to make a stop at the hospital before starting her shift as policewoman.  Spacer and Kurtis were both awake and in the same room.  She put a box of candy between them and said, “Share!  I couldn’t make myself to bring flowers.”

“Thank you for that.” Spacer laughed.

Kurtis agreed.

“Did you find something on the gun?” Spacer asked.

“You wouldn’t like to get back to work first?”

“We’ll be out of here tomorrow,” Kurtis said.

“And you’re going in with your leg in a cast?  What happened?” Christina asked.

“A stolen black van, built like a tanker, took aim on us from a side street and rammed,” Spacer said.  “I thought he was going to climb right in the drivers seat with me,”

“If we hadn’t started flying, his side of the car would have been in my lap,” Kurtis said.

“We were set up.  False report,” Spacer said.

“Jesus, Why?” Christina asked.

“I think it was a too-late warning for us to stop asking about the pot field,” Spacer said.

“Yeah, report says there was nothing in the van but a marijuana leaf.” Kurtis finished.

“You’re kidding.”  Christina laughed.  “Hokey!”

“The gun?” Spacer said.

“Lake Ferris bought it two years ago and put it in a drawer didn’t notice it missing until three days before the murder.” Christina filled in, “Never looked at it after he – she bought it.”

“Typical,” Spacer said.

“Did Stoker tell her to buy it and why two years ago?” Kurtis asked.

Spacer nodded; a broken leg didn’t mess with his partner’s brain.

“I have to get back to work,” Christina said.   “Glad you’re in such good shape – I mean, considering.  Oh, they said to tell you Ruby Vickers called to see if you got help.  How did she know?”

Kurtis and Spacer laughed.  Kurtis came up with the answer: “She’s got a psychic treadmill.”

Christina didn’t know why she was laughing when she left.

Having nibbled on hors d’oeuvres and eaten dinner, Pete, Ruby, Al and Jeanne were in the living room with an after dinner drink.

“I don’t understand what has happened with the treadmills at all,” Al said. “Nothing I could program could make them act like that.  It’s like ‘Beam me up, Scotty,’ technology,” he referred to the old Star Trek series.  “We can’t do that yet.”

“What about the six-six-six command?” Pete asked.

“I’m not sure, now, that it’s a bad thing,” Ruby said.  “We were there to help Kurtis and Spacer and nothing has tried to hurt us.  We have no fear of getting back as long as we stay within the rules.”

“Are you really into the six-six-six thing?” Al laughed.

“Are you really a sorcerer?” Pete rebutted.                  1452

Chapter 22

Chapter XXII

Lucky Mace had an apartment south of Heg Park. Inspectors, Kurtis and Spacer talked to him late in the afternoon.  He was, as Penz described, a quiet, nice young man, eating his heart out.

He didn’t know any reason Hope Styles would be murdered, but he told them exactly where the shortcut was the day she spotted the pot field.

“I hear you’ve been neglecting your career since Ms Styles died,” Kurtis said.

Spacer was surprised by his partner’s diversion, but listened.

“You know she would hate that,” Kurtis went on.  “Women hook-up with guys in the ring are special.  They have a need to be a part of helping it happen.  … I used to be a wrestler – amateur.  I noticed this gal hangin’-out when I was in a match.  We got close.  She was the kind of pretty a mug like mine does not attract,” Kurtis said, “but the ring made me something she liked.  She was there all the time.  Never stopped encouraging me.”

Lucky nodded.  “You were fortunate.”

Kurtis shook his head and looked away as though the memory was too painful.  His voice lowered and distant in tone, he went on, “She got, what they call, one of those rare forms of cancer.  Within a month she wasn’t coming out of the hospital.  I went to see her every day.  She finally said, ‘you’re not working-out while you’re here.  How you gonna win?’ I told her it wasn’t important without her there.  She said, ‘You think you’re winnin’ for you.  I need you to win.  I need to know my being here made you better.’”

“My being here makes you better,” Lucky said. “Hope used to say that.”

“Then you better go win for her,” Kurtis said. “She needs that.  She deserves it.”

They left Lucky with something to think about. 

Back in the car Spacer said, “I didn’t know you were a wrestler.”

Kurtis looked at him with a smile, “Wrestler?  Whatever gave you that idea?”

“You had me crying over a phony story?” Spacer said.

“Think it worked?”

“I hope so, I hate to waste tears.”

Spacer and Kurtis went back to the station.  They arranged a fly over to see if the pot field could be spotted.  Luck was with them there was a plane in the air not far from the location and to save an extra flight the pilot would fly over.  They would have a report within the hour.

While they waited, they received a phone call from Rocco Penz.  The jest of which was “What did you do to my boy?  And thanks!”  Seems Lucky Mace suddenly needed to get into shape for the best fight Rocco could arrange.

