The Disillusionists cont'd...

There was snow now in the mountains - on the highway to the coast. Buck followed the tracks left in the slick surface by the car ahead of him. It helped him to concentrate. But his mind drifted off again and again, imagining what their daughter must be going through. The fact that they didn't know where she was... Was it snowing on the coast? Couldn't be. It was still summer! Raining. How long could she have? Buck wanted to step on the gas, blow by everyone and get there as fast as possible. Gracie looked over and put a hand on his knee - telling him to slow down. Nevertheless, he applied a little more pressure on the pedal and watched the accelerator slowly climb.

According to the police there had been an accident involving their camper. There had been injuries and one fatality, not May, who was missing. Missing. How could she be missing? How many people were in the camper? They wouldn't say. Could she be hurt? They didn't know. Well he wasn't about to sit around at the kitchen table and wait for answers. Gracie squeezed his knee gently. Buck was startled, he looked down at the speedometer and took his foot off the gas a little. She tried to smile a reassuring smile but he could see that she was as scared as he was. Better to go slow in these conditions. Better just to get there.

They stopped for gas and directions once they had come down out of the pass. It was raining and they could smell the ocean. Buck's back was killing him from having sat behind the wheel for so long. They hadn't been out this way for years and hardly recognized the place. There were two (!) stoplights now. Development seemed to have been given free reign. There wasn't a main street left, so to speak, only a series of dis-associated minimalls, gas stations and fast food outlets. All within a three block strip.

* * *

Sgt Leah Merriweather swung around the doorframe of the interview room before Williams had a chance to shut the door. "Hope you don't mind but I did a few things without you..."

Drop the god-damn innuendo Leah, he thought before looking up with one eybrow raised, "Really? And what was that Sergeant?"

"I ran the information on the sedan, turns out it was rented to your man Gunther Stevenson four days ago. Pre-authorised on his Visa... Got a pretty good price too." Leah liked to rest her hands on her belt, even when she was sitting down. Williams thought it made her look like she was perpetually ready to take off her pants. She was also a fourteen-year member of the R.C.M.P. and liked to think she had seen it all, but she just couldn't get her jug-shaped noggin around this one. She handed over a series of photos which Williams leafed through quickly. These weren't kids and they weren't just out for a joyride.

The Sergeant continued in an authoritative manner, "This guy Stevenson claims he doesn't know what's going on. He's willing to make a statement. Says he wants to go home... Meanwhile buddy over in room two isn't saying shit. Says he'll sue if we don't let him go."

Jim had been at his son's softball game and had to stay until the end because he couldn't get in touch with his ex (because she wouldn't answer her god-damn phone) to come and pick the kid up. Then he had to drive two and a half hours out to this one pump town. He knew Merriweather would have done all the detective work by now and it really only made his job harder. "You haven't taken any statements yet have you?"

The Sergeant handed him a few sheets of printed material, hot off the press. She smiled at Jim in that 'hard to say' way that she had. Williams groaned, even a student would be able to get it thrown out...