Читать книгу Like Coffee and Doughnuts - Elle Parker - Страница 8

Chapter 5

Back home, I spent an hour in my apartment running title searches on the files Ernie gave me, seven in all. A couple were out of state, and I’d either deal with those later or kick them back to Ernie who had someone he could call for longer range jobs. The rest, I was able to get up-to-date information for.

I packed the information into my briefcase and went to the bedroom to change into old jeans and a sweatshirt. Out on the street, I opened Matilda’s trunk and made sure I had everything we’d need. There were two flashlights, which I tested, a pack of extra batteries, the slim-jim for breaking into cars we didn’t have keys for, mace for dogs, and a fully charged stun gun for unpleasant human beings. I carry a gun too, but that’s more for show. Waving around a Glock is actually far more peaceful than zapping the shit out of some guy on his front lawn. The State of Florida disapproves of that in most cases, so I try to avoid it.

It took me about an hour and a half to drive around town and check out the cars so I could decide which ones we’d try for first. Three of them weren’t there, but I found the addresses and scoped out the terrain. The other two were parked out front, and I hoped they’d still be there later on.

When I had the legwork done, I stopped off at Hamm’s Cafe and picked up two huge bacon cheeseburgers, two orders of onion rings, and a six-pack of Coke. Then I headed for Ed’s Garage.

Seth was nowhere to be seen when I went inside, so I set the food on the workbench and took a look in the office. He wasn’t there either. The only thing that appeared to be in the shop was the Fairlane. I figured he must have gone up to his apartment, and I headed for the side door.

I was walking alongside the car, when a hand shot out and clamped around my ankle. I just about hit the roof. When my heart started beating again, I swore loudly, and yanked my leg free. “Get your ass out from under that car!”

Seth rolled out, laughing like a hyena. “I’ve never heard anyone shriek like that.” He lay on the floor clutching his sides. “Are you sure you’re a badass private eye?”

“Asshole. You want me to kick your scrawny little ass to prove it?”

“I am not scrawny.”

“And I do not shriek.”

Seth lost it all over again. After a minute, he stopped and said, “Hey, I smell onion rings.”

“That would be my dinner.” I wasn’t really pissed at him, but I couldn’t let him get away with it. I had to yank his chain at least a little. “You wanna grab me some napkins while you’re upstairs scraping Cheetos off the rug or whatever you plan on eating?”

I kicked him in the ass and went to get my food and a can of Coke. There’s an old bench seat from a Ford pick-up sitting on the floor in the corner of the garage, with a couple of milk crates for tables. I sat down and flipped open the lid, inhaling the scent of fried things and moaning loudly.

“You’re such a jerk,” Seth said as he got up and brushed off his hands and hair. “Here I’m gonna work all night for you, and you gotta’ be flaunting your hamburger in front of me.”

“Yeah, well, I think the burger fairy left you a surprise on your workbench.”

“Oh?” Seth came around the back of the car and smiled broadly. “Sweet. Thanks, dude.”

“You’re welcome.”

He took a couple of plastic cups off the beat up old refrigerator at the end of the bench and filled them with ice from the freezer, then came to join me, handing me a cup and opening up his food.

“So, what did you find out?” he asked, stuffing the cheeseburger in his mouth. He’d barely started chewing when he tried to cram an onion ring in with it.

“Were you born in a fucking barn?” I asked.

“Yefff.”

I shook my head. “Okay, we’ve got five possibles tonight, and I have keys for three of them. I scoped out all the locations and there’s nothing tricky at any of them. I’ve seen two. The others weren’t there at the time.”

Seth somehow managed to swallow and asked, “Anything fun?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” I said, grinning at him. “There is one I think you’re gonna like. Seventy-eight Corvette. Sold for a pretty penny so it must be in good shape.”

Seth groaned and turned huge doe eyes on me. “You’re gonna let me drive that one, aren’t you?”

“Sure, why not? It’s your ass on the line out there too.”