Spacer looked to Kurtis with a pursed lip and a nod.  The expression that Kurtis knew meant, good -show.

“I’ve seen the kid fight,” Kurtis said, then mimicking Marlon Brando, “He coulda been a contender.”

“Maybe he will be, because I have a partner, who handles more than paper work.”  Spacer appreciated anyone who cared for the human-side and could show it, though he tried to remain detached.

Christina looked into the office, “Ah, you’re together.  Got a minute.”

“Sure you’re early today,” Spacer said, as he and Kurtis adjusted their chairs and seated Christina.

“I’m checking on something for Ralph.  He didn’t come out and say it, but he wanted it run by you,” Christina said.  “It’s hard to know where it’s all right to go when a case is open.”

“What’s he onto?” Kurtis asked.

“He wants me to see, if, Lake Ferris filed a missing gun report.”

“Lake Ferris?” Spacer asked.

“The was a boy, friend.” Kurtis supplied.

“Why the hell didn’t we think of that?” Spacer shouted.

“You been busy.  Heard you were chasing all day and now on a drug bust,” She shook her head, “Can’t do everything at once.”

“You should call Bakersfield,” Kurtis said. “They’ll have all the gun info.”

“But report to us first, okay,” Spacer said.

“Gotcha!  Thanks!”  Christina went off to handle the assignment, and start her regular job as a policewoman.

Spacer answered another phone call.  After a second he shouted, “What?  … You make it damn clear this is a murder investigation and I want any vehicles sent straight to the crime lab.  If there is a spot of blood in any they become mine; you got that?” He threw the phone into its cradle.

Kurtis asked, “What?”

“The narcs are making our bust.”

Kurtis thought on that a minute then said, “They’re better equipped for that kind of action.  They can come in from all sides.  And it’s out of our jurisdiction.”

“They better not fuck up our evidence.  You think Styles was stupid enough to go back there.”

“Reports say she left work early Tuesday.  She might have thought she’d get there just at dark and no one would see her,” Kurtis said.  “Long way to take a body – Heg Park, but far enough not to attract attention to the area.”

A young uniformed officer timidly poked his head into the office.  “You Guys got time to check a shots fired on Terrace Blvd.?”

“I shout too loud?” Spacer asked.

“No, you were requested,” The officer said. “Guy said you talked to him in the park, but hung up before I got his name.”

“Got an address?” Spacer asked.

The officer approached the desk and handed him a slip of paper.  He left.

Spacer and Kurtis were on their way again.

Ruby and Pete were showing Al and Jeanne around the house.  Al was particularly impressed with the changes that had been made.

“Here the half bath under the stairs.” Pete said, opening the door.

“I always hated that dinky little r…”Al stopped staring in disbelief.  “What?  Did you find a way to expand it?”

“Lit it up,” Ruby said.  “They ran track lighting around the ceiling. “And the mirror on the back wall.  With the half mirror framing the free-standing sink.”

“I like that shell shaped basin,” Jeanne said.

“It goes so nice with the wall covering,” Al said, taking in the sea mist wall accented by fish, shells, and mermaids.  “You have really done a lot.”

“Wait ‘til the master bathroom is finished.  It’s going to have a spa,” Pete said.

“His Dad’s giving us an early wedding present,” Ruby blurted.

Jeanne raised her eyebrows, “Wedding?”

Ruby blushed.

They went into the living room where Pete and Ruby had set a Varity of snacks.

“We have a rule no more than one glass of wine before the treadmill.  We can get drunk after,” Ruby said.

“You may need to,” Pete agreed.

“I’ll take that one glass to fortify, but while we’re gone don’t you boys eat up all this beautiful food.”  Jeanne was ready for her ride.

Spacer and Kurtis were rushing back to the station; the car twisting down Terrace Blvd.  It was a wide two-lane road with little traffic. 

“Damn waste of time,” Spacer grumbled.

“Not one neighbor heard shots,” Kurtis was agreeing.

Spacer was an aggressive driver, but very aware of everything on the road.  No one would expect the black van stopped at the sign on Lexis Lane to take direct aim and gun the engine to ram the police car as it passed.

Pete set the treadmills, when the women were ready.  He and Ruby had restated the rules.

“Okay, Rumble, you’re set for trail one.  Jeanne, don’t lose my Rumble,” Pete said in farewell.

Ruby and Jeanne mounted the treadmills and they disappeared.

“I never get used to that part,” Pete said.

“That is weird.”  Al shook his head in amazement.  “They come back the same way?”

“Oh, you haven’t seen it.  It doesn’t seem the same when you’re doing it.”

