Chapter 140

word count 1549

Lenny and Nick weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, but when it came to brute force, they were good. And they were like two peas in the same pod, always on the same page. It was as though they could read each other's minds. That is what made them valuable members of Tobin's gang. The two working together were a tank rolling, ready to squash everything in their path.

So when the guy in charge sent them on a mission to retrieve the diamond, it couldn't be for their powers of observation. He must have suspected an ambush, or a hefty resistance, and thus he knew the tank would handle it well.

When the two arrived, the day was rushing toward an end with an orange sun shimmering in a sky of pink vapors. But Lenny and Nick could have cared less, being in no way nature lovers. They were thinking more in terms of an after work brew and dinner. If all went well, procuring the diamond would be no problem.

Lenny, his red hair greased back and his face flushed from exhaustion, due to the simple task of easing his giant frame out of the Escalade, looked around with a bored expression. This job would be under-utilizing his skills, and he knew it.

Nick, who had been driving, ambled to his side. He was younger, but not by much, and as large. He combed his jet black hair back, flat and straight, just like Lenny. But he was the handsomer of the two.

It didn't take long to spot the cameras. Lenny nudged Nick and pointed to one aimed right at them. Next, turning heads in unison, they spotted the trailer, and the “tank” known as Lenny and Nick rolled that way without delay.

Inside, “Big Bob” saw them coming.

“What the hell? I was getting ready to take my nap,” he muttered. These guys looked like they meant business. You can just tell sometimes how determined people are by the solidness of their footfall. Or maybe their feet hit the ground hard because they were so huge. Big Bob would know a lot about that, being a rotund fellow himself. Before he could consider the matter further, the door to the trailer opened. He heard their heavy steps before he saw the two. Mostly, though, he heard heavy breathing from Lenny tackling the extra steep steps leading into the trailer. Big Bob stood tall to hold his ground. He'd just got this job, and he didn't want to blow it.

“You in charge here?” Nicky asked.

Bob stared back at them in wonder. Once the two big men had entered his normally airy office, the trailer seemed to shrink. And with Big Bob standing adding his sizable girth to the mix, there wasn't a bit of space left. Bob figured he couldn't even turn around in the tiny bit of air that was left.

“Yeah, I'm in charge here,” he answered. It should be mentioned here that for all his giant proportions, Big Bob had a wee, small voice, a Mickey Mouse voice, high and squeaky. The two stared wide-eyed at him, too surprised at first by his intonations to respond. Finally Nick shook himself and continued.

“We wanna search your junkyard, and we don't want any problems from you. You understand?” With a hand in his pocket holding a gun, he wiggled the bulge to indicate he was packing.

When Bob took this job, all they gave him was a flashlight and pair of handcuffs. And so, defenseless, he held his hands up. “You won't get any trouble from me. They don't pay me enough. I was just gonna have my lunch, and I don't care if you look around. I just wanna eat!”

Lenny leaned forward, studying Bob's lunch laid out on the desk. “Is that egg salad?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Big Bob answered, elongating the word, not liking where things were going, not liking it one bit.

“I'll take that,” Lenny said, scooping the sandwich up. He shoved it in his mouth whole, spilling the extra egg onto his lip, like an egg explosion happened.

Poor Big Bob watched, mourning the loss of his sandwich. But Nick was quick to grab Bob's handcuffs off the desk and deftly secure the guard's hands behind his back.

Then they went out and got to work.

“This place stinks!” Lenny declared holding his nose while straddling a mountain of metal and plastic.

“It does not! There's no food here! It's all in your head, stupid!”

“I don't care what you say. It smells like rotten eggs.”

“Maybe you smell that egg salad you smeared all over yourself. I swear you spilled more of it then you ate. Now get to work, the sooner we find that ring, the sooner we can go have those beers.

They looked like well-dressed vagabonds scavenging with arms and legs bouncing through the heaps, bouncing because there was no firm footing, and they fell from place to place. But for all of that, they were surprisingly efficient, covering the entire area in an hour. And coming up empty.

The two hiked back to the trailer, pushing Bob away from the air conditioner to enjoy the cool blast.

“We didn't find what we were looking for. We're gonna have to review your camera footage,” Nick declared.

Bob obliged and they went through the tapes, bored, because there was no activity to see, just static images of a dump with no one around. It was like watching proverbial paint dry. Until they came to the part with the boys. Big Bob spotted it first and paused the tape.

“There's those kids. I remember them. I had to chase them out.”

“Roll it further,” Nicky said, leaning forward for a better view. The three watched as they saw Erik lift up the ring to view it in the sun. Nick startled, coming close to falling off his chair.

“That's it! The kid's got our diamond!”

He grabbed Big Bob by the collar and shook him. “Who is the kid? Where can I find him?”

“I dunno. I chased them out! I never knew who they were!”

Nicky turned his attention back to the video. “Roll it some more,” he said.

“Pause it!” he said when Erik turned to look directly at the camera. Nicky leaned forward to get a good look at his face. But Lenny was looking at Adam.

“You see that kid over there...that's Buzz Miller's son. I know because the boss had me watching his house once. His name is Adam.”

“Hmmph, well, that is as good a place as any to start.”

You can imagine their surprise when they got to Buzz's house, the residence Lenny had watched months ago, and they saw it was burned to the ground, compliments as you know, of Brenda.


Buzz got home from work feeling down. Mrs. Dunn was still in the hospital, and he hated coming home to an empty house. This new place didn't feel like home yet, and with Adam gone and Jeannie, he doubted it ever would. At least when Mrs. Dunn was there, he could open the door to the aromas of dinner cooking. And she'd have his slippers waiting by the recliner and the newspaper on the end table. It was nice to hear her cheery hello before they shared a bit of conversation about the day. But now the house was dark and empty with none of that to greet him. Was it any wonder he hated to come home.

He turned the key and pushed the door open and was surprised to see a light coming from the living room. He peeked in to see his slippers and paper, just like always. He sniffed and smelled pot roast aromas wafting from the kitchen. Could Mrs. Dunn have been released from the hospital?

He was so glad he dashed to kitchen, but when he arrived he found not his rotund housekeeper, but rather a shapely dark-haired woman, with her back to him standing at the sink.

Her hair fell down in graceful waves that dangled halfway to her waist. It was shiny and brown, the most beautiful hair he'd ever seen. And her figure, like an hourglass, took his breath away with its luscious proportions, not anorexic like they do today, but full and curvy, not fat. He could tell she worked out—her well-shaped calves and biceps didn't lie. This girl was fit. Short shorts and a halter top were all that covered her delicious pink skin. Hearing him enter, she turned.

Her beauty almost knocked Buzz off his feet. Light blue green eyes studied him while shapely lips expressed words of greeting that frankly, he couldn't hear, being so mesmerized by the sight before him.

“Detective Miller, are you all right?”

“Oh! Ah, yes...err...who are you?”

“Oh, pardon me! I should have introduced myself. I'm Mrs. Dunn's niece, Priscilla. She asked me to fill in while she's in hospital.”

Her accent was minimal, but when he heard use the term, “in hospital” Buzz knew she was English.

“Well, this sure is a welcome surprise,” he said pulling out a chair at the kitchen table to stay and be near her.