by Ryan P. Ruiz
Cody prayed that Zach’s brother would help them.
CHAPTER X
The Gas Station
A couple of days went by, and Zach still had no good news. It wasn’t until the middle of the week when Cody got the news from Zach.
Cody and Zach were on the playground behind the school at lunchtime on the early spring day.
“Okay, dude, I got to talk to Scotty. It took a while, but I actually convinced him to help us! He will give us a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. We have to pay for his gas in his car. He’s driving back to college around seven on Sunday night,” Zach told his friend.
“Wow, that’s great! Does he know fully what we are doing and why?” asked Cody.
“No, not really, and he doesn’t really care, either. He’s just helping us,” replied Zach.
“That’s great. Now, we just have to pray that the black car is there,” said Cody.
“Yep,” chirped Zach.
The boys ate their lunch and talked about different things the rest of the time.
The next few days moved slowly, and the boys hardly talked about the investigation.
Sunday finally came, and the two friends had a sleepover again, this time at Zach’s house.
Zach’s brother, Scotty, pounded on the bedroom door and opened it. Scotty had dark-brown hair parted down the middle and really dark eyes. He was tall and slender with long legs. His face was partially covered in acne.
“What time am I taking you guys?” he asked aggressively.
It was 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, and the boys had slept in. Zach was in his bed, and Cody was burrowed in a blue sleeping bag on the floor. Zach looked at the clock above his door. Cody’s ankle was all healed and felt much better.
“Like around one, dude,” Zach murmured, half awake.
“Okay, be ready at one and don’t call me dude. I’m going to go for a jog,” snapped Scotty.
Cody barely budged from the sleeping bag. Scotty left, and Zach hopped out of bed.
“Come on, Code, get up, let’s grab some breakfast,” said Zach, now more awake.
Cody’s head popped up from above the top of the sleeping bag. He unzipped the side of it and slipped out. Cody’s shirt was drenched with sweat. Even at another house, the nightmares continued.
They got dressed and went down to the kitchen. There was a sweet smell in the air. Zach’s mom was making French toast for them.
“Yeah, Mom!” shouted Zach. “French toast! Perfect!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Madden,” Cody said politely.
“You’re welcome, boys,” she said.
She put two pieces on each plate, sprinkled them with powdered sugar, and handed the plates to the boys. Zach’s mom genuinely liked her son’s best friend. She was always nice to Cody.
“There’s more where those came from, do eat up,” she said.
Zach pulled the carton of milk out of the fridge and grabbed two cups from the cabinet.
“Don’t forget this too,” his mom said.
She put a bottle of chocolate syrup on the table with a spoon.
Zach and Cody loved chocolate milk. Cody drizzled the dark syrup in his cup and stirred it with the spoon. There was something about the first gulp of freshly made chocolate milk Cody loved.
“Thank you, Mrs. Madden,” said Cody.
“Yeah, thanks again, Mom,” Zach followed.
“What’s on the agenda today, guys?” she said.
“Scotty is taking us to Reagan Park to play some basketball on the full courts,” Zach quickly responded.
Reagan Park was on the other side of town and was too far to ride a bike. Though it was a lie, it would be the perfect cover.
“Oh really, how nice of your brother.” She sounded very surprised.
“Yep, I do have a great brother,” said Zach sarcastically.
Cody let out a small laugh while Zach just grinned.
“After we are done eating, let’s go shoot some hoops. We need to practice so we are ready for the pickup games at the park,” suggested Zach.
“Yeah, good idea,” replied Cody.
“Mom, have you heard any news on the missing girl in Sheldon?” asked Zach.
“No, honey, they are still looking for her. The longer amount of time that goes by, the chances go down of finding her. Such a sad story, I feel so terrible for her parents,” Mrs. Madden said.
“Yeah, we do too, Mom,” said Zach.
“Cody, isn’t your sister the same age of Mandy?” she asked.
“Yes, she is,” answered Cody, looking at his friend with concern.
“That’s what I thought,” Mrs. Madden said.
They finished up breakfast and threw their dishes in the sink.
“Thanks again, Mrs. Madden,” said Cody again.
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” she cheerfully said.
Zach was already grabbing his basketball and tennis shoes from the hallway closet. Cody started to put his Reeboks on. Cody tied his shoes and pushed the pump two times on the tongue of each shoe.
The boys went out the side door and into the back. They shot hoops for a couple of hours while also chatting back and forth.
Zach looked at his digital watch, and it was a little past noon. It was almost time. Scotty came out of the house and told the boys it was time to leave at ten till. Zach took one last shot from twenty feet away, and the ball swished through the net.
Scotty’s car was parked on the street in front of the house. It was a smaller boxy car called a Ciera. The maroon paint was faded on the hood of the car, and there was bubbling around the wheel wells. The car was eight years old, but it was sufficient for Scotty to go back and forth to school.
All three of them hopped in. Zach took the front seat, and Cody sat in the back behind him. Scotty turned the key, and the engine fired on.
“I’m going to Lincoln Street, right?” asked Scotty.
