“This is Missouri, not New York, Nick. Are you sure they’re not simply checking out the different models?”
“I’m pretty sure.” He grinned over at Rachel.
“Why don’t you go get them, Nick?” Jean looked around Rachel at the parking lot. “Where’d they go?”
“Around the corner, looking for an easy one. I’m not Batman. I don’t want to draw any attention, so I think I’ll leave this up to the proper authorities. You two go on in the restaurant and order me up anything that looks good.”
“Don’t do anything that’ll put us on the road again tomorrow, Batman,” Rachel warned. “I need another day and night break after Kansas.”
“We won’t have anything to be on the road with if they get the Escalade, Nikita,” Nick pointed out with some exasperation. “It is one of the most stolen vehicles around.”
“You should have Lojack.” Rachel giggled at his reaction.
“That would fit right in with my secret identity. Get moving.”
He waited until Rachel and Jean entered the restaurant before jogging toward the office. The same desk clerk who had checked them in the night before was on duty. He smiled at Nick.
“Hello, Sir, may I help you?”
“I believe you have three young guys looking to steal a car in your parking lot. Right now, they’re looking for a quick one with the keys in the ignition. Do you have a security man on staff?”
“Yes, we do,” the clerk answered, picking up his phone. A few seconds later he engaged someone on the phone, and then hung up. “Our assistant manager handles security matters after six. She’ll be right out.”
“Okay, should I wait?” Nick wondered if the trio had reached the parking lot where his Cadillac was parked yet.
“Yes, Ms. Tobler will, ah, here she is, Sir.”
Nick turned around. He watched a brown-haired woman in her late thirties, dressed in a black skirt and light blue blouse approach. She had on black shoes, flat at the heel and was only a couple inches shorter than Nick. Her brown hair, cropped in short straight fashion, lent a lean hard look to the woman’s face. She stuck her hand out as she approached.
“Leslie Tobler, Mr…”
“Weatherby, Ms. Tobler, Roscoe Weatherby.” He shook her hand, appreciative of the solid grip. “I saw three young men out cruising your parking lot on foot. Two were about my height, light complexion, wearing jeans, white t-shirts, and ball caps. The third was a couple inches taller than me, dark complexioned, wearing jeans and a black parka. He had on a ball cap too.”
“Wearing a parka, in this heat… maybe you’re on to something, Mr. Weatherby. Would you walk with me and identify these three men?”
“Ah, do you have a weapon, Ms. Tobler? The guy with the parka’s probably packing something lethal, and the other -”
“Why don’t we have a look first, Sir?” Tobler smiled reassuringly at him. “I have my cell-phone with the Concordia police on speed dial. If the three look suspicious, I’ll call it in while we keep an eye on them.”
“Sounds good. They were on their way around the building to our left.”
“Fine,” Tobler acknowledged, setting a brisk pace toward the entryway. “Where do you hail from, Mr. Weatherby?”
“Nevada, Ma’am.”
“Leslie, please,” Tobler urged with a slight English accent, veering to the left as they cleared the entryway. “Anywhere near the Las Vegas area?”
“Yes, we have a house there,” Nick answered, not liking where the questions were going.
“Have you heard about the bodies they’ve discovered in the desert? It was on all the newscasts.”
“No, we’ve been taking in the sights on the way, trying to keep clear of the news.”
“I know what you mean.” Tobler glanced over at Nick’s bearded countenance. “I guess they still lose a few bodies out in the Las Vegas desert even now.”
“They sure do.” Too bad the damned discovery wasn’t a couple months away though. This may play hell with my stay another day plan.
“There’s one of them.” Nick pointed to a t-shirted man looking into car windows in a line of parked cars. “His two friends are down the way, working back towards him.”
“I see them.” Tobler sighed, taking out her phone. She pushed a button and waited. “This is Leslie Tobler, assistant manager at the Day’s Inn on Third Street. We have three men casing our parking lot and… Yes, that’s right. Okay then. Fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes?” Nick repeated with some concern, seeing the taller one of the three glance their way. Maybe they’ll abort the heist.
Instead the man walked toward them, exaggerating his already affected glide. Nick watched parka man’s hands as he approached, with his two buddies falling in behind him.
“What you lookin’ at?” Parka man asked Nick.
“I’m Leslie Tobler, head of security at Day’s Inn,” Tobler broke in with confident tone. “Do you have a room here, Sir?”
“It’s a free country, cuz,” parka man retorted. “We just checkin’ out the rides, Mrs. No need to go Dick Tracy on us.”
“The police will be here shortly,” Tobler continued. “I would advise -”
“What?” Parka man backed off a step, reaching into the pocket of his jacket. “I’ll show you shortly -”
Nick dropped and leg-whipped parka man off his feet, spinning to trap his adversary’s hand in the jacket pocket. Tobler had calmly stepped back and sprayed parka man’s companions from a keychain pepper spray can she had in hand. They stumbled back in agony, but Tobler pressed the attack, spraying until the two dropped to the ground gagging and yelling. Nick flipped the gasping parka man to his stomach, crossing the man’s arms behind his back, rendering him immobile. He held him there while patting the parka pocket.
“Are you all right, Mr. Weatherby?” Tobler kept her eyes on the two she had sprayed.
“I’m fine. This one’s armed. Feels like a 9mm.”
“I’m very sorry about that,” Tobler apologized. “I assumed incorrectly they would run away and avoid a showdown with the police. I -”
Tobler paused, leaning toward the two on the ground, who were beginning to crawl away. “Stay right where you are or I give you another dose right in your eyes!”
The two immediately stopped crawling. They wiped at their mucous covered faces with the t-shirts they had on, while grunting out strained pleas not to spray. Tobler reached toward parka man’s pocket, but paused when she saw Nick shake his head.
“I’d advise allowing the police to find the gun on him, Leslie. I’ll hold him still until they get here.”
“Quite right, Mr. Weatherby.” Tobler took her position again in front of the other two. “I greatly appreciate your help. Perhaps I could comp your room.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’m glad it’s worked out so far. Would -”
“You…you dead!” Parka man regained his voice. “You and your bitch! I’ll -”
Tobler leaned around Nick, and shot off a small dose right into parka man’s eyes. It was all the grinning Nick could do to keep from being bucked off by the writhing man under him. Parka man began vomiting. Nick pulled him slightly back away from it as the man continued to gag.
“I very much dislike being called that name,” Tobler explained, as people were gathering. Approaching sirens wailed in the distance.
A tense Rachel, holding Jean’s hand, approached Nick, looking stricken. Nick shook his head in the negative slightly. Rachel pulled Jean away into the forming crowd. Jean was smiling.
“Batman strikes again, Mom,” Jean whispered.
“It looks like he had a little help from the Huntress,” Rachel whispered back. “Oh boy, I bet this means we’re on the road again tomorrow.”
“Hey, I heard you come in.” Nick walked from the bathroom, drying his hair. “What’s Danger up to? Did she go to bed already?”