Boosted Pt. 04

Dalton shook his head. "No, shouldn't be."

Sean nodded and looked around the shop like he was thinking. The Huracán was nowhere to be seen, nor was there anything else that indicated there was something going on other than car repairs. He looked back at the Austin.

"Nice car. What year?"

"Sixty-two."

"948 engine?"

Dalton smiled. "You know your cars."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It needs a new clutch and throw-out bearing. She's got ninety-six thousand miles on her."

"Wow!" Sean said, impressed. Cars lasted a lot longer down here than they did in his native Boston. He nodded. "I won't keep you. Thanks for the information. I'll think about the kit."

"My pleasure," Dalton said before he slipped on another pair of gloves.

CJ started to lead him away, but he hesitated. "You mind?" he asked, nodding to the Porsche he'd seen earlier.

"Not at all."

She escorted him to the Porsche. The man working on it looked at him, his eyes questioning. "Don't stop for me. I'm just admiring the car," Sean said.

The man turned back to his task as Sean looked in the car's window. He was stalling, giving himself a chance to glance around without looking like he was casing the place. The only thing that looked out of place compared to any other garage was the number of empty bays. BIGS had twelve bays, six on each side of the building. Five of them had cars in them, but there were only four men working.

He glanced at CJ and smiled. "Thanks. It might be German, but it's still cool."

She snickered. "We've got a customer that has a sixty-six Ferrari 275 GTB. When that thing is here, we can't get any work done on it for people wanting to look at it."

"Worth a lot?" Sean asked as they made their way back to the office area.

"Between two and four million."

He whistled softly. "I'd be afraid to drive something that costs that much."

"Yeah, I would too, but the nice thing about a car like that is you can't total it, no matter how bad the damage. You could probably cart it away in buckets and it'd still be worth two hundred grand."

Sean snickered. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, you've answered my questions. I just have to decide if I want to replace the brakes with the seals, the seals with the brakes, do just the seals, or forget the whole thing and drive it like it is."

She grinned. "When you decide what it's going to be, let us know."

"I will. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

As he walked out, a rusted, battered, and fading Volkswagen Thing growled to a stop. Sean gave the older man driving it a small salute as he walked to his car. He returned to the station and tried to work, but the puzzle of BIGS bubbled away in the back of his mind. He'd wasted almost an entire afternoon chasing what was probably a ghost. He saw no evidence of wrongdoing, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on, something more than car repairs.

"I'm leaving," he said as he tromped out of the station.

"See you tomorrow," Kim said from behind the glass.

As he entered his apartment, Marmalade appeared from his bedroom. "How're you feeling?" Sean asked the cat as he rubbed against his leg while he prepared the animal's dinner, mixing his food half and half, old with new. He began preparing his and Maggie's meal as the cat ate, pausing when Marmalade was finished to give him his pills, using pieces of tuna and the bottled clam juice to help the tablets go down. The cat had bounced back from his illness, but Sean still worried about him. The animal didn't appear to be at one hundred percent and continued to be slightly lethargic and more cuddly than normal.

Maggie liked cats. She had an indoor, outdoor cat of her own, TC, short for The Cat. Marmalade had never been around other cats and Sean didn't know how either animal would react. Better to leave his cat home. It hadn't bothered him leaving Marmalade alone every other night until the cat had gotten sick. Now he worried that he'd come home and find Marmalade deathly ill, or worse. He pushed the thought out of his mind. Marmalade would be fine. All the cat did was sleep, and he could do that just fine without him around. He smiled to himself. Maggie was coming here tonight so Marmalade would have two laps to choose from to sleep in.

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TEN

That evening, after dinner, Sean and Maggie were sitting on his couch watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Romantic comedies he could take or leave, but he was pleasantly engrossed in the film. With Maggie snuggled into his side, and Marmalade curled up and sleeping in a small gap between their bodies, he was content, more content than he could remember being in a long, long time. They were nearing the end of the movie, when Joel was trying to preserve his memory of Clementine, when Maggie's phone rang. She looked at him with a puzzled expression as he paused the video, and then scrambled to her feet to retrieve her phone.