“Yes, make a right in Thomas, go straight for about a mile, and turn left on Lincoln,” said Zach, fiddling with the radio in the center dash.
“Don’t touch that. I know where Lincoln is. Do you want me to park on the street when we get there?” said Scotty.
“Yes, hopefully, there will be a black Cadillac across from the church,” replied Zach.
“Man, you guys are weirdos,” insisted Scotty.
“We know,” Cody said from the backseat.
Scotty put the vehicle in drive and drove off. When they arrived at Lincoln Street, the boys were in luck. The black Cadillac was there. A huge sigh of relief came over both friends. Zach turned to look at Cody’s reaction to the car being there.
“Okay, just park right over there,” Zach pointed to halfway down the street where he saw an open space.
The street was full of parked cars, and Scotty had to park on the same side of the street the Cadillac was on. He turned the engine off and fiddled with his radio.
Zach jumped out of the front seat and into the back with Cody. The two had to turn around on the seat and lean against the back to keep watch. Scotty shuffled through cassette tapes, trying to find some music. He could absolutely care less what the boys did.
“As soon as we see the man who owns that car, I need you to be ready, Scotty. He will most likely drive past us, start the car and try to stay behind him when that happens, okay?” asked Zach.
“Whatever, bro, I know how to follow somebody. I got it,” said Scotty.
An hour went by, and there was no action near the car. Some neighbors were staring through the open windows of Scotty’s car.
“I’ll give you guys one more hour, and then I’m done. This is stupid, and you’re wasting my time,” said Scotty.
“Okay, okay,” said Zach.
Another twenty-five minutes w
ent by, and a larger-sized man was walking toward the black vehicle. He was carrying a brown paper bag. It was the same man they had seen before. Both of the boys’ hearts were racing and beating fast.
“Get ready, Scotty,” said Zach.
Scotty just nodded into his rearview mirror at Zach.
The man got in the black car and started it up. The car didn’t move for several minutes. What was he doing in there? The boys couldn’t see the man because of the dark windows and the sun’s reflection. The car pulled out of the spot and started heading toward Scotty’s car. The boys ducked their heads and rolled up the windows. The car passed by Scotty’s red “rust bucket.” Scotty started his car and pulled out from behind the car parked in front of it.
“Scotty, whatever you do, please don’t lose sight of the car,” Zach said.
Cody reiterated, “Stay with that car, Scotty, please?”
Scotty followed the car, keeping a distance. The back windows were darkened as well, so all three of them couldn’t really see the driver. Zach wondered if the man knew he was being followed.
Cody tried to remember what the car looked like when it pulled away after trying to pick him up. When he looked at the vehicle they were tailing, the similarities were astounding. The chrome on the back bumper jarred his memory from that morning.
The Cadillac came to a stop at a light. They were just about to go into the next city, which was Crestwood. Scotty fell a car behind the Cadillac. The boys stayed calm in the backseat.
The vehicle made another three turns with a final turn at a street named Braxton Avenue. Scotty didn’t turn down the street, but he parked on the side of the street Braxton was off. Both of them jumped out of the car and slowly turned the corner down Braxton. The Cadillac was pulling into a drive on the corner of the street.
“Dude, we need to just walk down the sidewalk and get that address now,” said Zach.
“Let’s go, then,” said Cody, grabbing his small handheld spiral notebook and a mechanical pencil from his pocket.
The two boys started walking on the sidewalk of the same side of the street the house was on. The neighborhood was sort of low-class, and the houses were small. The houses were a little closer apart, and most of them had chain-link fences in the backyards. The Cadillac was just twenty yards away.
“Just write down the address as we walk by,” Zach whispered to Cody.
“I know,” Cody whispered back.
As they were passing the house, Cody wrote down the address. The car was parked in the driveway, and the man was already in the house. The house was sort of enclosed and private. It was light blue and had a porch much like Zach’s house. The house was dirty and had all kinds of debris in the front yard that was fenced in by a chain-link fence.
The boys kept walking straight down the sidewalk. Cody put his notebook and pencil back in his pocket. They crossed the street at the end and headed back toward Scotty’s car at the top of the street. As they were walking, the man came out from the side door of the house, opened his gate leading to the back, and walked into the backyard. Cody and Zach both saw him from the other side of the street.
“I’m going to go and talk to him,” Zach said tensely.
“What? We were just here to find out where he lived, that’s it. What are you going to say to him?” asked Cody.
“I’m going to tell him I live a few streets away and am looking for my dog that got away,” said Zach.
“Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, we don’t even know if it’s him,” replied Cody.
“Yes, Code, plus you can’t go because what if he recognizes you as the kid he tried to pick up a few weeks ago? Then what? He will know that something is wrong. I’m going while he’s still outside. It will be fine, I’m okay. Try to keep watch for me,” said Zach.
“Okay, be careful and don’t go in the backyard with him,” Cody said.
“Don’t worry, dude. Just keep walking and stay on the street,” replied Zach.
Zach crossed back over the street a couple of houses down from the man’s house. At a medium pace, he walked on the sidewalk and called out his fake dog’s name.
