The Flu 1/2 (3 page)

“Well...” Bill folded his arms, “was gonna hang back. My story’s done here and I don’t have to be back in Anchorage for a few more days. But since we’ve been stuck here, I think I want to tag along. Eskimo villages or not, I’m pretty bored.”

“Excellent.” Trevor smiled. “I can use the company. I always feel so outnumbered when I do these ‘other culture’ pieces.”

“Guess what? You
are
outnumbered.” Bill pointed back with his thumb. “I’m heading to bed. Maybe you should too. Chopper lifts at five.”

“Got it. Night.” Trevor rested back, thinking about his journey north to what was considered the largest Eskimo village in Alaska. He’d take in the neighboring communities for pictures, but mostly, he’d stay in Barrow a day or two, get what he needed and head home. The road trip had been delayed enough, but if all went well, Trevor would be home in time for his birthday in a few days. He always looked forward to going out with friends on that day. His only fear was, with the change in climate—arctic cold of Barrow to the summer warm of LA—that his body would go haywire. The last thing Trevor needed on his favorite night of the year was to be sick.

* * *

Cleveland, Ohio

Agents Harden and Bloom assumed exhausted looks as they entered the FBI branch office in Cleveland. Even though it was evening, and only a few office lights remained on, they wanted to get across that the day had beaten them.

After shuffling their feet across the linoleum, they made it into their office, home free.

“Oh, yes.” Jeff Bloom plopped down in his chair. “A little more paperwork and case closed.”

Releasing a sigh as he, too, sat in his chair, Darrell Harden agreed. “Earlier than anticipated, too.”

“Know what we should do?” Jeff asked.

“What’s that?” Darrell kicked his feet on the desk.

“When we finish the paperwork, we should shoot straight to Atlantic City. Eight hours. We can be there by morning.”

“Can your brother get us a room?”

“Oh, sure. Didn’t he last time? I’ll give him a call.” Jerking himself upright, Jeff reached for the phone. “I can go for a little road trip.”

A hand reached down and took the phone from Jeff, replacing it on the base. Captain Johansson stood there with an ornery grin. “Glad to hear you’re in the mood for a road trip.”

“Sir?” Jeff looked up confused.

“Good job on that case today, boys,” Captain Johansson told them.

Darrell smiled impudently. “Thank you, sir.”

“Ready for bigger and better things, I suppose?” the Captain said. He plopped a folder, two-inches thick, before Jeff. “That’s only the preliminary. Pearson and Lawrence were transferred from this case just this morning. It’s all yours. Start with that, the others are in my office.” He started to leave but stopped. “And good thing you boys are in the mood for a road trip. Got a long one for you. You now are following the leads on the world’s hardest to find man.”

Waiting for the Captain to leave, Jeff let out a sound of disgust accompanied with a word of frustration. “Fuck.” He looked at the folder.

“Don’t tell me...” Darrell cringed.

“Ricardo Rodriguez.”

“Ah,” Darrell whined. “I told you not to tell me. That case is three years old.”

“We have it. However, I hear Pearson and Lawrence ended up in Maui on the last lead.”

“No shit?” Darrell nodded, impressed. “Pass that here. Let’s find out where...” he flipped open the folder, “Mr. ‘Man of a Thousand Identities’ will take us next.”

“Hopefully, Vegas.”

Darrell smiled at that. “I can do Vegas.” A little more excited with the prospect of traveling, Darrell dove into the information in the file.

* * *

Lodi, Ohio

In the closing hours, Dylan leaned against the counter by the register of the ‘Hit and Run’ Video store. She peered down at her watch and looked back up at the near-empty store. She listened to the slow moving footsteps. “I’d like to close soon,” she yelled out. Footsteps were her only response. “Sometime tonight!” She listened to the pacing. “I’m charging you double if you don’t make a selection!”

“Christ.” Mick peered around the shelf. “Give me a minute.”

“You are by far our worst customer,” Dylan told him. “We closed three minutes ago.”

“So what,” Mick scoffed. “Here. Got one.”

“Thank God.” Dylan exhaled in relief.

“I think.” Mick walked to the counter with the video case. “Now,” he set it before her, “since you are the video expert, would you say this movie would be a good choice to entice a certain female into coming over to my house, watch this, hang out, and get a pizza?”

Irritated, Dylan lifted the box. “You would hate this.”

“Now, now.” Mick smiled. “My likes are not important. Female perspective. What do you think?”

Inhaling thoughtfully, Dylan looked at the older romance movie. “You’d fare better with a classic action-adventure Bruce Willis flick.”

“Thanks.” Snatching the case, Mick hurried to the shelves.

“Mick,” she whined.

“Hold your horses. Got one.” He flew back to the counter and laid down the movie. “Well? Huh?”

“Better. You stand a chance with this one.”

“Excellent.” Mick smiled. “I’ll rent that.”

“Video card, please.” Dylan held out her hand.

“You’re shitting me.” Mick snickered. “It’s me.”

“Yeah, so? Video card, please,” she repeated. “I got written up twice last month for not asking for a card.”

“You never ask me.” Mick reached for his wallet.

“Well, you’re the reason I got written up. Video card, please.”

“Here.” He laid it in her hand. “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble. I just told your dad I feel important coming in here not having to show my card.”

“Yeah, right. You know my father’s my boss.”

“How the hell was I supposed to know your own dad would write you up?”

Dylan handed back the card. “Ten dollars and sixty-three cents.”

“What!” Mick leaned over the counter and peered at the computer screen. “When did you raise your prices?”

“We didn’t. You owe late fees. Come on, Mick...” she held out her hand, “pay.”