She pulled the device from her purse and glanced at the screen. "Work," she said before accepting the call and bringing the cell to her ear. "Hello?"

She returned to the couch and sat down, her face crinkling in clear puzzlement as she listened. "What do you mean it's not there?" She listened again. "Has it been installed on the other motor?" Pause. "Then we should have a spare." She listened again. "Did you look in Doug's office?" Pause. "Did you call him?" Another pause. "Okay. I'll try to get hold of him. If I can't reach him, I'll come in and open his office." She listened again. "No, it's okay. You did the right thing. I'll call you back."

"Problem?" he asked as she ended the call.

"The motor on the aerator in one of the oxidation ditches is down. The breaker burned out. It happens. We're supposed to have a spare on hand, but Kevin said he can't find it," she explained, not looking up as she flicked at her phone. "Hang on a second," she added as she tapped the screen and brought the device to her ear again. "Doug, Maggie. We've got a problem at the plant. Give me a call as soon as possible." She hung up and then immediately dialed again. She sat with the phone to her ear for a long moment before hanging up.

"No answer?" he asked.

"No," she snapped as she punched the screen and then glanced at the television. "I better go in and see what's going on. Doug is going to hear about this in the morning."

"You okay?" he asked as he turned the television off. Netflix would remember where they stopped so they could pick the movie up again later.

"Makes me mad. Doug is good at fixing things, but his record keeping leaves something to be desired, and he's not very organized. As the Maintenance Supervisor he's supposed to be on call all the time, just like me, and he's not answering his phone," she grumbled as she picked up her shoes and began putting them on.

"Is it something you can fix without the breaker?"

"Probably not."

"Then why...?" he asked, letting the question linger.

"Because Kevin doesn't have a key to Doug's office. I'm going to go in and unlock Doug's door to make sure he doesn't have the breaker in his office somewhere. It's not a little thing, so if it's in there it shouldn't take us long to find it. You remember how big the motors on the oxidation ditch are?"

"That's where Thacker was found, right?"

"Yep."

He nodded. The motors were huge, nearly the size of a small car. "Yeah, I remember."

She finished tying her shoes and then stood. "Big motors mean big breakers. The breaker is about," she said, holding her hands apart to form a cube about a foot on each side. "We're supposed to keep one in stock for a situation like this. If we don't have one, I want to know why we don't, and if we do, I want to know why it's not in stores. How can we lose something that big?" she asked, her tone making it clear she didn't expect an answer. "Hopefully this won't take long, but don't wait up on me."

He kissed her quickly before she stomped out of the apartment. He peered out of his window, spreading the blinds with his fingers, until she appeared, her phone at her ear. He watched until her Civic backed out of the parking spot and disappeared behind another of the apartment buildings. He turned from the window, his apartment suddenly feeling empty. It was nearly ten and he was at a loss over what to do, his plans for the evening suddenly disrupted. He used to be an avid reader, but since he and Maggie had become an item, his reading time had been replaced with movie time. He smiled to himself. Movie time, along with other activities.

He spent a few minutes unloading the dishwasher, but once that task was complete, he was again left feeling out of sorts. He didn't want to finish the video without Maggie, even though she'd already seen it, and he didn't want to go to bed until later, or she got back, whichever came first. If he went to bed now he'd spend the next hour or more tossing and turning, and that was worse than being up.

He opened his laptop and checked his emails, answering a few, but there was nothing of critical importance. Closing the lid, he decided he'd take a drive past BIGS, just to kill some time. If she wasn't back by midnight, he'd call it a day and go to bed without her. He was on his way to BIGS when his phone rang.

"What's the news?" he asked.

"Doug is on his way in. He said he has a replacement breaker in a box in his office. Kevin is looking for it now. Once we find it, Kevin said it would only take an hour or so to replace. I should be home about midnight or a little after."

"Are you coming to my place or going home?"

"I'd like to come to your place, if that's okay. It's closer."

"You know you're always welcome."

"I know," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "One thing is certain, we're not doing this again and there's going to be some changes."

"What?"

"Doug, hording stuff in his office. There must be two dozen boxes of parts in here. Kevin is opening them now, trying to find the one that contains the breaker he's... found it. Got to go. Talk to you later."

