by Alex Cage
“I’m sorry,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road.
“What?” Black replied, looking at her.
She looked over to him briefly. “I shouldn’t have said that about your parents.” She slightly shook her head. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy being an orphan.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Black said, turning back to the view outside his window.
“And yes.”
“Yes what?” Black asked, still turned away.
“My parents are not together.”
Black peered over his shoulder at her.
“My father left when I was a little girl,” Ashley continued. “I don’t remember much about him.”
Black shifted in his seat, twisting in her direction.
“I always wonder why he left, you know. And when something triggers that thought, it makes me mad, I guess. I’m working on it, but I’ve kept it bottled up for so long. I mean… what did I do? What would make a man leave his wife and little daughter?” she asked, glancing at Black and hunching her shoulders as if she expected him to answer.
“Are you asking me?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, sure.”
“Your father’s the only person who can answer that, maybe.”
“Why do you say ‘maybe’?”
“Sometimes people do things without knowing why and never put in the work to figure out why. I’m sure you see it all the time in your line of work. Someone makes a choice that hurts those around them, but they themselves don’t really know why they made the choice to begin with. It can be an impulsive, emotional, passion-fueled decision. That’s an indictment on them, not the people who are innocently standing by.”
Ashley inhaled and exhaled quickly. “Well, my mom told me my grandfather—my dad’s father—was an alcoholic and cheated on my grandmother a lot. So it may not be entirely his fault.”
“Your dad may not be to blame for everything that happened in his life, but he is responsible for how his behavior affects the people around him. Especially his wife and child.”
“I know. That’s very unusual for a man to leave his wife and kids. I know it’s on him, but I feel like I’m the one who is broken. It makes me so mad.”
“It may be unusual in your world, but among my community it’s very common,” Black said, turning once again to his window.
Ashley looked over to him for a moment, then back at the road. The two went silent for a few minutes, snaking down the road and enjoying the view.
“So what about you, Black?”
“What about me?” Black replied, facing her.
“Are there things that trigger anger in you?”
“Yeah, sometimes, but I’m a lot better than what I used to be. I used to get really angry. Almost uncontrollable.”
Ashley slowly nodded at the wheel. “Did you get mad because of what happened to your parents?” she asked.
“I think it has something to do with it, but my parents died when I was just in elementary school. I didn’t start feeling like that until I was in the military. I guess I had it bottled up.”
“What changed?” Ashley asked, glancing at Black and lifting her right palm in a gesture of surprise. “You don’t strike me as a man who will fly off the handle.”
“I had some help, some training, and I learned to take responsibility for my behavior and everything that comes into my life, even if it’s not my fault. Some days are better than others, but I have a handle on it.”
Ashley smiled. “Now I see why you’re sticking around to help out with this case.”
“I want to see this through until the end because I don’t want it coming back on me.”
“We’re pretty certain you had nothing to do with these bombings,” Ashley said, shaking her head. “You could’ve left instead of coming on this trip with me. Maybe you don’t want this to blow back on you, but I think you want to see this through because you feel a responsibility to do so. That’s an honorable thing.”
Black said nothing.
“What about your sister? How did she take your parents’ death?”
“Olivia was an infant. She barely remembers and there was no funeral or wake. We never had a chance to properly say goodbye.”
“I’m sorry, Black.”
“No need to be. My parents put things in place to make sure we were taken care of practically for the rest of our lives, and most of the foster homes were good to us. Our final foster parents really took us in as their own.”
“Do you consider them your parents?”
“Well—my sister does more than me.”
“So you don’t?”
Black shrugged. “They’re not, really.”
“They took you in as their own, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Did they make sure you and your sister had what you needed?”
“Yeah.”
“Did they call you their son and her their daughter?”
“Yeah.”
“Would you say they loved you two?”
“Yeah. I would say that.”
“Then like it or not, they’re your parents, Black.”
Black took in a deep breath, exhaling as he peered in his mirror and saw the green truck trailing behind them.
“Black, I have a question to ask.”
“Go ahead. This has already turned into a shrink session.”
Ashley chuckled. “Seriously,” she said. “Anyway. Some areas of your file are highly redacted.”
“Okay?”
“We have record of you spending time in Asia after the military, but the few years prior to that we can’t place where you were. What were you doing those years?”
Black sighed. “I’m not at liberty to say,” he said, looking out his window.
Ashley shifted her gaze between him and the road for a few seconds. “Fine. You don’t have to tell me.”
They continued on the winding road, watching as the grassy hills and power lines rolled in. It was another five minutes before the hills flattened and they found themselves traveling parallel to a train on their right. The train whistled and steamed by, leaving a light stream of smoke behind. It smelled like a charcoal grill being preheated at a barbecue. A couple of minutes later, Ashley was veering right, back onto I-580 E. The conversation ebbed and flowed, with Ashley doing most of the talking. She talked about her upbringing with her mom and how she got started in law enforcement. Black was only half listening and actually dozed off a couple times.