“Yes!” Seth pumped his fist and went back to attacking his burger like a wild animal.

“But I gotta’ warn you, it’s in a pretty dicey neighborhood, so we’re going to have to do it carefully.”

“Fine with me,” he said, swallowing a mouthful of onion ring and taking a swig of Coke. “I have zero interest in getting my ass shot off.”

I was starving and concentrated on eating while we sat in a comfortable silence. When Seth finished, he got up and dumped his garbage in a rusty trash barrel standing against the wall. He came back holding a newsprint Auto Trader folded open.

“Check it out,” he said, dropping back onto the seat next to me and holding the magazine in front of my face.

I took it from him and ate my last onion ring. “Which one am I lookin’ at?”

“That one.” He tapped his finger on an ad for a 1972 Chevy Chevelle, dark orange with white stripes. It was selling for a song. Seth had been in the market for a muscle car to work on for a while, but hadn’t found anything that caught his eye.

“Nice.” The photos were small and grainy, but from what I could tell, it seemed to be in pretty good shape, body-wise. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Doesn’t run at all. The guy said the engine’s seized up, and it’s been sitting in storage for about four years now.”

“You go look at it yet?”

“No, I just called on it today.” Seth took the magazine from me and leaned back against the seat gazing at it like it was a porno mag. “Thought you might want to take a run out there with me if you’re free some evening this week. Overhauling that engine would be a fuck of a lot of work, but what a blast.”

I got up and threw away my garbage, brushing my hands off. “Yeah, I could do that. She’s a beaut. I think you might be on to something there.”

We had some time to kill before dark, so we sat around talking about the Chevelle, about Matilda, and about the schedule for the evening. It was a pleasant way to spend the time, and it left me relaxed and ready for an unpredictable night of work.

That’s the thing about Seth. His antics are amusing and he’s got a lot of assets that make him a useful friend, but what I like most about him is how well we get along. It’s always comfortable being with him, and given the precious few people I actually like to be around, that’s important to me.

* * * *

Around nine thirty, we got everything we needed out of Matilda and loaded into Seth’s tow truck. I guess technically it would be Ed’s tow truck, but Seth was shaping up to be owner of the place through sheer habit if nothing else. I had a feeling the old guy was planning to leave it to him when he died. If he ever did.

Seth climbed behind the wheel and we took off. We drove out to the farthest car on our list, taking a route past each of the others to check on them. We had gotten pretty good at this and had a solid routine down.

Three of the five possible cars were at home, leaving only a Trailblazer and the Corvette unaccounted for. The Corvette didn’t surprise me in the least. I figured we’d have to wait until pretty damn late to get a shot at it. I really hoped we weren’t going to have to stay up until dawn to bring it in.

Reconnaissance was done in half an hour and we parked up the street from a newer model Mercury Sable. This was one of the cars I’d been able to have a key made for, and I didn’t expect any trouble claiming it.

Seth leaned on the steering wheel. “I’ll keep watch until you’re off and follow you to Ernie’s. Let’s hope they’re all this easy tonight.”

“No shit. Don’t count your chickens, though. See you on the other side.”

He grinned at me, and I jumped out of the truck. Walking casually across the street, I reached into my pocket and took out a penlight. I had a folded copy of the purchase agreement and used it to check the VIN number before I unlocked the car and got in. Smooth as butter, and not an ounce of trouble.

I drove it to Ernie’s and parked in the back of the lot, where he’d made room for us. Seth rolled right in behind me.

“Did you call it in?” he asked as I climbed back into the truck.

“Yep, on the way over. I told her we’d have a few more, so they’re expecting it.”

The next one on the list was an ’85 Chevy Caprice. Seth was disgusted. “Who the hell would take out a loan to buy a fuckin’ Caprice?”

With no keys, we had to pop the lock and tow it back to Ernie’s, but our luck was running good for the evening, and we didn’t raise any eyebrows with that one either.

