Chapter 57

Wednesday morning I awoke ready to go. I took the time necessary so that Mikah and I got our morning hike. I appeared to be half asleep when I started the morning hike. I appeared that way even to myself. I had been excited the night before about my next adventure, so I slept poorly.

That time of the day is when Janet and I historically addressed problems we shared. We got about half way into the first mile when Janet said. “I have something I need to discuss with you. I am sleeping with my MMA instructor,” she admitted. “He wants me to move in with him for a while. I would like for you to keep the spare room available for me, just in case it doesn’t work out. We always kept thing rather easy going between us, or I wouldn’t ask?”

“There is no people waiting in line to rent the room, so don’t worry,” I suggested. “I don’t think I can find anyone who would want to live in a house that comes with a risk of death in the middle of the nights. So I wouldn’t worry at all.

“Okay I’m going to move in with him when we get back from this trip,” she said.

“Fair enough, also since we have the company card, we can afford for you to have you own room,” I suggested.

“Let’s don’t over think this. Road trips with you tend to make us rely on one another and Mikah,” she admitted.

“Fair enough,” I replied.

After about an hour, and over another mile’s hike, we arrived back at the car wash. I was the first one ready for the shower. I dressed in the blue denim cargo shorts they were Bermuda shorts length. They were very much like blue jeans. The were cut more like cargo pants, just made from the same material as modern jeans. Needless to say I liked them a lot. I didn’t know how long I would be gone, so I tossed two more pairs of cargo shorts into my largest pack. I also put in five colored tee shirts along with five golf type knit shirts. Extra shoes, socks, along with the Colt .38. My Taurus .22 mag was going to start the trip in the glove box of the Accent. I could remove it at any time, then move it to the pocket of the shorts.

Janet’s travel back pack was smaller than mine, so she carried fewer items. Since the penny pincher, Harold, promised to do audits to make sure we spent the company’s money on true business expenses, it meant no new clothes on out of town trips. Witch meant no more buying of new clothes just because we ran out of clean clothes.

Janet and I got away from the car wash around nine. I left ten minutes before her and started my time lapse clock on the Acer lap top computer. I did it just to keep track of my travel time. I kept in touch with Janet by phone while on the road. She passed me after fifty three minutes of driving. We were still east of Mt. Airy at the time. Janet was driving faster than I was which was normal for us both.

“Janet, when you get to Sparta find us a restaurant, dinner, or take away joint, and have a cup of coffee. I’ll be there when I get there, was my response to seeing her tail light disappear in front of me. I continued to drive on the federal highway that was neither super, nor a really good highway, but it was less traveled.

Janet and I met at the Burger King restaurant for coffee just before noon. I needed to find a motel before I considered lunch. One of the black women working behind the counter had recommended a place to Janet. Janet had learned something from me at least. She had learned to ask questions when she needed to know something.

I sat with the small coffee while Janet explained the Motel to me. Since we weren’t paying, I agreed to drive to it. As long as it appeared to be safe it was a go, no matter what it looked like. It turned out to be the only motel inside the city limits of Sparta.

.

Once we arrived and received the sales pitch from the front desk woman, I felt like it was a little expensive, but it offered us a work station as well as a nice place to sleep. It wasn’t ideal, but it was okay. The money wasn’t mine, so I checked us into a second story room. Each of us carried our own backpack up the stairs. Well to be honest Mikah didn’t have to carry one.

After the long drive, and two trips up the stairs carrying a backpack each time, and helping Mikah up those stairs, I was ready for a seat by the window and a cup of coffee. I was suffering from some lower back pain. That pain had been creeping up on me for some time. It wasn’t the best way to start the day, but a few minutes resting gave me more time on my feet. That was what had become the new reality. It meant simply that I couldn’t do all the things that I once could have done.

I was more beat up than most men my age. I didn’t like it, but it was reality. I had no choice, but to deal with it. I sat down for twenty minutes while Janet briefed me on what she had learned. The city police consisted of the chief, and assistant chief. They mostly did city things larceny of property crimes. Real crimes were investigated by the Allegheny Sheriff’s Department even in their jurisdiction.

When the body of Frank James age fifty three was found in the front yard of his girlfriend’s trailer, the call was handled by the Sheriff’s deputies. Someone had shot him in the face with a shotgun. The identification was made by the photo identification card in his wallet.

I interrupted Janet there. “Hold on a second.” I suggested. I typed a question on the Acer. ‘Drivers License?’ “Continue please.”

“Frank was ambushed by someone inside the house, according to the deputy’s report.”

“Stop,” ‘Where was the girlfriend’ “Continue.” I said.

“The first working theory was that someone had broken in. When Frank walked in on the burglary in progress, the man in the trailer shot him in the face with the 12guage,” Janet stopped for a breath.

I raise my hand to stop her from proceeding. I wrote ‘way to much force for a simple burglary.’ Then I gave Janet a hand signal to continue.