“Fine.” He slapped a twenty on the counter, and leaned onto it to be at her level. “So did it work? Did I entice you to come home with me, watch the movie, and get a pizza?”

Handing him back his change, Dylan shook her head. “Can’t.”

“Come on.” Mick winked. “I need to spend some time with you. You know I’m crazy about you.”

Dylan laughed. “You are not. You just think you are because you’re choiceless.”

“Choiceless? What the hell kind of word is that?”

“Very descriptive. You aren’t interested in me, you just have limited choices because I’m the only woman in town not afraid of your big ass.”

“Dylan...”

“I can’t, Mick,” Dylan said. “My boys have been home all evening without me.”

“All right. I give. I’ll come to your house. What do you want on the pizza?”

“Mick, I can’t. Not tonight.”

“Dylan, you’re killing me. Why not?”

Dylan hesitated then answered as she shut off the register. “Sam is probably there.”

“Sam? Sam?” With a slight jerk of his head, Mick rolled his eyes. “Ah, now, see, for sure I’m coming over.”

“Don’t you dare. You know how he’s being, how he’ll react.”

“We aren’t doing anything wrong. I don’t want to hide this,” Mick argued calmly. “You’re broke up.”

“We’re still married.”

“Only because he’s contesting the divorce
he
initially wanted.” Mick took a breath. “Look, I refuse to have a repeat of the senior prom.”

“Oh my God,” Dylan chuckled. “Here we go again. How many times do you have to bring this up?”

“As many as needed. I’m emotionally scarred over that.”

Dylan continued to laugh.

“No. He breaks up with you two weeks before senior prom all because he thinks he’s going with Suzie-what’s-her name. I ask you. You accept. He changes his mind. I’m in the cold. Same thing.”

“It is not.”

“Yes, it is.” Mick held up a finger. “Sort of. Same-old same-old. A million times he breaks up with you...”

“Oh, now, stop. You’re exaggerating.” Dylan pulled forward a little cart. “And I’m arranging these while we argue.” She fussed with the movies.

“Ok, maybe not a million times. But bet me it’s a hundred,” Mick rattled. “All these years. He breaks up with you. Grass is always greener, relationship is stale, I don’t feel it anymore. All those cockamamie reasons he gives you. He flies the coop, returns, sings a sappy ‘I love you take me back’ and you buy it. Always. You’re doing it again.”

“I am not. It was different this time, Mick.” Dylan softened her voice and faced him. “You know he was going through a rough time. His parents both died at the same time.”

“Life’s tough, Dylan. It was bad what happened. But you don’t turn your back on the one person that can pull you through. You just don’t. You deal with it. You move on. You don’t disappear from the face of the earth for three months. Three months he was gone.”

“And he’s been
back
for months, too.” She placed her hand on her hip. “Who am I with?”

“I don’t know. Who?”

Dylan rolled her eyes. “Stop it.”

“I can’t publicly date you. Have to hide it.” Mick lifted his movie. “One of these years, Dylan, I’m gonna stop chasing you around so much. Have a good night with Sam.” He moved to the door. “I’m just gonna go home...watch my Bruce Willis woman-enticing film while eating a pizza all by myself.”

“Mick…”

Mick hid his smirk as he stopped before leaving and peered over his shoulder. “Yes?”

“Give me a half hour, get the pizza, come on over.”

“Are you sure now?” he asked innocently.

“Mick, go. See ya soon.”

With a flash of a grin, Mick darted from the store.

After shaking her head, Dylan returned to her video cart and the un-alphabetized movies she knew she had better get in order before her father wrote her up again. She knew the rules, three write-ups in one month meant termination, and low paying or not, she didn’t want to lose her job.

* * *

Deadhorse, Alaska

How quickly Inez developed the cough surprised his wife, Delia, but not as much as how deep the cough had suddenly become. She had been a volunteer health aide in her community and others for some time, and had never witnessed such a rumbling in such a short span of time. Her only explanation was that she had been busy with the children and hadn’t noticed the illness creeping up on Inez.

But it had, and Inez had failed to open his eyes in his struggle to fight the fever and cough that assaulted him. His way of getting well, she supposed, was resting a lot. Of course, Inez, in the late hours was the only one who could sleep. The silence of the home was broken by the loud coughing spells that seemed to wrack the children as well as herself.

She was sponge-bathing him for the fifth time, wiping off the dirty sweat that didn’t accompany a breaking fever. He smelled sour to her, an odor of a sort she had never smelled before. He didn’t speak much all day, mumbling occasionally to Delia that he was ill and he was sorry for being so useless. Inez also murmured something to her about the science station he often visited, making no sense in his mention of his last visit and the people who lived there. Delia knew what he meant. He wanted their technology to help him. But that was something she couldn’t do. It was too cold and the journey too long to make on her own while leaving the children with him. So she did the best she could do. Aside from administering her own help, she crossed the river to the next village and sought the help of their medicine woman.

Delia was hopeful. The medicine woman gave care to her husband, and offered some prayers, as well. He was strong and Delia knew it wouldn’t be long before he beat whatever had overtaken him so rapidly.

Lodi, Ohio

August 20
^th

About the time of day that most parents complained that all their children did was sleep all day, Dylan closed Dustin and Christian’s bedroom doors. Aside from an uninterrupted morning while they slept, she wouldn’t have to view the unsightly danger zones of their rooms.

Happy that her newly-introduced rule of, ‘if it isn’t in the hamper, it doesn’t get washed’ seemed to be working, Dylan carried the small armful of items with her down the stairs en route to what would be an easy laundry day.

Annoyed, wondering who was knocking on her door at ten in the morning, Dylan dropped the clothes on the floor and answered it.