Mr. Rogers' Research
Chapter 31

Copyright© 2018 by MysteryWriter

Joan and I watched all the traffic cam footage. It took an hour to find a good shot of the plate. It was too out of focus or broken up to read, but Joan sent it to the studio techs. We wouldn’t get an answer until after my walk the next morning, so I gave up and went to bed.

I was like that. I was able to switch gears back and forth seamlessly. I knew that when I awoke the next morning, I could pick up right where I left off.

That’s exactly what happened at 6:45 the next morning when I knocked on Joan’s door. I was ready for the plate number.

“It’s too early for the Techs to be at work. Once they get my message and understand the importance of it, then it won’t take long,” Joan promised. “Lets go walk and when we finish, I can beg them to run the filters on the shot, or what ever they do.”

“Okay but I want you to get his thing done by the time I finish breakfast,” I said. Yes, I wasn’t as cool that morning as I usually am. I wasn’t even sure why I was just on edge. I was a bundle of nerves right up until I lifted the home made war club, and took that first step.

Then all the nervous energy was replaced by the pain in my left hip. I could remember how much better it had felt after that first surgery, but after all the subsequent surgeries, it just kept getting worse. By the time I hit three laps around the parking lot I had revisited each one of those painful surgeries.

I had also walked out the kinks and most of the pain. Even after the cocktail of pain killers kicking in, I still had some pain. When we got back to the car, Joan make the call. “Voice mail,” she said.

“Let’s go back to the motel and take a shower, and then get some breakfast,” I suggested. “If by then you don’t hear from your guy, I’ll contact the Geek.”

“I’ll have it I swear,” Joan said sounding almost desperate.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to blame you,” I said. “This isn’t time critical.”

“Good, but I will,” she said.

“You will what?” I asked.

“I’ll blame myself,” she suggested it almost in tears.

“Don’t blame yourself for what other people fail to do. Just learn from it and move on,” I told her calmly. Yes I appeared calm, but I was pissed. I had things I wanted to do. I managed to get in the shower, wash my ass, my hair, and get into my clean clothes. Except for my cargo pants which I had worn the day before. The hot water made my hip feel much better. So I was in a pretty good mood when Joan knocked.

“I feel really insecure this morning would you give me a hug,” she asked.

“Of course,” I said as I reached for her. The hug not only reassured her, It also calmed me. I had been holding her for less than five minutes, when she stepped back looking down.

“Thank you Ed,” she said looking away.

“I should thank you,” I said. Fortunately she didn’t ask me why.

We were in the car when Joan tried the call again. “Voice mail,” she said.

Since our next move depended on that image cleanup, we had a leisurely breakfast. It took a moment to realize Joan hadn’t even asked where we should go for breakfast. She just drove out to the crossroads diner. I enjoyed the food, but I hoped she hadn’t done it just for me. You know trying to play nice, due to feeling of guilt.

The call came in while we were eating the last of our breakfast, and drinking the last of our strong coffee. She answered her phone, but it was a text, I assumed. She pushed a few buttons then handed me the phone. There it was the license plate.

“That’s the first nail in that asshole’s coffin,” I said.

“In his jail cell at least,” Joan said.

Jail cells don’t have nails. Never mind,” I said. I seemed calm but I was jumping up and down inside when I called Gray. Since I had to use his open number, I made the call from my open phone.

“Gray, did I wake you?” I asked knowing he was at his desk.

“Fuck you Ed,” he said. “What can I do for you.”

The narrative took only three or four minutes. At the end of my tale he asked, “What do you need?”

“I need you to tell me to whom this plate is assigned. I don’t trust anyone here to run it. The fix is in obviously.”

“Don’t you two do another fucking thing. I’ll be on the next plane out of here,” he said.

“I can’t wait the cops will be covering this up. I need to at least know who it is,” I explained.

“Just keep your head down until this afternoon. Go to a movie or something. Better still take the nerd to bed. She could use the lube, it might loosen her up some.”

“I heard that,” Joan said.

I was shocked since she laughed at the end. It was a nervous laugh, but she didn’t pull back into her shell. So I helped her out. “She said it would be too much like incest, since I’m old enough to be her father,” I explained.

“Then go to the park,” he said. “You retards love the park.”

“No the park is for pervs like you,” I countered. “Get you ass down here, or get left behind.”

He was right of course, at that time we needed his badge. Going up against the Sheriff with just a business card could get me into all kinds of shit. Jefferson was too far for Thia’s ex to drive, even if she would consider it. If we needed a lawyer, it would be one from the yellow pages.

“I know you are not going to sit here and do nothings, so what’s next,” Joan asked.

“Next you explain to me why you didn’t crawl back in your hole after Gray made that wild ass sexist remark?” I asked.

“Because there was a lot of truth in it. I do need to get laid, but not by you.” she said.

 
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