“Yeah,” Al said, “Don’t lose my Jeanne.”

Pete laughed.

1293

Chapter 21

Chapter XXI

Pete and Ruby entered the restaurant at lunchtime and were greeted by Al and Jeanne who were already seated.  They were quickly invited to join the couple.

After greetings Pete asked Jeanne, “Has Rumble invited you to dinner?  I was supposed to invite Al, but I couldn’t get him on the phone.”

“When?” Al asked.

“You free tonight?”

“I am,” Al said, looking to Jeanne.

“Checking my busy schedule, I seem to have an opening,” Jeanne said.

“Good, you can check out the Treadmill for yourself,” Ruby said.

“Oh great,” Jeanne said, “I’ve heard so much about it, I’d love to try it.”

“It takes two people.  Maybe we should send you and Rumble,” Pete said, “Not as romantic, but we want Al to look into taking the violence out and I have this gut feeling It might not want Al messing with it.”

Jeanne laughed.

“You know, the fact that you could think that,” Al said, “scares the shit out of me.”

“Yeah!” Ruby’s voice was flat with a tone that said, we shouldn’t have mentioned that.

Pete and Al nodded.

Jeanne searched their faces waiting for a punch line that didn’t come.

It was two o’clock before Kurtis and Spacer entered the spacious ranch style home of Senator Jensen.  Mrs. Jensen was a gracious and graceful lady.  She showed them into the living room, where they were seated and offered them refreshments before she joined them.

“You really have me curious.  What kind of investigation could I possibly help you with?  Why would my husband suggest you call me?  And why didn’t he tell me?”  Mrs. Jensen was full of questions of her own.  “Of course I called him after you called and all he would say was answer their questions.”

Kurtis addressed her questions, “We are investigating a murder, Mrs. Jensen.  Your husband seemed to understand, we prefer to ask questions that haven’t been rehearsed.”

“A murder?  I’d like to say I know nothing of murder; unfortunately, given the times we live in and my husband’s work, we know murder first hand.  How can I help you?”

“We’re looking into the death of Hope Styles,” Spacer said.

“Hope?” Her mouth formed the word with disbelief. “Hope is dead? – She’s so young.  She’s not the kind of person to be murdered.”

“What do you mean not the kind of person?” Kurtis asked.

“She didn’t do the kind of things that get you murdered.  She was a nice person.  Nice to everyone!  How did it happen?”

“She was shot,” Spacer said.

“At The Point?  I really think that place is dangerous.  I won’t go with Hal when he walks there.  I was glad that he ran into Hope.  I figured if a stray bullet jumped up at least someone would be there to tell me,” she said. “I guess I’m a bit of a coward.  I jump at every bang.”

“Did you socialize with Hope?” Kurtis asked.

“We had her over to dinner parties.  She used to go with Al Johnson.  He did some computer things for Hal during the campaign,” Mrs. Jensen replied.  “I never understood why she stopped seeing him.  Well, he was older than her.  He’s mid thirties at least and she was mid twenties at most.”

“Al seems to think there was someone else,” Spacer said. “Maybe a married, secretive affair.”

She pursed her lips puzzling who she might know who would fit; her face brightened, “Oh, you heard about Hal walking with Hope in the park and thought he might be that someone,” she laughed. “I’m sure he was flattered that you thought of him.  He felt very fatherly toward Hope and I sincerely believe that.”

“The person that mentioned him wanted us to understand there was no indiscretion witnessed, simply they had been seen walking together on the trail we were investigating,” Kurtis reassured.

“He was always happy when they met.  It made his walks more enjoyable to have someone so full of life to talk to.  I can’t believe she’s …” She paused sucking her lower lip, in an act that spoke of her pain on the word she couldn’t bring herself to use again.  “She was such a charming girl.”

“The Senator said he would come home and share their conversations with you,” Kurtis said.  “We thought possibly something happened that he forgot, you might remember him telling you.”

“He walks the trail almost every night when he’s home – doctors orders.” Mrs. Jensen took a minute to think, “She was very upset when Al disappeared.  She said he just bought a new house; he wouldn’t leave town.  He had been bothered by someone following him.”

“We looked into Al’s disappearance.  He’s back,” Kurtis said.  “It turned out to be an accident, not a kidnapping.”

“If we could explain it any clearer you wouldn’t believe it,” Spacer added.

“Oh? … I don’t know what else I can tell you.  Hal was disappointed when she dropped the park several days a week in favor of the gym.  He said she implied she had a new boyfriend.”

“Maybe a married boyfriend?” Spacer came back.

She frowned, “I would doubt that.  Hope’s father is something of a womanizer and that’s left Hope with a disdain for that type of relationship.”

