| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted June 16, 2014 | Chapters: |
...14 15 -16- 17... 
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Flying to Vegas, Hoping Angela is there
A chapter in the book Bel Air: A Bard's Guide
Flying Qantas
by michaelcahill
| Background Mentally ill, homeless, poetic. The Bard seems to be in the middle of things as Angela is kidnapped and the search begins. Millions as stake. |
Tracking a micro chip that is in a cat for the moment is about the only link to the kidnappers that the detectives have. The call to Las Vegas has been made as the kidnappers and the action shifts there. We pick up the story as two Lear jets land at Las Vegas airport. Plans are made to check into Caesar's Palace while The Bard and Tenaya try to track Barry.
~~~~~~~One of the two limos on the way to Burbank Airport
Harpster pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket and made a call. "Johnny. I'm gonna need clearance and I'm gonna need it now… no, both jets… Vegas. We're on our way right now. Have it arranged. No delays… I'll explain another time. Yeah. Okay. You're gold Johnny."
Tenaya bent forward in the limo towards Lucy, "Where does the tracker show the device now?"
"It's stopped in Baker. Depending on how fast he tries to get there and when we hit the air, it looks like we'll beat him there. Well, providing he didn't dump the cat in Baker."
"Or the cat didn't dump in Baker." The Bard added.
They all laughed at that. Harpster noted, "I can't take him anywhere. I take him to funerals and everyone is laughing as the body's lowered into the ground."
Tenaya laughed, "You're right! I met him at your funeral. Geez, what a scam that was."
Lucy was the first to stop laughing. She looked at Harpster. "What the hell is the story with that bitch?"
Harpster knew without asking that she was asking about Susan. "She has a past. Don't we all. But, she's slick. I'm not surprised she got over on my son. He's always been an easy mark. But, she got over on me too. I put her past behind her, just like she wanted me to. Hell, Lucy, she's the mother of my favorite granddaughter. Angela's the daughter I never had. She's bright and talented. Damn it, I wanted to believe that my damn family finally had some light in it, a future. You can't know what it's like to see a legacy burn out. Decades… centuries, really, of art and music, snuffed out like a candle between two fat fingers. Then along comes Angela, and I start to see that light again, you know? I wanted to believe, so I did."
"Do you think she has her old connections? Salatia, as she was known by, had a rap sheet with few rivals. Extortion, kidnapping, pyramid schemes even conspiracy to commit… there isn't much in the way of crime she hasn't dabbled in. I must admit that until she showed her true colors, blowing up at your son, she came across like Suzie Homemaker. But, I didn't know her past, either."
"Hell, Lucy, I knew her past and it didn't occur to me. For Christ's sake, it's her own daughter. I was under the impression she loved her. As pathetic as my son is, at least he loves his daughter. At least I can believe that." Harpster looked worried. He rarely looked worried.
It unnerved Lucy. This Susan must be worse than I think… and I don't think very highly of her. "Tenaya, Bard, look… we can't let on to Susan that we're on to her. That goes for you too, Harpster. I know she makes us all sick. But, she's desperate. If Barry's getting cut out, she's getting cut out too. That puts Angela in danger. It isn't simply a money deal anymore. We can assume the players now don't care, one way or the other, if Angela makes it for them dead or alive. I'm guessing, dead works out better for them. That's reality."
Tenaya was on the same page, "We need to hold on to these two fools and hope they can get us a foot in the door. Then we can take it from there. No one is gonna sneeze at twenty million bucks. That's the ace. Someone has to pick it up. And then they have to take it somewhere. Someone has to receive it. Follow the money. That's always the play."
The two limo's pulled right onto the tarmac at Burbank airport. Two Lear jets were fueled and ready to go. They were walking towards them within minutes of arriving at the airport. Everyone traveled light and had a carry-on bag or nothing.
The Bard poked Tenaya in the shoulder, "I bought these planes for about a hundred dollars. Yeah. A hundred dollars. Yeah. The same price as a chocolate candy bar from K-Mart. Of course, this is Qantas Airlines, yeah. Qanta's. Qanta's never crashed, never crashed."
Diamond was walking behind them with Ruby. They both boarded their plane laughing out loud.
The Bard was still talking as he and Lucy took a seat. "Did you notice the windshield wipers? That is a little worrisome to me. If it starts raining and the windshield wipers fail, is that an emergency?" He stood up and held a pretend microphone. "Mayday! Mayday! The wipers are out! The wipers are out! We're flyin' blind up here. It’s the Matterhorn! Oh no, I think I see Tinkerbelle… She's sprinkling glitter on the windshield… oh my God! It's making it worse! We're going down. Damn fairy! Ahhhhhhh….."
Harpster stood up and walked over to them. "I don't want to make you ill at ease, Lucy, but, Bard, the cockpits up there." Harpster pointed to the front of the airplane. "We installed new wipers. You'll be fine."
"Yeah. Fine. Everything's fine. Once around the driveway. Of course, I'm an excellent pilot. Yeah. I'm talking to the pilot in the bomber… you don’t want to do this… naw… too obscure. I accept this award on behalf of the children… doesn't anyone care about the children…" He kept talking as the cockpit door closed. No one gave it a second thought.
this pile of metal
and noisy rotating things
hurtling down this long pathway
it seems so insane
as the end of the path looms ahead
we look at the sky
and think of a bird
we dream that we are a bird
the thrill is amazing
as we become one
We can fly!
In a little over twenty minutes, Las Vegas airport loomed ahead. The familiar Las Vegas skyline appeared before them. Normally there would be a rush of excitement as a quick getaway of gambling and entertainment awaited. But this trip was strictly business, serious life and death business.
Lucy looked at her hand held monitor. The chip, hopefully still in the cat, was about thirty miles outside of town. That gave them plenty of time to de-plane and track it to its destination. Susan, Lucy and Ruby would check into Caesar's Palace as instructed, along with Junior. Lucy would be undercover and out of sight. The Bard and Tenaya would tail Barry to wherever he was going.
~~~~~~~Barry's Car, Thirty miles outside of Las Vegas
Until now, Barry had been taking a direct route to Las Vegas. The turn off the 15 freeway was unexpected. Tenaya had the tracking device and she started the car and headed south on the 15 towards the turn-off Barry took. The Bard called Lucy to tell them of the unexpected turn of events. The kids, and presumably Angela, were not being kept in Las Vegas. It looked like they might be in a mountainous region, or perhaps the valley nearby, about twenty miles east. Hopefully, they would have the answer soon.
The action shifts to Vegas. The wherabouts of the kids and Angela is unknown. Very little to go by now. Great input and suggestions. Always open to any thoughts or ideas. Thanks for all of your help.
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