The third car went just as smoothly, and the next time we checked on the Trailblazer, it was finally parked in the driveway. The bedroom light of the house was still on, so we sat in the truck until it went out twenty minutes later.

“Should we go for it?” Seth asked.

“Eh, let’s give it another ten. Maybe they’ll fall asleep fast.”

“Come on, Dino, don’t be a pussy, we’ve got keys for this one. Just go get it and let’s get the fuck out of here.”

I scowled at him. “I am not being a pussy, I just don’t wanna push our luck. We’ve had a good evening, and we still have the dangerous one to do. I think it’s worth taking a few extra minutes on this one.”

I’ve had it happen a couple times, where I’m sitting in the driver’s seat of some car cranking the key while the engine hacks away, not quite catching, and watching the house light up out of the corner of my eye. That’s when the thrill fades right off.

“Yeah, okay, Grandpa.”

“Here’s an idea,” I said, holding up the slim-jim. “Why don’t you shove this right up your ass? That should keep you amused for a while.”

“Well, I would, except that I’ll be needing it to get into the ’Vette later on.”

“Speaking of that, are you gonna be able to hotwire it?”

“Sure, no sweat,” he said. “Easy as pie.”

“If you can’t get it, you say so and we’ll hoist it up on the hook. I don’t want to be screwing around there any longer than necessary. I did a little checking on this Darryl Serrano, and he’s not opposed to causing trouble, if you know what I mean.”

Seth raised his eyebrows. “Does he have a rap sheet?”

“Nothing huge. A few arrests and a little jail time. He’s an idiot, and he pulls stupid shit like speeding and reckless driving after already losing his license. He’s just the type of moron to stand on his front step and blast you with a shotgun. Do not fuck around on this one.”

“It’ll be fine. This wouldn’t be the first time everything went right, you know.”

“And it wouldn’t be the first time we got our asses handed to us either,” I reminded him. Seth’s not stupid, but he can be reckless a lot of the time, and I had a feeling the lure of driving that flashy car was going to make him take chances.

I checked my watch and figured enough time had gone by. The sooner we got this one, the sooner we could get the ’Vette out of the way and go home.

Snatching the SUV was as slick as the rest, and soon I was parking it at Ernie’s while I put in a call to the front desk of the cop shop. I gave her the scoop and let her know we had one more to go for the night. She wished me luck and hung up.

I walked up to the truck as Seth came to a stop for me and got in. “Should we go find you a Corvette?” I asked.

“I have to use the can first,” he said. “And we could stand to get more gas before we finish. It would really suck if the truck died right in the middle of this dude’s street.”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

We drove across the street to the Hess station to fill up and use the bathroom, and I got a cup of coffee. I refused to let Seth get one of his caffeine bomb, battery acid drinks. The last thing in the world I needed was for him to slam twenty-seven grams of sugar before taking off in a hot Corvette.

When we got back in the truck, I took the driver’s side so Seth could be ready to jump out and hit the car running. Before I started it up, I went over the file with him again so he was sure of the details and had the VIN number.

“All right,” I said, pulling out of the gas station. “Let’s get this done. You be careful.”

Seth smiled broadly at me. He’s actually got a Cheshire grin when he smiles like that, and a couple of his teeth are pointy, so the whole effect is a little feral. It’s weirdly charming, but it often spells trouble.

“I am not shittin’ you, Seth,” I said, pointing at him. “We do this quick no matter how we have to, and we get the hell out of there.”

He nodded. “I hear you, Dino.”

We got to Monroe Street and circled the lot of Serrano’s tiny apartment building. The car wasn’t hard to spot. It was cherry red, sitting low on the ground and gleaming in the parking lot lights. I heard Seth moan quietly, and I turned to stare at him.

“Fuck, Dino, I know, all right?” He held up his hands like an exasperated teenager. “I swear, if it doesn’t start right off I’ll give you the sign and we’ll tow it.”

