C31 Chapter 31

Zane tried one last time with Hope and sent her a message informing her that it was his last night in Hurstville. He could only hope that she would take the bait and visit him.

She did. But before she arrived Zane had another surprise visitor.

He had just pulled onto the road when someone on a motorbike roared up behind him and flashed their light at him.

Zane pulled over to the shoulder of the road. The motorcyclist pulled up beside him as he stopped. Zane was surprised when he saw who it was.

“What are you doing back here?”

“I decided to come back. I think you need some help.”

“There’s a roadhouse about ten minutes out of town that way,” Zane signaled ahead of them. “I’ll meet you there. Don’t follow me okay?”

“Got it,” Johnson revved his motorcycle and pulled off quickly disappearing into the distance ahead of Zane. Zane took his time enjoying the scenery. He marked the dirt road to his left where he would turn off later to go to the cabin that Amanda owned.

He arrived at the roadhouse and saw Johnson’s bike parked outside. He locked his car and headed inside. He saw Johnson sitting at a booth in the back, wearing sunglasses, and joined him.

“What are you doing back here?” Zane asked.

“I figured you could use some help,” Johnson said.

“I appreciate your offer but I don’t have a plan of any sort,” Zane said bluntly. He decided it would be best to say nothing about Sanchez at this point.

“I’m sorry I left after we spoke. I know you suggested it to keep me safe and help me but maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do. I should have stayed and been here for you.”

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re trying to ask me to take you back,” Zane remarked drily.

“I’m glad you can still laugh about it,” Johnson said.

“Well, what else can I do?” Zane asked.

“I had a chat with Brian after you took me to see Jerry and he laid it on pretty thick. He told me that you were corrupt and being investigated. I decided it would be best to leave for a while as you said. I figured that if I stayed, I might just get caught in the crossfire.”

“You did the right thing,” Zane observed. “So do they know that you’re back?”

Johnson shook his head, “Technically, I’m still on leave. No-one knows I’m back and if they do, I’m just on leave here so I don’t have to report back to the station yet.”

“Good man, but just in case someone spotted you there, I suggest you stay out here.”

“Thanks, Chief ... uh Zane,” Johnson smiled, “Sorry. I guess some habits are hard to break.”

“No worries,” Zane replied. “But tell me, why did you come back?”

“When I saw the news I just knew something was wrong. I knew you’re not the kind of person that would do what they said. I decided I had to come back and see if I can help.”

Zane paused assessing Johnson. He tried to decide if he might be lying. Had he been sent by Brian, Zane wondered? Surely, Brian didn’t think he was going to give up so easily. He was quite sure they were keeping him under surveillance as long as he was in town so they could be sure he wasn’t a threat to them.

“Okay. Well, you made it just in time. Right now, I think it will be best if you stay low and stay out of sight. Here is a good place to wait. I’ve arranged to meet the queenpin tonight at my place. I can’t send any messages as I think my phone’s bugged. I need a new number and a phone. Make it two. Do you want to head over to the next town and buy two basic smartphones and new numbers? Then I’ll meet you back here later.”

“Sure thing,” Johnson agreed. “I’ll tell you what. You take my phone. I got nothing to hide. As soon as I get the phones on that side I’ll send you a message and then we can start communicating again.”

“Okay. Good idea,” Zane said. He took Johnson’s phone and gave him cash. Johnson left and was soon headed to the next town.

Zane still wondered if he should trust Johnson or not. He made a final decision to put his trust in his faith. He had to trust Johnson or they might fail. Johnson was a blessing for them and they could always use an extra pair of hands.

Zane contacted Sanchez using Johnson’s phone.

Sanchez answered and they spoke briefly. “Your house is clear. Looks like they removed the cameras after they arrested you. After all, what they did was illegal. It’s a relief considering we met there last night. If they’d still had cameras in there they would have seen me.”

“Where are you now?”

“At your place.”

“Okay. I’m headed there now. I got some more details to fill you in on.” Zane still had his old phone and if they were tracking him through his phone they might wonder what he was doing at a roadhouse for so long. Until now it could still look like he chose the place for lunch. If he stayed much longer, they might suspect he was meeting someone there and send someone to check on him. He paid the bill and left.