“Are you listening to me, Black?” Ashley asked, smiling.
“Yeah—Yeah. You know, you’ve been driving for a while. Do you want me to take over?”
“No, I’m totally fine,” she answered before continuing to tell him about how she had ended up in San Francisco.
I would’ve never thought she’s such a chatterbox, Black thought.
I-580 East turned into I-5 South and the landscape became flat. Not a single hill or dirt mound for miles. Ashley fell quiet. She must have said all she wanted to say, Black was guessing. He slowly closed his eyes after getting a final peek of Ashley peering into her side mirror. When he opened his eyes, he saw her doing the same thing. The sun was descending below the horizon and darkness began to wrap the sky.
Ashley gave him a quick stare with squinted eyes. “Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” she said in a chuckle, turning back to the windshield.
“Where are we?” Black asked with a slight yawn in his voice, pushing his arms out in a stretch.
“Near Bakersfield.”
“So we’ve been driving nearly three hours?”
“Yep, and I think someone is following us,” Ashley said, glancing up at the rearview mirror.
Black lifted himself upright in his seat. “Green pickup truck?” he asked.
“Yeah. H—how did you know?”
“That truck was following you when you came to pick me up.”
Ashley’s head jerked in Black’s direction. “They’ve been following us the whole trip
and you’re just now telling me about it?” she said, neck bending forward, frown on her face.
“I was thinking about it, but you told me you were independent and didn’t need anyone’s help.”
Ashley rolled her eyes and sighed. “Any idea who they are?” she asked, sharing her attention between the road and the mirror.
Black nodded. “Yeah, I have a good idea who it is.”
“Who?”
“We need to gas up. Take the next exit.”
Ashley flicked on her indicator and eased over to the far right lane. Black saw the green truck perform the same maneuver. After a couple of minutes, they were coasting up the off ramp. They made a left across the overpass, turning into a large gas station and attached restaurant lot. There were about fifty gas pumps and fifteen diesel pumps specifically for eighteen-wheelers. They parked next to one of the available pumps and watched as the green pickup stopped at a pump on the far side of the station.
Ashley exhaled, “Okay, I guess I can get the local authorities here.”
“No, no, don’t do that yet,” Black said, looking out his window at the green truck.
“Okay. So what are we going to do?”
Black looked at Ashley. “This is what we’re going to do…” he began with a smile on his face.
15.
“SO THAT’S YOUR plan—to wait? Simple plan,” Ashley commented.
“In my experience, keeping it simple keeps you alive,” Black said.
Ashley hunched her shoulders. “Okay,” she said, opening the door and dropping her feet onto the concrete. She stood from the car, closed the door behind her, and leaned backward in a stretch before ambling into the store.
Black watched her through the store windows as she walked to the cashier. A few minutes later, she waved to him from the window. He stepped out of the car and circled around to the driver side, where the pump was located. He began filling the car while inconspicuously watching the green truck parked on the other side of the station. When the pump handle clicked, Black replaced it and the gas cap and crossed the pavement, passing in front of a couple of vehicles before entering the store. He met Ashley and together they walked into the adjoining restaurant, finding a booth with a window view of the pumps outside.
“Alright. They’re still there,” Ashley said, peeking out the window.
“Give it a few minutes,” Black said.
“Okay, keep an eye on them,” Ashley said, sliding out of the booth. “I’m getting something to eat. Want something?”
“Whatever you’re having,” Black replied, eyes on the green truck.
Ashley walked to the restaurant’s front counter. Black continued to watch the truck. Five minutes passed and Ashley walked back over.
“They’re still in the truck?” she asked, scooting into the booth.
“Yep,” Black replied, tapping his palm against the table.
“Our food should be ready in a little.”
Black nodded, fixed on the truck.
“Hey, Black,” Ashley said, staring at him with a smile.
He turned to her, keeping an eye on the truck in his peripheral.
“They’re not going anywhere. You can relax some.”
Black smiled.
Then he saw a thought occur to Ashley. “You said you may know who’s in the truck. Who do you think it is?”
As if in answer to her question, the green pickup’s passenger door opened and a man stepped out under the glow of the overhead lights.
“Wait, he looks familiar,” Ashley said. “That’s—um—”
“Guo.”
Seconds later, the other door swung open as well, and Reeves stood from the truck. The two men talked for a few seconds before Guo walked over to the pump and Reeves paced toward the store’s entrance.
“He’s coming in,” Ashley said, turning from the window and facing Black.
“Don’t make eye contact—just act normal. Remember, he doesn’t know for sure that you know who he is.”
Black heard the automatic doors zip open five yards behind him.
“That’s him,” Ashley muttered, quickly moving her sights from the door to the table, and finally Black’s face. She smiled and locked eyes with him as if the two were having a deep conversation.
“Remember, be natural,” Black said in a low tone, almost a whisper.
“I am,” Ashley replied without moving her lips, still smiling. The two continued their act for a few minutes before Ashley informed Black, “He’s ringing out.”
