Getting Somewhere

by Eric Hodges

CHAPTER 15

  THE CAVALRY

  Special agent Jack Hudson of the White Collar Crimes Unit sat comfortably in his aging Ford Crown Victoria, discreetly parked behind the Watonaka Indian Casino to keep an eye on the back service entrance. He was reliving his old life of being a field agent, being out on the road, gathering evidence and observing human behavior up close. The life of a special agent today was one of being a cubicle detective searching paper trails through data bases and internet archives. Not for Jack Hudson, he murmured to the dark dashboard of the car, he’s a real detective and if the suits in charge of The Unit didn’t appreciate him then to hell with them.

  Jack didn’t dwell on the changes in the Unit or on his career’s twilight years. He was just letting his mind wander to pass the time while he watched the rear door for movement. He caught the crack of light around the door and saw it open slowly to allow a head to peek out into the darkness. The head looked left and right then slipped back inside closing the door behind. Well, Jack thought, there ought to be somebody outside and there isn’t. It must be show time and somebody is late.

  Jack slumped down a bit in the seat to make a smaller silhouette just as the bakery delivery van drove around the building at 10:12pm. The Concerned Citizen was right on and the driver was a bit behind schedule. The driver did back the van up to the rear loading door of the building and walk around to knock. The fellow inside opened the door and Jack witnessed a brief heated argument in the spill of light before the inside guy went back inside and the driver propped the rear van door open. They both proceeded to carry shoebox sized packages quickly between the interior of the building and the van. Jack guessed there were a two dozen of the bundles. They finished and the driver drove back out the way he came in. Elapsed time was eight minutes, Jack noted in his tiny notebook and followed the van through the parking lot to the highway in sedate undercover pursuit of the van.

  The delivery van pulled into the rear parking lot of what looked like an office building and the driver reversed the process Jack had just witnessed behind the casino. The bundles went into the office building but the assistant this time was a middle aged office type in shirtsleeves and a loose tie. Jack watched from the darkness a short distance away, bemused at the observational skills of the Concerned Citizen because he too could see the oddity of it all. A bakery delivery to an office building in the late evening coming from a casino was not exactly a common occurrence and as far as the hit parade of odd things went, it was high on the list.

  Jack continued to stare at the last place the tail lights of the van could be seen as he contemplated the import of his current findings. Nothing. There was nothing obvious or subtle he could dredge up that would legitimately explain what he had just witnessed. That was all he could do for the night and tomorrow was casino day for him but just now he was interested in filling the void created by missing his dinner.

  He drove around the way he came in and slowly cruised in front of the office building. It had a modestly lettered sign on the front that proclaimed “Davies and Wix” but Jack didn’t get a sense of what might be the purpose. It could be anything from an accounting firm to the farm co-op and was most certainly just an office, not a bakery, warehouse or restaurant. At the thought of a restaurant, Jack reminded himself he was hungry and headed to the diner he passed on the main street.

  Jack Hudson, detective on assignment, ambled into the diner and sat at the counter next to the only other person in the place, a thinner guy than Jack, maybe twenty years younger and a working type. Locals are usually affable and talkative and Jack wanted to get a bit of the local vibe.

  “Pretty quiet in here” Jack said “I’m glad they’re open, I’m hungry.” He knew that to get any information he had to give first and the more he gave, the better return. “I’m just down from the capitol and missed dinner, is this place any good?”

  “This is the best place that’s open” the stranger said with a hint of a smile.

  Jack ordered a coffee and said “It's the only place open, huh?”

  The local grinned and said “How perceptive of you sir, are you sure you just got into town?” The waitress took Jack’s order, a club sandwich, and went into the back. Maybe the cook was napping and the waitress went to wake him.

  Jack settled into his coffee and after a moment casually remarked “There isn’t much going on here at night is there. It looks like the town closed up a while ago.”

  “Yeah, all the action is at the casino down the road. You passed it getting off the highway on the way in” the stranger said. “Other than that place” the description trailed off into a shrug. Jack nodded knowingly and they both sipped their coffees.

