C9 Chapter 9

He headed straight to Andy’s house. He knocked on the door and a big bulk of a man answered. He was surly but seemed to relax when he realized it was Zane, the town’s chief of police.

“Yes chief, how can I help ya?”

“I’m looking for Andy. Is he here?”

“Why? He done somethin’ wrong?” the man asked immediately suspicious.

“On the contrary,” Zane smiled. “He’s done something right.”

“Oh, well that’s good,” the man smiled. He opened the screen door and invited Zane in.

Zane politely declined, saying he was enjoying the beautiful day outside.

“Andy!” the man shouted.

Moments later a young boy about James’ age rounded the corner into the living room behind the man at the door.

“Yes, Dad?”

“Police chief here wants to have a word with ya. Take a walk with him outside,” the man replied stepping aside to let Andy out.

Andy stepped outside on the porch and looked up at Zane.

“Yes sir. How can I help you?”

“Shall we take a walk?” Zane suggested.

“Okay,” Andy shrugged.

Together they stepped off the porch and walked across the open field in front of Andy’s house. Zane could feel his father watching them.

“Am I in trouble Chief?” asked Andy.

“No. Not at all,” Zane assured Andy tousling his hair. “I just have some questions I’d like to ask you about a job interview you had the other day.”

“Oh, that. Okay,” Andy replied.

“I understand you never turned up for work. Did you decide you didn’t want to work there or was there something else that stopped you from going?”

Andy shook his head. “No sir. I just felt something wasn’t right about the job. When they called me to go yesterday, I answered and said okay, but decided not to. Then James sent me a message and said they were packing drugs.”

“I see. What did you think about that?”

Andy was quiet for a moment. Hesitant. Then finally he made a decision. “Can I ask you not to say anything Chief?”

He looked up at Zane searching for assurance.

“Your secret will safe be with me as long as it doesn’t break the law.”

Andy smiled, “No sir. I’m the one who called the police with the tip-off.”

“I thought as much when you told me you didn’t go to work. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, sir. But please don’t say anything. When I tipped the police off it was because I wanted the drug dealers caught, not my friends. But I heard I got them into trouble. I didn’t mean to. Honest.”

“It’s okay. I won’t say anything. I promise. But I wanted to ask you if you could remember anything from your interview. Anything at all that could help us find this woman. She escaped yesterday.”

“She escaped? Wow!” Andy was surprised. He was quiet as he thought a moment. He closed his eyes tightly. “Come to think of it, there was something....”

“Okay. Can you remember?”

“I’m trying sir.” Andy kept his eyes closed. He screwed his face up and he looked as if he was in pain as he tried to remember.

Zane waited patiently as Andy tried to remember. Then he opened his eyes and his face lit up. “I’ve got it!”

Zane waited for him to continue.

“She had a pen and a pencil from a motel. The ‘Hello Goodbye’ Motel just outside town. I don’t know if she’s staying there but I figured she had to be when she interviewed us. She told us she was only in town for a few days setting up her business and when I saw the pen and pencil, I figured she must be staying there while she’s in town.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police that?”

“I was scared to reveal who I was, and in all honesty, I just remembered now about the pen and pencil. Besides, I figured she’d been arrested anyways....”

“Thanks, you’ve done great Andy. I’ll tell no-one that you gave us the tip-off. But James knows I came to see you.

So don’t tell him anything we discussed. Just tell him you couldn’t answer my questions because you never turned up for work.”

“Sure, thanks Chief. I appreciate it and I’m glad I was able to help.”

Zane tousled his hair again and thanked him before leaving. He turned onto the main road and headed to the ‘Hello Goodbye’ Motel just outside town.

He reached it in no time and drove by slowly. There weren’t many cars out front but he decided not to stop at the motel itself.

There was a supermarket a bit further down on the opposite side of the road. He pulled off there and parked behind other cars so his cruiser wasn’t so readily noticeable. Then he retrieved the binoculars from the cubbyhole and settled down to watch.