Kurtis and Spacer were looking to each other with the signals they had for ending an interview that was not adding to their investigation.

“There was one thing,” Mrs. Jensen said.  “Hope told Hal she had left a trail and run into a pot field.”

“As in marijuana?” Spacer asked.

“Yes.  She said she was looking over her shoulder to see if she was being chased.  Then she laughed and said, ‘It was probably tomatoes.’  She wouldn’t know the difference.”

“That’s something your husband forgot,” Kurtis said. 

“I have no idea which trail she could have been on.  It must have been a weekend trip.  Hal was joking about the wisdom of sending a helicopter to check out a tomato field.”  She laughed, then paled, saying, “Good Lord, maybe he should have.”

Ralph went through the Mac Pearson file for the fifth time in two days.  He called Porter into his office.

“I think we need to look into the boyfriend’s activities,” Ralph said. “It just feels like, if we check on him, he might have reported a gun stolen shortly after Tate was released.  Where else does a felon get a gun?”

“Good idea.  He, she might have found Diether too,” Porter responded, “Christina may be able to find out about a gun-lost report.”

“Lake Ferris is his name.  I wonder if she changed it, or he was lucky to have a name that fit his lifestyle.”

“Be interesting to know how long she had the gun.  If she just bought it, that could be more than aiding.”

“Yeah,” Ralph said.  “We want to move carefully.  Do the paper walk but don’t do anything that would let her know we’re looking until we run all of it passed Spacer and Kurtis.”

“We put Christina to checking for a report she’ll probably tell them what she’s looking at.”

“That would be a subtle in.  They like Christina.”  Ralph checked his watch.  “Too early to call her.”

Rocco Penz opted to meet with the detectives in Spacer’s office rather than having them visit his Gym.

“Thank you for coming in, Mr. Penz,” Kurtis said.

“I heard you guys were looking for me, thought I better call and get to you before you busted the Gym,” Penz said.

“This is not a bust.  Haven’t had any complaints about the Gym,” Spacer said.  “We just need to know what you can tell us about Hope Styles.”

“Sweet Lady.  Who’d off a gal like that?”

“We were hoping you’d tell us,” Kurtis said.

“No one at the gym, I can tell you that.  We all loved her.  Lucky Mace, my new boy, had a thing going with her,” Penz said.  “He’s eatin’ his heart out.  I sent a limo for her to be sure she got to his fights.  He was useless if she wasn’t in the front row.”

“What’s he doing now?” Kurtis asked.

“Had to cancel his last two fights.”  Penz shook his head.  “Got to convince that kid she wouldn’t want him blowing his career.”

“Be nice, if someone’d said something,” Spacer said. “You know we need to talk to him.”

“He didn’t have anything to do with it,” Penz said. “Look, Lucky is just a kid.  I think he was a couple of years younger than her.  I’ll fill you in on all I can, but go easy on the kid.”

“Feeling a bit fatherly are we?” Kurtis joked at the plea from a man with a hard core reputation.

Penz laughed with them at himself, then covered with.  “It’s money in the bank.  If my man can’t fight I don’t get paid.”

“That’s better,” Spacer said.

Kurtis nodded.  “What you going to give us?”

“I had my boys chasing around looking for the black suits who were following Johnson.  Turns out they were a group of dealers who thought the treadmill program might be a usable communication center.”

“You’re kidding,” Spacer said.

“No, I guess they gave up on it when Johnson told Wilson there was no way it could run on an international scale at this point.”  Penz shook his head and laughed. “That Wilson is some salesman.”

“Sounds like he doesn’t care who he sells to,” Kurtis said.

“A buyer’s a buyer.”  Penz went on, “As long as the money comes in.  I bought three pairs for my Gym here.  If they work out I might buy some for my other chains.”

“I don’t think that’s what got Styles killed,” Spacer brought them back to point.

“Someone said she might have run into a marijuana patch,” Kurtis mentioned.

“The tomato field.  You heard about that?”

“You know about it.  You know what trail she was on?” Spacer asked.

“Trail?” Penz asked.

“At Outlook Park,” Kurtis pushed.

“That wasn’t in the park,” Penz said. “That was up at the lake.  Lucky likes to train on the paths up there.  Hope would go along, but she couldn’t handle the whole run so she would take shortcuts and meet him.”  Penz took a moment to remember the scene.  He went on, “We teased that poor girl about her tomatoes so much.  She threatened to go back and get a leaf for us to see for ourselves.” Penz looked up with a shocked expression. “Jesus, You don’t think she did?”

The three men stared in a silent moment. 

Kurtis asked, “Could anyone at the gym have heard her and felt threatened?”

Rocco nodded his head, “Can’t believe how fast things travel once they hit the gym.”     1763