"About midnight?"

"Probably. I'll call when I leave."

"Okay," he said, biting off the love you that almost slipped out.

Less than fifteen minutes after he hung up with Maggie, he was pulling to a stop at the crossroads of Highway 210 and Juniper. He pulled as far off the road as possible and parked where he could see BIGS without being seen himself, his black Charger blending into the night. If he saw someone coming up behind him, he'd step on the brake, so the approaching car would see him sitting there, but otherwise, he'd keep his car dark.

BIGS was dark with only a few safety lights and the Closed sign illuminated. He was probably wasting his time, but he could waste time here as easily as at home. He'd watch for forty-five minutes and then go home so he'd be there when Maggie arrived. He'd snuggled down in the seat a half-hour ago, his head against the headrest, when a car pulled into the BIGS parking lot. The Ford Explorer was just identifiable from the security light mounted on the electrical pole at the edge of BIGS' property. As he pushed himself up in his seat, the driver exited the car, opened the gate in the fence, and drove the car through. He glanced at his phone for the time. 11:36. He'd originally planned to leave in ten minutes, but as the lights popped on in the shop, the roof mounted skylights glowing softly from the internal illumination, he decided he'd stay for a little longer. A couple of minutes after the shop lights came on, two more cars appeared, a Chevy Tahoe, and only moments after that, a Ford F150. They too were immediately pulled behind the fence. Over the next fifteen minutes, four more cars, two Honda Accords, a Nissan 350Z, and a Toyota Camry trickled in, all of them disappearing behind the fence.

As he sat watching, wondering what was going on in the shop and trying to figure out a way to get a look, his phone rang. "Hey," he replied, his eyes never leaving BIGS.

"Hey. I'm leaving," Maggie said.

"Get your problem fixed?"

"Yeah. Everything is back to normal."

"Good."

"You okay? Am I interrupting anything? You sound distracted."

"What? Oh! No. I'm working. I'm going to be a little late getting home."

"Working? Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I'm keeping an eye on BIGS."

"Really? Why?"

"I think they're up to something."

"Up to something? Like what?"

"Don't know for sure. Chopping cars maybe."

"Really?"

"Maybe. It's what I'm trying to figure out."

"See anything?"

"Maybe."

"So you won't be home when I get there?"

"No, sorry."

She sighed. "That's too bad. How long will you be?"

"I don't know. Not long I hope, but don't wait up."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" she asked.

"Mad? Over what?"

"Me having to leave."

"No, of course not. I was bored without you there, so I thought I'd sneak a peek at BIGS because I'd heard about a few things that didn't add up. Nothing was happening, and I was about to leave so I'd be there when you got home, when cars started showing up. Now I want to wait and see when they leave."

"So long as you're not mad."

"Not mad. Trust me, I'd much rather be there than here, but something's going on."

There was a short pause. "I'd offer to come sit with you, but I'm sleepy and I have to get up in the morning."

"That's okay. I'm sorry to bail on you like this. Are you going home or back to my place?"

"If you're not going to be there, I guess I'll just go home."

He felt a pang of guilt. "You're welcome at my place even if I'm not there."

"I know, but it's okay."

"You're not mad at me, are you?"

"For running out on me?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"No, I don't guess. Just don't make it a habit."

"No, ma'am. I wouldn't do that," he said with a smile.

"You better not."

"Call me when you get home, so I know you made it safe."

"Okay, I will. I'll see you tomorrow night?" she asked.

"Count on it."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye," he said, ending the call. He still felt a little guilty for choosing work over Maggie, but he couldn't afford to assign an officer to watch BIGS on the off chance they might see something. His department wasn't big enough for that and he didn't have the manpower to spare.

Twenty minutes later his phone rang again. It was Maggie. "You made it," he said in way of answer.

"I'm here. Still working?"

"Yeah."

"See anything?"

"Not yet."

"How long are you going to wait?"

"Until I see something."

"Okay. I miss you."

"Miss you too, but I'll see you tomorrow... or I guess I should say, later today."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

"Sleep well."