  After a moment, Jack inquired “I saw a light on and some delivery activity at a place down the block, Davies and Wix it said on the sign. What do they do that requires late night deliveries?”

  The stranger stroked his chin gathering information in his mind and after his thinking pause said “It is a law and accounting operation best I know. Property development and corporate stuff, I’ve heard. They don’t deal much with lowly townsfolk” he emphasized the word lowly, “and you don’t see much traffic there day or night.”

  Now Jack rubbed his chin. This fellow had some of the local information and Jack wanted to dig as far as he could. It was a slim chance that any of this was connected to the currency, but there were thinner threads that have paid off in the past. And besides, Jack thought, he was out in the field, chasing leads and trying to put some kind of story together just like the old days. He was in his element and may actually need the research geeks back at his office. This could not be better. All he had to do was to convince the captain that his geeks were the first line in the investigation and he, Jack, could stay out here without much notice. He realized he was ignoring his sandwich and shook off his daydream.

  “So what do you do around here?” Jack asked as he chewed.

  “I’ve just come in to town a while ago. I do odd jobs and handyman stuff, and then move on. I don’t like to stay in one place too long.”

  Jack looked over at his companion and sized him up critically. He said was a drifter but did look personable and well kept. Probably not a criminal type and did fit in to what a local would look like. No alarms were set off in his head and his detective intuition told him there was no problem here.

  “That’s interesting, how long have you been on the road?”

  “It’s’ been a while but I like it so far. When I get tired of it or find a place that suits me I’ll stop, but for now, I’m okay just to wander.” They lapsed into silence for a moment.

  Jack was finishing up and got what he needed. He put some bills on the counter with a generous tip and said “Maybe I’ll see you around, my name’s Jack Hudson.” He held out his hand.

  “Pleased to meet you,” the stranger said grasping Jack’s hand, “My name’s Wheeler.” Jack ambled out of the diner and Wheeler stared at nothing over his coffee cup.

  There was more to be done, but for Wheeler it was still hazy. This meeting just completed with Jack Hudson was part of what he was moved to do and it was an important step, but there was more. Wheeler felt that the forces beyond his awareness were bigger than he was used to and he felt the need to pay particular attention this time to his inner senses. Usually he felt a gentle wave coming when he was setting up the groundwork for a resolution, which nudged him into meeting someone or doing some modest task like he had been doing with Alice and Bob. Then the wave washed over the offenders and swept them away.

  This time, Wheeler had more of a sense of urgency and what was coming had the sensory rumble of an avalanche and the calm of the eye of a storm mixed together. The forces this time, Wheeler mused, have the power to slam somebody or something very flat and he had to make sure he and Alice and Bob were clear. He had to be careful.

  Jack found a motel close to the casino by the time he finished his long, detailed phone message to his boss. He shouldn’t talk on the phone and
drive but his only risk was driving off the road or being hit by lightning, the lightning being more probable on the clear night. He tucked into the bed at the motel, planning his one man covert assault for tomorrow and he drifted off to sleep.

  Wheeler finished his plans too and headed back to Alice and Bob. He had grown fond of Alice and looked forward to a reunion after their short separation. She had become more and more welcoming as the days unfolded and Wheeler had become more and more appreciative. It was lonely on the road and Alice added a dimension of intimacy that left Wheeler pondering the wisdom of his wandering, maybe it was time for him to consider something more permanent. Wheeler’s mind wandered into these thoughts of companionship as his internal autopilot drove straight to the Keefer farm. This was enough for one day.

  The night light was on downstairs and there was a dim glow coming from the hallway at the top of the stairs. Wheeler padded softly into the big farmhouse, following the light up to Alice’s bedroom. She was in bed looking beautifully ruffled and inviting in her slumber and his breath caught. Wheeler quietly undressed and joined her, rousing her just enough to roll toward him.

  “Mission accomplished?” She cooed as she drowsily lifted the covers to make room for him.

  “Oh yeah” he said into her ear. “That was an easy one.” They drifted off to sleep in a cozy, loose embrace.