“Lu-cy! Lu-cy!” cried Zach. He started walking up the man’s driveway, and the man noticed him.
Cody intensely watched from behind a parked car. He thought about snapping some pictures but decided against it.
“Excuse me, mister, I’m looking for my dog, Lucy. She ran away about an hour ago, and I can’t find her. Have you seen her?” asked Zach as he saw the man in the back by a shed. The man started walking up to the gate.
“No dog back here, kid. Sorry about your luck,” the man responded in a deep voice.
Cody tried to listen to what they were saying, but he was just too far away. Cody tried to stay behind a parked car on the street. He thought if he could hear the man’s voice, he might recognize it. Cody was afraid to go join his friend, because of what Zach said to him moments ago.
“Okay, well, if you see him, I’m three streets over, and I’ll be walking the neighborhood,” Zach said and then started walking back down the man’s driveway toward the sidewalk. The man opened his gate and stepped out.
“Sounds good, you should be more careful with your dog and who you talk to. This is a crazy world we live in, didn’t you hear about the girl from Sheldon?” said the man. “What street did you say you lived on again?”
Zach pretended like he didn’t hear the man and kept walking on the sidewalk. The man stared at Zach as he walked down the street and then looked around the neighborhood. Cody ducked before the man gazed in his direction.
Cody started running after he saw the man turn around and close his chain-link gate. Zach met up with his friend near the intersection where Scotty was parked. They turned the corner and hopped back into Scotty’s car.
“Drive, Scotty!” said Cody.
“Okay, what’s the big deal? Did you guys find what you were looking for?” asked Scotty, now sounding a little concerned.
“Um, we think so. Now please drive us back home,” demanded Zach.
“I’ll drive you home, but first, we are stopping at a gas station. You two are buying me gas. And wouldn’t you know it? My tank is almost empty,” laughed Scotty.
“Fine, that was the deal, now get us out of this city,” pleaded Zach.
“Please drive, Scotty,” Cody chimed in.
Scotty started his car and cranked the steering wheel shifter into drive. He pulled out of the spot and drove off. As they were passing the street, the boys noticed the man walking to his car.
“Keep driving, Scotty,” said Zach.
Scotty was almost back into Tippwood but on the outskirts of Crestwood when he spotted a gas station on the right-hand side a little up the street they were on. Surprisingly, they were only a few blocks away from Reagan Park, where Zach told his mom they were going.
Calmed down, Zach kidded with his friend.
“That was a close call, we could still go to Reagan Park if you want?” said Zach.
“Um, no, I just want to get home,” replied Cody.
“I’m just messing with you, dude,” said Zach.
Scotty turned left into the gas station and parked next to one of the pumps. Zach reached into his pocket and pulled out a five-dollar bill. Cody handed Zach a ten-dollar bill out his pocket.
“Here’s fifteen dollars, Scotty,” said Zach, handing his brother the money.
“No, no, no, you get out, put the gas in, and go pay for it,” demanded Scotty, pushing the money away.
“Are you serious, dude?” Zach said in disbelief.
“I told you, I would drive you, and that’s it. Get out and pump the gas,” Scotty said with a little anger in his voice.
“It’s okay, Zach, I’ll pump it,” Cody told his friend.
Cody
took the money from Zach and opened the back door to get out of the car. Cody walked inside the gas station and handed the cashier the money.
“Fifteen dollars on pump two, please,” said Cody.
The cashier didn’t say anything and took the money. Cody started walking back outside toward the car. Cody lifted up the handle and grabbed the nozzle off the gas pump. He clicked the trigger in place and let go of the gas gun. He grabbed the squeegee and started washing Scotty’s front windshield. Scotty actually smiled at Cody from inside the car. Cody nodded at his friend’s brother.
What happened next sent Cody’s heart racing a mile a minute. A black vehicle pulled into the gas station and parked on the other side of the pump that Scotty’s car was on. Cody tried to get a closer look at the car. It was the same black Cadillac from the house.
“Oh my god, did he follow us here?” Cody thought, his stomach churning. Cody tried to stay calm and put his hood up.
A man stepped out of the car and started walking toward the back of his car. It was the man that Cody and his friend had been spying on. Cody was just five feet away from the man. The man noticed Cody.
“Hey there, kid, you know what time it is?” he asked.
With his hood drooping over his head, Cody looked in to the man’s eyes. What seemed like minutes was actually only a few seconds as Cody’s eyes were locked on the man’s eyes. Were they were the same beady eyes he had seen just over the passenger window of the black Cadillac?
“I’m sorry I don’t,” Cody quickly responded.
The man grabbed the nozzle and turned to place it in his car. Now that Cody was just a few feet away from him, he actually got a closer look at the man’s face. The man had blotchy marks on his face and was a little over a foot taller than Cody. He estimated his weight around 250 pounds. The man’s hair was gray and thinning.
“Sure is a nice day out here today, isn’t it?” the man said, staring at Cody.
“It is” was all Cody could mutter, hoping the nozzle would finish pumping.
“Not like it was a few weeks ago. It sure was frigid wasn’t it?” asked the man.
“It was cold a few weeks ago.” replied Cody.