"I will," she said softly, her drowsiness clear in her voice.

He continued to observe the building, his yawns getting larger and closer together. He was starting to lose his battle with sleep. As he watched, headlights approached on the highway, the bright beams painting his car with light as the cruiser made the right onto Juniper and then pulled to a stop beside him.

"Sean? What are you doing out here this time of night? It's almost one." Paul asked after he rolled his window down.

"Watching BIGS. Kill your lights. I don't want anyone to see you."

Paul turned off his headlights, put his car in park, and took his foot off the brake. "I see the lights are on. How long have you been here?"

"Since about ten-thirty. About eleven-thirty cars started showing up. Seven in all."

"They still there?"

"Yeah. No movement since about midnight."

"How long are you going to watch them?"

"Until they leave or BIGS opens, whichever comes first."

"Want me to do it?"

Sean shook his head. "No. I've got it tonight. This may be nothing, but in case it is something, don't come back down this way. I don't want to spook them."

Paul nodded in understanding. "I better go then, before they see me sitting here."

Where Sean's chief's car was black and unmarked, the Brunswick police cruisers were white with a bright blue reflective stripe down the side, making them much easier to see in the dark.

"Probably a good idea," Sean agreed.

Paul turned on the cruiser's headlights and put his car into gear. "If you decide to raid the place, call me. I want in on it."

Sean snickered. "No raids tonight, but thanks for the offer."

"Just my luck," Paul muttered with a smile as he allowed his car to idle away while rolling up the window.

Sean watched as Paul crept away, turned around in the drive of an abandoned business farther down the road, and then drove past again before stopping at the intersection and turning left to make his way slowly back into Tilley.

An hour after Paul had stopped, Sean was really battling sleep. No more cars had arrived, none had left, and he'd given up on the idea of seeing what was happening in the shop. He'd driven past, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside, but the privacy fence made that impossible. In his frustration he considered stopping on the excuse that he saw activity in the shop and was concerned they were being robbed, but rejected the idea. He had no probable cause to demand entry, and if they met him at the gate and said nothing nefarious was happening, all he'd have accomplished was alerting BIGS that they were being watched. After his drive-by, he'd returned to his previous spot and continued to watch.

He noticed a rollback pulling through the fence, the sight jolting him awake because he hadn't seen the truck arrive. He quickly glanced at his phone. If he'd gone to sleep, it had only been for a few minutes. Alert now, he watched. Five minutes after the truck disappeared through the gate, another rollback passed by on the highway in front of him and pulled into BIGS' parking lot. It had barely stopped before the gate was opened and the truck growled through. The gate was closed but was pushed open again a short time later and the first truck rumbled out and turned left onto the highway. It was too dark to see clearly, but as the truck passed in front of him, there was obviously a car on the back of the truck, though its shape was wrong.

He debated following the truck but decided to continue to watch BIGS. As expected, the second rollback appeared at the gate and turned to follow the first truck. Like the first truck, there was a car on the back, but again, the vehicle appeared to be misshapen. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, debating with himself on what to do. Again, he decided to wait and see what happened next.

After a thirty-minute wait, another rollback passed, pulling into BIGS before being quickly ushered behind the fence. He couldn't tell if it was the same truck returning or a new one because one white rollback looked like every other one. Moments later, a second rollback appeared. It was too much of a coincidence to think there were four rollbacks involved, two white and two red, so he assumed they were the same two trucks from before, though he couldn't be sure. As before, a few minutes after disappearing behind the fence, the trucks appeared again, a car secured to their bed.

He continued to watch and wait, expecting the two trucks to appear again, but instead of a rollback, a large white box truck appeared and rumbled through the gate. It took almost an hour for the box truck to reappear, and as the truck labored its way out onto the road, the softly glowing skylights began to darken as the lights in the shop winked out. It was just after three when the first three cars to appear left, the last vehicle out stopping so the driver could lock the gate.

He sat for several minutes after the last vehicle left. There was more going on in BIGS than car repair, that much was certain. The cars he'd seen on the back of the rollbacks were probably the husks of the four autos that had arrived, and the box truck had probably hauled away the parts they'd stripped from the cars.