I nodded and moved the truck to where I’d be able to back straight in if we needed. We decided since this was the last one, and because it was so flashy, we’d park it behind Ed’s for the night and throw a cover over it. I wasn’t comfortable with leaving it at Ernie’s, because when this guy found it missing, he would certainly come looking for it.

Seth got out of the truck and shut the door quietly, taking the slim-jim, a screwdriver, and his pocket knife with him. I watched him crouch low and trot over to the car. He checked the VIN number against the paperwork, and went to work on the lock. Less than two minutes later, he climbed in the car, half the battle won.

I had the truck idling and gave it a soft rev so if I had to move fast, it wouldn’t stall out. I kept my eyes glued to the back window of the ’Vette, where I could just make out Seth moving around inside. I waited a few more minutes and checked my watch. Nothing happened.

“Come on,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

I was about to make my move when the car finally roared to life. It was loud as hell. If we hadn’t been noticed before, we certainly would be now. Seth clearly understood the same thing, because he didn’t bother backing out slow and quiet, he just whipped it out of the parking space and wheeled smoothly around to the parking lot entrance.

I turned and stepped on the clutch to pull out after him, when a blurred figure exploded out the door of the apartment building and streaked past me. It was a young guy, mid-twenties or so, with short blond hair and a button-down shirt only half on, flapping around him as he ran. I guessed this was Darryl Serrano. He hollered after the Corvette, using quite a lot of colorful words, but his hands were empty, which was a relief. If he had a gun on him, he’d have pulled it by now.

What he did next surprised me more than a gun would have. He was really moving and started to chase down the car. I pulled out on the street in time to see him catch Seth at the intersection when Seth slowed to make the turn.

Darryl launched himself into the air and landed on the hood of the ’Vette in a flying tackle, screaming and pounding on the glass. Seth snapped the front of the car toward the curb and stomped on the breaks, rolling the guy off onto the grass, then streaked away with a squeal of tires. I imagined he enjoyed the hell out of that, and I didn’t expect him to sleep for two days.

With Seth out of danger, and long gone, I drove along slowly as if I was a mere passerby. I kept an eye on Serrano while he picked himself up and limped back toward the apartment building, swearing and waving his arms. He picked up a beer can and hurled it at the block of mailboxes on the lawn.

Once he was inside, there wasn’t any reason for me to hang around, so I stepped on the gas and drove back to the garage. I wasn’t the least bit surprised I was the first one to get there, and I already had the car cover out and ready when Seth finally pulled in, some kind of heavy bass beat making the windows throb.

He didn’t get out of the car right away, and I could see him inside thrashing around to the music, so I supposed we were going to wait out the end of the song. I leaned against the door frame and folded my arms over my chest, grateful I was on this side of the glass.

When the song ended, he drove the car around back where we’d decided to stash it. I followed him and met him climbing out of it.

“Fuck, Dino, is that a sweet ride,” Seth said. He grabbed an edge of the cover and helped me drape it over the car. He was practically bouncing. “Are you absolutely sure we have to give it back?”

“Ah, that would be a definite yes,” I said, grinning. “We have to give it back. Trust me when I tell you you’re going to like the Chevelle a whole lot better. Personally, I think it completely outclasses this thing even with a fried engine.”

“Yeah?”

“No question.”

We got the Corvette stowed away, and Seth was still crashing around as if he had downed a can full of sugar. I was extremely grateful I’d pulled rank on that one.

“Driving that car really got you wired, didn’t it?” I asked, watching him shadowbox a Firestone Tire sign and then kick it right over.

“Are you kidding? I’ve had a boner for half an hour. I’m completely jazzed right now.”

I had to ask.

Since it was only one thirty and the paperwork could wait until morning, I said, “Well, you’re gonna have to handle the hard-on yourself, but I’d be happy to take you down to the Oar House and buy you a few beers to settle you down.”

He gave me an absolutely predatory smile. It made me a little weak in the knees, and I was prepared for one of his offhanded come-ons, but instead he just said, “You’re on,” and jogged halfway down the sidewalk before coming back to walk with me.