He smiled at her in a quiet chuckle, amused by her ventriloquist performance.
“Okay, he’s walking out now.”
Black looked out the window from the corner of his eye and caught sight of Reeves walking back to the truck. He was carrying a plastic bag of what appeared to be snacks and drinks. Once at the vehicle, he said something to Guo, who then began pumping gas in the truck. Reeves threw the bag and himself inside the cab. After Guo finished pumping the gas, he too jumped inside the pickup.
“Now what do you want to do?” Ashley asked.
“We wait.”
“More waiting.”
“Yep. Keep an eye on them. I’m going to the restroom.”
Black walked across the restaurant’s ceramic tiled floor, opening a door which led outside. His feet landed on a smooth concrete sidewalk which ran into the blacktop for the gas pumps. A couple yards up on the left were the restrooms. He walked into the men’s and was hit by the scent of Pine-Sol. The restroom was much cleaner and more modern than he had expected for a gas station in the middle of Bakersfield. He used the urinal and washed his hands at the sink before walking back inside the restaurant and taking his seat.
“That was quick,” Ashley said.
“The restroom’s not that far away.”
“They’re still in the truck. Your turn to watch. I’m going to the restroom now,” Ashley said, standing from the booth and walking out.
Black watched the truck for five minutes. There was no activity. Ashley strolled back into the restaurant and headed to the booth but made a detour to the food counter when she saw their order was ready. With one hand, she lightly whisked a tray of burgers and fries across the table before hunkering down in her seat and resting two bottled waters next to the tray.
“Did I miss anything?” she asked.
“Nope,” Black answered, facing her.
“Alrighty then—let’s eat,” Ashley shrugged.
The two ate their burgers and fries, keeping an eye on the truck while casually discussing the food before them and how much further they had to drive.
“That was good,” Ashley said afterwards, cradling her stomach.
“It was pretty good for a gas station burger,” Black replied. “I’ll clean up the mess since you were nice enough to bring the food over.”
“Aww, how sweet of you,” Ashley joked, smiling.
Black grinned. He stood from the table, placing the leftover trash on the tray, and carried it to the trash bin. On his way back to his seat, Ashley waved at him to speed it up. He hurried to the booth and peered out the window, standing with his head tilted. Guo had exited the truck and was walking in the direction of the restrooms.
“He’s on the move,” Ashley commented.
“Keep an eye on Reeves,” Black said.
“Where are you going?”
“To have a conversation with Guo. Oh yeah—” he added, pausing as he turned away, “call the police.”
“I thought you didn’t want me to.”
“I didn’t want you to at the time.”
“Okay,” Ashley said, reaching into her pocket for her phone.
Black nodded and walked to the door. Cracking it open, he watched Guo enter the men’s restroom. Black slipped through the restaurant door and jogged over to the restroom. He leaned against the wall next to the entryway and listened as Guo relieved himself and flushed the urinal. He heard him shuffle to the sink and waited until he heard water running before swiftly raci
ng in.
In the mirror, Guo’s facial expression altered to surprise as he saw Black standing behind him. He started to turn, but Black quickly put him in a rear choke hold. Guo began to buck and throw his arms, gasping and fighting to break free.
“Hey, hey, calm down,” Black said.
Guo ignored his request and continued to gasp, throwing his hands over his shoulder in an attempt to hit and grab his attacker. Black leaned back to avoid his opponent’s flapping hands and lifted him off of his feet before dropping him to the floor on his butt. Guo’s movements slowed and his loud breaths turned into wheezes as he fainted.
“I guess I won’t be getting any information out of you,” Black said, frisking Guo. He found another unmarked Glock 19 tucked in the back of his pants next to a case of handcuffs. Black removed the gun, stuffed it in his own pants, dragged Guo’s wasted body to the handicap stall, and heaved him onto the toilet seat, using his own handcuffs to lock him to the handicap bar in the stall. He took one last look at Guo’s slouched body before closing the stall door. Then he hid in a corner near the entrance, next to the urinals. Three minutes went by before Reeves opened the restroom door.
“Kevin,” he called. “What’s taking so lo—”
Black jumped at him. Reeves reached to his waist and gripped the handle of a gun—the same model Glock that had been so popular the past couple days. Reeves yanked the gun out of his belt, but Black was already on him. He had control of Reeves’ hand and squeezed, causing him to drop the pistol. Black then locked his assailant’s elbow with his free hand while stepping in front of him and tossing him over his leg, all in one smooth motion. Reeves flew into a low somersault before rolling across the floor and crashing shoulder first into the far wall near the handicap stall.
Black picked up Reeves’ gun and pointed it at him. Reeves pushed himself up, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.
“Start talking,” Black said.
Reeves chuckled. “Ow… About what?” he said, rubbing his shoulder.
“Start with why you’ve been following me.”
Reeves shook his head and looked away.
Black thrust his boot into the shoulder Reeves was favoring. He wailed in pain, grabbing at his shoulder and falling on his side.
